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EMBODYING WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT…
A CHAT WITH
RABAB AL TAJIR
The first female Emirati driver and
navigator in International Car Racing,
Rabab Al Tajir was invited to inaugurate
Ladies Day held on October 22nd at
Ajman’s Body & Soul Health Club and Spa.
She discussed the importance of female
empowerment and her unique career
path.
Key motivator to enter
international car racing and
navigation
When I was 22 years old, I was working in an
ex-Emiratisation Management and Training
Program with Majid Al Futtaim within the Gulf
region. My manager used to send me to Oman
for work. I used to leave Dubai at midnight and
arrive in Oman by 5 am, driving alone in the
desert. The men I worked with advised I should
do something like rallying or desert championship
driving races or international championships. They
saw this potential in me, but I knew my family
would disagree as they would view this as taboo
for a woman. But I didn’t give up; instead I did
it secretly. It was only when they saw me on the
news that they discovered what I was doing. It was
still a struggle for them to accept my being the
only female amongst 150 men in international car
racing in the desert. But today, they are slowing
coming to terms with this.
UAE and its strength in female
empowerment
I am very proud to say that the UAE government
here in the UAE has always supported women
empowerment. I am immensely happy to see that
our women are highly educated and in all fields.
Ladies Day at Body & Soul
Health Club & Spa
This is a great venue. This type of club encourages
ladies to have everything in one place; you can
do Zumba then move to aerobics. It’s good for all
kinds of women, working women to non-working
women; both can come here to focus on her energy
and her motivational schemes as well as work on
fitness and getting healthy.
H
The Event at Body & Soul Health
Club & Spa
Body & Soul Health Club & Spa in Ajman held an
exciting “Ladies Day” on October 22nd, from 11 am to
6 pm. The event was filled with a variety of activities for
women, ranging from a Zumba competition with prizes,
demonstrations on Spinning, Tabata, and Aqua Fitness in
addition to lots of games, fun activities, and challenges.
There was also a seminar on breast cancer awareness as
well as a fashion show.
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Nov/Dec 2016