Getting face to face on Tolerance Portal

Sharjah - Through an immersive audio-visual technology, the portal seeks to connect the world and foster peace and harmony.

What if you can meet and share stories with total strangers from halfway around the world - right now? The UAE, in the spirit of tolerance, can actually put you 'in the same room' with people from 40 countries through a cool pop-up portal.
All you have to do is get inside a gold shipping container called 'Tolerance Portal'.
The activation has been on tour in the UAE, which started in Abu Dhabi and then moved to Dubai. But starting today until November 4, you will find it in the Heart of Sharjah from 6pm to 10pm.
Through an immersive audio-visual technology, the portal seeks to connect the world and foster peace and harmony.
At different times throughout the day, it will be connected to one of 40 other containers in other countries, including in Nigeria, the US, Honduras, Afghanistan, Mexico, Iraq, Palestine, Rwanda, Bolivia, the Netherlands and Germany.
Residents, visitors and the people from the other side of the world are then encouraged to speak their minds, exchange insights, and discuss aspects like coexistence, respect, and humanity.
And the result? Lots of laughter, interesting stories and new cultural learnings - as seen in a video posted on The Year of Tolerance's Instagram feed. 
In one session in Abu Dhabi, chefs even got together to 'share a meal' with people from the Africa Centre in New York.
A dining table was set up in the Capital and a similar one was also prepared in New York. Then, the participants happily talked about food and culture over dinner.
The portal serves as an ideal platform for people to share personal experiences and knowledge on how tolerance is reflected through experiences like dining, architecture, local customs and the celebration of religious diversity and inclusion.
Discussions have been curated to foster new connections through conversations on tolerance.
After its Sharjah stop, the 'Tolerance Portal' will be in Ajman from November 7 to 11 and will conclude in Ras Al Khaimah from November 14 to 18.
The portal is an initiative that is part of the UAE's Year of Tolerance drive.
Catch the Tolerance Portal
>Heart of Sharjah: Today until November 4 (6pm-10pm)
>Ajman: November 7 to 11
>Ras Al Khaimah: November 14 to 18
>For details, follow @theyearoftolerance on Instagram
reporters@khaleejtimes.com
 
 

• Sharjah