The United Arab Emirates launched Expo-2020 in Dubai on Thursday evening with great fanfare, the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East and the largest event globally since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The young crown prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, officially opened the opening ceremony of the seven billion dollar event.
“The whole world comes together in the United Arab Emirates as we together, with Allah’s blessing, inaugurate Expo-2020 Dubai,” Sheikh Hamdane said ahead of the launch of the festivities.
Projections and light effects illuminated the Al-Wasl Plaza, a futuristic dome-shaped enclosure, a symbol of Islamic architecture. Various concerts followed, including those of the famous Emirati diva Ahlam and the British singer Ellie Goulding.
Chinese pianist Lang Lang was also among the featured artists, as was Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, who closed the show in front of Emirati leaders.
Postponed last year due to the health crisis, the exhibition will open its doors to the public on Friday in the middle of the desert, on the outskirts of Dubai, a city already known for its skyscrapers and its taste for luxury. The Emirates hope to welcome 25 million visitors there.
While the European Parliament has called on its members to boycott the event, to protest against human rights violations, Expo-2020 promises to unveil architectural wonders and technological innovations in its numerous pavilions, representing more than 190 countries.
Great ambitions
The first World’s Fair was held in London in 1851 at the Crystal Palace, a structure built for the occasion. And in Paris, the 1889 exhibition unveiled the Eiffel Tower.
Expo-2020 in the Emirates also promises to be the biggest event ever in the Middle East, one year away from the World Cup to be held in wealthy neighboring Qatar. Dubai hopes to register 25 million visits for its six-month World Expo.
While the Japanese authorities had banned the public for its Tokyo Olympics, Dubai is opening its doors wide to foreign tourists who will have to wear masks and respect social distancing. Visitors must have been vaccinated or have a negative PCR test.
The Emirates are among the countries that have vaccinated their population the fastest, with nearly 20 million doses administered for a population of around 10 million.
Expo-2020 is one of Dubai’s great ambitions, which sets records to attract attention and tourists, as with its tallest tower in the world, Burj Khalifa, 828 meters high.
Thanks to the delay offered by the pandemic, the Emirates will be able to celebrate on December 2, in the midst of Expo-2020, the 50th anniversary of the creation of this federation of seven emirates, which includes Dubai and the capital Abu Dhabi.
Hyperloop and sarcophagus
Among the expected attractions: the Harlem Globetrotters and a Chinese panda robot. Fans of futuristic travel can visit a Hyperloop cabin, while history buffs will have the opportunity to see an ancient sarcophagus in the Egyptian pavilion.
China boasts of having one of the largest pavilions, bulb-shaped, while Morocco has built its own in earth for environmental reasons. The Dutch will have a pyramid covered with edible plants and irrigated by solar rainwater.
Most European states are participating in the event, despite the European Parliament’s call to boycott it, “in order to show their rejection of human rights violations in the Emirates,” according to a resolution passed in mid-September.
Despite their international charm campaigns, the Emirates are regularly criticized by NGOs, especially for attacks on freedom of expression or the conditions of foreign workers, such as those deployed en masse to build the Expo-2020 site.
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