“I remember when our Father Zayed pushed security away as they tried to protect him from an eager crowd. ‘Do not stop my sons from seeing me.’ He was a great man, and Shaikh Mohammed was very close to the Zayed family, and Shaikh Khalifa, Zayed’s son. I think the name is a great honor.” -a conversation with an ex-military Emirati at the Address in Burj Dubai.
The Burj Khalifa has brought up many discussions, but conversations choose to see the tower half full or half empty. I personally would not believe stories of a landmark tower built in Canada (ie. Harper Tower, Chretien Tower?) bringing tears to people’s eyes, evoking personal stories of his greatness, or reminding us of his legacy of community and national growth. Nevermind in a recession.
But Canada has a different greatness. I truly love Canada, and miss the distant news headlines as safe and considerate as the driving — compared to my morning 7days articles featuring rape, abuse and various human rights issues. (How does a desensitized Canadian survive in the world?)
A peaceful country that offers immigrants a passport they can be proud of, a place they can call home, is true greatness. But how many long history heterogeneous, low birth rate, vast open space societies are there? We are lucky that immigrants are cohesive, choosing to embrace Canadian values of democracy, equality, education and integration.
In art, it is best to critique art when you understand the period when it was made. The history, the advancements, the contemporaries and interests of the time. It seems easy for people to judge the UAE on an international scale, forgetting that it’s heart is a rapidly expanding village.