Category: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

UN Adopts May 10th as International Day of Argania : March 2021

The Permanent Mission of Morocco to the UN announced today that the UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution proclaiming May 10th of each year as the International Day of Argania.

Argan trees cover more than 71% of the Souss valley in south-western Morocco.

Morocco’s rich resources position Morocco as the largest international exporter of argan-based products.

Argan is a popular ingredient in beauty cosmetics, including for hair and skin care.

Argan product sales for medicine, cosmetics, and consumption makeup over 90% of the Souss-Massa region’s economy.

Over  17,500 cooperatives are active in the argan industry. Most of the rural businesses employ local women, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

source: moroccoworldnews.com

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Morocco submitted a draft resolution, citing the important role of the argan tree in promoting job creation in rural areas across the country / pix: moroccoworldnews.com

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MOROCCO

Sarah Malallah: Youngest Kuwaiti to Win International Piano Competitions

Sarah Maitham Malallah , youngest Kuwaiti pianist to win major competitions outside Kuwait.

The six-year-old girl won four competitions from Sept 2020 till Feb 2021.

Awards:

  • 1st place : Karabakh International Culture and Art contest, Azerbaijan (2020)
  • 1st place : 2nd International Music Festival ‘Astana Stars’, Kazakhstan (2020)
  • 1st place : Star Bridge International Contest (in the under 6 category), Germany (Feb 2021)
  • 2nd place : Russian III International Competition ‘Ca Ave Musica’, Turkey
  • etc…

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Photo shows Kuwaiti pianist Sarah Maitham Malallah playing the piano at the Lina Bakir for Music and Art Consultancies Academy.—Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat / kuwaittimes.net

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KUWAIT

First Joint Saudi-Japanese Anime Film “The Journey” : March 2021

Saudi Arabia’s Manga Productions has launched a promotional video for the first joint Saudi-Japanese anime film “The Journey” using 4 G technology.

A number of famous Arab actors have taken part in the Arabic version of the movie, including Nassar Al-Nassar, Abdo Chahine and Rasha Rizk.

It is a joint production with famous Japanese studio Toei Animation, and is directed by renowned international director Kobun Shizuno, who has directed anime hits including “Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle” and “Detective Conan.”

“The video will be featured in the region and worldwide to export our Saudi culture and historical stories from the Arabian Peninsula,” added CEO of Manga Productions, Dr. Essam Bukhari. “This will be the first of a number of videos that will be produced by Manga Productions and will be featured in cinemas in the Middle East and the world.

source: http://www.arabnews.com

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‘The Journey’ tells the story of Aws, a potter with a mysterious past who indulged in an epic battle in defense of his city. (SPA) / pix: arabnews.com

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SAUDI ARABIA

Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo, Founder – Abu Dhabi Festival

Huda I Alhamis-Kanoo, Patron of the Arts

  • Founder – Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (ADMAF) – 1996
  • Founder & Artistic Director : Abu Dhabi Festival (2004)

www.admaf.org / www.abudhabifestival.ae

Awards:

  • The Abu Dhabi Award and Abu Dhabi Medal (conferred by H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi)
  • The UN-affiliated Women Together Award
  • The Aspen Institute Emerging Voice Award for Cultural Stewardship
  • The Puccini Festival Foundation Award,
  • The Middle East Institute’s Visionary Award,
  • etc…

Orders Conferred:

  • The Commander of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (Orden de Isabel la Católica), conferred upon her by HM Juan Carlos, former King of Spain, by order of HM Philip IV, King of Spain
  • The Medal of Civil Merit of Spain
  • The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesverdienstkreuz)
  • Commendatore dell’Ordine della Stella della Solidarietà of Italy
  • Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur of France
  • Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France
  • The Belgian Officer of the Order of the Crown, bestowed upon her by HM Albert II, King of Belgium
  • The Gloria Artis Medal of Poland
  • Order of the British Empire (OBE), bestowed upon her by HM Queen Elizabeth the Second
  • etc…

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Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo is the founder of Admaf and artistic director of the Abu Dhabi Festival. Courtesy Abu Dhabi Festival / pix: thenationalnews.com

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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E)

Moroccan Poet Abdellatif Laabi Wins 2021 Roger Kowalski Award, Lyons-France

Moroccan francophone poet Abdellatif Laabi has won the 2021 Roger Kowalski Award for Poetry, organized by the city council of Lyon, in east-central France

The Award was for his most-recent poetry book, “Presque riens” (Almost Nothing), published in October 2020.

Named after a famous Lyon-native poet, the Roger Kowalski Award for Poetry each year honors a living francophone poet who is connected to the city of Lyon. Laabi was eligible for nomination because his wife, Jocelyne, is a Lyon native. He is the first Moroccan to ever win the award.

Founder of the first ever Moroccan francophone poetry magazine, called “Souffles” (Breaths) along with other writers Mohammed Khair-Eddine and Mostafa Nissaboury (1966).

Abdellatif Laabi published a novel in 2003, “Le Chemin des ordalies” (The Path of Ordeals), where he shares memories from his experience in prison.

Published 20 poetry books and five novels, along with tens of works translated from Arabic.

source: moroccoworldtoday.com

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pix: moroccoworldnews.com

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FRENCH /MOROCCAN- FRENCH / FRENCH-ARAB / EUROPEAN ARAB

Morocco Receives Certificate of UNESCO Heritage Registration for COUSCOUS : December 2020

UNESCO gave couscous the special designation on December 16, 2020.

Samir Addahre, Morocco’s ambassador to the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), received the certificate of registration of couscous on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Couscous is Morocco’s 10th “element” on the list. Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Mauritania presented a joint request to include couscous on UNESCO’s list in December 2018.

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How heritage brings people together

The registration of “Knowledge, know-how and practices related to the production and consumption of couscous” is the result of a joint application by Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. This joint inscription of a shared heritage illustrates the extent to which intangible cultural heritage can be a subject on which States meet and cooperate. This is, moreover, the meaning of UNESCO’s action: building bridges between peoples, bringing them closer together through the practices and knowledge they have in common.

UNESCO / www.en.unesco.org

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source: moroccoworldnews.com

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pix: moroccoworldnews.com

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MOROCCO / NORTH AFRICA

AlAnoud Al Sharekh – First Kuwaiti Woman to Receive France’s Ordre National du Merite : 2016

Dr. AlAnoud Al Sharekh. Researcher. Academic. Author. Women’s Rights Activist.

Presently, Research Associate, The Chatham House and ‘The Arab Gulf Institute, Washington

Activity :

  • Founding Member – Abolish 153 (aka) Abolish Article 153
  • Founding Member – Mudhawi’s List
  • Director – Ibtkar Strategic Consulting

Awards:

  • First Kuwaiti Woman to receive France’s ‘Ordre National du Merite’ (National Order of Merit)
  • Listed among BBC’s 100 Women of 2019
  • Arab Prize – Best Publication in a Foreign Journal (2013-2014) by The Doha Institute (2014)
  • Voices of Success Kuwait Award (2018)

Education:

  • BA – Bachelor’s Degree – English, Kings College, London (1996)
  • MA – Masters Degree – Applied Linguistics and English-Arabic Language and Translation – School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London
  • Ph.D – Doctorate – Near and Middle Eastern Studies, Comparative Literature and Feminism

Books:

  • Challenging Limitations: The Redefinition of Rules for Women in the GCC (2005)
  • Angry Words Softly Spoken: A Comparitive Study of English and Arabic Women Writers (2006)
  • The Gulf Family : Kinship Policies and Modernity (2007)
  • Popular Culture and Political Identity in the Arab Gulf States (2008)

http://www.alanoudalsharekh.com

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pix: alanoudalsharekh.com

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KUWAIT

Nisreen Krimed – UAE based Fashion Designer and Entrepreneur

Nisreen Krimed. Entrepreneur. Fashion Designer.

Founder of hand made womens’ wear fashion label – Canava Designs which specialises in stories created with Arabic Calligraphy and Cartography.

Education:

  • Alumnus – Esmod Fashion Institute, Dubai
  • B.A – Faculty of Fine Arts, Damascus, Syria – Design and Visual Communications (1995-1999)

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Canava Design blends fashion and graphic design. (Supplied) / pix: arabnews.com

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PALESTINE / SYRIA / UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E.)

Egyptian Ballet Dancer Luca Abdel Nour Wins 2nd Rank at International Ballet Competition Prix de Lausanne, Switzerland : February 2021

Luca Abdel Nour – Ballet Dancer claimed the second rank for classical ballet at the international ballet competition Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland which was held from January 31 to February 6.

Abdel Nour also won the “Best Swiss Candidate” award and the “Audience Favorite” Award.

78 dancers participated in this year’s competition. They were selected based on audition videos. 

source: egypttoday.com

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pix: egypttoday.com

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EGYPT

Sony World Photography Awards 2021 – Regional Winners.

The National Awards program is an initiative set up by the World Photography Organisation and Sony to support local photographic communities around the world, with 53 countries taking part this year.

A National Winners – of the 2021 Sony World Photography Award of the Region are:

  • Photographer Abdelhamid Tahoun (Egypt)
  • Photographer Naser Alomari (Kuwait)
  • Photographer Abdulla Al-Mushaifri (Qatar)
  • Photographer Naif Al-Bugami (Saudi Arabia) – winning picture below
  • Photographer – Mireia Vilaplana (based in Dubai, UAE)

Over 330,000 images from 220 territories were submitted to the Sony World Photography Awards 2021 and over 165,000 were entered to the Open competition (from which the National Awards winner was selected).

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Photograph of Naif Al-Bugami, Saudi Arabia / pix: eyeofriyadh.com

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EGYPT /KUWAIT / QATAR / SAUDI ARABIA / U.A.E