Tweets are flooding in to honour pioneers, in order to celebrate the UAE’s 43rd National Day. HH Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai put out a call for 43 men and women who are worthy of recognition via his Twitter page. Launching a new hashtag, which translated from Arabic means “UAE pioneers”, he hopes to give credit to those who have paved the way for others. Sheikh Mohammad said: “Brothers and sisters, we want to determine the [pioneers] in 43 different fields, such as the first teacher, the first female doctor, the first pilot and others … we want to honour them on the 43rd National Day.”
So far a broad range of people have been nominated, including poets, artists, teachers and scholars. There has been a lot of support for groundbreaking Emirati women, including Nayla Al Khaja, who is praised as the UAE’s first female producer. As the founder of D-Seven Motion Pictures, Nayla’s influence as a director, screenwriter and producer has been pivotal in her field.
Nayla Al Khaja
Other prominent women to be filling up Twitter feeds include Major Mariam Al Mansouri, who recently became the UAE’s first female fighter pilot. Mariam’s accolade has already seen her make global news headlines, highlighting that she’s an icon, not only for Emirati women, but women across the world. Sheikh Mohammad has sent out further tweets to explain that honouring people who come first is important to this country, as the UAE is known for being a innovator. “We are a nation that loves the first place, and appreciates those who work to achieve the first place,” he said. With well over three million followers on Twitter, it’s little wonder that people have been nominating in their hundreds. The 43 pioneers will be recognised tomorrow (December 2) on the 43rd National Day. For more information visit Sheikh Mohammed’s Twitter page @hhshkmohd
Meet the inspiring women who were recently praised at our Emirates Woman Woman Of The Year Awards.
