World Majlis (Click for full video)
I had the incredible honour of speaking at opening week of the Dubai Expo, the World’s Fair for 2020 (delayed one year due to the COVID pandemic). Since 1791 the world has gathered every five years around the world to showcase the progress of nations. From the first gathering in Prague, celebrating modern manufacturing methods, to London’s Great Exhibition of 1851 housed in Crystal Palace, Paris in 1889 and the unveiling of the iconic Eiffel Tower, 1893 Chicago - the white city lit at night with electric streetlights, and to NYC in 1964, The Exposition Universelle has stood the test of time.
At Expo2020, our gathering continued a long tradition of ‘Majlis’ in the UAE, 'sitting places' where citizens gather to hear from elders discussing the news of the day, politics, education, art, or literature. Entitled: Sustainability for All - Rewriting our Narratives for Sustainable Living, our discussion, expertly moderated by Eithne Treanor, included, among others: the Lord Mayor of London, the CEO of DP World, and the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales.
