Sri Lanka
USA
Canada
India
UK
UAE
“Dubai chocolate” has taken social media and supermarket shelves by storm. From Walmart and Trader Joe’s to viral TikToks and Starbucks hacks, it’s being praised as a trendy blend of pistachio, kadayif, and sweet chocolate. But behind the flavor lies a far darker reality—one critics say amounts to soft power propaganda.
Originally created in 2021 by entrepreneur Sarah Hamouda and chef Nouel Catis Omamalin, the chocolate started as a niche treat. Its popularity exploded in 2023 after a TikTok video by Dubai-based influencer Maria Vehera went viral. Soon after, the product was rebranded under the glossier title “Dubai chocolate,” catching the eye of none other than Crown Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum. His collaboration with the brand transformed the trend into a full-blown PR campaign backed by Dubai’s elite.
Critics argue that the UAE’s rulers are using the chocolate craze—alongside luxury tourism and influencer marketing—as a distraction from severe human rights abuses, authoritarian governance, and international arms deals. Dubai, they argue, is not just a glittering desert city but a hereditary dictatorship, where dissent is crushed, elections are symbolic, and personal freedoms are tightly controlled.
The government’s lavish marketing—like a $40 million influencer academy and its push to brand culture, fashion, and even candy as emblems of “modern Dubai”—serves a calculated purpose: to soften the global image of a regime accused of repression, systemic labor abuse, and links to conflict zones such as Sudan.
This isn’t the first time authoritarian states have rebranded with feel-good imagery. From rainbow banners masking arms manufacturers to celebrity-backed golf tournaments deflecting from brutal crackdowns, the playbook is clear: use pop culture to erase political bloodstains.
So while Dubai chocolate may taste sweet, its global fame helps obscure the bitter truth about the rulers behind it. As some online users now put it: this is “propaganda I’m not falling for.”
