Dear Dubai,

You are drowning. You are drowning in your thirst to be rich, powerful and famous. The tide of commercialisation, capitalisation, economic acceleration, exploitation and the rest of the ‘tions’ in between are pulling you down. I see a wild desert rose ravaged and abused over time. Your face is unrecognisable. Where are your wrinkles? The very wrinkles that normally hide stories, secrets and memories. You have plastered, pulled and plasticised your natural beauty. No amount of sky scrapers and racy cars will compensate for that.

Apologies for my harsh tone but I am deeply concerned. Will you flinch if I tell you that your admirers are attracted by your ‘tax free salary’ allure? Will you be embarrassed to hear that your biggest attraction is shopping? Will your ego be bruised to find out that you are merely a ‘pit stop’ to other exotic destinations? Of course not. You know all of this already because you have presented yourself in precisely such manner.

I know you are hiding your true self in there. I admire your streets freckled with mosques and schools. Your generosity is praise worthy and your local cuisine is a gastronomic delight. A true connoisseur, you have combined east and west tastefully.

Admiration aside, I worry about you. You are inundated with restaurants and shopping malls. Your roads are full of the latest motor vehicles and your homes adorned with the most expensive of baubles.

I ask: where is your soul?

I did try finding it in the local souks but they were cramped with greedy jewellers and their prey – tourists. Your scarce museums are empty and there are hardly any libraries. I went in search for your past Bedouin life in a festival but all I saw was stalls of clothes and jewellery. The highlight of the desert safari was a short ride on an exhausted camel and a belly dancer being gawked at by lecherous men.

I’ll tell you something. You are the most attractive amongst your sisters. Abu Dhabi is too industrious for my liking and Sharjah is a homely creature. The rest, I have not had the pleasure of meeting personally. You took a risk by investing in the tallest building in the world and I respect your decision. You have the desire to be a pioneer and I understand your wishes. However, please know that there is no shame in taking time out for yourself.

Remember the time when you and your ancestors were renowned for your poetry? Make that accessible for the world. Let your identity be much more than a holiday spot.

I know you follow Islam as your religion which preaches equality between Arabs and non-Arabs, then why is there little interaction between them? Does money and language make a race superior? I ask you, is a person dripping in Chanel, Céline and Chloé a superior being? Don’t look away. I might not have your citizenship or even residency to stay for more than thirty days, but I am a well-wisher. I visit you often, yet leave without learning anything new. I want to be dazzled not merely by the imitation of other cultures but by yours.

Nourish your soul.

Sincerely,
Sania