Emirati Sisters Khawla and Roadha Bin Khediya On Familial Values and Their Country’s Bold Future
The duo explain how 50U – their father’s personal passion project – became such a seminal tome showcasing the best of the UAE
Pure patriotism – that’s what drove local philanthropist and entrepreneur Yasser Bin Khediya to want to highlight his country in a unique manner that all the world could see. Luckily for Yasser, his single-minded determination became a family affair which resulted in his extraordinary vision bearing fruit. A serendipitous, chance encounter with famous Dutch bookmaker Irma Boom and a casual conversation among friends and family resulted, two years later, in the publishing of 50U thanks to the dedication of his two eldest daughters Khawla, 29 and Roadha, 27.
Why did they sign on to this endeavour, a daunting prospect given it had to be completed during the Covid pandemic in order to be on shelves by the time the UAE marked its golden anniversary? “Just to make my father’s dream come true,” Khawla explains fondly.
The Abu Dhabi-born, Dubai-raised duo sat with Harper’s Bazaar Arabia to talk exclusively about their fashion-focused sensibilities, familial values and their country’s bold future.
How did the both of you become involved in what your father envisaged?
Roadha: “My dad invited me on a trip to Amsterdam in 2022. Little did I know that I was going to meet the Queen of Books. As a graphic designer, I look up to her. I don’t usually get starstruck, but it was Irma Boom! My father told me that he wanted to do a book about the UAE’s 50th celebration. This got stuck in my head. I wondered: How can we be different? We have books already about our leaders, our background, our growth… what would make us stand out? I was suddenly inspired: What if we talk about the people? Introducing people who haven’t been credited, shown off or introduced to the region?
Irma looked at me and said: ‘Let’s go for it. 50 people, for the people by the people.’ I couldn’t believe it. She told us she never accepted a project unless the idea clicked with her. She had never even been to the UAE! What made me happy was that she got to know the country through our project.”
And Khawla, when did you sign up to help too?
Khawla: My father trusts me with managing projects – I am a director of his company YBK Group. When he and Roadha came back from Amsterdam they told me all about the idea and asked me to manage it. They asked me to steer this cross-cultural collaboration between the UAE and Holland.
Roadha is the creative person and I implement the plan. It was all my sister’s idea; she conceptualised it. I was on the implementation, process and execution side.
50U weaves a story around 50 portraits of 50 people, plants and places. Why do you think it has struck such a chord with so many people?
R: It covers a lot of areas and is very diverse. We profile people with different religions, jobs and backgrounds.
How did you decide who to profile?
K: It was difficult to come up with a shortlist. It was collaborative effort with a lot of brainstorming between the editorial team. My father came up with the first list about who he’d like to highlight…
And was there someone who he felt he had to have in there from the start?
K: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum [late Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and Industry of the UAE]. This is someone my father was very close to. He was like his father. He was the person always on his mind. He passed away recently [in March 2021]. He was a ‘must’ in the book.
Another family member also got a starring role…
K: My youngest sister, Lamya is photographed. She was nine years old when we were working on the book. Lamya was specifically selected by Irma who met her when she visited our house. She wanted to get that feel of Emirati culture through her own lens and felt that Lamya represented the future of the country.
Which tales particularly struck a chord with you?
R: Through the book I learned more about Ramesh Shukla, the royal photographer. I was so starstruck by him. His story is fascinating. He was just 22 years old when he came to Dubai from India and started taking images of the royal family. The most famous picture in the country – the one showing the unification with all the rulers of the seven emirates – was taken by him. He was right behind me at our launch event, and I couldn’t believe this was the man who had taken such an important national photo.
K: My favourite is about the largest permanent work of art, The Mastaba by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Little did I know that this large-scale piece straddles two different concepts; there is one foot in the future and one in the past. I love the fact that these artists came to our country in 1979, wanting to make permanent public art, not in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, but in Liwa – in the desert. It is still a work in progress. I liked the story as it encapsulates not just the past and present but also the future.
R: And we are continuing to find out more about those who took part. For example, during a panel discussion in NYC recently it emerged that one of our interviewees, Rashid Saif Al Amimi, was very knowledgeable about Shakespeare thanks to his education in Ras Al Khaimah which seemed quite unusual.
K: I didn’t know Isabel Abulhoul was related to McGrudy’s. We always used to go there to get our books there when we were young and now our book is stocked there! There is also an additional point of interest in every picture.
Irma Boom wanted something different to add to the mix. So, every participant had to bring an object that represented their relationship to the country. For example, [Architect] Peter Jackson brought binoculars, the most famous tailor Mohammed Al Madani brought a khanja [knife] and Maryam Mudhaffar Ali brought coral from Ras Al Khaimah as she is a conservation advocate.
What was the biggest challenge you faced?
K: Putting it together during Covid. The distance, the different time zones….
R: And logistically the paper itself and the font – it is called Irma Boom. It was printed and produced in the Netherlands.
“Whoever holds the book becomes a part of the journey,”
Roadha Khediya
There must have been such a sense of achievement when it was completed…
K: My sister was in denial. It was a milestone achievement.
R: I was scared. The idea was very precious to me. So for me to feel like that we could actually do this… from a designer’s perspective to have my book in the Chicago Art Institute, NYU, MOMA – it is unbelievable. Khawla keeps asking me: ‘Why did you think we wouldn’t do it?’ The experience taught me: don’t think you can’t do it.
K: Teamwork makes the dream work. It’s unintended but it is in the title: U can do this.
And the feedback from both thought leaders and pillars of the community has been immense.
K: When we gifted our book at Expo Dubai 2020 to Her Excellency Noura Al Khaabi, the Minister of Culture and Youth, she said it was the missing element they had been looking for. She loved it. She wanted to become its patron. I didn’t see that coming. To have these international and local leaders in their industries praising the book is incredible.
What were you hoping it would achieve?
R: Whoever holds the book becomes a part of the journey. When I was in London, Charlie Koolhaas [who contributed a photo essay] gifted the book to Hans Ulrich who is an authority in the art world. Ulrich said this is the book of the year. I have the screenshot of that message. Having that was enough for me.
K: We were sitting in a coffee shop and there was a gentleman next to us who, when he heard about Dubai, told us that he didn’t know much about our culture. I told him that he should then check out a book that was stocked at the Serpentine Gallery, called 50U, and then he’ll learn about the diversity of the country and its people. We are proud of our past, and we look to our future. It is all about unification. We really are united as a country; it is an open floor where dreams come true.
“This nation allows people to not just pursue their careers, but their dreams,”
Khawla Khediya
Are you surprised about what this new country has achieved?
R: Not really. It is in our blood. We expect this. We are raised to get on this circus car and go with the flow and drive. We don’t know what’s next, but we are very confident because of our leaders, because of our background, because of what is available for us to do.
Why do you think so many people flock to the UAE?
K: Dreams come true here. That’s why so many expats come here. Like Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal – look at what he has achieved [at arts hub Alserkal Avenue]. He is in the book as a Cultural Beacon. They believe that this nation allows people to not just pursue their careers, but their dreams.
Where are your top places to visit locally?
K: I am into endurance horse riding so I would say Al Qudra, plus Alserkal Avenue and Jameel Art Centre.
R: Alserkal for sure, plus Downtown Dubai, Dubai Design District and Abu Dhabi’s Qasr Al Hosn.
Do you think there will be a second volume of the book?
R: After it was published there were a lot of people who came forward and said they wanted to be part of the book but this was just the beginning. We won’t do another edition of this but we are in the process of doing something that revolves around public art.
You are also defying stereotypes when it comes to the profile of women as your family has firmly thrust you into the spotlight thanks to 50U.
K: Yes, that is what unintentionally happened. We are very grateful that we have parents who believe in us and allow us to grow and become involved. Things are happening very spontaneously and surprisingly. Even in our project there are so many women. We focus on the first Emirati female racing driver Amna Al Qubaisi, the first female minister Lubna Al Qasimi, Nora Al Matrooshi who is the first female astronaut… they are helping us help them.
Photography: Efraim Evidor. Styling: Imogene Legrand
From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s December 2022 issue.