Whether black, brown or white, there is something to learn and appreciate in each culture.  Weekend met up with interesting people from different parts of the world, each person with his or her own story. Sue Steven reports

Here is a world represented in a village; not a city; peaceful, not chaotic; and spiritual rather than sensational. At the Global Village in Dubailand, time stands still as you experience different ethnic flavours  — the art and cultures of various regions of the world. Music, dance, theatre, costumes and international cuisine, it’s all there. This is where cultural interaction and the spirit of sharing come alive.

With street parades, amusement, fun and games, this destination also manages to capture the spirit of an international marketplace. Here is a melting pot of cultures, colours, rhythms and the joy that humanity celebrates.

One World. One Family. One Festival.

Anne Dulie from Switzerland is in Dubai along with her friends Cindy Montersino and Stephan Li from France Dulie works in a hotel in Dubai. It is just six weeks since she arrived in the Emirates and she is excited about DSF. She says that she is impressed with the technology on offer, the people and the range of clothing that is available. “Dubai is a fun place,” she says, as her friends nod in agreement.

Canadian tourist Jeffrey MacMillan is in Dubai with his Russian friend Nastya Yashina to visit his mum who works in the Higher Colleges in Ras Al Khaimah. MacMillan says he visits Dubai during DSF. This time he has brought along with him a D80 Nikon SLR digital camera through which he captures images of different cultures to take home to Canada.

Devendra Kumar Blegotra is with his wife Jagruti and daughter Eshupriye. They have travelled all the way to Dubai from Azerbaijan. Jagruti says that she is fascinated with the city and that they are planning to invest in property in Dubai.

Such is the Dubai phenomenon that you have people from all corners of the world adding the Emirates to their travel itinerary.

At the same time, three generations of the Kishen Gandhi family are out enjoying the sights and sounds of the Global Village. Gandhi is here with his wife, son Dilip, daughter-in-law Deepa, daughter Heena and grandchildren.

He is quick to share that he came to Dubai in 1959 when the UAE did not exist. That time it was called the Trucial States and was ruled by the British. “There was no electricity and running water supply.  I retired as Technical Sales Manager of African Eastern,” he informs. He even reminisces about the time when a visa had to be stamped while travelling to Abu Dhabi. A four-wheel drive was required then for travel between Sharjah and Dubai.

This is the magic of Dubai that long-time residents carry in their hearts and events like DSF evoke such nostalgia.

East meets West

UAE nationals showcase Emirati art and culture to visitors of Global Village at the ‘Art Village.’ University of Sharjah College of Fine Arts and Design Lecturer Jassim Rabia Al Awadhi is at the centrally located ‘Art Village’ with his students. He says that this is the first time that the Dubai Cultural Council is participating in the Global Village and in festival activities. “The Art Village adds value to the Global Village providing visual training to visitors about art,” he explains.

The whole concept is divided into four sections. The first one is the workshops. The Ministry of Education (MOE) participates in training students to use water colours. The second aspect is the exhibition for adults that includes photographs, calligraphy, paintings and sculptures. “The best part is that the art work will be rotated,” Awadhi says. The third aspect is the Studio run by the students of the college. Tourists can wear traditional outfits, learn about life in the UAE, and take images back to their home country.

“Two artistes will be drawing on the floor putting ideas together,” Awadhi adds. Here multimedia and audiovisual projections are managed by young artists and students.

Twist of fate

Ahmad Sukkar has a life story that he wants the world to know.

He sits in front of the Lebanon stand and paints names in Arabic within 10 minutes. This has been his profession for the last six years, which is doing oil painting on wood.

Sukkar is a Palestinian who lives in Lebanon. “I am a qualified lawyer, but being a Palestinian I cannot practise law and I’ve taken to painting to make a living,” he explains, as a national couple have their names personalised by Sukkar. He is in Dubai for the festival and will have to go back to Lebanon.

Glimmer of hope

Despite the political situation at home, the Iraq stand has several messages to convey to the world where a vast array of poignant artworks of Iraqi artistes is on display. They are very impressive and each one speaks for itself. Ayad Mohammad’s work is a combination of the old and the new. “The response in Dubai is good,” he says. There are unforgettable scenes of Ali Nehemas’ oil on canvas. If art is your cup of tea, then this exhibition is worth the trip.

African beats

The South Africa and Sub-Sahara pavilion has products from Zimbabwe, Sudan and Rwanda. Abigail Japajapa of Zimbabwe is busy arranging cowboy hats. She is not very conversant with English, so Catherine Chirinda explains that these exhibits are made by African women who work in rural co-operatives for a living. There are around 15 exhibitors at this stand. Handmade batiks and paintings with African themes stand out over here.

Chirinda is hoping that business will soon pick up. “Dubai is a place where items are competitively priced. We find that what we have does not sell according to our cost of estimation, which includes cost of cargo, airfare and so on. So we have reduced our price.”

If you want to support the efforts of the people of sub-Saharan Africa, show your concern by visiting and purchasing at this stand.

At the Kenya pavilion is Jacqueline Rumili who comes from the Masai tribe of runners and hunters. Various products used by the Masai, animal miniatures, chakas and drums surround her. She poses with the Gruda, a water container that the hunters of the tribe use while they go on hunting trips.

In front of the Tanzanian stall are life-sized stuffed animals. Crowds have gathered around the stage on which Ali Rashidy performs with pythons around his neck. He does not hesitate to kiss the snake, as ‘Oohs and Aahs’ are heard in the background. He says he has been doing such shows for the past 10 years.

Czech pavilion

In the Czech stand is an Italian kiosk specialising in chess sets. There are different types of pieces according to the region of origin like Arab, Roman, American and South American ones. These handmade pieces are made in Italy and prices range from Dh450 to Dh4,000 along with the table. “We’ve been exhibiting for the past six years. We’ve special customers who come to us every year,” says Sami Shalabi who hails from Firenza in Florence, Italy.  Along with the chess sets there are masks from Venice that are in great demand.

At the next stand, Czech Bohemian crystals are in plenty. Vases cut into complicated shapes, ruby glass with gold inlays, painted glass, crystal cut to precision, floral and geometric styles, painting on glass and porcelain, flowers made of crystal, glass beads  — the entire range bowls you over.

At the kiosk, Atelier Veselous continues an old family tradition of handmade glass engraving. This technique has made glasswork famous in the Czech Republic as well as abroad. Veselous concentrates on his work as he meticulously chips away on glass.

Next to his kiosk are Czech designs from Miracle Studio. Eva Simonova is willing to explain the different aspects to visitors. These are hand-decorated products. Designs are based on the application of metals in combination with coloured surfaces. It is a completely new technique of decorating glass and these are successfully exported to 35 countries. They are bought for their aesthetic and creative standards as well as utility value.

Promoting glass flowers at the Czech pavilion is Zuzana Tulisona. The technique of cutting glass is very difficult. Master craftsmen pay meticulous attention to craft and design. The simplicity and versatility of glass has been best capitalised by Czech glassmakers. From Venetian stained windows to flat glass objects, the Czech Republic has them all. Another Czech company, Preciosa sells chandeliers to the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi.

Healthy cooking

The Italian pavilion has multicoloured attractive doll fridge magnets along with fine chocolates and jewellery. At one stall, Edwin Delarosa is demonstrating the use of titanium cookware, pans that could be used without oil or water. Thus cooking takes place in a natural and non-toxic way. Delarosa says that titanium distributes the heat evenly and has excellent heat retention capability. “Titanium is used in the medical field for hip and knee replacement surgery. We use German technology in this cookware,” explains Moammar Zwen, managing director, General Trading.

Waterless steaming keeps important vitamins and enzymes in the food.  As a result, cooked food is free of cholesterol and keeps heart diseases at bay. This method is faster, takes just half the time required in the case of normal pans, is oven safe and scratch resistant. However, the price is on the higher side (Dh500 upwards) but the good news is that it comes with 20 years warranty.

“Business is good. We demonstrate its use to visitors at the Global Village. Some respond immediately, while others need time to think,” Zwen adds.

And if you are wondering why German technology at the Italian pavilion, it is because there is no German pavilion this year round.

Indian talent

The Indian pavilion is close to Gate 6. There are around 326 stalls and over 100 visiting artistes from India. People from around the world show interest in Hyderabadi pearls, Chettinad sarees, Mughal jewellery and Zari handicrafts from Madhya Pradesh.

At one of the stands is BD Malviya, an Assistant Conservator in the Forestry Department of the Madhya Pradesh government who is also a qualified Ayurvedic doctor.  He assesses the health of the patient by feeling the pulse. He explains the medicinal importance of plants and the application of Ayurvedic science for good health. Triphala, he says is for general health while Amla is a herbal capsule that is the main source of vitamin C. It is a natural tonic, astringent, mild laxative, antipyretic, blood purifier and nerve tonic as well. Bhringraj is good for hepatoxicity.

A short distance away, Manoj Vengalil is intensely working on portrait sketches. He offers his services for Dh40, doing pencil portraits in just 10 minutes. He has several passport-sized photographs next to him that he enlarges and reproduces. He is at work on a collie that belongs to an Indian family. After sketching the dog, he applies a spray on it, wraps it in plastic and voila, here is a personalised piece of art that is well received and appreciated.

Thread painting

Thread embroidered art or thread painting of Rajni Shirke stands out as well. She is skilled in woodcraft and embroidery painting and is a role model to youngsters in her country.  In this art form threads and stitches are used as a medium for design and painting. The work is done with precision and matches the fineness of an intricate oil painting. Subjects are as varied as portraits, landscapes, still objects and abstract art. “Work requires meticulous planning, precise execution and infinite patience. Very few artistes today follow this arduous art form,” she explains.

A basic frame of 18 x 24 inches requires as much as 350 to 400 hours for completion. In the case of portraits, it may even take longer as it demands a complex interplay of colours and shades. On an average such paintings require six to seven kilometres of thread. “Shades and colour effects differ during day and night,” Rajni adds.

Tribal art

Various watercolour paintings of snakes, trees and animals on canvas and paper are done by Dewlal Tekam and Mangru Singh Maravi, Adivasi tribals from India and evoke interest. Tekam has 12 years experience depicting various aspects of Adivasi life. He says he started learning the art from his brother-in-law. Melas, religious poojas and day-to-day life of Adivasis are well represented in their various works.

Lovely Pashmina shawls

At the Pakistan pavilion there are several stalls selling leather products and shawls. Since the winter this year is unusually cold, demand for warm clothing is on the rise. Dileep Kumar from Karachi has brisk business selling Pashmina, woollen and other different types of shawls. Onyx marble handicrafts in different shapes and sizes vie for attention.