Latifa bint Mohammed meets Season of Wulfa creative team and representatives of entities partnering with the initiative

Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), met with members of the creative collective behind the Season of Wulfa initiative launched by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, and led by Her Highness.

The Season of Wulfa celebrates key occasions, including Haq Al Leila, Ramadan, and Eid, through which traditions, values, and cultural identity are expressed; strengthens family and community bonds; and celebrates Emirati cultural occasions through innovative experiences that engage UAE nationals, residents, and visitors alike. In doing so, it fosters cultural exchange and highlights shared human values.

The creative collective brings together a distinguished group of Emirati creatives from the fields of design, architecture, literature, media, arts, and cultural research. Through their diverse expertise and perspectives, they enrich the project’s creative and intellectual depth. Through dialogue, research, design, and testing, the collective helps shape the season’s cultural narrative, rooted in the fabric of Emirati society and universal human values. Their contributions play a key role in informing the initiative’s strategies and experiences, ensuring authenticity, relevance, and alignment with local culture and societal values.

Sheikha Latifa affirmed that culture is a vital force in strengthening social cohesion and fostering tolerance, coexistence, openness, and respect for diversity. This reflects Dubai’s distinctive approach and the vision of its leader, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who has consistently emphasised the importance of investing in people and aligning efforts to ensure their happiness and well-being as the foundation of sustainable development.

Celebrating togetherness
Her Highness noted that the Season of Wulfa, through its three pillars of reflection, connection, and blessing, embodies the authenticity of Emirati, Arab, and Islamic values. “Wulfa reinforces a sense of belonging and underpins the living traditions of our society. It represents a state of harmony, warmth, and familiarity that brings people together, while offering an opportunity to pause, reflect, and renew our relationships. Through its spiritual meanings and shared moments, the season encourages us to strengthen our connections and envision a better present and future, inspired by the depth of our identity and the authenticity of our values,” she further said.

Her Highness added: “The season carries an inspiring message rooted in shared humanity, celebrating joy, generosity, and belonging, while raising awareness of the importance of preserving inherited cultural practices. It also underscores Dubai’s enabling environment for creativity, opening wide horizons for talent to express ideas, perspectives, and aspirations in celebrating these occasions.” She underscored the pivotal role of partners in achieving the initiative’s objectives and ensuring the success of projects that enhance Dubai’s standing, highlighting the importance of strategic partnerships in opening new avenues for growth and development.

The meeting was attended by the initiative’s partners from government institutions and entities, namely: The Executive Council of Dubai, the Roads and Transport Authority - Dubai, Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, the Community Development Authority, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, the Government of Dubai Media Office, Expo City Dubai, Dubai Future Foundation, and the Dubai Department of Finance.

The meeting also brought together a distinguished group of creatives and cultural ambassadors, led by Shaima Rashed Al Suwaidi, CEO of the Arts, Design and Literature Sector at Dubai Culture. Participants included artist and calligrapher Mattar Bin Lahej; director Haider Mohammad; director Mohammad Saeed Harib; architect Abdalla Almulla; artist Hind bin Demithan; designer Shatha Essa; director Amna Belhoul; designer Hessa Aleissa; writer Eman AlYousuf; designer Ahmed Bukhash; designer Omar Al Gurg; artist Reem Al Ghaith; and artist Mohammed Kazem; alongside cultural experts Abdulla Al Matrooshi, Juma Bin Thalith, Dhaen Shahin, Juma Thani Al Raqad, and Mohammad Bin Thani.

Key insights shared
During the meeting, participants exchanged insights and perspectives, highlighting the importance of the Season of Wulfa and its role in expressing authentic Emirati and Arab values, reflecting the spirit of local society and its rich heritage. They also reviewed key milestones, discussions, and major research outcomes developed by the collective, which examined significant shifts in Emirati and Arab societal values and cultural occasions.

Members of the creative collective affirmed that the development phase of the Season of Wulfa was marked by in-depth dialogue that contributed to shaping the season’s cultural narrative and initiatives, centered on the values of reflection, connection, and blessing that lie at the heart of society. They noted that a series of discussions and community testing played a central role in framing the season’s vision, ambitions, and cultural and social scope. This process included defining experience principles, translating them into design guidelines, developing the visual identity, and shaping the season’s overall strategy and structural framework.

This approach paves the way for continued engagement by the creative community, enabling the development of new models that strengthen and evolve the season, and transform traditions into meaningful human experiences that ensure cultural continuity.

The Season of Wulfa will feature more than 50 initiatives and activities, implemented in collaboration with several government entities and in partnership with the private sector and local communities, across more than 30 locations in Dubai, including neighbourhoods, markets, and cultural destinations.