By Nada Al Menhali
ABU DHABI – I am 19 years old and before this year still had not attended a National Day event like all of my friends. Yet all of that changed on Dec. 2, as I finally attended a National Day event. It was the big celebration at Zayed Sports City’s soccer stadium.
Shocker, right? How can a young Emirati woman never have been to one of the big National Day events?
Obviously, I’ve been to school celebrations of National Day, but what I experienced at Sheikh Zayed Sport City on that Wednesday night was way beyond those. I’ve always wanted to attend a major National Day event, but for reason or another I never did. I had never seen National Day fireworks, not even once. Yes, a few times I did see the fireworks from a distance, but that doesn’t count.
Gradually I started not caring about any kind of festivities regarding that day. Slowly, my active patriotism had decreased along with it. But as I took my seat at the soccer stadium on that Wednesday night and watched every scene go, my patriotism rose.
Honestly, I thought going to Zayed Sports City this year would be a waste of time, but I was forced into it. Reluctantly, I went.
The whole car ride, the whole walk to the stadium included thoughts of me sitting at home, and whining sessions with my sister (I was doing the whining, and she was canceling my voice out). Slowly, I became OK with the event. Why? Because there were hamburgers, and burgers keep me going. So I sat on my seat eating a burger that was more patriotic than I am, as the bun was the color of the United Arab Emirates flag.
I sat down in my seat, not so patiently waiting, more excited to leave than witness what was the most magical thing ever. The seats were packed approximately 30 thousand people showed, more or less, families everywhere. Little kids dressed as little army men, and girls wearing kandooras or puffy dresses. Finally, at 6:30 p.m., the VIPs arrived, and the show started. It started with a blast from the past act, where they showed us how it was back in the 1960s and how all the Emirates were separated, each having their own flags. Then at the end the participants put all the flags together.
The second segment is what brought chills to my body. Seven huge balloons were brought out. Each symbolized pearls—and the seven Emirates. This is when the tears dropped. They projected Sheikh Zayed, may he rest in peace, on the pearls. He was speaking and, my God, how his voice just brings the chills. He always cared so much about his children. He wasn’t just a president of a country; he was a father.
That’s when the idea came to my mind, that he would be disappointed in us. Our nation is one of the best countries in the world, in security and economic opportunities. But the people in it, many of my brothers and sisters, just don’t care. Not all of them, obviously, but most. We care so much about insignificant things and forget what our country has given us. We can make great things happen, but sadly we are apathetic.
And so the show continued, with that idea stuck in my head: That my generation gives the UAE a bad name.
The other segment gave me the chills as well, a girl was lost in the desert, it was a contemporary dance, the men and women helped her and she rose. She walked on their hands and began to fly (seriously) and she kept throwing confetti. The message was beautiful. We’ve got each other’s back.
The other segment was members of the armed forces marching down into the stadium. They were there from all branches. It was crazy how they were in sync, and my sister Deena said something that made me think.
“Moving like that is hard, but it shows you how they are one hand,” she said.
I want us to be one hand. I want us to be like what our father wanted – to wish greatness on one another, to treat each other with kindness, to forget about the useless things in life and make things happen.
The show kept on going, as did my mind.
This story was originally published on Dec. 3, 2015. It was re-uploaded on Dec. 27, 2020.
