AUS celebrates 49th UAE National Day

American University of Sharjah (AUS) held a special online event recently to celebrate the 49th National Day of the United Arab Emirates.

Organized by the Emirati Cultural Club at AUS, the theme of this year’s celebration is “Seeds of the Union”. Tying together the themes of progress, peace and tolerance, the event highlighted the country’s history and its rich heritage, as well as looked into the future.

Speaking on the occasion, Ahmed Moussa Al-Saqqa, President of the Emirati Cultural Club, said: “Our event, first and foremost, expresses the gratitude we have for our leaders and our country. Despite the challenging conditions prevalent currently, it is important to remind ourselves of all that we have to be thankful for, to take pride in what we have achieved, and look forward to the next 50 years.”

He added: “Our main aim was to keep this special event interactive, with the audience participating in the program through competitions and live segments. The Emirati Cultural Club participated in a lot of activities this year based on UAE initiatives such as those on tolerance, on the future, and others. We tried to bring all these themes together in our national day celebrations.”

The event began with the UAE national anthem, which was followed by a segment on the history and future of the UAE conducted by eminent Emirati historian Dr. Said Albadwawi and Abdul Rahman Al-Za’abi, UAE tour guide. This was followed by a short discussion on tolerance.

The celebrations also featured a student photography showcase, a short segment on oud playing hosted by Abu Dhabi TV presenter Abdullah Al-Ghamdi, and a pre-recorded session on local cooking produced in collaboration with the Gastronomy Club at AUS.