The Dubai Shopping Festival makes history each year by growing in size, attracting more and more visitors, and reaching record sales, thereby boosting the local economy.
But did you know that DSF can also enrich the cultural, social and historical traditions of the UAE?
In coordination with DSF, Watani has launched a National Treasures competition, which invites all nationals, residents and visitors to capture their own unique experiences of the UAE in audio, video and image files and upload them onto its online TV website —archived for years to come.
Linn Bore from Watani said: "We are encouraging everyone to experience the authentic sights and sounds of the country and visit the National Treasures village at the Dubai Creek Park daily from 5pm-10pm until February 24."
Prizes
Throughout DSF, Watani invites the public to take part in its Best Video competition to honour the most valuable contribution to the National Treasures campaign.
"Exciting prizes can be won for the Best Video uploaded onto the social development programme's online heritage archive.
We are also hosting a set of weekly activities focusing on the history and traditions of the UAE, celebrating one specific environment or type of tribal group each week," Bore added.
This week, the Heritage Village commemorates the traditions of the typical "mountain people".
It will include daily shows and competitions as well as showcasing the UAE's traditional dances, games, handicraft demonstrations, poetry reading, storytelling and henna painting.
Watani organises and implements various educational, entertainment, and sports activities that are directed towards the youth, women and children. The activities and campaigns organised by Watani are carried out by a number of volunteers and public interest advocates in the UAE.
How does it work?
The National Treasures campaign urges members of the UAE community to participate in safekeeping the UAE national identity by uploading video, audio and still image materials about the UAE onto its online TV portal at www.watani.tv
Through the campaign's medium at www.watani.tv, the public has the opportunity to preserve and share its experiences and memories of the UAE by using the online TV portal to relay their own stories about the nation.
The website will ask you to upload your images, stories and videos, and will then sort them by relevance automatically into the correct categories.
The campaign was officially launched in December 2005, on the nation's 36th anniversary, to celebrate and commemorate the cultural, social and historical traditions of the UAE, but the team says DSF is the perfect opportunity to really get the project off the ground.
Share your memories and experiences of this DSF and win some exciting prizes. Find out more.
Visit www.watani.ae or go to Creek Park (Children's City gate) from 5pm-10pm daily to find out more.
