The Emirates Literature Foundation placed four Emirati women at the center of the country’s evolving creative landscape on August 28, as the UAE observed Emirati Women’s Day. Their work spans sculpture, poetry, fiction and children’s literature, each practice engaging with questions of identity, memory and cultural continuity in distinct ways.
Azza Al Qubaisi has spent more than two decades building a practice that began in jewellery design and has since expanded into sculpture and large-scale public installations. Her recent work draws from the UAE’s natural environment, particularly the palm tree, using sculpture to examine how material, place and memory intersect. Through these public projects, she transforms recognizable landscape elements into expressions of identity and belonging. Al Qubaisi frames her creative development as inseparable from the growth of the UAE’s cultural sector itself, rooted in her connection to heritage and surroundings.
Nujoom Al Ghanem refuses singular discipline. A poet, author and filmmaker, she recently completed a feature-length non-fiction film after nearly four years of production. A new poetry collection is scheduled for publication by year’s end, with several national and international exhibitions planned. She interprets this year’s theme of emergence and strength as something experienced collectively, noting that challenging periods have drawn communities closer and reinforced shared belonging and cooperative purpose.
Meanwhile, Salha Obaid writes novels and short stories known for their examination of identity, contemporary Arab society and women’s experiences. Her work has earned significant recognition, including the Al Owais Prize for Creativity. Her novel Circle of Spices was shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2023. She is currently working on a biographical book about the life and legacy of a pioneering UAE cultural figure and supports initiatives promoting reading and creative writing. Obaid frames her work within a lineage of women who opened doors for later generations, stating that each step taken today clarifies the path for those who follow.
Rawan Alyahmadi approaches storytelling as a tool for addressing emotional wellbeing, diversity and inclusion. She is best known for Athba’s Gift, a children’s book that treats burnout and self-care with warmth and sensitivity through vivid illustrations and accessible narrative. Her current projects feature characters confronting anxiety, low self-esteem and burnout. Short, direct stories. Big emotional stakes.
The four artists represent different entry points into Emirati cultural expression. Al Qubaisi’s sculptural investigations of landscape and material sit alongside Al Ghanem’s multimedia practice, Obaid’s biographical and fictional narratives, and Alyahmadi’s illustrated stories for young readers. Collectively, their work demonstrates how creativity functions as a vehicle for exploring heritage, processing emotion and opening new conversations about identity and belonging within Emirati society. Whether that conversation deepens through institutional support or individual initiative may well define the next chapter of the country’s cultural development.