The UAE’s National Archives organized a training session in its headquarter in Abu Dhabi for the Environment Agency staff on oral history interviews methods in terms of interviews topics and standards to be considered.

The National Archives organizes a “training session” for the Environment Agency staff on conducting oral history interviews 

The UAE’s National Archives organized a training session in its headquarter in Abu Dhabi for the Environment Agency staff on oral history interviews methods in terms of interviews topics and standards to be considered. A model-training interview was conducted by Shareena Al Qubaisi, Head of Oral History Unit in the NA, with the narrator Zayed Saeed Hareb Al Mansouri, about grazing and natural pastures in past and present Abu Dhabi.

This session enhances the study being conducted by the Environment Agency on this subject to measure the changes occurred in natural pastures and preservation methods to ensure their sustainability.

The session focused on the importance of listening to the narrator, asking precise questions that serve the interview objective, using the narrator’s expressions and terms in the field of grazing, and getting the local terminology clearly explained. It also emphasized the importance of properly checking the devices and cables and using the camera tripod during the interview.

The interview included tens of questions prepared by the NA in cooperation with the Environment Agency, starting with the introduction of the narrator, the importance of camels in the local economy in the past and present, the narrator’s experience in grazing and ownership of camels in the past, natural pastures in Abu Dhabi, types of pastures, camel feed such as sorrel, present grazing methods, participation in camel festivals and races and the support received by camel breeders from concerned authorities in the UAE.

This model-training interview, conducted by the NA in the presence of some of its employees and a delegation from the Environment Agency, will be maintained by the NA as part of the oral history record. The interview was concluded with a number of questions raised by the delegation for the narrator and the specialists at the NA to know details about their studies. The delegation commended the NA’s role in preserving oral history, which complements the written and documented history of the UAE. The delegation expressed their hope to participate in more of these interviews.