Habibi and Habibti: Using art to create awareness in Dubai

Dubai - "Emirati Doll Making workshop" set up by the Ajala Project at The Impact Hub

The Impact Hub in Downtown Dubai does exactly what the title suggests. But what does making an impact really mean to you?
Hassan Adebayo Bello and Narmeen Naser joined together to create The Ajala project - a platform where the aim of impact is pin pointed at using art to raise awareness of social causes. Alongside this they both wanted to emphasis empowering grassroot initiatives from emerging artists not just in Dubai but all around the world.
Khaleej Times wanted to find out exactly what kind of art the project had been focusing on recently and in turn dived into an "Emirati Doll Making workshop" set up by the Ajala Project at The Impact Hub.
 
Here participants got the chance to create their own habibi and habibti dolls from scratch. Using simple material's - jersey fabric and microfiber filling, buttons and crystals for eyes, these dolls took approximately 3 hours to evolve into mini figurines. The journey indeed needed a lot of patience and without seeing a glimpse of the final vision before all is put together, a lot of faith was needed in the teacher Maria Gusarova from "DoCreativeIdeas" to believe that what look liked turkeys to begin with,could actually transform into something human.
 
Hassan stated "One of the reasons why we chose to do Emirati doll making workshop is to encourage people to become creators of things, rather than just consuming.
 
We also want to foster and appreciate the beautiful heritage and culture that Dubai offers us all in this particular workshop."
 
It was mentioned that any fabrics can be used for making these types of dolls, even using old fabrics are a great way to give the project an extra sustainability element and encourage reuse of items . re highlighting the need for us all to steer away from just consuming.
 
The Ajala Project aims to empower communities, revitalize the creative scene and create a more integrated society.
 
For me this workshop cultivated a friendly space to get an inside view on Emirati culture symbolically through creativity. It highlighted an acceptance and freedom towards diversity in a fun, interactive and homely arts and crafts set up.
 
So far The Ajala Project has been featured in over 80 social initiatives, representing 200 local and international artists from around the world and have facilitated an impact in over 25 countries.
 crystal@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai