"Sheikh Zayed Festival" is an open exhibition of handicrafts

Al Hammadi split oysters to revive the heritage

• The festival showcases the history and cultures of peoples from different parts of the world.

  Photography: Eric Arazas

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Many grandparents, fathers, grandmothers and mothers sit in the heritage village at the Sheikh Zayed Festival and in the handicrafts area, to pass on to the new generation of children and grandchildren these experiences and the "years" that they have preserved for a long time, as a vital part of the Emirati heritage and identity.

The Sheikh Zayed Festival, which is currently held in Al Wathba in Abu Dhabi, is an open exhibition of human heritage, history and cultures of peoples from different parts of the world, as it opens the way for countries participating in its current session, whose activities will continue until February 20, 2021, to present their culture, heritage and civilization to the public. This reflects the nature of the UAE society, which represents a unique model of coexistence between different nationalities, and confirms the festival's keenness to inspire the vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul, and honor his eternal legacy, including the emphasis on the importance of learning about cultures and human heritage. And global civilizations.

The Sheikh Zayed Festival 2020 pays special attention to the Emirati heritage and its various vocabulary, foremost of which are the traditional and traditional crafts that have been practiced by the people of the Emirates over many years and are known for their mastery. It documents the lives of the people of the region in the pre-oil years.

Emirati handicrafts are concentrated in the heritage village, which includes the handicraft area, falcon exhibitions and the Arab saluki, and those wandering around the craft area feel that they have moved to past years, when many of the people of the coast were working in fishing and shellfish, with a number of craftsmen who practiced forms Different from the trades associated with the profession of fishing and diving, including the father, Ahmed Al Hammadi, from the Abu Dhabi Sailing and Yachting Club, who sat practicing the profession of clamshell to introduce the festival visitors, and the new generations, to this profession that parents and grandparents have always worked in, to revive and preserve the heritage, as a part From the identity of society, as the founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God bless him, said, “He who has no past has no present.”

Hunting memories

Al-Hammadi explained to “Emirates Today” that in the past, children used to join work at sea and the manual professions associated with it at the age of between seven and eight years, after completing their studies in writers at the hands of the Mutawa, where they memorize the Noble Qur’an and learn the principles of reading and writing.

He added: “When the child finishes memorizing the Holy Qur’an in the writers, he used to go to work with his father and his uncles or uncles, and they would take him with them to learn the trades associated with the sea, such as fishing and shellfish, and making various fishing tools that were used at that time, and we were fishing Fish in the winter, but in the summer we would go on diving trips that lasted for four months and 10 days.

Noting that fishing was done with different tools, including the gargir, pronounced “garage”, and the only one was gargour, which was a cage that was made from palm fronds, and there was also “spinning” or “nets”, and it was made from linen threads that came from India. Or Egypt, and now it is made of nylon strings, while there were methods used for fishing on the shore during the ebb and flow period, such as “favor” and “drunkenness”, and fish enter it during the tide period, while fish are collected when the water recedes again. , Explaining that "fish in the past were plentiful, and the fisherman's yield sometimes reached 40 kilograms per day."

Difficult profession

Al-Hammadi pointed out that diving was one of the most difficult and dangerous professions, and divers often suffered many and serious diseases and injuries as a result of practicing this profession and staying under water at a great depth, and it was common for a diver to tan his body to protect his skin from the salinity of the water, adding: «In At the present time, there is no longer diving or pearls, but we are preserving these professions and passing them on to new generations, in order to preserve the heritage, customs and traditions that we grew up with and which represent our society.

Handicraft Corner

The Sheikh Zayed Festival 2020 pays great attention to the handicrafts and heritage of different countries, as places have been allocated for them in the pavilions of all participating countries to provide interactive workshops, to introduce the public to the culture of their country and the most prominent traditional products for which it is famous, in a way that enhances the character of the festival as a meeting place for civilizations and an educational festival Educatively, it is established to enhance the culture of heritage preservation and pride in it.

"Diving was one of the most difficult and dangerous professions."

"The fish was plentiful, and the fisherman earned 40 kilograms a day."

"There is no longer diving or pearls, but we preserve these professions and pass them on to new generations, in order to preserve the heritage, customs and traditions that we grew up with and which represent our society."

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