Mirdif City Centre inspires students to create ‘green’ works of art in celebration of 40 years of the UAE’s history, culture and heritage

In commemoration of the auspicious occasion of the 40^th UAE National Day and ‘Spirit of the Union’ celebrations, Mirdif City Centre is instilling a sense of national pride amongst students of the community through an inter-school arts project called ‘My UAE National Awards Day’. On November 1^st, Mirdif City Centre will showcase 20 ‘green’ arts sculptures – all made from recyclable materials such as plastic bottles and cardboard, handmade by students across six participating schools in the community. Inspired by the past, present and future heritage of the UAE, these sculptures reflect three themes: native wildlife, national landmarks – or traditional or modern forms of transportation.

Mirdif City Centre’s ‘My UAE National Awards Day’ art project was conceived to embrace ‘Spirit of the Union’, building upon the pillars of ‘Our Journey’, ‘Cosmopolitan Community’ and ‘Our Future’ and is a celebration of national pride to be shared with residents and visitors in the community. The 20 sculptures will be on display in the Oasis Walk area, where visitors to the mall will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite creation. To be announced the weekend of UAE National Day, the winning sculpture will receive a prize of legacy for future generations – 20 laptops will be gifted to the winning school by Mirdif City Centre. Additionally, in the spirit of promoting the native language and heritage of the UAE, all participating schools with be awarded a new library of 20 Arabic-language books from Kalimat.

Starting November 1^st, residents, visitors and shoppers will have the opportunity to ‘Vote & Win’ for their favourite arts sculpture at Mirdif City Centre. Every AED 200 purchase at any store can be redeemed for a voting card and a raffle ticket for daily cash prizes totalling AED 1.6 million as part of the Dubai Shopping Malls Group (DSMG) and the Dubai Events & Promotions Establishment’s (DEPE) 40-day ‘Shop and Win’ extravaganza.     

On December 3^rd, Mirdif City Centre will officially mark the 40^th anniversary of the UAE with an air of grand festivity – a National Parade featuring performances by students from participating schools to celebrate their works of art while fostering a sense of unity, national pride and diversity in commemoration of the UAE National Day. The National Parade will culminate in the Central Galleria with the Awards Ceremony where the winning arts sculpture of ‘My UAE National Awards Day’ will be announced and gifted with the legacy of education with 20 laptops and a library of books provided by Mirdif City Centre.

“The UAE has reached a milestone anniversary as it celebrates 40 prosperous years steeped in tradition and heritage,” said Yousif Al Ali, Asset Director for Mirdif City Centre. “By embracing the pillars of Spirit of the Union, the national theme for 40^th UAE National Day, Mirdif City Centre has inspired creativity and unity amongst youth in our community to create environmentally sound works of art that reflect their vision of national pride. My UAE National Awards Day and the National Parade will be a grand celebration for the mall and I encourage everyone to visit and support these sculptures which will be proudly on display for all of November.”