Earlier this evening, BBC World aired a much publicised documentary that immediately labels itself with calculated negativity in the title “Dubai Dashed Dreams.” Embedded above is the Arabic version. I will post the English feature as soon as it surfaces via legal sources.
I, for one, feel compelled to document my rant due to the unsettling nature of this seemingly objective documentary. The piece features four characters: a prominent Emirati, a bankrupt Englishman, an Egyptian architect and a Bangladeshi security guard — all with their versions of a newly recessed Dubai.
While these 52 minutes document a genuinely sad reality for three out of the four protagonists, two sore points stand out with calculated precision:
1 - One cannot help but notice the slow, yet crafty disparagement of Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and his vision. Cynicism aside, several of his quotes — cleverly spliced in between gargantuan footage of Dubai’s most famous icons of success; the Palm Islands, et al — gradually paint Dubai as a lost cause, and its leader, a narrow-minded dictator. It goes as far as to state that Sheikh Mohammed’s ambition outweighed logic, disregarded Dubai’s oldest families, and has been fueled by a singular thirst to realise his father’s dream. If watched without other reference points, the feature almost caricatures him as an arrogant sensationalist, using out-of-context quotes such as “Dubai is the world,” or “Dubai does not need investors. Investors need Dubai.”
2 - A rift between Abu Dhabi and Dubai constantly takes centre-stage throughout the feature; glorifying an epic struggle between the cities, as if in the midst of a cold war. First, it states Sheikh Rashid’s (the founder of Dubai and father of Sheikh Mohammed) apparent displeasure at ‘joining the federal union’ proposed by Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed. It then sprinkles a few cliched references to Abu Dhabi’s sensational bail-out of Dubai. The controversial Burj Dubai renaming is hypothesised to be a debt-enforced act of humiliation. Throughout the documentary, author Christopher Davidson’s comments about a deep-rooted federal dysfunction as the reason for Dubai’s financial woes, are especially surprising.
I do not aspire to defend this city with blind faith, either. The reality of Dubai’s lack of bankruptcy laws, long-term residency, and minimum wage for its labourers, is undeniably sad. Prominent Emirati businessman Yahya Lootah’s denial of the ‘500 Dirhams’ wage that workers routinely cite, was unfortunate. The eventual arrest of the British businessman too, will resonate with more and more people amidst today’s financial climate.
This is no victory for Brand Dubai. Although the BBC artfully camouflages this documentary as a balanced piece of journalism, it stings like an age-old colonial souvenir: a mine-field of artificially planted conflicts among colonial footholds of the British empire. The closing scene dramatically juxtaposes footage of Sheikh Mohammed walking away into a barren and deserted horizon, with one of his quotes — at first questioning whether he has chosen the right path for his people, followed by his conviction, and intention to continue in its pursuit.
Perhaps my reaction has been disproportionate, but this finale, like much of the documentary, seems deliberate in its ridicule of Dubai.
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Hi Dashan,
it is indeed interesting to see how the pereception of Dubai in the global media has changed over the last years from total blind admiration to some form of malicious glee whenever things go wrong.
I also always tried to explain my many guests in Dubai the UAE view of the world and also somewhat to defend their approach.
I am German myself so I can understand how the established rich west thinks about any of those new countries who came up the last decades and now sit in with them together in G 20.
Of course nobody wants to share power, and nobody wants to share wealth. So it is quite natural that countries like the UK with all the same strucutral problems of bad economy, high debts, unemployment will try to humble the allegedly better off nations wherever they can.
The point is as that the autocratic style of government in all GCC states together with the censorship of media makes them so vulnerable to all of that.
It is so ridiculous when you browse through any GCC newspaper and you only see the rulers getting praised all day long opening this, holding a speech there, and making that decision.
In a system where you cannot criticise the ruling family cause they are somewhat good given and where thus all governmental decisions are made in some closed small circles behind closed doors you will always have these effects as a reaction of the foreign press.
So the mere fact that you call that anyway faible form of criticism a slur shows that Dubai and its media still have a long way to go.
But it will for sure be an interesting one - to go and to watch!
hello dear readers:
as a fact we should accept that the media always advertise the things more than what is in real. and about the Doubai and Sheikh Mohammad I would like to say it was a small villige not even a town, but by the effort which made by Sheikh Rashid Ale Maktum it grew very fast and became one of the most economic zone not only in Asia but in the world and provided a new life for millions of peaple around the world. from my point of view I’m disagree that “its a blind faith” the financial crises not affected only Doubai but affected many countries like US & UK and in answer for the quistion that Sheikh Mohammad is in right way? I would like to say yes because they(ale Maktum family) brought a new life for Doubai and its people and the nation is happy with thier rull in Doubai. this crises will not remain and we will that Doubai will be develope more than now. “DOUBAI IS THE WORLD” and “DOUBAI DOES NOT NEDD INVERSTORES INVESTORES NEED DOUBAI”.
Hi Danishfarhan,
Unfortunately, i was one among those who wanted but could not watch the telecast of the mentioned documentary video on BBC. I have visited this page quite a few times, expecting to watch the English version of this video. And i could not find it anywhere else over the internet too.
Please do publish the English version if possible.
Thank You,
Najim.