Dubai has no soul – that’s what I was told before I went. And after staying there for a week, I can see why many think that.
It’s a crazy place filled with sci-fi buildings, monumental malls that dwarf not just Sandton City but Sandton itself; insane prices (my wife honed in on a pair of R75 000 shoes); roadworks on top of roadworks, next to … wait for it … roadworks; a different accent on almost everyone you meet (well okay every third accent is Saffer); Bentleys, Ferraris, Armanis, Guccis; fake beaches; bling, sparkle and silicone. It’s helluva flash, but I was hoping to find something more beneath its shiny veneer.
The Mrs and I landed in the morning and were whisked off to our swanky hotel in the cool Media District. über-buildings tower over the otherwise flat, drab and hazy landscape and line the big highway that forms the backbone of the city.
After dumping our bags we did what every good Dubai visitor does and headed straight for the malls. Okay, so perhaps it was not the best place to start on our soul search.
The Mall of Dubai is bigger than any I had ever seen, and not only boasts every brand name imaginable, but also has the dubious honour of holding the Guinness World Record for “World’s Largest Acrylic Panel”. Wow! The millions of litres of water and glorious fish behind that panel are rather more impressive but it’s somewhat surreal standing in front of McDonald’s and looking at a triple- storey indoor aquarium. Cool, yes, but felt rather like much of the city does – as if someone’s big ego was on display.
The shops are beautifully merchandised, and the merchandise brilliant in its array of sparkly choice. But if it’s bargains you’re after, you’re better off saving your dirhams for when you get back home. The only things cheaper in Dubai are cars and petrol – neither of which are too easy to check-in, even with Emirates’ generous 30kg luggage allowance.
The exquisitely shallow stores, however, did show surprising depth in the people who work in them and in the type of service they offer. Even in the slickest, priciest, most exclusive stores you’re made to feel completely welcome and at home.
Walking into Armani or Christian Louboutin feels something like an outrageously stylish trip to a local village. Impeccable, yes, but presented with surprisingly genuine warmth.
We found the same at the many restaurants we visited. This time, however, it was not just the service, but also the food, that exhibited the same honesty. The only problem we found was that, unsurprisingly, many didn’t serve alcohol. But perhaps trading spirits for a little soul wasn’t such a bad bargain.
I also found heart in the work that I had headed off to the desert nation to do. I’m in advertising and was in Dubai to judge the Lynx Advertising Awards show – so I was going to see the best work the region had to offer. And, of course, the best advertising is that which touches and connects with people.
And I wasn’t disappointed.
Winners included a heart-string pluckingly clever radio campaign where ads were recorded in languages only domestic workers, and not their abusive employers, would understand. These were made to sound like fun, retail ads but in reality were delivering life-saving information and help. Soulful indeed.
Another idea turned the act of buying plastic wrap into kindness and happiness, a bookstore’s shelf opened hearts to the tough realities of uneducated children and a handwash campaign made kids smile and play.
So, after a week in this wildly conflicted city, I’m still unsure of what I think of it. On the surface it definitively is soulless, and it’s so easy to never see beyond its sparkling facade. But scratch the surface, and you’ll find depth in this strange, transitory place. - Saturday Star
l Stobbs is executive creative director at 1886, a Draftfcb agency.