Sharjah airport 1937 & Dubai airport today

The first video clip shows the Sharjah airport in 1937. The video is in black and white and includes a lot of useful information. At that time most of the Sharjah population were local with some Iranian and Indian traders. 15,000 people lived in Sharjah at that time but it’s jumped to more than half a million nowadays. We can see how people transport using animals and walking to the destinations. Also we can see oyster beds and the pearls which were the main trade in the region at that time. The design of the airport was like a fort and it was controlled by English. A Hanno airplane which reached the airport was built by Handley Page and it was considered the safe airplane in that time with zero record of any incidents. At night the guards brought out some mechanics to help the plane to see the runway for landing or take off. Also a balloon was released to collect information about the weather. 

The second video is about some people dancing in Dubai airport. It began with 4 dancers until the number increased to more than a hundred. They want to show how diverse the culture is passing through Dubai airport.

Reflection

My reflection on the demographics is twofold:

     1- The information which is in the site is an old information. Based on that time (2000) the population was 4.5M but due to the more chance to work and live in the UAE people started to come here.

     2- The % of Arab in general is probably less than what the figure mintioned. And we can see that in real life; most of  the workers in several businesses are from Asian countries.

Blindsight

Types of cultural diversity in the movie:


     1- Western cultures (Christianity).
          A) German woman, the one who set up a school for the blind in Tibet.
          B) The blind American man (Erik) mountaineer volunteer to guide the blind children up Everst.
           
    2- Tibetat cultures (Buddhism).
         A group of children who faced a hard negotiation with their families.


Challenges people in the movie encounter:
     1- Climbing the world's highest mountain.
     2- Train the blind to know how to climb and used to life there.
     3- 20 year old girl leaving her daughter with get no effective support.
     4- The American man lost his mother at an early age.


Stereotyping/bias/prejudice/discrimination:
    Tashi, the street kid who had in gaining acceptance from the other children.


A challenge caused by personality, rather than culture:
    The  Chinese couple beating and burning by cigarette Tashi's body.


Benefits because of different culture:
    1- A Tibetan girl will learn English.
    2- Tashi found his father with western help.

Definitions

1. Affluence = wealth
Abu Dhabi is an example of an affluent society.
The opposite of affluence is poverty


2. Ethnicity is related to culture. race , language.
Malaysians consist of three main ethnic groups: Malay, Chinese and Indians.


3. Ability = skill = aptitude.
He has the ability to get good grades.


4. Diversity = difference.
The UAE nowadays is an example of a culturally diverse society.


5.Assimilation = absorption.
People emigrating to other countries will gradually assimilate into a new culture.


6.Demographics = the study of population.

You can study a country's demographics in many different ways.e.g. race, language, religion, age, gender.

7.Religion = a set of beliefs.
Religious people try to live according to the teachings of their religion.


8.Race = a group of people with similarities, particularly physical appearance.
People of Malay, Chinese and Indian race share Malaysian nationality.


9.Multiculturalism = many different cultures.
A multicultural society is one where people of different cultural backgrounds live and work together.


10. Personality = individual character.
She has a very nice personality: kind, patient, tolerant and loving.


11.Prejudice = bias.
Apartheid in S.Africa was based on racial prejudice against black people.


12.Acculturation = the mixing of different cultures.
Different cultures borrow from each other.


13. Bias = prejudice.
Bias is a negative opinion of a person or group based on race, colour, culture or whatever.


14. Discrimination = treating people differently.
Apartheid meant discrimination in favour of whites and against blacks.


15. Fringe = edge, margin.
A fringe group is a small minority, usually expressing an extreme opinion.


16. Population = the number of people.
A census is a count of the number of people in a country.


17.Stereotyping = making assumptions or generalisations about a person or group of people.
Americans are rich, while Mexicans are poor.


18. Gender = sex.
There are two genders, male and female.


19. Resistance = opposition.
There have been many signs of political resistance to established governments in the Arab spring of this year.


20. Advantage = a favoured position.
If you are an expatriate, being able to speak the local language is a big advantage.


21. Racism = hatred of another person or group of different race, often based on colour.
The apartheid system in S. Africa was an example of racism.


22.Ethics = morality, i.e. what is right or wrong.
Ethical behaviour is honest behaviour.


23. Productivity = the ability to produce something.
The company's productivity rates are rising.


24. Behaviour = the manner of acting/conduct.
The students' behaviour is very good.


25. Belief = confidence opinion.
I have great belief in her.
Tibetans believe in re-incarnation.


26. Majority = most.
The vast majority of Arabs are Muslim.


27. Income = salary.
have a monthly income.


28. Adverse = bad, harmful.
We didn't go on a picnic because of the adverse weather conditions.


29. Values = beliefs.
I value honesty very highly.


30. Traditions = customs.
They are handed down from generation to generation.


31. Generation = group of people born at about the same time.
In some societies people talk about a generation gap; each generation has its own ideals & standards.


32. Sensitivity = empathy, awareness of someone else's feelings.
She's very sensitive. She cares about how other people feel.


33. Slang = slightly improper language.
Have a shufti at my blog.


34. Ethnocentrism = seeing everything from viewpoint of your own culture.
An ethnocentric viewpoint is narrow and limited.


35. Stratification = rigid division of society.
The Indian caste system is an example of social stratification.


36. Socio-cultural = relating to society & culture.
language, race, affluence are all soci-and culture.


37. Resident = someone living in a particular place.
Khalid, Aziz and Hedley are all Abu Dhabi residents.


38. Poverty = being poor.
The opposite of poverty is affluence or wealth.


39. Nationality = the country you belong to.
You can have different race or ethnicity but the same nationality.


40. Minority = less than half.
Christians are a minority of the UAE's population.


41. Class = group.
You can have upper class, middle class, lower class.


42. Globalization = worldwide connectivity.
Global brands or logos today are recognised worldwide; we all know the logos of Nike, McDonald, Mercedes etc.


43. Virtual = not real, imaginary.
Computer games create a virtual world which is not real.


44. Barriers = obstacle.
To make progress you have to climb over or go round or go through barriers.

Cultural Diversity

The capital of the UAE , Abu Dhabi, has expanded to contain more than 100 different cultures and nationalties. 50 years ago there was only one culture.


Most of the local culture had the same  language, Arabic, the same religion, Islam, and the same traditions such as camel racing & falconry.


With all of this cultural diversity today, still the original tradition culture exists, and it's a part of the local daily life.


We can see that Abu Dhabi has become like some of the biggest capitals around the world with cultural diversity. The life style in the capital has become more cosmopolitan.

  

UAE demographics

Sunday, 11 September 2011

UAE demographics

UAE

Introduction to Diversity

UAE Demographics:

Ethnic Groups Percentage 2,ooo

Arab 48.1%

12.2% UAE Arab

9.4% Bedouin

6.2% Egyptian Arab

4.1% Omani Arab

4% Saudi Arab

South Asian 35.7%

Iranian 5%

Filipino 3.4%

White European 2.4%

Others 5.4%


Religions Percentage 2000

Muslim 62% (80% Sunni)

Hindi 21%

Christian 9%

Buddhist 4%

Others 4%


Source: http://www.worldstatesmen.org/United_Arab_Emirates.html