Food for thought: Manal Ataya on the growing cultural art scene in the UAE

Manal Ataya is the director of the Sharjah Museums Department. We sit down with her for iftar to discuss her views on the holy month and her professional role.

Manal Ataya, director of Sharjah Museums Department, at Sloane’s in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

As we take our seats at Sloane’s iftar buffet in Dubai’s towering Grosvenor House hotel, Manal Ataya thanks me for my ­company.

“This is part of what Ramadan is about,” she says. “It is important to open up to people who you don’t normally spend time with and use the time to connect.”

Ataya is the director of Sharjah Museums Department and, when we first met five years ago, she was the only person in the country to have a degree in museum studies. Graduating from Harvard in 2004, Ataya was appointed as head of the department when she was only 27.

Now 35, Ataya takes responsibility in her stride. Born in Dubai to a Palestinian father and an American mother, Ataya’s own identity and memories are wrapped up with the history of the UAE.

She remembers a time when, every night of Ramadan, her father would take her and her four siblings to watch a cannon fired in the Mankhool district as the sun set over the city. It was also customary for all the neighbours to send dishes to each other, every evening, sharing in the spirit of the holy month.

“All that has changed now and Ramadan has become so commercialised,” she reflects. “But the family element is still very strong. We all make time for loved ones during this month.”

As well as her fascinating career, Ataya is clearly passionate about her large family and, as we tuck into the first course of thick lentil soup and fresh crunchy salad, she reveals she is equally passionate about her health and well-being.

“For me, Ramadan is a cleansing time for the mind and the body. When I break my fast, I usually only eat fresh greens and proteins. Occasionally, I’ll have a spoon of rice if I feel I need the energy, but I don’t eat many ­carbohydrates at all.”

Thankfully, then, I have brought her to the right place. Sloane’s is an international restaurant with an open ­kitchen, focused on freshly prepared food. As well as the wide selection of nutritious salads, the fish and meat are cooked to order, right in front of you.

“Mind and body are intertwined and there is a clarity that comes with fasting,” says Ataya as she selects some of the fresh tiger prawns for her main course. “I feel my energy increasing as the month progresses, [just] as long as I eat well.”

Keeping her energy levels up is important with a job as demanding as hers. Working closely with Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed, the Ruler of Sharjah, Ataya oversees the emirate’s 16 museums and cultural institutions.

As well as keeping an eye over the programming, one of her most important tasks is professional development – ensuring that the next generation of Emiratis is primed and ready to take over the running of the ­museums.

“Things have changed so much since I began,” she says. “There are now more than 50 people I know who have gone into museum studies. This is a really positive thing for the country.”

With Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Cultural District well under way, Ataya is also excited about the changes that such institutions will make.

“It is wonderful that we will have more cultural offerings in the UAE. When I was growing up, there was only one gallery in Dubai – Green Art Gallery. The more institutions that open, the better it will be for everyone. We all have a right to participate in culture.”

Finishing off our meals with a delicious selection of desserts, including a sumptuous chocolate fountain that even manages to tempt Ataya away from her carefully managed diet, we move on to how Ramadan ­allows us to revisit our goals and intentions.

“I never set goals on New Year’s Day. For me, Ramadan is when the pace of life slows down and I have more time to reflect,” she says. “It is an introspective month as well as a communal one and it helps you think about what you have achieved in the past year and set goals for the coming one.”

• Iftar buffet at Sloane’s Grosvenor House is Dh280 per adult, Dh140 for children aged between 4 and 12, and kids under 4 eat for free. It is open from 7pm to 8.30pm during Ramadan. For more information, visit www.sloanes-dubai.com

Every Thursday during Ramadan, we sit down to iftar or suhoor with well-known personalities to discuss life lessons and reflections gleaned during the holy month