ABU DHABI, November 17, WAM, The World Media Congress hosted, on its third day, His Excellency Saeed Al-Attar, Director of the UAE Government Media Office, in a dialogue session addressing the role of media in promoting national identity in light of the repercussions of cultural globalization, during which he was interviewed by Abdullah Abdul Karim, Acting Executive Director of the News Content Sector in the UAE, Emirates News Agency “WAM”.
At the beginning of the session, HE Saeed Al-Attar thanked and appreciated His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court, for his generous patronage of the World Media Congress, organized by the ADNEC Group in collaboration with the Emirates News Agency, WAM.
His Excellency stressed that the World Media Congress brought together media talent from the east and west of the world to discuss the challenges facing the sector and work to crystallize a forward-looking vision for its future, thanking the News Agency of the Emirates “WAM” and the “ADNEC” for organizing this illustrious global event.
The dialogue session began with a question on the importance of the role of the media today more than ever in the consolidation of national identity, where His Excellency Saeed Al-Attar stated that the world today has changed and we live in economic and cultural globalization and, according to global statistics, the average person spends 7 hours on the Internet. Every day, according to those statistics, people have spent about 12 trillion hours on social networking sites and websites over the past year.
He pointed out that cultural globalization is spreading widely, as there are more than 200 entertainment platforms around the world, with around 1.4 billion participants.
His Excellency pointed out that strong countries have a strong national identity which they are proud of and even try to export to the world, and the UAE is one of the leading models in the world which is proud of its national identity.
He explained that cultural globalization must be addressed and that the media are the spearhead in preserving and strengthening national identity.
Regarding the most important media axes through which we can build a clear strategy to consolidate our national media identity, His Excellency the Director of the UAE Government Media Office said, “If we realize the importance of the national identity, we realize the importance of the role of the media in highlighting it”.
He explained that the role of the media today has doubled in promoting national identity, and with the importance of the role of education and its contributions in this regard, there must be national cultural content that helps build the personality of students and value their national belonging.
He stressed that many countries are making great efforts to consolidate national identity, and the media have an important role in this sense, since they are the ones who can neglect it or highlight and enhance it and contribute to efforts to export it abroad.
His Excellency highlighted Japan as one of the leading models in promoting national identity. In light of the remarkable development the country is experiencing in various fields, we find that the Japanese people are very proud of their national identity and culture, and the Japanese culture is exported to other countries.
He added that Japanese people spend the least amount of time on the Internet, averaging about 4 hours a day.
His Excellency also highlighted another example, i.e. South Korea, which managed to export around 12 hours of Korean drama to around 91 countries around the world.
On how to face the challenges of cultural globalization, His Excellency Saeed Al-Attar said that consolidating national identity is not only the government’s responsibility, but rather a social responsibility that includes society, family and parents.
He pointed out that an international study has shown that Emirati children are among the fastest to acquire an iPad, spending around 7 hours a day with it, and that 20 percent of them are not subject to any family supervision, which is one of the challenges facing must be addressed.
In this regard, he stressed that the UAE has undertaken several pioneering initiatives and programs to promote national identity, such as ‘Year of Zayed’ and ‘Year of Tolerance’, with the aim of consolidating these values among the younger generation .
His Excellency stressed that the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul, is the one who established the principles of national identity in the UAE, stressing the importance of focusing on teaching these values and principles to new generations.
He stressed that language is the vehicle of culture and the bond that strengthens national identity and contributes to its consolidation for future generations.
Regarding the most important successful Arab experiences in promoting national identity and Arabic language, His Excellency Al-Attar stressed that the UAE is a leading model globally in various fields, and according to international indicators, it is one of the countries where they are most proud of its national identity and the trust between government and people is among the highest rates in the world.
His Excellency underlined the importance of the initiatives and programs launched to strengthen the link with the Arabic language, including the Million’s Poet Program and the Prince of Poets Program, as well as the heritage festivals held in various parts of the country, as well such as book fairs, as well as many initiatives related to motherhood and childhood programs that contribute to the consolidation of the national identity of the emerging generations.
He stressed that the Arab Reading Challenge is an outstanding initiative by an outstanding leader, as the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, “may God protect him” , helped launch this challenge to raise interest in the Arabic language, which is the most important link that binds us to our national identity. .
It also touched the “Madrasa” platform, which includes about 7,000 lessons and teaching subjects from the first to the twelfth grade, which have been produced, arabised and made available to children.
His Excellency reiterated the importance of strengthening the bond of emerging generations with the values and legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul, and to benefit from new technological means in this regard.
At the close of the dialogue session, Abdullah Abdulkarim, Interim Executive Director of News Content Sector at Emirates News Agency, WAM, thanked His Excellency Saeed Al-Attar, Director of the UAE Government Information Office United, for this rich session of dialogue that took place as part of the activities of the first session of the World Media Congress.
He stressed that the media remain an effective and essential element in protecting national principles and values and promoting national identity.
-Ahmed Abdel-Azim-
