Yusuf Ahmad Tali Alali, who was born in 1951, was employed as a fisherman and pearl diver until the early 2000s. The Emirati remembers how difficult life was prior to the UAE’s unification. “It was challenging to make a living and travel,” he said in an interview with Khaleej Times. “You had to make everything you needed yourself. Everything had to be made by hand using palm tree leaves, including the roof, fans, and pots and pans. Life did not get easier until after the unification.
Yousuf’s maritime explorations and his seven decades of memories in the nation are now included in a book that details daily life in the United Arab Emirates beginning in the 1950s. The Authority of Social Contribution Ma’an in Abu Dhabi and local publisher Uhibbook have collaborated to produce “Storylines,” which will be released later this year and features narratives from over thirty senior members of the nation.
Uhibbook founder Sadia Anwar stated, “This was one of the most exciting projects we have ever worked on.” “We interacted with these seniors for nearly eight months, asking them to share their stories with us. For us, it was a very enlightening experience because in just thirty minutes, we learned thirty years of their wisdom.
