Ekeng Solomon, University of Calabar
My name is Ekeng Solomon, a debater from Nigeria, West Africa. I would like to give my heartfelt gratitude to the organizers of Emirate Debate Championship for an empowering tournament and most importantly, accepting me to be part of the huge experience. The speakers were amazing and Adjudicators too were so committed as well. I also want to thank EDS for sacrificing time to make the tournament a successful one with chuffed motions. I also want to appreciate Shreyas for always helping me out throughout the tournament. Every single moment I spent in the tournament was worth it. Looking forward to participating with you all in other tournaments.
Aliza Fattani, Deira International School, Grade 11
Being part of the Emirates Debate Society is perhaps the only accessible route for students in Dubai looking to learn for the big leagues. A lot of the training focuses on the WSDC format which is far more rigorous than the other high-school debate programs like MUN and WSC. Teaching in a format otherwise unfamiliar to most schools, as well as being student-led, EDS provides a rare insight into pure debate that, prior, was almost impossible for regular students to come across. Not only is the Society accommodating to all levels of debaters, they also have an incredible team of instructors and adjudicators. Their recent Debate Championships definitely showcased the depth of the expertise possessed by them, and for them to pass on what they’ve learnt from years of competitive, high-level debate to just about anyone who could benefit is incredibly special and difficult to find.
Jerneja Logaj, ExSlovenia National Debate Team
As someone who has been fully engrossed in debate for the last 5 years being invited to judge a tournament outside of my home (European) circuit has been an amazing opportunity. Specifically, in the trying time of the coronavirus, where due to travel restrictions and the dire situation worldwide physical tournaments are made impossible, it is amazing that there are still people who are willing to organize debate tournaments (especially tournaments that have to accommodate to different time zones!) and thusly adapt to the status quo. Overall this tournament has been a very pleasant experience for me, the students were very creative and brought up a lot of cleverly developed and imaginative arguments and it has been a huge honor for me to be able to participate in it.
Kush Vaidya, Abu Dhabi Indian School, Grade 11
When I started 2020, I was to debate in Denmark but then when the pandemic hit, I was forced to send all my debate dreams into hibernation. But apparently, not everyone was like me, some of them, like Shreyas, tried to use the new opportunity of online meetings to get debaters around the country together. For me, competitive debating was something I could do maybe once a month with extensive travelling. This time in the pandemic, debating became something I could do every week with the help of the best debaters from UAE. The best part of EDS is the people who run this place. They are so kind and try to make this platform as inclusive as possible. The organisation of all their events are over the top. I am thankful to EDS for helping me and the other debaters find a platform to pursue debate in such a global crisis.
Santiago Germany, Grade 11, Deira International School
I was intrigued when I first joined the Emirates Debate Society; having missed out on many opportunities before, like Model United Nations (MUN), I figured that it would be a great start. Unsure of what to expect, I found it rather well organized – with the various divisions within our group. The plethora of terminology caught me by surprise, with terms such as substantives, rebuttals, and areas of clash. All of this was new to me, but I’m glad that some of my friends from school joined as well to listen to the insightful explanations. The real excitement was when I learned about the speaker roles and the two sides of the debate, proposition and opposition. Frankly, I was unprepared for the next meeting, when the practice debate took place. On the side of the opposition, I fought against cutting funding for space-exploration. The thirty minutes of research beforehand were intense for me. I wasn’t sure what points were going to be most effective. My partner laid out our argument, revolving around innovations, economical prospects, and culture. It wasn’t perfect for sure – I received a lot of feedback on how I could have structured my speech better. Overall, however, I was proud of my accomplishments and am looking forward to the next session. I know that with more feedback and lessons to pick up, I’ll definitely get better.