Latest Episodes
03 – Jalal Luqman, Artist and Author of The Armagondas
Jalal Luqman’s name today is internationally known but his journey to becoming the UAE’s first digital artist in the 1990s was not a walk in the park.
In this interview, Jalal remembers life as a child in the UAE, as his father worked as one of the first lawyers in the nascent country.
This episode is about: Being the school child in the corner / Surviving Business studies in the USA without any money / imposter syndrome / being the first Emirati Digital Artist / self-teaching computers in the desert in the 1980’s / dark emotions / Invisible giants / Why nobody is too insignificant in a society / Opening a gallery for Emirati artists / Writing a first book on napkin corners / The Armagondas volume 1 / Old times in Abu Dhabi
02 – Suhaila Al Dhaheri, the Student Rep’
At the time of the recording, Suhaila was a law student at Sorbonne Abu Dhabi. At 21 she had already run elections and represented her peers in various organisations. In a country that little more than a decade ago has organised the very first parliamentary elections of its history, Suhaila is part of this new generation contributing to the UAE’s journey towards more public participation.
This episode is also about Female Role models in the UAE / being an Emirati student at an international university / self confidence / the Emirates Youth Council / bedouin family roots in Al Ain / family farms in the desert / embracing societal changes and digital transformation / differences between generations / multiculturalism
01 – Leila al Marashi, the ‘Power of Pink’ Artist
Two years ago, Leila lost her mother to breast cancer. Her “The Power of Pink” art installation, is a way of building on her experience in a creative way, while raising awareness about breast cancer in the UAE.
This episode is about: Growing up as an Emirati woman / The colour pink throughout a woman’s life / Barbie in the UAE / The Pink Ribbon / Leila’s mother and father and how they met / Mother-daughter relationships / Making last moments count / Breast cancer / Femininity / Pop-art mixing international icons and traditional Emirati features.
Episode 01 (test) – Leila al Marashi or The Power of Pink
Subscribe on ITUNES Subscribe via STITCHER Summary Two years after the loss of her mother, Dubai artist and entrepreneur Leila al Marashi, 35, decided to build on a painful experience in a creative way with The Power of Pink project, an art installation focused on the colour pink, dedicated to raising awareness about breast cancer in the UAE. In...
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The Podcast
‘Emirati Stories’ is an audio podcast that gives you the opportunity to discover the Emirati culture and society through individual life stories. In a warm and friendly atmosphere, Emirati guests from a variety of backgrounds speak about themselves at their own pace, sharing their aspirations, motivations, their doubts, going back to the roots and key influences of the past.
Halfway between journalism and literature, away from the whirlwind of news, this programme aims at providing an international audience with other tools to understand the way people in the Arabian Gulf think and see the world around them.
The Host
‘Emirati Stories’ is produced and hosted by Nathalie Gillet, a former Middle-East journalist for France 24, Radio France, AFP, La Tribune, Jeune Afrique, Marchés Tropicaux and the Abu Dhabi daily newspaper The National.
Today, Nathalie develops content strategies for large corporates in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Follow her on social media:
Instagram: @gillet_nathalie / LinkedIn / Facebook: @emiratistories / Twitter: @nat_gillet
Contact us
info [at] emiratistories [dot] com
PoBox 93756 – Abu Dhabi – UAE
04 – Hanady Al Hashmi, the Mountaineer
Hanady, 31, discovered her passion for mountains and mountaineering five years ago, after starting to hike through… the desert. Since then she has climbed 4 of the world’s Seven Summits – the highest peaks of each continent.
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This episode is about: climbing the 7 summits / being the first Emirati women to make it to the top of Denali / personal challenge and training / taking care of your body / meditation / family support / personal takeaways from a trip to the USA.