RECORDS IN ME & AFRICA* – Page 31 – Arabian Records (1st post : Eid Al Fitr – 01st Shawwal 1439 (AH) / 15th June 2018 ) / (BETA testing – Research

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES(U.A.E) :ADNOC Sends First-ever Low-Carbon Ammonia Shipment from the UAE to Germany

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) announced, today (September 01) that its first shipment of low-carbon ammonia has left the United Arab Emirates (UAE) bound for Hamburg, Germany. This is the first ever cargo of low-carbon ammonia to be shipped to Germany.

The demonstration cargo will be delivered to Aurubis, a leading global provider of non-ferrous metals and one of the largest copper recyclers worldwide, that has its headquarters in Hamburg. On arrival in Germany, Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), one of Europe’s leading logistics companies will handle the cargo.

Produced by Fertiglobe, a partnership between ADNOC and OCI, at its Fertil plant in Abu Dhabi’s Ruwais industrial complex, the demonstration cargo is the first of several test cargoes sold to customers in Germany as ADNOC expands its strategic energy partnership across the hydrogen value chain. The cargo follows a number of similar low-carbon ammonia sales that have been made to customers in Asia. Aurubis plans to utilize the low-carbon ammonia as a feedstock in its wire rod plant, testing its application as an additional, lower-carbon energy source for industial ulilization. The hydrogen it contains has the potential to be a low-carbon energy alternative for the energy-intensive processes in multi-metal production.

This is another important milestone in the planned scale-up of hydrogen and low-carbon ammonia production capabilities in Abu Dhabi, where ADNOC is developing a new world-scale 1 million tons per annum low-carbon ammonia plant at TA’ZIZ, the chemicals, industrial services and logistics hub in the Ruwais Industrial Complex.

His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, said: “This demonstration cargo of low-carbon ammonia builds upon the longstanding bilateral relationship between the UAE and Germany and our growing partnership in clean energy. It highlights ADNOC’s expanding role as a trusted exporter of low-carbon fuels, as the UAE focuses on the industrial growth opportunities within the energy transition.

“Our collaboration with customers in Germany also underlines ADNOC’s ambitious growth plans for the production of clean hydrogen, and its carrier fuels such as ammonia, which will play a critical role in decarbonizing hard-to-abate industrial sectors. We are committed to accelerating and deepening private and public sector collaboration in clean hydrogen projects that will reduce carbon emissions and the carbon intensity of the energy that supports our everyday lives.”

Roland Harings, CEO of Aurubis, said: “As the most efficient and sustainable smelter network in the world, Aurubis provides metals that are key for megatrends such as renewable energies, electric mobility and digitalization and hence for decarbonization. To guarantee stable processes at our sites, we are expanding our portfolio of reliable energy sources and thus investing in the decarbonization of our production at the same time. This first trial shipment of low-carbon ammonia from ADNOC represents an important milestone in our long-term vision for hydrogen solutions that will help meet our decarbonization goals.”

Angela Titzrath, CEO of HHLA, said: “With its experience in port handling and logistic of containerized dangerous goods, its vast network of seaport terminals, hinterland connections and intermodal hubs across Europe, HHLA is pleased to facilitate the import of hydrogen and its derivates to Germany and Europe as part of the strategic energy partnership.”

H.E. Michael Westhagemann, Hamburg Senator for Economy and Innovation, said: “I very much welcome the fact that our international and national partners in business and the port are leading the way with these real-world trials for decarbonizing industry. We need these real-world findings and commitment to support the ramp-up of a Green Hydrogen Economy. Hamburg as an industrial location and as a European distribution port is a blueprint for this transformation and is therefore also in the German focus.”

During the visit of H.E. Dr. Robert Habeck, Germany’s Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action to the UAE in March 2021, ADNOC signed agreements with a number of German companies to explore opportunities for collaboration in low-carbon and renewable hydrogen derivatives.

Building on its position as an early mover in the production of hydrogen, ADNOC plans to significantly grow its hydrogen production in support of the UAE’s ambition to supply up to 25% of imported hydrogen in key global markets. Germany’s national hydrogen strategy expects an import demand for clean hydrogen of approximately 3 million tons per annum (mtpa) by 2030 and up to 15 mtpa by 2050 when, according to research from the Hydrogen Council, hydrogen could meet up to 18% of the world’s energy demand.

Low-carbon ammonia is the most promising at-scale hydrogen carrier and potential clean fuel for a wide range of applications, including transportation, power generation and industrial, including steel, cement, and fertilizer production. It is made from nitrogen and clean hydrogen derived from natural gas feedstocks, with the carbon dioxide by-product from hydrogen production captured and stored.

Collaboration with end-user Aurubis and logistics company HHLA underscores expanding role of ADNOC as a trusted exporter of low-carbon fuels as the UAE focuses on industrial growth opportunities within the energy transition

ADNOC plans to significantly grow its hydrogen production in support of the UAE’s ambition to supply up to 25 per cent of hydrogen demand in key global markets.

source/contents: adnoc.ae (headline edited)

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

MOROCCO: Yassine Bounou (aka..Bono) makes History, becomes First Arab to Win Spanish Football League’s ‘Best Goalkeeper Award – Ricardo Zamora Trophy’

Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who plays for Sevilla FC, has become the first ever Arab goalkeeper to win the Spanish football league’s best goalkeeper award, the Ricardo Zamora Trophy.

Morocco and Sevilla FC goalkeeper Yassine Bounou has made history as the first Arab goalkeeper to win the Ricardo Zamora Trophy, which is awarded to the Spanish football league’s best goalkeeper of the season.

The coveted trophy, which has been awarded since 1958, is handed to the La Liga keeper with the lowest goals-to-games ratio, having played a minimum of 60 minutes in at least 28 matches.

Bounou, who has played for Sevilla since 2019, conceded 24 goals in 31 matches during the 2021-2022 season, finishing ahead of Real Madrid and Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois who conceded 29 goals, while 32 goals were scored against Real Sociedad’s Alex Remiro. Bounou also received 13 clean sheets, meaning that no goal was conceded in those matches.

The Morocco international first joined Sevilla on loan for a year, before signing a permanent four-year contract with the Andalusian giants in 2020.

The goalkeeper, who is nicknamed ‘Bono’ by football fans, is also the first ever Sevilla player to win the award.

He also became the second African to win the prize after Cameroonian Jacques Songo’o, who played for Deportivo La Coruna and was awarded the trophy in 1997.

Bounou’s efforts also lead to Sevilla’s fourth-place finish in La Liga, enabling the team to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League, alongside Spanish heavyweights Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.

Canada-born Bounou, who has earned 40 caps for the Moroccan national team, will be one of the Arab players to watch in this year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where the Atlas Lions will be making their sixth appearance.

source/content: english.alaraby.co.uk (The New Arab) (headline edited)

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MOROCCO

QATAR to Build World’s Largest ‘Blue’ Ammonia Plant

QatarEnergy will build the world’s largest “blue” ammonia plant, which is expected to come online in the first quarter of 2026 and to produce 1.2 million tons per year, Saad Al-Kaabi, chief executive and state minister for energy, said .

While conventional ammonia production emits CO2 if it is made with fossil fuel, during the production of blue ammonia any carbon dioxide generated is captured and stored.

The facility, the Ammonia-7 project, will cost $1.156 billion to build and capture and sequester 1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide a year through the manufacturing process, he added.

“We see an increasing interest in using ammonia as fuel, driven by the need to reduce CO2 emissions in the energy ecosystem,” Al-Kaabi said.

Ammonia is mainly made from hydrogen produced from natural gas and nitrogen from the air. It does not emit CO2 when burned.

It is principally used as a raw material for fertilizer and chemicals, but it can also be used as a low-carbon fuel in power stations.

Thyssenkrupp and Consolidated Contractors Co. are the contractors of the project.

source/content: arabnews.com

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While conventional ammonia production emits CO2 if it is made with fossil fuel, during the production of blue ammonia any carbon dioxide generated is captured and stored.

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QATAR

MOROCCO: Laila Amili: Mutlifront Activist, Passionate Pan-African

A women’s rights advocate and secretary general of the Moroccan climate coalition, Laila Amili is now working to build a bridge between Moroccan associations and the All-African-Movement Assembly.

From August 29 to 31, pan-African activists from across Africa and the Diaspora will gather in Arusha, Tanzania, for the All-African-Movement Assembly (AAMA) conference promoting justice, peace, and dignity.

AAMA organized a first validation conference in August 2016 in Arusha, gathering 272 people from 40 countries from across the continent.

The pan-African movement is built on five pillars : fighting for more civic and political action; promoting women’s rights and individual freedoms across the continent; advocating for the right to equity and dignity; promoting democratic and corruption-free governance; and calling for climate and environmental justice.

Morocco’s Lingering Gender Injustices

Laila Amili, president of Mains Libres (Free Hands), a Moroccan association fighting for girls and women’s rights, joined the AAMA two months ago. She’s a socialist, a founding member of the Arab feminist network Tha’era, and a climate activist.

In conversation earlier this week with Morocco World News, Amili spoke passionately of her new challenge: working to build a bridge between the pan-African movement AAMA and Moroccan associations.

“We hope to promote African solidarity to build the future we want as Africans: the right to peace, social inclusion, and prosperity for Africans all around the world,” Amili said.

For the Moroccan activist, sharing different experiences from different African actors would be a way to build progress for women’s rights. In Morocco, much of Amili’s activism revolves around fighting against underage marriage and domestic violence, as well advocating for greater female visibility in leadership positions.

It’s been three years since Mains Libres first launched its fight to forge substantive changes in the Moudawana, the Moroccan family code. In particular, the group has ceaselessly called for both the criminalization of child marriages and the protection of divorced mothers’ rights to keep their children.

Underage Article 175 and 176 of the current Moroccan family code, a divorced mother loses child custody if she remarries and her child is over 7 years old.

For Mains Libres, Amili said, “the child should stay with her mother until 15, even if she decides to remarry.”

And when legislative change does occur, as was the case in 2018 with the parliament’s adoption of Law 103.13 about violence committed against women, Amili insists that effective implementation should follow. Legislative change is only meaningful if it actually leads to tangible impact or perceptible changes in the everyday lives of the women who have long borne the weight of gender inequality.

Embracing Africa

“I see that these struggles are common in most African countries,” Amili said. “That’s why a lot of people are willing to join AAMA and participate in African solidarity.”

She recalled that after the first AAMA regional convention in Rabat on July 28, 2022, more Moroccan associations expressed keen interest in pan-African cooperation. This was a notable, emphatic, and overdue break from a long tradition, Amili argued, pointing out that Moroccan activists previously tended to work a lot with Arab or European countries. Now is the time to value and participate in pan-African solidarity, she insisted.

The AAMA summit in Tanzania is even more relevant amid the slow post-COVID across Africa. For Amili, one main reason for the event’s particular significance is the opportunity to discuss with fellow pan-African activists the far-reaching consequences that the pandemic has on the lives of many women across their continent, especially those who were already living in a precarious financial situation.

According to a March 2021 information note from Morocco’s High Commission for Planning (HCP), women were by far the hardest hit by the COVID-induced unemployment in the North African country.

The World Needs Solidarity

In addition to the devastating socio-economic disruptions brought about or further exacerbated by the COVID crisis, people – especially women – from the Global South are also the principal victims of the emerging ecological challenges.

“Us, people from the South, are the ones who are suffering more and more, because of poverty and increasing drought,” Amili said. “Poor people are the main victims of climate change.”

Amili is also the secretary general of the Moroccan coalition for climate justice, a gathering of 230 associations. Having participated in numerous international climate conventions in that role, she deplores the lack of women in leadership decisions.

One of the priorities of the Moroccan climate coalition is to heighten awareness about climate justice to make it “real” and not only written on official papers, said Amili.

Over the past months, one of Amili’s many activities – or duties – as the president of the coalition has been to travel to rural, marginalized areas to raise awareness about the climate and share vital information about environmental challenges with underserved communities whose lives and livelihoods have long been upended by rampant changes that they do not know of, let alone understand.

For Amili, the world can meet several of the challenges it faces if enough people are taught – or learn – to nurture a certain disposition toward empathy and solidarity when making sense of global challenges.

“We need solidarity for peace, human dignity, and human rights,” she said. “One hand can’t build anything, it’s with two, three, or four hands that we can achieve our goals.”

source/content: moroccoworldnews.com (headline edited)

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MOROCCO

TUNISIA: Haute Couture Designer Ali Karoui talks about being at the Zenith of World of Fashion

I like the idea of making people dream through creation, says Ali.

Tunisian designer Ali Karoui is best known for his red carpet haute couture as the favoured creator for fashion icons such as Cristiano Ronaldo’s girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez.

He chatted to The Kurator exclusively about being at the zenith of the world of fashion.

What draws you toward the world of haute couture instead of ready-to-wear?

I like this idea of making people dream through creation… And the rarity and the mystery that surrounds the world of haute couture.

Your interest in fashion began at an early age – how did your upbringing in Tunisia inspire you to go into fashion design?

I was lucky enough to grow up in an environment where women are treated like queens. I was looking at the closets of famous couturiers when I was a child, especially that of my grandmothers and mother, and that’s what gave me the love that I have today for haute couture.

You now dress A-listers and celebrities all over the world – does this create additional pressure to impress and attract attention with your designs?

Yes, of course, it creates a bit of stress because the more we are known the more demand there is on us, and it means more work for me and my team, but it is so enjoyable to see your creations worn by celebrities on the world’s biggest red carpets. It is a consecration for each artist to see his work recognized.

How did you first start collaborating with Georgina Rodriguez and in a way creating her signature look for her?

I met the beautiful Georgina at the Cannes festival in 2019. Her stylist contacted me to try one of my dresses that she saw in a picture. As she said on Netflix, I’m not trying to change her, she fell in love with my work and since then we are inseparable.

Your style can be interpreted as somewhat risqué – has this affected your career early on and did you face resistance in the Arab world of fashion design?

In no case did it affect my career, on the contrary, my style has made me known all over the world. You must believe in your dreams and continue to move forward, that is the key to success.

What kind of influence did Azzedine Alaïa have on you?

Azzedine Alaïa was a visionary. I had the chance to meet him several times. He gave hope to young Tunisian fashion designers, and allowed us all to dream that for us too, it was possible…

Who are some other fashion designers that you respect or that you looked up to early in your career?

There are many… I was in love with the vision of Gianni Versace, Thierry Mugler, Jean Paul Gaultier, and the master, Alaïa. Legends!

Do you keep an eye out on young and up-and-coming designers from the North Africa and Middle East region?

Of course! Many of them have a very bright future

source/content: gulfnews.com

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TUNISIA

MOROCCO: 19-year Salaheddine Benyazide Wins 3000m Steeple Bronze ‘2022 World Athletics U20 Championships, Cali 22’

Moroccan athlete Salaheddine Benyazide won the bronze medal in the men’s 3000m steeplechase race on Saturday, as part of the Cali 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships, Columbia.

The young athlete was able to snatch the third place with a time of 8 minutes, 40 seconds, and 62 milliseconds, coming right behind the Ethiopians Samuel Duguna and Samuel Firewu.

Duguna achieved a time of 8 minutes, 37 seconds, and 92 milliseconds, while Firewu’s time came in at 8 minutes, 39 seconds, and 11 milliseconds.

The time is Benyazide’s fourth best in this race category, with his personal best being 8 minutes, 19 seconds, and 63 milliseconds, achieved earlier this year in Rabat.

The medal is Benyazide’s first on the world stage. Having been active in Morocco’s athletic scene since 2021, the 19 year-old athlete started participating in international races in 2022.

Celebrations and support have been pouring in following the young Moroccan’s medal, and many have hailed Benyazide’s success on the global stage as an achievement not only for Morocco, but for Arab athletics in general.

As he is participating in more international events this year, the young athlete is widely expected to represent Morocco more often on the world stage in the coming years, following in the footsteps of other Moroccans to preserve the country’s increasingly stellar athletics record.

Ethiopian athletes took the gold and silver medals in the race.

source/content: moroccoworldnews.com (headline edited)

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MOROCCO

SUDAN : Meet Ahmed Elmurtada, the Investor Bridging the Gap in Funding for Sudanese Startups

In 2021, Sudanese digital marketplace, alsoug, raised $5 million from investors, including Egyptian fintech startup, Fawry.

For many people, including myself, that was their first introduction to a Sudanese tech startup as the country has been embroiled in war for much of its 66-year history. It was also the first investment in a Sudanese startup following years of sanctions by the United States and other Western governments.

Fortunately, that has not been a one-off situation with fintech startup Bloom joining Y Combinator’s Winter 2022 batch.

In this episode of Equity Merchants, we spoke to Ahmed Elmurtada, Co-founder and Managing Partner of 249startups, on developments in the Sudanese tech ecosystem.

From the ground up

After graduating from the University of Khartoum with a Bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronics engineering, Elmurtada went on to work as an engineer with several fintech and telecommunications companies, including MTN.

During this time, he met his co-founders, Mutaz Mohamednour and Khansa Alhag. Together, they ran hackathons, conducted research, and visited other countries to learn how startups worked.

In 2018, they started 249startups, an accelerator that incubates and funds some of the most promising startups in Sudan. The name “249startups” signals the company’s ambition to put Sudanese startups on the map.

“249 is the country code for Sudan, and our mission is to connect Sudanese entrepreneurs with the international community and reshape economic activities in Sudan. To invest in Sudan, you call 249, and this is where 249 comes [from].

“It also shows our internal aspiration to put Sudan on the map in terms of identity; a local hub that is going out of Khartoum, Sudan and across the world, getting investment and helping these startups and entrepreneurs scale and create impact across the region.

“The term “startups” is mainly inspired by the fact that we wanted to focus on highly impact-driven companies, tech-enabled and high growth companies. So startups show that we are trying to focus on the innovative ones, the riskier ones.”

249startups has three primary programmes. The first is called Orange Corners and is managed in partnership with the Dutch government and other companies in the country. The second focuses on small and medium enterprises, providing finance and business development support.

Its third programme, Rhino Acceleration Programme, is an equity investment platform through which it invests funds raised from angel investors. Through these programmes, 249startups has supported over 120 businesses that have created over 1,000 jobs and raised over $700,000 in follow-up funding.

Currently a $500,000 fund, Elmurtada revealed that they plan to grow it to a $3 million fund, investing between $20,000 to $30,000 in seven startups annually.

Impact of Y Combinator’ s investment in Bloom

Only a few accelerators or investors have picked more winners than US-based Y Combinator. Consequently, there seems to be an unspoken assumption that YC-backed startups are doing something right. In Nigeria, for example, there have been suggestions that local investors wait until a startup gets into YC before investing.

For a country like Sudan with little investor activities, Elmurtada disclosed that YC’s recent investment in Bloom has helped bring startup activities in the country to the fore. But he also noted that YC’s investment is not the only one with alsoug’s investment attracting significant foreign coverage of the country.

“Sudan doesn’t have many VCs that you can see. In nearly ten years of growing the ecosystem, we’ve just now started to see these deals in the last three years.

“There is always an issue of finding startups in Sudan that have the traction of a seed round or Series A company but have not raised much money. So any investment from the likes of YC, 500 Startups, TechStars, or other regional accelerators or funds will have a positive impact on the country. Not necessarily in terms of taking over the market, but it’s a message of hope, of what is possible.”

Getting local support for startups

In 2021, African startups raised approximately $5 billion from investors in a record-breaking year. However, compared to global startup funding figures, African startups raised only 0.78%.

Elmurtada revealed that with less money to fund their operations, Sudanese founders often have to be creative with managing the money they make. He also pointed out that this limited access to finance means that the startup failure rate is higher in Sudan than in most countries.

“Even SMEs can access some finance from banks. But even that in Sudan is a challenge. The banks’ interest rates can go up to 30% to 60% a year. On the equity side, most investments are angel investments, family investments and friends.

“This is one of the reasons why the survival rate of startups in Sudan is meagre because, by the time they would like to raise follow-on capital, they will get an offer that wouldn’t work for them. And then they wouldn’t take it, and unfortunately, they will die because they will run out of cash.”

To combat this, 249startups invests at the early stages, typically the seed or pre-seed round, in exchange for 5% equity. These startups can then build significant traction and position themselves for future investments.

“Our conversations and experience show that if we’re able to get these entrepreneurs one step ahead, even with small cash tickets, they can generate good traction, build their legalities, governance, and chances of being accepted or raising further rounds would increase.”

While investments in African startups remain on the rise, most of these funds are from investors outside the continent.

One reason for this is that venture capital is a new asset class for most Africans and convincing African investors to choose it over options like real estate is an uphill battle. In a country like Sudan, ravaged by high inflation and years of political instability, this is even harder and Elmurtada shared that they overcome this through education.

“What we have done is that we show these investors how our startups are growing. We provide insights and host demo days where they meet the startups gathered from our programmes.

“They see them, and they get a chance to talk to them, going through their financial data and business plans. Gradually, this is creating momentum and some sort of trust. Recently, one of our graduates raised above $100,000 in equity investment from Sudanese living in the diaspora.”

Positioning Sudan as an investment destination

Most of the reporting on Sudan has often focused on negative news, with tales of war the most prevalent. That has affected the perception of most people outside the country. However, Elmurtada maintained that there is more to Sudan than war. With over 40 million people, most of whom are below 30 years, he posited that the country can be positioned as a tech hub.

For foreign investors who wish to understand the Sudanese business landscape better, he disclosed that 249startups has a market research team that provides reports for investors and assists them through the due diligence process.

As a burgeoning ecosystem, he added that the government has a role in driving its growth. Some of his suggestions were: improving the policy landscape to accommodate new ideas and ways of business and reducing business registration costs. With data often hard to come by in Africa, he suggested that government aids in data gathering.

source/content: techpoint.africa (headline edited)

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SUDAN

EGYPT : Veteran Egyptian Diplomat Mohamed Idris Appointed Member of UN Peacebuilding Fund Advisory Group

Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres has appointed Egypt’s former permanent representative to the UN Mohamed Idris as a member of the Advisory Group of the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, the Egyptian foreign ministry announced .

The appointment is in appreciation of the Egyptian diplomat’s efforts during Egypt’s 2021 presidency of the UN Peacebuilding Commission and as an affirmation of Egypt’s leadership in enhancing the effectiveness of the UN peacebuilding structure since its establishment in 2005, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

This is the fourth time an Egyptian has been appointed as a member of the Advisory Committee of the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, representing African countries, it added

The members of the Advisory group have an important role in advising the UN Secretary-General on the programmes and activities of the Peacebuilding Fund in accordance with requests from Member States and overseeing the implementation of the programmes of the Fund, a large part of which is located on the African continent, the ministry said.

source/content: english.ahram.org.eg (headline edited)

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EGYPT

SAUDI ARABIA: Team Saudi returns Home with 24 Medals from the ‘5th Islamic Solidarity Games 2022’, Konya,Turkey

Team Saudi returned home to the Kingdom after collecting a record 24 medals at the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games held in Konya, Turkey, from Aug. 9-18.

They won two gold, 12 silver, and 10 bronze medals. The previous record was 11 medals at the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku.

The competition saw the participation of 54 countries and 4,000 athletes.

The Saudi team placed 15th in the overall country standings, and its weightlifting athletes scooped 11 medals between them (one gold, six silver, and four bronze).

Athletics came second with five medals (four silver and one bronze), Karate with three medals (gold and two bronze), table tennis with two medals (one silver and one bronze), Paralympic swimming with one bronze medal, and finally a silver medal in the U23 football competition.

The Saudi weightlifting team won their first medals when Abdullah Al-Biladi delivered three bronzes on the opening day.

Siraj Al-Saleem delivered three silver medals in the 61kg event. On Thursday, Mansour Al-Saleem won gold in the 55kg event. Additional weightlifting medals came from Ali Al-Othman, who delivered a silver and a bronze.

Saudi track and field athlete Yousef Masrahi came second in the 400m race. His teammate Mazin Al-Yasin came third to secure the bronze in the same event.

Karate silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, Tarek Hamdi, secured first place on the podium after defeating his Azerbaijani opponent Ismayilov Gurban to win gold.

Hamdi said: “I’m thankful for all the support we get from SOPC (Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee) president Prince Abdulaziz and his VP Prince Fahad and all the Saudi karate fans and people who believed in me. I dedicate this success to them, and hopefully, our next goal is (the) Riyadh Asian Games 2034, where we hope to meet you all.”

Saud Al-Bashir and Sultan Al-Zahrani brought the other two bronze medals in Karate.

At the closing ceremony, SOPC vice president Prince Fahd bin Jalawi and the head of the Saudi delegation congratulated all the medal winners.

He also extended his appreciation and thanks to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Minister of Youth and Sports Dr. Muhammad Muharram Kasaboglu for successfully hosting the games.

source/contents: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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Saudi’s delegation claimed a total of 24 medals at the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games in Turkey. (SOPC)

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SAUDI ARABIA

ALGERIAN-FRENCH: Zineb Sedira—First Artist of Algerian Heritage to Represent France at Venice Biennale—reveals plans for pavilion focused on activist filmmaking

Project shines a light on the cultural exchange between Algeria, France and Italy during the 1960s.

Zineb Sedira has outlined plans for her presentation at the French pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale (23 April-27 November), revealing that the project will focus on Algerian cinema of the 1960s and 1970s and its links to the Italian and French film industries. The subject matter is timely as 2022 is the 60th anniversary of Algeria achieving independence from France. On 5 July 1962, Algeria became a sovereign state after an eight-year war which resulted in the deaths of at least 400,000 Algerians.

Sedira is the first artist of Algerian descent to be selected as the country’s representative. Sedira, who was born in Paris to Algerian parents, attended college in London, completing her undergraduate studies at Central Saint Martins school of art. She is now based in South London.

Sedira revealed her ideas for the cinematographic installation Dreams have no titles in an online press briefing held 18 February, outlining how she initially researched the history of Algerian film for an exhibition at the Jeu de Paume in Paris in 2019. Her passion for cinema was sparked by childhood trips to the local cinema in the 1960s in her home town of Gennevilliers outside Paris (these film outings were made with her father every Thursday when school was closed).

This interest developed further during her time as a student in London. “As part of postcolonial studies, I came across [the philosopher] Frantz Fanon and [the 1966 film] The Battle of Algiers. In France, I never came across those people because The Battle of Algiers was still censored in France [in the late 1970s and early 1980s],” she said. “There were no intellectual role models to me of Algerian origin; in England, I discovered there was a wealth of [Algerian] men, women and filmmakers.”

For the pavilion piece, Sedira carried out research at the Cinémathèque in Algiers, discovering that many films financed by the state of Algeria at the time were also co-produced with Italian and French filmmakers. “So when I was asked to propose an idea for the French pavilion, I thought of the Mostra [Venice Film Festival]. I thought it was interesting to do something around the three countries,” she said. Sedira wants to focus on the cooperation between France, Italy and Algeria— and the solidarity between the trio of nations—though her Venice “project goes beyond that”, the artist stresses.

Sedira visited numerous film archives in Algeria, France and Italy as part of the research process. “In Italy, [we visited] Venice, Turin and Bologna. We discovered a film that had disappeared,” says Yasmina Reggad, the co-curator of the French pavilion, referring to Les Mains Libres made by the Italian director Ennio Lorenzini in 1964.

“It was the first international film collaboration between Algeria and another country [Italy],” said Sedira, but after 1966 Les Mains Libres was lost. She eventually found the forgotten work in a small archive in Rome. “It is an important film for anyone interested in post-1962 Algerian history,” she adds.

The French pavilion project aims to be a starting point for discussions on other topics such as colonialism, collective and individual histories, national identity and the fight against racism. “The notion of a nation begs to be critiqued and challenged. What is a nation at the end of the day? It is a big fiction to believe that when you draw a certain line, everyone who happens to be behind this line is of the same mentality and culture,” said Sam Bardaouil, the co-director of the Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin along with Till Fellrath (the duo have also co-curated the French pavilion).

“In a sense, a pavilion is an attempt to give a physical form to a fiction, so to use fiction in the language of cinema as a way to critique nation and belonging is such an intelligent and timely way to discuss these issues,” Bardaouil said.

The three pavilion curators will participate in a film to be shown in the pavilion. “We’ll be turned into actors and actresses,” said Reggad. Bringing together an artistic community was paramount, added Sedira, who relished the opportunity “to work with friends, to be surrounded by friends”. The film production will also include members of the crew and her son. “I was playing on the aesthetic and structure in cinema in the 1960s in low-budget films when one would play many roles,” she said

The pavilion project will also include a “conversation” with the UK pavilion artist, Sonia Boyce, and the Swiss representative, Latifa Echakhch. “Sonia was my neighbour for many years and she taught me at one point when I was studying art in London,” said Sedira.

At the briefing, the curators also discussed the three accompanying journals linked to the pavilion project. Each issue refers to a city—Algiers, Venice, and Paris—that has played an integral part in Sedira’s practice. “The journal is an extension of what the project entails inside the pavilion. The cities mark the phases of Zineb’s life, they become entry points to questions that are related to the themes that will be discovered in the film and installation in the pavilion,” said Bardaouil. Contributors include the French artist Laure Prouvost and the actor Nabil Djedouani.“The journal has allowed for a diversity and plurality of voices,” Bardaouil added.

The journal design is based on film magazines of the 1960s and 1970s, added Reggad, and also borrows from militant leaflets of the era. The journals are “doors to an intellectual horizon [with] texts, images and playlists”, said Eva Nguyen Binh, the president of L’Institut Français which is supporting the pavilion. Other sponsors include Arts Council England and the dealer Kamel Mennour who represents Sedira

source/content: theartnewspaper.com (headline edited)

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Zineb Sedira will represent France at the 2022 Venice Biennale with the exhibition *Dreams have no titles*

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FRENCH / ALGERIAN