DUBAI 14 March 2019: Special Holi celebrations over two consecutive weekends – March 14 & 15 and 21 & 22 – are being hosted for UAE’s blue collar workers by Labour of Love and BigZ, a community event organiser.
It is an extension of their Thursday cinema nights.
Supported by UAE-based telecommunications service provider, Du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunication Company (EITC), the celebrations of the annual Holi festival of colours will begin on Thursday (21 March) with the distribution of colours and cinema screening, while Friday (22 March) will host celebrations featuring music, traditional drums (dhol) and dancing, since it is the one day off for the labourers.
Navneet Kaur, Managing Director at BigZ, said, “As this is the Year of Tolerance and we live in a very generous and open society, I am pleased that Du is supporting us into bringing this celebration to the camps. Some of these men have not celebrated Holi since they left their country. We hope that many will join the celebrations.”
Abdulwahed Juma, EVP Brand & Corporate Communications, Du, said, “Instilling values of tolerance to strengthen inclusivity and co-existence within our communities is a vital step towards making the UAE a happier country for all. By supporting BigZ to bring colour into the lives of labourers across the UAE in time for Holi celebrations, we are proud to be playing a role in creating memorable moments for the labour community as well as acknowledging the importance of their role in our society.”
BigZ and Du launched special cinema nights on 10 January this year, under the banner of “Labour of Love”. Since then, there have been screenings every Thursday evening across various labour camp sites in Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, with an average of 4-5000 blue collar workers having access to movies and refreshments. du has distributed recharge cards* to the labourers during the screenings and also organised special lucky draws. The last screening is expected to take place on 28 March 2019.
