UAE launches influencer academy to 'whitewash' country's reputation, say critics
A new influencer academy launched in the United Arab Emirates has been branded the latest attempt to "whitewash" the country's rights record.
The new programme, co-founded by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism and travel content agency Beautiful Destinations, offers media training for "students" to help bolster the tourism industry of the emirate, which has become a hotspot for social media influencers in recent years.
Students applying for the company's training programme are given flights and accommodation in a luxury serviced apartment as well as a liveable income for the three-month programme.
Participants will be expected to post about their experiences travelling in Dubai, and then awarded a certificate from Dubai College of Tourism. “The really special ones” are offered a full-time job with Beautiful Destinations at the end.
The company's CEO, Jeremy Jauncey, told the Times his agency was "not looking for hosts, we’re not looking for presenters, we’re not looking for people that want to build a career in front of the camera.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
"It’s very much about. what’s your ability to tell a travel story?" he said.
Dubai is 'carefully cultivated movie set'
But rights groups and Sudanese activists have called the move another initiative by the Gulf state to improve its image as it faces accusations of facilitating war crimes and genocide in Sudan.
Abdullahi Halakhe, senior advocate for East and Southern Africa at Refugees International, said the academy was the latest attempt by the UAE to draw in foreigners who make "no critical examination" of the country to launder its reputation.
"It falls within Dubai's usual modus operandi... everything about it is a carefully cultivated, manicured movie set kind of lifestyle," he told Middle East Eye.
"Underneath that largely manufactured plastic existence are undeniable, horrendous human rights violations anywhere it has touched over the last 20 years."
Earlier this month, the Sudanese government took the UAE to the International Court of Justice, accusing it of violating the Genocide Convention by aiding the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a Sudanese paramilitary group with whom it has been fighting since April 2023.
The UAE denies it provides the RSF with weapons and other means of support.
The war in Sudan has killed thousands and displaced over 12.5 million Sudanese, while the RSF have been accused of ethnic cleansing, mass sexual assault and even genocide. The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), the RSF's former allies turned enemies, are also accused of widespread rights violations.
Halakhe said the UAE's drive to prevent the emergence of democratic states in the region was behind its involvement in the war.
"It crushed the Arab Spring, it crashed the emergence of any viable government in Libya, and its latest iteration of that is Sudan," he said.
Glitzy or risky?
The UAE - Dubai in particular - has poured huge resources into cultivating a tourist scene, while TikTok, Instagram and other social media influencers have flocked to its beaches, clubs and resorts.
According to the Times, there are 37.9 million videos on TikTok with the hashtag #Dubai, showing off the sights and sounds of the metropolis.
The UAE saw a record 18.72 million international visitors last year, while the country has splashed out on numerous sporting events and clubs across the world, as well as tourism advertising that is becoming increasingly ubiquitous in capital cities and online.
'Many influencers, unaware of the political implications of their participation, risk being co-opted into campaigns that whitewash authoritarian practices'
- Mohammed Jamil, Chairman of the Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK
However, the media blitz belies the fact that the UAE has repeatedly been accused of employing extrajudicial methods to crack down on dissent within its borders and that its record on human rights has been widely condemned.
Scores of political prisoners have been jailed since the 2011 pro-democracy Arab Spring in trials that have been condemned as opaque by monitoring groups.
Foreign travellers have been targeted by the authorities as well. British citizens Matthew Hedges and Ali Issa Ahmad were detained in 2018 and 2019 respectively and suffered mistreatment and torture in jail before being released.
Another British national, 70-year-old Ryan Cornelius, has spent 16 years in Emirati detention on "dubious" charges related to fraud.
When presented with the accusations of human rights abuses in the UAE by the Times, Jauncey - who is British himself - said he was "not familiar exactly with those examples" but said he and his colleagues had "never had any issues at all".
MEE contacted Beautiful Destinations Academy for comment, but had not received a response by the time of publication.
Mohammed Jamil, Chairman of the Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK), said that there were "growing concerns" that influencers were helping push "state propaganda or facilitate covert agendas."
"Many influencers, unaware of the political implications of their participation, risk being co-opted into campaigns that whitewash authoritarian practices," he told MEE.
"Numerous individuals who engaged with these initiatives in good faith have found themselves facing serious consequences - from deportation and asset seizures to arbitrary detention and fabricated charges leading to lengthy prison sentences.
"Professionals working in media, digital content and public advocacy are urged to exercise caution."
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
