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Sharjah: National Identity in the GCC region was under question as the UAE’s cultural reality was brought to the forefront at a conference in Sharjah titled “The Role of Museums and Cultural Institutions in Strengthening Identity.”
“It’s important to realise that there is a loss of cultural identity across the GCC — there is vulnerability in the region,” said Najeeb Al Shamsi, Economic Adviser at the Gulf Cooperation Council, who discussed his paper on the importance of traditional heritage in preserving cultural identity in the UAE.
Al Shamsi highlighted globalisation, consumerism and political conflict as some of the main factors that have contributed to the weakening of cultural identity among individuals, which he says is most apparent in youth.
“New generations are suffering from duality and they have a schizophrenic attitude towards different topics,” he said. From education, to media to fashion, Al Shamsi said the region has adopted educational systems, and economical and social approaches that are not in line with its own Arabic and Islamic cultural identity.
He also pointed out that through TV shows, books, and the media, the dissemination of these ideals have resulted in a shift in concepts and values, and have “polluted the environment.”
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