YEAR OF ZAYED: FOR A NEW GENERATION
Head of the Founder’s Office explains the values of Sheikh Zayed and his new memorial, writes James Langton
Like so many of his generation and older, Faris Al Mazrouei has his own personal memory of Sheikh Zayed.
It was on a trip to Geneva in Switzerland while strolling through one of the city’s parks that he suddenly noticed other Emiratis around.
There on a bench was the Founding President of the UAE.
“It was not a formal setting,” Mr Al Mazrouei says. “I passed by one of the benches and he was sitting there, very peaceful, very humble. A fatherly figure and the leader at the same time.”
Appreciating the values and life of Sheikh Zayed is now a full-time responsibility for Mr Al Mazrouei, but on a much larger scale. He is the general manager of the Founder’s Office, which is charged with ensuring the success of 2018 and the Year of Zayed.
Those celebrations have begun publicly with the opening of the Founder’s Memorial on the Abu Dhabi Corniche.
Built on a site at the entrance to the Breakwater Road, it was once familiar for the giant portrait of the Founding Father, which stood there for many years.
The Founder’s Memorial features a spectacular artwork that captures the image of the former president, along with a visitor’s centre with photographs and objects relating to Sheikh Zayed’s life, and a garden that celebrates his love of plants and environment.
“The Founder’s Memorial is a huge effort that’s been in the works for many years now,” Mr Al Mazrouei says. “It’s a space to commemorate Sheikh Zayed and his achievements.
“Every single thing in the memorial has been studied, from the artwork, to the space, to the landscape. Every single thing has a meaning.”
After the formal opening last night, attended by many of the most senior figures in the country, the public are expected to be given access soon afterwards.
For the Founder’s Office, the memorial is only a part of what will be a year of events to mark the birth of Sheikh Zayed in 1918.
It is assessing and assisting with every event to mark the Year of Zayed, making sure “it is done in a certain way, a presentable way”, Mr Al Mazrouei says.
The bigger issue is what the Founder’s Office hopes to achieve with the Year of Zayed.
“It was chosen to commemorate him, to remind the previous generation about the achievements of Sheikh Zayed, the milestones he established in this country, and to educate the new generation that knows of him but doesn’t know a lot about Sheikh Zayed,” Mr Al Mazrouei says.
“They recognise him as a leader but it’s always different when we relate to him. We’ve lived during his time, but the new generation?
“It’s one of our responsibilities to make sure that they see and capture the achievements and the developments that took place; his values as a leader that we are currently continuing.”
Since the start of the year, the Founder’s Office has received more than 600 proposals for events and initiatives over the next 12 months.
They have come from government organisations and the private sector, but also many people. Some have come from overseas.
They include books, exhibitions, charitable events, an orchestra and a musical.
“It’s very interesting how people see and want to remember Sheikh Zayed,” Mr Mazrouei says. “How do they want to talk about him, describe him, remember him? We’ve had a lot of types.”
The Founder’s Office is focusing on four values they see as best expressing Sheikh Zayed – respect, wisdom, human development and sustainability.
“If you look at the topics of respect, today we have over 200 nationalities living in the UAE,” Mr Al Mazrouei says. “This did not come out of nowhere.
“He had a strong belief to respect different religions, to respect one another. This is something we would like to shed a light on, and to emphasise.”
Many proposals involve charitable projects. The thinking, Mr Al Mazrouei says, is that they should reflect Sheikh Zayed’s view of charity.
“This was one of the values of Sheikh Zayed – to help and see the growth and development of people around him. His success was to see everyone around him successful.”
The Founder’s Office is working on its own ideas, too.
“There’s a lot in the pipeline,” Mr Al Mazrouei says. “There will be more to come and that’s one reason we are looking at and screening everything about Sheikh Zayed.”
The belief is, he says, that some of more notable events from the Year of Zayed might become permanent features in the calendar even after 2018.
There are also hopes that the restoration of Qasr Al Hosn, the birthplace of Sheikh Zayed, will be completed by the end of the year after being closed to the public for nearly a decade.
And then there is National Day on December 2, probably the climax of the Year of Zayed.
“It’s going to be one of the biggest we’ve seen,” Mr Al Mazrouei says. “It’s still a work in progress but the topic is Sheikh Zayed and you can imagine what will come out of this.”
Every single thing in the memorial has been studied, from the artwork, to the space, to the landscape FARIS AL MAZROUEI Founder’s Office