Sharjah24: American University of Sharjah (AUS) celebrated the UAE National Day with a series of activities marking the Year of the 50th.
Organised by the Emirati Cultural Club at AUS, visitors of the event had the opportunity to enjoy a host of traditional performances and to walk around the fully decorated AUS Plaza to learn about the history and traditions of the UAE.
The event, which was preceded with a social media campaign that constituted of games and posts celebrating UAE National Day, began with the national anthem performed by a marching band and a reading from the Holy Quran. It also included folkloric dances such as Al Ayalla and Al Harbiya that were performed by Al Fursan Band, a poetry recitation in collaboration with the Sharjah Heritage Foundation, a music performance by the AUS Choir followed by a piano recital.
“The golden Jubilee of the UAE is a significant moment in the journey of the UAE, which is why it was important for us as the Emirati Cultural Club to celebrate this momentous occasion the best way possible. Close to 38 volunteers from the Emirati Cultural Club took part in the organization of the event. We also made sure that the campus is well-decorated to put the students into the spirit of celebration, and we established collaborations with AUS library to highlight UAE authors, as well as with external organizations such as Soilab and the Sharjah Heritage Foundation for our activities,” said Aliya Fahad Al Mazrouei, Vice President of the Emirati Cultural Club at AUS.
Visitors also had the opportunity to enjoy the food section at the event where they savored traditional Emirati finger food as well as learned about the history of the UAE by walking through the photo gallery.
“UAE National Day is an important opportunity to celebrate our founding fathers and the traditions of this land. We have had a large turnout who celebrated with us the UAE’s past 50 years and who, like us, are looking forward to the next 50. We loved how students participated in Emirati cultural dances and sang along with the performances. The event was interactive, entertaining and educational,” said Al Mazrouei.