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Saudi Arabia’s Majid Binsuaiger and Khalid Al-Harbi achieved a remarkable feat on Sunday by winning the silver medal in table tennis doubles at the ITTF World Masters Championships Rome 2024.
Competing in the 45-49 years age category, the Saudi duo showcased their skills and defeated teams from Sweden, Germany, and France on their way to the podium, SPA reported. Their exceptional performance earned them a well-deserved spot in the finals, where they secured the silver medal.
They narrowly finished behind the duo of Giovanni Maria from Italy and Cédric Merchez from Belgium, highlighting their strong performance throughout the championship.
Saudi Arabia’s Majid Binsuaiger and Khalid Al-Harbi win the silver medal in table tennis doubles at the ITTF World Masters Championships Rome 2024. SPA
Thirteen Egyptian businesswomen made it to the Forbes Middle East 100 Most powerful businesswomen 2023 list this year.
The list was prepared by the famous financial magazine’s Middle East edition according to the size of the business, the individual’s impact and achievements, performance over the last year, and the scope of CSR and other initiatives led by the person.
The 100-entry list included 104 women from 27 different sectors and 27 nationalities.
The UAE and Egypt scored the most entries at 15 and 12, respectively, followed by Saudi Arabia (11) , Kuwait (eight), and six from each of Lebanon, Qatar and Oman.
Egyptian businesswomen are no strangers to the list, having topped the list in previous years in terms of the number of entries.
Below Ahram Online sheds light on the Egyptian businesswomen who made it to the list:
Dalia El-Baz (13th on the list)
An American University in Cairo alumna, El-Baz is the executive deputy chairman of the National Bank of Egypt (NBE).
El-Baz, who has been on the list before, posseses 28 years of experience in the banking sector.
She joined Egypt’s largest bank in terms of assets in 2008 as head of the operational risk management group, becoming Chief Operating officer (COO) in December 2015.
In 2016, she was appointed on the bank’s executive committee.
In September 2017, she became the first woman to become the executive deputy chairman of the NBE.
Pakinam Kafafi (21st on the list)
A Cairo University graduate, Pakinam Kafafi started her career in finance and banking at EFG-Hermes in the mid-1990s, rising to the position of vice president in 2000.
She then moved to the oil and energy sector.
In 2003, Kafafi was appoointed the strategy and investment general manager of Gas & Energy Group (GENCO).
When Citadel Group acquired GENCO and merged it with TAQA Arabia, Kafafi maintained her role.
In April 2013, Pakinam Kafafi was selected as the company’s CEO.
Rawya Mansour (27th on the list)
A Cairo university graduate, Rawya Mansour proved herself one of Egypt’s leading businesswomen.
Mansour is a descendant from one of Egypt’s oldest families in the field of business.
In 1999, she founded RAMSCO for Refined Architecture and Interior Design.
In 2007, she started RAMSCO for Trade and Distribution.
She also established the Organic Agriculture for Social International Solidarity (OASIS) in Monaco in 2012.
Reem Asaad (39th on the list)
An Egyptian American, Reem Asaad is a Harvard business school graduate who continued her career in Egypt when she served as the CEO of Raya Data Center from January 2012 till December 2016.
From January 2017 to February 2020, Asaad served as Raya Contact Center CEO befor
In 2020, she was appointed Cisco Middle East and Africa Vice President.
Cisco employs 3,000 people and contractors in 74 countries across the Middle East and Africa.
In March 2021, she was appointed by Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology to serve on the board of directors for the country’s Information Technology Industry Development Agency.
Hend El-Sherbini (42nd on the list)
A graduate of Cairo University, Dr Hend El-Sherbini is a professor of clinical pathology at the University’s Faculty of Medicine.
El-Sherbini served as the CEO of Al-Mokhtabar between 2004 and 2012.
She has been seving as IDH Group’s CEO since 2012.
IDH has a network of 546 branch labs as of September 2022 in Egypt, Nigeria, Sudan and Pakistan.
The group recorded revenues of $281 million in 2021 and $143 million in the first nine months of 2022.
In August 2022, El-Sherbini increased her holdings in the group with 7.3 million additional shares through Hena Holdings.
Now, she owns 26.71 percent of the group.
Farida and Yasmine Khamis (43rd on the list)
The daughters of the famous Egyptian carpets tycoon, Farida and Yasmine Khamis are considered veterans of the Forbes list.
American University of Cairo alumni, Yasmine Khamis is currently the Chairwoman of Oriental Weavers Group, while her sister Farida is her vice-chair.
Both sisters made headlines last December when they transferred their combined 24.61percent stake in Oriental Weavers Carpet to London-based FYK limited, which is fully owned by them.
They are also board members of the British University in Cairo .
Mona Zulficar (48th on the list)
The famous renowned lawyer and human rights activist is the Forbes Middle East 100 women list veteran who has appeared constantly on the list since it started.
A Cairo University graduate, Zulficar is a veteran corporate, banking, and project finance attorney and human rights activist.
She cofounded Zulficar & Partners in 2009. Mona Zulficar chaired EFG Hermes Holding since 2008 and the Egyptian Microfinance Federation since 2015.
Mona Zulficar is currently a member of Egypt’s National Council of Human Rights.
Elham Mahfouz (56th on the list)
An AUC alumna, Elham Mahfouz has over 30 years of banking experience mostly in Kuwait.
Mahfouz has been the CEO of the Commercial Bank of Kuwait (Al-Tijari) since 2014.
Al-Tijari recorded $179 million in net profit and $14.1 billion worth of total assets in 2021.
Mahfouz is a member of the supervisory board of the American University of Kuwait.
Hilda Louca (62nd on the list)
A graduate of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, Transport and Maritime Transport, Hilda Louca is a newcomer to the list.
Louca started her career in Lufthansa’s customer service before moving to become a sales marking manager at Al-Ahram Beverage Company-Heineken Egypt for three years.
In 2018, she founded MITCHA – platform to support Egyptian designers.
Today, the platform features 200 designers and brands.
Omnia Kelig (84th on the list)
An AUC alumna, Omnia Kelig is a banking and cooperate financing veteran who started her career in the CIB in 1999.
Kelig is currently Deputy CEO, Chairwoman and Managing Director of NAEEM Holding, a dual-listed company on the Egyptian Stock Exchange and the Dubai Financial Market.
In the first nine months of 2022, NAEEM reported $8.2 million in total revenues and $273 million in assets.
Before joining NAEEM, Kelig was a founder and managing director of Viveris Mashrek, a subsidiary of France’s Viveris Management.
She was also a partner and director for Haykala Investment Management and a co-head of investment banking at Barclays Bank in Egypt.
Abir Leheta (87th on the list)
An AUC alumna, Abir Leheta is another veteran on the Forbes list.
Leheta joined the Egyptian Transport and Commercial Services Company “EgyTrans” in 1997.
She has been EgyTrans CEO since 2017.
She is also the chairman of Barwil Egytrans and ScanArabia.
Abeer Helmy Saleh ( 99th on the list)
An AUC alumna, Abeer Helmy Saleh previously held a number of managerial positions, including managing director and board member at Wafa Life Insurance Company and managing director of Bupa Egypt Insurance.
In March 2022, Saleh was appointed as a Board Member & Managing Director of Misr Life Insurance, Takaful, which was established as a joint venture between Misr Insurance Holding Company, the National Bank of Egypt, and Banque Misr, with a capital of over $5 million.
Rafeef Ayedh Alshahrani wins gold for innovative tech; Dr. Najia Al-Zanbagi silver for her work in medical parasitology .
Two Saudi citizens were awarded prestigious medals for their groundbreaking work at the Indonesia Inventors Day 2024 exhibition, which was held from Aug. 28 to 31 in Bali, Indonesia.
Rafeef Ayedh Alshahrani, a researcher from King Khalid University, won a gold medal for her innovation “AirEco,” which has the ability to detect and locate living beings in hard-to-reach mountainous terrain, where search efforts are typically hindered by challenging conditions.
By integrating advanced detection technologies with artificial intelligence, the device provides crucial support to rescue teams. It not only identifies precise locations but also executes functions to assist in rescue operations once the target is located.
It is one of the projects backed by the university’s Agency for Business and Community Partnership, through the Entrepreneurship Center.
The project has also earned four prestigious awards from Taiwan, Romania, Hong Kong and Thailand.
Reflecting on her achievement, she described it as a truly unique and fulfilling experience. She expressed the joy of seeing the fruits of her hard work over the past days and months, stating that the greatest reward was the pride and recognition from those around her. “It’s an incredible feeling,” she said.
“This accomplishment has fueled my desire to see it implemented quickly and made widely available,” she added. “I sincerely hope that authorities and companies will adopt the project, provide support, and help manufacture it to the highest standards so it can fully achieve its purpose.”
When asked how such achievements can positively influence Saudi participation in international competitions, she said: “Accomplishments serve as a powerful driving force for young people, pushing them toward their ambitions and future goals.
“The Kingdom’s Vision 2030, in particular, has become a major source of motivation, inspiring all Saudis to think creatively and pursue their aspirations.
“Saudi achievements have now become a source of national pride, shifting perspectives on the significance of success and its far-reaching impact. These accomplishments are key drivers of development, progress and prosperity.
“Beyond boosting individual self-confidence, they foster a positive mindset in society, encouraging leadership, innovation and the creation of economic opportunities. The impact of success doesn’t stop with the individual; it resonates throughout the community.”
Dr. Najia Al-Zanbagi, headmaster of Highly Innovative Unique Foundation, also earned a silver medal at the Indonesia Inventors Day 2024 for her remarkable work in medical parasitology.
“My contribution was a personal achievement: I authored a book on medical parasitology, using engaging, narrative-driven stories to simplify the complex scientific content and make it easier for learners to distinguish between various parasites.
“I first introduced this approach while teaching at King Abdulaziz University, and it was incredibly well received by students, who found the subject much more enjoyable and accessible.”
She aid that the book, titled “Lisan Al-Hal,” has now been published and is now available in the market.
Dr. Majid Al-Aziman, director of the Entrepreneurship Center at King Khalid University, emphasized the university’s commitment to supporting innovators, raising awareness and redefining the concept of entrepreneurship.
The university also seeks to spotlight the success of projects incubated by the Entrepreneurship Center and actively contribute to creating new job opportunities.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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Dr. Najia Al-Zanbagi (R), headmaster of Highly Innovative Unique Foundation, earned a silver medal at the Indonesia Inventors Day 2024 for her remarkable work in medical parasitology. (Supplied)
Rafeef Ayedh Alshahrani’s project has also earned four prestigious awards from Taiwan, Romania, Hong Kong and Thailand. (Supplied)
Multiple area and national records broken in men’s 10,000m event at World Athletics U20 Championships 2024.
Rayen Cherni set a championship record in the men’s 10,000m race walk to win the first ever gold medal for Tunisia at the World Athletics U20 Championships 2024, while China’s Baima Zhuoma dominated the women’s race during the final morning session of action in Lima on Friday.
In a hard-fought men’s race, the top 17 all set area or national U20 records, or achieved PBs, with Cherni winning in an African U20 record of 39:24.85, Mexico’s Emiliano Barba securing silver in a North and Central American U20 record of 39:27.10 and Italy’s Giuseppe Disabato gaining bronze in a national U20 record of 39:31.25.
Australia’s Isaac Beacroft, who won the U20 title on the roads at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Antalya in April, finished fourth on the track in Lima, setting an Oceanian U20 record of 39:36.39, while Japan’s Sohtaroh Osaka finished fifth in a PB of 39:39.36.
It was Germany’s Frederick Weigel who had taken the early lead, but Osaka, Beacroft and Kenya’s Stephen Ndangiri Kihu took control by the halfway point, passed in 20:05.03.
As the pace gradually picked up, the lead pack whittled down, and Barba, Disabato and Cherni made their break. Six athletes remained in contention with four laps to go and eventually 17-year-old Cherni left his rivals behind to win by more than two seconds.
China’s Baima Zhuoma claims gold with personal best in women’s 10,000m race walk at World Athletics U20 Championships 2024
In the women’s race, Baima looked calm and in control throughout. The field quickly spaced out and the 19-year-old, who claimed Asian U20 silver in April, was well clear as she passed the 5000m mark in 21:47.33.
She was followed by India’s Aarti and her Chinese teammate Chen Meiling, last year’s Asian U20 champion, with Romania’s 17-year-old Alessia Cristina Pop, the European U18 silver medallist, looking determined behind them.
While Baima was never under threat, Aarti seemed to be moving away from Chen, but with two red cards Aarti had to be cautious and Chen made her move, passing her rival with three and a half laps to go.
Baima maintained her lead to cruise to victory in a world U20 lead and big PB of 43:26.60, as Chen held on for silver to complete a 1-2 for China in a PB of 44:30.67. Aarti claimed bronze in an Indian U20 record of 44:39.39, while Pop also set a national U20 record of 44:54.32 in fourth. Similar to the men’s race, the top 16 all set national records or PBs.
Al-Kaabi also announced that QatarEnergy will more than double the local solar energy production by adding new power plants in Dukhan, to become “one of the largest” of their kind in the world.
QatarEnergy is set to become the world’s largest exporter of urea by building a new production complex, a move that is set to ramp up production from a current six MTPA (million tonnes per annum) to 12.4 MTPA by 2030, marking a 106 percent spike.
QatarEnergy’s President and CEO Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi announced the mega project in a press conference on Sunday at the Qatari company’s headquarters in Doha.
In response to the press, Al-Kaabi said the new facility will more than double Qatar’s urea, or fertilizer, production while supporting global food production and security. He noted that the production from the project’s first urea train is expected before the end of this decade.
“When we look at the future market of urea with the growth of humanity[…]the urea requirement for food production will be exponentially increased,” Al-Kaabi told the press.
The expansion process will take place by building three ammonia production lines that will in turn provide feedstock to four new mega urea production trains in Mesaieed Industrial City.
The announcement also came against the backdrop of Qatar’s growing ammonia and urea production over the past 50 years.
In 2022, QatarEnergy Renewable Solutions and the Qatar Fertilizer Company (QAFCO), inked a major agreement over the development of the Blue Ammonia project, the largest of its kind in the world, in Mesaieed Industrial City.
Production is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2026.
Qatar to more than double solar power production
Al-Kaabi also announced that QatarEnergy will more than double the local solar energy production by adding new power plants in Dukhan, which will become “one of the largest” of their kind in the world.
The new plant will have a production capacity of 2,000 megawatts, doubling Qatar’s solar power production capacity from existing projects and those still under construction. Some of the projects include the Al-Kharsaah solar power plant, inaugurated in 2022 with the capacity of 800 megawatts.
Others include two solar power plants under construction in Ras Laffan and Mesaieed with a total production capacity of 875 megawatts. According to Al-Kaabi, the production will commence before the end of this year.
“By adding the Dukhan solar power plant to these three plants, we will achieve our Sustainability Strategy objective of about 4,000 megawatts of electricity from solar power by 2030, which makes up 30 percent of Qatar’s total electric power production,” he explained.
Al-Kaabi described the latest announcement as a “continuation” of Qatar’s efforts to provide the world with energy products and meet global needs.
“QatarEnergy’s specialised technical teams will immediately begin the necessary detailed engineering studies to implement these mega projects in accordance with the highest safety, health and environmental standards,” Al-Kaabi said.
The films tell stories of hopes, dreams, and challenges from the Arab world.
Arab cinema is about to make waves as the 81st Venice Film Festival rolls out the red carpet.
Running from August 28 to September 7, this year’s Venice International Film Festival will feature 12 Arab films backed by the Doha Film Institute.
These movies will light up key sections of the festival, including Orrizonti and Orrizonti Shorts, and make waves at Critics Week, Giornate degli Autori, Final Cut, and the Venice Gap-Financing Market.
These selections showcase the rich diversity of the region, bringing unique stories from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, and Yemen into the spotlight.
Highlights include “My Father’s Scent” by Mohamed Siam, featuring Egyptian star Ahmed Malek, “Aïcha” by Mehdi Barsaoui, and “Sudan, Remember Us” by Hind Meddeb, which offers a powerful portrayal of a generation’s fight for freedom through words, poems, and chants.
“We are proud to continue a successful festival season with a strong showcase of films by Arab talent at Venice,” stated Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, chief executive officer of the Doha Film Institute.
“Our mission is to support independent creators in cinema, and the compelling selection at Venice is a testament to our commitment to shed light on stories that transcend borders and present unique perspectives. We hope these films receive the acclaim and attention they deserve,” she added.
The 2024 Venice International Film Festival is set to showcase a diverse array of Arab cinema.
In the Orizzonti category, the festival will present “Aïcha” directed by Mehdi Barsaoui and “Happy Holidays” by Scandar Copti. The Orizzonti Shorts category will meanwhile include “Shadows” by Rand Beiruty.
“Sudan, Remember Us,” directed by Hind Meddeb, will be showcased in the Giornate degli Autori section. Critics’ Week will highlight “Perfumed with Mint” by Muhammed Hamdy.
The Final Cut section will present several notable films, including “Aisha Can’t Fly Away” by Morad Mostafa, “In This Darkness I See You” by Nadim Tabet, “My Father’s Scent” by Mohamed Siam, and “Those Who Watch Over” by Karima Saidi.
Finally, the Venice Gap-Financing Market will feature “Marie & Jolie” by Erige Sehiri, “The Station” by Sara Ishaq, and “Theft Of Fire” by Amer Shomali.
With a lineup that promises to dazzle and surprise, these films are set to turn heads and set new standards.
The League of Arab States has hailed the achievements and contributions of Emirati women at the national level, calling them a role model in the Arab world.
Ambassador Dr. Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Assistant Secretary-General and Head of Social Affairs sector at League of Arab state, congratulated the UAE leadership, government and people on Emirati Women’s Day, which is a source of pride for Arabs due to the prominent position achieved by the UAE women at the Arab, regional and international levels.
In her statements to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Dr. Abu Ghazaleh praised the efforts of HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (The Mother of the Nation), Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union (GWU), President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood (SCMC), and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation (FDF), to enhance the status of Emirati women in all fields for more than 5 decades and commended the great achievements of the General Women’s Union under her leadership, making Emirati women an honorable model for Arab women.
She added that the assumption of important and influential positions by Emirati women reflects their pioneering role in society and makes them a bright sign in the Arab world, noting that the achievements of Emirati women represent a strong push towards further progress and excellence at all levels.
Dr. Abu Ghazaleh wished Emirati women further success and prosperity and expressed her aspiration for women in the UAE and the Arab world to witness more progress and active participation in building societies.
Times Higher Education has announced a shortlist of eight finalists for its Most Innovative Teacher of the Year in the Arab World award.
The winner will be announced in December during the Arab Universities Summit in Jordan. Times Higher Education (THE), a British higher-education data company widely known for its World University Rankings, is organising the award in partnership with the University of Jordan and Al-Ahliyya Amman University.
The most innovative teacher award is part of a competition called THE Awards Arab World, which aims to “identify and promote innovative and inspiring work taking place at higher education institutions, whatever their size, reputation, or focus, and wherever they may be located.” Candidates for the awards may come from internationally renowned institutions or lesser-known institutions operating in challenging circumstances.
Times Higher Education said it had received over 400 entries from 15 countries for this year’s awards, which have 12 categories. To see the full lists of shortlisted candidates in each category, please click here.
Phil Baty, Times Higher Education’s chief global affairs officer, said it had been a huge challenge to narrow down the field and select the “elite group” of candidates for the most innovative teacher shortlist. “Those who made it should be very proud of their achievements,” he said.
The finalists for the Most Innovative Teacher award are:
The awards website gives a brief summary of each competitor. Following are excerpts from those descriptions:
Ibrahim Issa Al Balushi. Al Balushi is a senior lecturer and head of entrepreneurship and business incubation activities, as well as the head of the Curriculum and Instructional Resources Committee at the College of Engineering, National University of Science and Technology, in Oman. Known for his innovative teaching strategies and student support, Al Balushi received the Academic Excellence Award for Best Teacher in the College of Engineering in 2021. He also plays a key role in national projects aimed at developing entrepreneurship courses.
Fatma Alzahraa Abdelsalam Elkhamisi. Elkhamisi is an assistant professor of pathology and director of the International Student Unit at the Faculty of Medicine at Helwan University, in Egypt. She has implemented a continuous cycle of student-centred approaches, emphasising clinical relevance, diverse learning styles, and motivation theories. Elkhamisi is known for designing engaging learning environments using digital tools, collaborative work, peer teaching, and reflective learning.
Mohamed Amin. Amin is an associate professor and coordinator of social responsibility activities at Alamain International University, in Egypt. He teaches an elective course called “Community Participation in the Development of Modern Egypt” using innovative methods such as the flipped classroom model, game-based learning, and project-based learning.
Abir Enany. Enany is a faculty member and vice dean of the Faculty of Science at Egypt’s Misr University for Science and Technology. In the spring semester of 2023, she introduced a new approach to teaching a course on ancient Egyptian archaeology from the Middle Kingdom. Her innovative plan involved transforming course topics into sustainable development projects, with each site assigned to a student group for development, making the material more engaging and understandable.
Amer Hijazi. Hijazi is recognised as one of the top 10 influencers at Jordan’s Ahliyya Amman University, where he is transforming educational standards by engaging students as active participants. His innovative teaching methods, including software clinics that reflect industry standards, focus on creativity rather than traditional metrics, significantly impacting sustainable development goals like quality education and sustainable cities.
Mohamed Ismail. Ismail is a professor of physics at the Faculty of Engineering at Egypt University of Informatics. Upon returning to Egypt after earning his Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from Kansas State University, in the United States, he introduced innovative teaching methods. He developed a mobile application for interactive student feedback, real-time comprehension assessments during large lectures, and live demonstrations. Ismail also leads faculty initiatives to support students’ academic, social, and psychological well-being. Additionally, he founded a popular YouTube channel that has become the most-watched physics channel in the Arab world, expanding his teaching reach globally.
Zahy Ramadan. Ramadan is a professor of marketing and management at the Lebanese American University, in Beirut. Times Higher Education quotes from Ramadan’s application: “As an academic with 20 years of experience in marketing across the Middle East, Gulf, and Asia Pacific regions, I believe in a holistic learning approach that emphasises continuous high engagement, interactive scenario building, market simulations, integrating advanced research into the curriculum, and learning by doing.”
Rami Abdullah Wahsheh. Wahsheh is an associate professor in the departments of communications engineering and electrical engineering at Jordan’s Princess Sumaya University of Science and Technology. Wahsheh said: “My goal as a teacher is to help students understand the subject matter and learn how to teach themselves beyond structured learning, by focusing on fundamental problem-solving skills.”
He added: “To encourage students to continuously learn, explore knowledge, solve problems, and connect course content to job market skills, I have revised my approach to recording lectures. This involves linking examples given to real-world practical applications. I have also adopted new techniques in teaching and learning.”
YouTube Channel Leads to Job Offer
When he heard he had been shortlisted for the Times Higher Education award, Ismail told Al Fanar Media: “I’m thrilled, as it honours over twenty-two years of my career in higher education.”
Ismail said he joined Egypt University of Informatics at the request of students. “The students, who were following my YouTube channel and struggling with physics, went to the dean of the college, Dr. Amr Elmasry, and asked for my help. The university then reached out to me via email with a great job offer, and I decided to join them.”
Last year, YouTube gave Ismail a YouTube Creator Award for his scientific content’s widespread popularity. His channel, “Physics for Engineers,” has over 198,000 subscribers and has garnered millions of views.
The artist, also a guest editor of ‘Bazaar Art’ praises communal creative practice and refutes the notion of the lone genius.
Some people imagine that making art, being a visual artist, is best accomplished and performed alone; I’m pretty certain they are wrong. My own experience has been exactly the opposite from the beginning.
I am an only child, the daughter of an English textile designer and a Comorian college lecturer; I was born in Zanzibar. As a little girl in the early 1960s, I played in the streets and back gardens of Maida Vale in London with two boys who lived nearby. Together we dug an enormous hole, without our parents’ knowledge or permission, to prepare for a swimming pool.
At school, in the art room, the teacher asked us to design the costumes and sets for Cyrano de Bergerac, a play in which it took two men, via poetry and letters, to court a young woman. As head girl, I joined others going out on strike to protest about democracy and freedom of speech.
At art college, which I hated almost as much as school, it was clear that the young women students were being educated to be assistants to the men. We outnumbered, out-lifted and outperformed them at every available opportunity. I learned that to succeed in theatre design you needed to be a team player—but not a woman.
As a waitress in Covent Garden in the mid-1970s, it was obvious that without the chefs, the washing-up staff and each other, we could never have survived the disdain, the flirting, and the exhaustion inflicted upon us by the customers.
The early days of organising, making and showing with other Black women artists in London were, for me, the real beginnings of my collaborative practice. We worked alongside each other in domestic studios and spoke frankly about funding and the need for studio space, as well as our doubts and fears for the future of our creative endeavours. Some women worked with each other on groundbreaking community print projects and then alongside me to make an exhibition happen. We functioned on the very outer edges of a pretty unfriendly art world for which we had huge expectation of change but an infinitesimal amount of experience as to how this could be done.
During the 40 years since those early showing days of the 1980s, my desire to work with others has grown stronger. Without the collaborative experience of working with a studio team; talking and testing, exchanging ideas, being challenged and having to rethink and compromise (in a good way), my work would be totally different: less daring, less exciting for me and more introspective (in a bad way).
There have been art historians who asked serious and intense questions about the process and curators who enabled me to be myself by taking care of me. Importantly, they dealt with the practicalities and the administrative complexities, so that the only thing I had to worry about was the making and developing or ‘how to push everything I could to the limit’.
Close friends—all artists—have in the past been invaluable partners in my work, constantly questioning, offering expertise or supporting a series of seemingly illogical projects with practical help, money, or by cooking comforting meals, making endless cups of tea or providing favourite biscuits.
During the years I spent preparing full-time art students for the challenging years ahead, which I knew would be filled with unexpected opportunities and inevitable setbacks, my advice to them was always to work with other artists who had different areas of expertise from themselves to make pop-up shows, workshops, group performance projects, homemade ’zines and moving-image productions. I tried to persuade them that it is impossible to do everything yourself, and that their own work would suffer, as would that of their fellow artists, unless they worked for an agreed common goal. Their paintings and films, installations and prints would be stronger, still individual, but part of a wider conversation.
Recently, I have learned how to listen more carefully to the sounds in my head and begun to understand how to make this real in my paintings and installations by working with Magda StawarskaBeavan, an artist who makes screen prints, paintings, and drawings as well as moving-image and sound-composition projects.
For a few years on and off we made screen prints, Magda leading and printing, then gradually worked on sound pieces—mostly hers and occasionally mine. As part of a recent show at Wiels contemporary art centre in Brussels called ‘Risquons-Tout’, we worked for several months during the fiercest lockdowns in the North West of England on an installation called ‘The Blue Grid Test’, combining a 25-metre blue painting on found objects with a six-channel sound work. We talked extensively about codes and patterns, language and love, colour and rhythm, and worked alongside each other, wandering in and out of her studio and mine. All the while, as we built layers of understanding and multiple connections through music and language using invented texts in French, English and Flemish, Magda developed a composition piece that wraps and envelops the audience. I painted a long thin line in many shades of blue. It became a room in which 64 global patterns on numerous items found neglected in cupboards, basements and on shelves in the house, spoke and sang in and out of harmony with the words and music. I felt this could be the beginning of a determination to add to our previous collaborations during the past 10 years by making real more experimental projects, in print and with sound, in between working on our own exhibitions.
If you can find someone who will listen to you as intently as you are prepared to listen to them, you have probably found the perfect collaborative partner. Be willing to say what you want and then have that idea bettered, and you may have the solution to creating artwork that really could make a difference.
This piece originally appeared in the November 2021 print edition of Harper’s Bazaar UK
Two years ago, Eqbal Dauqan was going to work in the morning as usual. She’s a biochemistry professor. And was driving on the freeway, when suddenly: “I felt something hit my car, but I didn’t know what it was because I was driving very fast,” she says.
Dauqan reached the parking lot. Got out of the car and looked at the door. What she saw left her speechless.
“A bullet hit the car, just on the door,” she says.
The door had stopped the bullet. And Dauqan was OK. She has no idea where the bullet came from. But it turned out to be an ominous sign of what was to come.
Gender Canyon
Dauqan is a female scientist in what’s possibly the hardest place on Earth to be a woman: Yemen.
The World Economic Forum ranks Yemen as the worst country for women’s rights. In Yemen, many women can’t leave the house without permission from a male relative.
“If she goes out with her husband or brother, that’s OK. But not by herself. ” Dauqan says. “Not everyone follows this. But this is our culture.”
A culture where two-thirds of women can’t read. About half are married by age 18 — and sometimes as young as age 8.
And then there’s the black veil. Many women in Yemen wear a niqab — a black veil that completely covers their faces,except for a tiny slit across the eyes.
Daquan wears a niqab when she’s in Yemen. She even wore one during her TEDx talk there back in 2014. But she doesn’t wear one in other countries.
“I cover my face [in Yemen] because I respect the culture,” Dauqan says. “I respect the culture.”
She may respect it — but not blindly. For the past decade, Dauqan has burst through glass ceiling after glass ceiling with fearlessness and grace.
Even as a young girl, she was a rebel. “I was a little naughty,” she says with a snicker.
She liked breaking rules. And proving people wrong. So when her parents told her she might not have the smarts to go into science and engineering — like her dad — Eqbal thought: Watch me.
“I told my father, ‘I’ve heard a lot about scientists in chemistry. What is the difference between me and them? So I want to try,” she says.
And she did more than try. She crushed it.
Eqbal won over her father and got his financial support. She was the first among her friends to finish college.Then she got a scholarship to do her Ph.D. in biochemistry at the Universiti Kebansaan Malaysia, where she studied the nutritional properties of palm oil.
That led to her writing a popular book about the fruits mentioned in the Holy Quran and their health benefits. For example, Indian Jujube — also known as red dates — are the most cultivated plant in the world and have 20 times more vitamin C than citrus fruit, Eqbal writes in her book.
Next came the prizes. In 2014, Dauqan was named one of the top female scientists in the developing world by the Elsevier Foundation. News programs in the Middle East and in China ran feature stories on her. She became so famous that Al Saeed University made her an assistant professor and head of a department — all this before she’d turned35. Dauqan was on top of the world.
And then one morning, it was all taken away.
“They were just sleeping”
In March 2015, Dauqan’s hometown of Taiz got pulled into Yemen’s bloody civil war. Planes started flying over head, dropping bombs — even on homes and schools.
“They were bombing my university!” Dauqan exclaims. “They killed some of my students.
“It was really bad. Really bad,” she says. “I’ll show you.”
Dauqan turns to her computer and brings up some photos. On the screen is a photo of several bodies laying flat on the ground. The bodies are covered in white sheets, with only their faces showing.
“This is nine person from my family,” she says. “They were sleeping. And a bomb hit their house. They all died. Nine person from my family.”
A few of the bodies are small.
“Those are two children in our family,” Dauqan adds. “They were just sleeping.”
And then they were gone — Dauqan’s cousins on her father side and their sons and daughters.
“That is why I leave my country,” she says.
“I have to be strong. I want to be strong”
After the bombings began, Dauqan had to stop her research. The university shut down. And it wasn’t safe for her to leave home. She was trapped in a city where snipers target children and bombs fall on mosques, schools and markets.
During one month of 2015, doctors treatedmore than 4,000 civilians in a Taiz hospital, the nonprofit Doctors Without Borders reported. MSF hospitals have been hit with bombs four times.
Across Yemen, about 10,000 civilians have been killed in the war and more than 40,000 have been wounded. the U.N. reports. More than 370,000 children are now malnourished because they can’t get food.
And then one day, after spending months in hiding, Dauqan had an idea: Maybe her science could get her out of the war.
She started texting her mentor, Aminah Abdullah, a food scientist at the Universiti Kebangsaan in Malaysia. They applied for a special refugee scholarship with the Institute of International Education-Scholar Rescue Fund, based in New York. She got it, and after a few months, she was safe on a plane headed for Malaysia.
Now she’s working to save up money so she can bring her parents and sister to Malaysia. “It’s very difficult,” she says. “But I have to be strong. I want to be strong!”
Dauqan works long hours in labs, continues to publish papers and mentor students. And she has never lost sight of her dreams — even her ultimate dream.
“My dream is to win the Nobel Prize,” Dauqan says with a chuckle. “It is very hard. So I don’t know. “
But Dauqan has already done so much for science — and society. When little girls in the Middle East see photos of Eqbal as a chemist — wearing a head scarf,measuring pH — they don’t need to use their imagination to think: “I could be just like her. I could be a scientist.”
source/content: npr.org (headline edited)
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“In college, I would tell my friends that I wanted to pursue a Ph.D., and they would chuckle and ridicule the idea,” says Eqbal Dauqan, who is an assistant professor at the University Kebangsaan Malaysia at age 36. Born and raised in Yemen, Dauqan credits her “naughty” spirit for her success in a male-dominated culture.Sanjit Das for NPR
