Why Dubai might have the last laugh on culture

By comparison the Dubai Opera House launch has been plain sailing

By Lukman Hajje

Published: Wed 14 Sep 2016, 7:45 PM

After the highly praised opening night of Dubai's stunning new opera house, it was interesting to hear in passing a couple of somewhat snooty remarks about the city's chances of becoming a serious global culture hub.
The gist of the jibes was that despite all the money being poured into the emirate to create new spaces for the arts, Dubai could never really match Europe or the US for venue atmosphere, reputation, or 'seriousness.'
The city is - so some seem to think - just a clever young upstart with a big budget. And that got me thinking about how you should never underestimate new blood.
Most people don't know that the famous Sydney Opera House in Australia, recently named a UNESCO heritage site, had a horrendous start to life. The budget overran, the construction was delayed, and even after completion there were lots of grumblings about the acoustics and design. Yet it is now one of the most beloved music destinations in the world. You think Sydney, you think of the iconic sails of the opera house gazing out of the harbour.
By comparison the Dubai Opera House launch has been plain sailing. And anyone who has actually set foot inside it will get the sense that something important has begun. It is truly beautiful.
Make no mistake, this city is not playing around when it says it intends to host the world's best artists. Because while there are definite social, creative, and emotional benefits to a thriving arts and culture scene, there is another big driving factor - it is good for business. These developments massively impact the property values of nearby communities, a fact we have seen born out on propertyfinder.
And throughout history people have travelled across the world to witness, experience or engage with cultural hotspots, and the Dubai government intends that to be that case here too.
It's not just about building beautiful venues either, there is a serious purpose behind projects such as The Mohammed bin Rashid Library announced earlier this year. Costing around Dh1 billion to build, the 650,000 square feet property will facilitate 42 million visitors annually and house more than 4.5 million printed, digital, and audio books. This will be a magnificent place I'm sure.
So I believe - whisper it - that the so-called 'serious' venues across the world might be getting a bit nervous about Dubai's determination to take some of their thunder. This is the city, after all, that now has the most visited tourist attraction in the world - The Dubai Mall
And as the greatest opera diva of them all, Maria Callas, once said: "When my enemies stop hissing, I shall know I'm slipping."
The writer Lukman Hajje is CCO propertyfinder Group and views expressed by him are his own and do not reflect the newspaper's policy.