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Abu Dhabi To Launch Liwa Date Festival |
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The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) will host the Liwa Date Festival on July 17-26, 2010 in the town of Liwa in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi. Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, the Festival includes rich heritage events and the important competition of Mazayin Al Ratab (half-ripe dates), which aims to encourage the improvement of the quality of UAE dates and make them more competitive locally and internationally while preserving the naturally healthy aspect. Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Director General of ADACH, said "The Festival comes in line with the implementation of ADACH’s strategy to preserve the heritage of Abu Dhabi, and in particular to protect palm trees which have a prominent place in UAE’s heritage and nation’s memory. This heritage is a truth that we must protect and preserve so that it becomes an essential element of UAE daily lives, embodying the spirit of authenticity and heritage, developing the past, and transferring its characteristics to future generations in accordance with the saying of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, He who does not have a past, has neither a present nor a future,’’ Mazrouei noted. "Civilization building is a continuous process and connected to the past as its influence extends to the day we live in," he said, adding that the Festival is a continuation of the major process initiated by the late Sheikh Zayed, the founder of the UAE’s agricultural renaissance, and also as part of the implementation of the directions of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, who supports the development of palm plantation in the UAE, and the continuous follow up of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs. The event aims to educate farmers on the ways of modern farming and caring for palm trees in order to yield a useful economic output, encourage them to pay more attention to the quality of the production of dates without chemical additives. The festival serves as an annual exchange of expertise among farmers for the best and highest quality of dates. Last year the festival was not only a staggering success, but it was also a unique heritage and tourism carnival, attracting date lovers, farmers, families and various institutions. The Fifth Liwa Date Festival 2009 contributed to Liwa’s business boom, with a distinctive increase in trade and tourism and high public turnout from inside and outside the UAE, in addition to the media presence that monitored the activities of the Festival and the city for 10 full days. Liwa’s economic boom had reached all commercial and services sectors, especially hotels in the Western Region, whose were fully booked. All of the region’s population benefited from this economic activity, especially with the influx of thousands of visitors every day. The Festival witnessed the participation of 1769 people from all over the UAE in the date beauty contest (known locally as Mazayn), participants submitted 5715 Ratab baskets in all categories of the competition (Khallas, Dabbas, Boumaan, Fardh, and Nukhba). In order to achieve greater transparency and credibility for the participants and the public, the criteria for the judging panel have been modified, which reflected positively on the accuracy of the results that were acknowledged by the participants. 90 Emirati won valuable prizes in the dates and heritage show competitions last year. They were given cash prizes worth in total more than 2.225 million AED, in addition to the 15 cars awarded to the top three winners of each of the date categories Khallas, Dabbas, Boumaan, Fardh, and Nukhba. The Organizing Committee has purchased 1594 date baskets directly from farmers and residents of Liwa as an early support from the Festival. In addition to dedicating several places for the date sale where 119 people benefited as the date sales saw high demand by thousands of people who visited the Festival throughout the ten days and enjoyed various types of dates. Last year, the number of visitors to the Festival reached more than 60 thousand visitors, including many foreign tourists. In addition to the various date categories of the competition, the Festival had witnessed several successful events, including the competition for the best heritage dish with the participation of chefs from the world’s finest hotels. Also a huge popular market was built on the Festival’s location to accommodate 159 stores, which benefited 309 female citizens from the Western Region and the UAE. The Organising Committee purchased large quantities of products from citizens at the popular market in order to support UAE’s traditional industries and ensure the continuity of its practice. A large tent was built for children, with the organization of educational and entertainment programs throughout the event. More than 10 thousand children visited the Festival and participated in the traditional and entertaining popular competitions, becoming familiar with dates and traditional industries. More than 150 people from the region - aged between 12 and 16 - volunteered for the team "Fazaa", which provided support and assistance to the Organizing Committee of the Festival. The Festival also witnessed distinct UAE creativities, including the success of a citizen for the first time in the production of pickled dates in different flavours. Another citizen has also succeeded in the production of incense and skin detergents produced from palm fronds. |
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