Spotlight on UAE’s Cultural Renaissance

Very few countries share the demographic uniqueness of the UAE. Over the years UAE has benefited from a diverse expat community, which has added a lot of “pizzazz” to its culture. Along with the various languages spoken in the UAE, there are also varied interests among the residents. The entertainment industry in UAE offers great venues and opportunities to showcase events such as operas, plays, musical concerts, films and literary discussions.

The well-equipped stadiums, the state-of-the-art opera house, the Coca-Cola Arena and world-class cinema theatres all remain busy throughout the year. There is no doubt that the residents are spoilt for choice by the growing entertainment industry of UAE.

Jashne Rekhta

Dubai once again in its customary grandeur hosted an array of authors at the prestigious event of Jashne Rekhta.

Amongst the authors from many parts of the subcontinent, there were prominent writers, drama writers, actors and philosophers from Pakistan. Along with Zarminae Ansari who is instrumental in promoting Urdu through Joy of Urdu there were icons of literature who mesmerized their audiences with their wit and inherent literary skills.

The presence of joy in Urdu at Jashne Rekhta was no coincidence as it’s hard to imagine a literary event without Joy of Urdu.

A session with Dr. Arfa Sayeda Zehra was mediated by Zarminae Ansari and it can be safely said that it was one of the finest literary events hosted for the literature enthusiasts. The book discussed was Gulistan e Sadi. On the 10th Anniversary of Joy of Urdu publications, the book is their first bilingual book for children and parents.

Amongst other prominent personalities from Pakistan were Maihra Khan, Samina Peerzada Usman Peerzada and Sameena Nazeer. They provided delightful discussions on subjects related to Urdu literature. Sameena Nazeer’s book Seeyah Here was launched at the festival.

Abida Parveen and Shafqat Ali Khan sent the audiences into a magical world through their mystical singing. Both had a full house and as they sang the Sufi Kalams people got immersed in the soul-stirring music.

Pakistan is seeing a resurgence in Urdu literature and without a doubt, the presence of Pakistani authors poets and singers has become an integral part of the festival. The discussion held under the title of Mera Fann Meri Zindagi was very entertaining. Mediated by Bee Gul Sameena and Usman Peerzada captured the attention of their audience.

The session held by Adeel Hashmi, Mahira Khan and Samina Peerzada was well attended. The title of the session was aptly chosen khaani se kirdar tak as each participant reflected on what it takes for an actor to play the role in any given story.

Jashne Rekhta promises to return with engrossing sessions every year. The success of the event can be judged by the large number of people who attended the two-day literature extravaganza

Times Up-a short film

The “AlMarmoom Film Festival in the Desert” is one of the newest platforms offered to local and international filmmakers to exhibit their talent. It aims to promote local films by local, regional and international filmmakers. AlMarmoom Film Festival has attracted many filmmakers from the region who have participated in the competition.

The films are short-listed by a team of filmmakers and experts who carefully review the submitted films based on their cinematic work.

It was a great moment of pride for the Pakistani script writer Nida Shahzad when her scripted short film Times Up was short-listed at the festival. Nida Shahzad has been a resident of Dubai since 2016. She has a master’s degree in education and after teaching in a few schools she soon realized that her calling was elsewhere. Shahzad has a flair for writing and likes to write scripts for short films.

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