Google honoured Ousha Al Suwaidi with a Google Doodle on 28 November 2022, celebrating the Emirati poet known as “Fatat Al Arab” (Girl of the Arabs). The Doodle marked the anniversary of the major honour event held for her on 28 November 2011, and its artwork was drawn by Abu Dhabi-based artist Reem Al Mazrouei.
When Was the Ousha Al Suwaidi Google Doodle?
The Doodle appeared on 28 November 2022 — four years after her death in 2018. Google Doodles are the special, temporary alterations of the Google logo that celebrate notable people, events and anniversaries, and they are reserved for figures of genuine cultural significance.
The date was not random. 28 November is the anniversary of the prestigious honour event staged for Ousha on 28 November 2011 — the ceremony at which, among other tributes, her prayer poem “My Lord, The Forgiver” was recited. Google chose that anniversary to place her before a global audience, and the Doodle appeared across the region and beyond.
The 2011 Honour Event Behind the Date
To understand the Doodle’s date, you need to know about 28 November 2011. That day, a prestigious honour event was staged for Ousha — one of the major public tributes of her lifetime, covered by the Arabic press. Her prayer poem “My Lord, The Forgiver” was recited at the ceremony.
Eleven years later, Google chose that anniversary for the Doodle — a deliberate nod to the day the Emirates itself had paused to honour her. The Doodle was not just celebrating a poet; it was echoing a national tribute.
Why Did Google Honour Her?
Google’s Doodles honour people whose lives changed their culture. Ousha Al Suwaidi qualified on every count:
- She was the most famous female Emirati Nabati poet of the 20th century, recognised for her recitals from the age of 15 in a male-dominated field.
- She carried the title “Fatat Al Arab” (Girl of the Arabs), bestowed in 1989 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
- She won the Abu Dhabi Award (2009) and was honoured at the Sharjah Festival of Classic Poetry (2010).
- An annual award for female Emirati poets was established in her name in 2011, and Dubai’s Women’s Museum dedicated the “Diwan Ousha Bint Khalifa Room” to her.
In short, the Doodle recognised a woman whose verse — on love, wisdom, nostalgia, praise and patriotism — became part of the Emirates’ cultural identity. Read her full story in the Ousha Al Suwaidi biography.
How Google Chooses Its Doodles
Google’s Doodle team selects honourees whose lives made a lasting cultural mark — artists, scientists, writers and pioneers, often timed to birthdays or anniversaries of defining events. Regional artists are regularly commissioned so each tribute reflects the honouree’s own culture. Ousha’s Doodle followed that pattern exactly: a culturally rooted artist, Reem Al Mazrouei, illustrating a national icon on the anniversary of her defining public honour.
Who Drew the Doodle?
The artwork was created by Reem Al Mazrouei, an Abu Dhabi-based artist. Google regularly commissions regional artists for its Doodles so that the tribute reflects the honouree’s own culture — a fitting choice for a poet so deeply rooted in Emirati heritage. An Emirati woman illustrating the Emirates’ most celebrated woman poet: the commission itself was part of the tribute.
The Doodle in Context: A Legacy Still Growing
The 2022 Doodle was one honour among many that have kept Ousha’s name alive:
- 2019: she was the focal personality of the 29th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, with a corner playing her poems in her own recorded voice.
- 2019: the posthumous Abu Dhabi Festival Award (ADMAF).
- 2025: asteroid 23871 Ousha named in her honour, with a planned visit by the UAE’s MBR Explorer mission.
- 2026: the scholarly monograph FATAT AL ARAB: A Woman’s Voice from the Desert by Dr. Ana Stjelja.
The Doodle sits in the middle of that arc — not the peak of her recognition, but one more medium carrying her forward. A poet honoured in print, in song, in a museum, on a search engine’s front page, and finally in the sky: few literary careers cover that much ground.
Her work itself lives on in collections and in song — celebrated singers performed her verses, as covered in our guide to her famous poems, within the tradition explained in what Nabati poetry is.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Google honour Ousha Al Suwaidi with a Doodle?
Google honoured her as the most famous female Emirati Nabati poet of the 20th century — “Fatat Al Arab” (Girl of the Arabs) — whose verse became part of the Emirates’ cultural identity. The Doodle celebrated her life and literary legacy.
When was the Ousha Al Suwaidi Google Doodle?
The Doodle appeared on 28 November 2022, four years after her death in 2018.
Why did Google choose 28 November for the Doodle?
28 November is the anniversary of the prestigious honour event held for Ousha on 28 November 2011, at which her prayer poem “My Lord, The Forgiver” was recited. Google marked that anniversary with the Doodle.
Who drew the Ousha Al Suwaidi Doodle?
The artwork was drawn by Reem Al Mazrouei, an Abu Dhabi-based artist commissioned by Google for the tribute.
What is a Google Doodle?
Google Doodles are special, temporary alterations of the Google logo that celebrate notable people, anniversaries and cultural events. They are reserved for figures of genuine cultural significance.