Written
The Day I Stopped Apologizing
Aisha R. · Dubai
For years I said sorry for taking up space — at work, at dinner, on the train. Then one Tuesday I just… didn't.
The UNMUTE library
Every voice, kept gently — here.
A living archive of stories, music, poetry, stand-up and recorded voices shared at UNMUTE evenings. Some are written. Some are spoken. All of them, with consent.
Video
4:12
Calling My Father, Twenty Years Later
Mahmoud K. · Abu Dhabi
A four-minute recorded story shared at UNMUTE Season One, Chapter 02.
Music
3:48
Quiet River
Lina (original composition) · Sharjah
A solo piano piece written the night after her first UNMUTE evening.
Poetry
If You Find Me Loud
Noor S. · Dubai
If you find me loud — / it is only because I was quiet / for a very long time.
Stand-up
7:02
Things My Auntie Says at Weddings
Rohit M. · Dubai
A seven-minute stand-up set recorded live at UNMUTE Open Mic.
Written
Letter to the Girl in the Bathroom Mirror
Anonymous · Al Ain
I want you to know — the silence you are practicing is not your shape. It is borrowed.
Video
5:30
How I Learned to Listen at Work
Priya N. · Dubai
Recorded as part of the UNMUTE @ Work program pilot.
Music
5:11
Unmute (Spoken Word + Oud)
Yousef & Hala · Dubai
A collaboration that opened Chapter 03.
Written
Things I Couldn't Say at My Mother's Funeral
Farah B. · Ajman
I wrote them down instead. Forty-two sentences. I read them to the sea at five in the morning.
Written
The Promotion I Turned Down
Karim A. · Dubai
Everyone called it brave. It wasn't brave. It was the first quiet decision I had ever made.
Video
3:21
My Grandmother's Recipe for Saying No
Reem H. · Sharjah
A three-minute kitchen monologue, filmed in one take.
Video
6:47
Coming Home After Eleven Years
Daniyal S. · Dubai
A short documentary piece shared at UNMUTE Youth, Chapter 04.
Music
2:58
Lullaby for a Tired Friend
Ananya P. · Abu Dhabi
Voice and acoustic guitar. Written for someone who hasn't slept in a week.
Music
4:33
Soft Engine
The Quiet Room Sessions · Dubai
An ambient instrumental recorded between two storytellers' sets.
Poetry
Inventory of a Tuesday
Hala M. · Dubai
One cup. Two unread messages. / Three apologies I did not owe. / A small, surviving heart.
Poetry
Translation
Ishaan V. · Dubai
My mother tongue does not have a word / for the way I miss her. / So I borrowed three.
Stand-up
5:14
Dubai Traffic & Other Spiritual Practices
Mira K. · Dubai
A five-minute set on commuting, patience, and Sheikh Zayed Road.
Stand-up
8:02
Group Chats I Have Survived
Tariq L. · Abu Dhabi
An eight-minute confessional from UNMUTE Open Mic, Chapter 05.
Written
The Voice Note I Never Sent
Sana E. · Dubai
Four minutes and eleven seconds long. I listened back to it once, then let it sit in my drafts for a year.
Written
My Father's Silence Was a Language
Omar T. · Sharjah
He never said he was proud. But he kept every school report in a folder labelled, simply, 'mine'.
Written
On Being the Loud One in a Quiet Family
Zoya H. · Abu Dhabi
For years I thought my volume was a flaw. Then a stranger told me it was the reason she finally spoke.
Video
2:47
What I Wish My Manager Knew
Jasmine O. · Dubai
A two-minute monologue recorded for UNMUTE @ Work, Chapter 06.
Video
4:55
The Phone Call That Changed Everything
Hassan B. · Ras Al Khaimah
A spoken-word reflection filmed at sunrise on Al Marjan Island.
Video
8:14
Three Generations, One Kitchen Table
Layla & family · Dubai
Grandmother, mother and daughter share what they were never allowed to say.
Music
4:02
Returning
Adam Q. · Dubai
A cello solo composed after his first storytelling night.
Music
5:48
Tide Song
Maya & The Open Room · Fujairah
Voice, kalimba and the actual sound of the sea at six in the morning.
Music
3:36
If You're Listening
The Quiet Choir · Dubai
A twelve-voice a-cappella piece recorded at UNMUTE Chapter 07.
Poetry
Things I Practised in the Mirror
Bilal R. · Dubai
Hello. / My name is mine. / No, I will not be staying late tonight. / Thank you for asking.
Poetry
Small Country
Eshaal M. · Sharjah
My body is a small country / that has been at war with itself / for far too many seasons.
Poetry
A Prayer in Two Languages
Yara N. · Abu Dhabi
In one I ask. / In the other I am answered. / Both of them belong to my mother.
Stand-up
6:18
I Tried Therapy, Yoga and One Aggressive Salad
Sami D. · Dubai
A six-minute set on wellness culture, told by someone who has tried all of it.
Stand-up
9:11
Brown Parents & The Five-Year Plan
Anika V. · Dubai
A nine-minute confessional from UNMUTE Open Mic, Chapter 08.
Contribute
Add your story to the library.
Written, video, music or spoken — share a piece and we'll include it (with your consent) in the next UNMUTE chapter.
Partners & supporters
The people who make the room possible.
UNMUTE is held up by founding partners, supporting organisations and community allies. Tap a logo to learn who they are.
Founding partners
SG
Spujah Grow
Leadership, coaching and wellbeing — the soil UNMUTE grew from.
Visit →VF
Voices Foundation
Backing community storytelling across the region.
Visit →LA
Lumen Arts
Lighting and stage design for every UNMUTE chapter.
Visit →WF
Wellbeing Forum UAE
Long-term partner on national wellbeing programming.
Visit →ML
Mira Labs
Brand, design and digital home for UNMUTE since day one.
Visit →Supporting partners
OS
Open Studio Collective
Hosting recording corners and creative production.
Visit →CY
City Youth Council
Bringing UNMUTE to schools and youth programs.
Visit →NM
Northwind Media
Documentary capture and post-production partner.
Visit →AU
Atlas University
Academic partner for UNMUTE Youth research.
Visit →KS
Kindred Studios
Audio mastering for the Story Library.
Visit →CF
Crescent Foundation
Funding storyteller scholarships across the GCC.
Visit →SS
Sound & Story Co.
Podcast distribution for UNMUTE recordings.
Visit →BS
Beacon Schools
Bringing UNMUTE Youth into school assemblies.
Visit →Community partners
BW
Bloom Wellbeing
Mental health partner for safe-space training.
Visit →QR
The Quiet Room
Venue partner for intimate evening chapters.
Visit →CC
Cedar & Co.
Independent bookshop hosting reading circles.
Visit →MC
Mira Café
Saturday-morning open mic venue, JLT.
Visit →HC
Harbour Collective
Creatives' collective sponsoring storyteller stipends.
Visit →SP
Soft Press
Print partner for the annual UNMUTE anthology.
Visit →TW
Tara Wellness
On-site counsellors for safe-space evenings.
Visit →HP
House of Pages
Bookstore partner for the UNMUTE reading list.
Visit →OT
Olive Tree Café
Hosting Sunday-evening storytelling circles.
Visit →S11
Studio 11
Recording studio offering free hours to storytellers.
Visit →AP
Anchor Print House
Risograph printing for chapter zines.
Visit →Become an UNMUTE partner
Sponsor a chapter, host a recording corner, or support a program.
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