More needs to be done to accurately portray life in the Gulf, a conference in Dubai heard on Monday.
There is a need to counter a negative perception of the GCC region, and that will not be achieved unless there is a long-term strategy in place to get an accurate message out, guests at the Gulf Creators event in Dubai on Monday were told.
The conference, which drew more than 1,000 media professionals, influencers and content creators, heard how only a small fraction of recent stories about the region painted it in a positive light.
The importance of emphasising the positive aspects of life in the region was laid out by Saeed Al Eter, head of the UAE Government Media Office.
“The battle is not only about whose army wins, but also about whose story prevails,” Mr Al Eter said, referring to a study that his office undertook a six-week period where Gulf states dealt with missile and drone attacks from Iran.
The UAE and other Gulf states endured daily attacks after the war started on February 28. The UAE’s air defence systems intercepted 537 ballistic missiles, 26 cruise missiles and 2,256 drones.
Two UAE Armed Forces personnel and a Moroccan civilian contractor working for the military were killed. Ten civilians were killed and more than 220 were injured in the period.
The study of 218,000 articles written about the Gulf over the past month and a half, but not including social media, showed that only eight-to-nine per cent of stories about the region were positive, said Mr Al Eter.
“The battle for the global narrative and conveying the Gulf’s voice and its story of Gulf crises to the world will be extremely important in the coming period,” he said.
“Many were betting on the decline and collapse of the Gulf model, and many of the media stories we saw also wagered on this.”
Countries in the Gulf region needed to overcome minor disputes and “instead amplify the region’s vast achievements and enduring solidarity” said Abdulla Al Hamed, chairman of the National Media Authority.
Image-building must be an exercise in authenticity rather than fabrication, Samira Rajab, former Bahraini minister of state for media affairs, told the audience at Atlantis, The Palm.
The objective, she said, was to overcome stereotypes that reduced the region to oil and luxury, replacing them with an example of “civilisational strength”.
“Image-making” should be integrated into the national security framework and given the same priority and budgetary commitment as military defence, said Ms Rajab.
Dr Saad Al Ajmi, former Kuwaiti minister of information, was in Dubai to call for a focus on the “intrinsic reality” of Gulf societies rather than superficial “image polishing” for international approval.
Many of the region’s recent crowning achievements were poorly illuminated before global audiences, Dr Al Ajmi said.
He pointed to World Cup 2022 in Qatar, Dubai’s emergence as a world-class centre for travel and the remarkable logistics of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia as proven models of success that were not getting the recognition they deserved.
Among those taking part in Monday’s conference was Emirati influencer Badr Al Shmmry, a writer and social media influencer from Sharjah, who told The National that the role of influencers became paramount during the Iran war.
“In times of prosperity, we had many things to enjoy, but in times of crisis, there must be a genuine stance from an influential, sincere person with a genuine message, highlighting the important aspects that serve the country and strengthen Gulf unity,” Al Shmmry said.
“The influencer needs to feel the true meaning of the responsibility he carries.”