Emirati content creator honoured for bringing heritage to digital audiences

Dubai: Emirati director and photographer Maitha Abdullah Al Rumaithi has been honoured at the Arab Media Forum for her contributions as a content creator, in recognition of her efforts to present Emirati heritage and culture through digital platforms and contemporary visual storytelling. Al Rumaithi's creative journey began with photography, focusing on documenting details of Emirati heritage, traditional crafts and the local environment. Over time, her work expanded into directing, visual storytelling and cultural content creation aimed at introducing local identity to new generations through modern digital platforms. Through her online platforms, Al Rumaithi has produced content that combines Emirati culture, heritage and identity, using visual storytelling to present local traditions and stories in a contemporary format. The approach seeks to make culture more accessible, particularly to younger audiences who increasingly rely on digital platforms as a source of information and engagement. Her participation in the Cultural Content Creators programme marked a continuation of that journey, providing an opportunity to revisit the heritage themes that first inspired her passion for photography while exploring new methods and tools for storytelling. Al Rumaithi said the creation of cultural content goes beyond documenting the past and carries a responsibility to keep national identity alive and relevant for future generations. She said modern digital tools provide new opportunities for heritage stories to reach wider audiences through visual formats that resonate with contemporary interests. “My journey with photography began with heritage, and today I continue it through the creation of cultural content to tell the stories of our Emirati identity in a contemporary visual language that preserves its authenticity and brings it closer to the new generation,” Al Rumaithi said. “For me, culture is not something from the past, but rather an ongoing story that we are responsible for telling in our own way.” Her recognition at the Arab Media Forum highlights the growing presence of Emirati cultural content in the digital space and the role of a new generation of creators in using modern platforms to preserve and promote local heritage. The honour also reflects a broader trend of Emirati content creators using photography, film and digital media to present local customs, traditions and heritage in innovative ways that reach wider audiences.