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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.
In a strategic move to expand its presence in Africa, Qatar Airways Group has announced the acquisition of a 25% stake in Airlink, a prominent regional carrier based in Southern Africa. This investment, revealed on August 20, 2024, aims to enhance the existing code-sharing partnership between the two airlines and bolster Qatar Airways’ growth strategy across the African continent.
Airlink, established in 1992, has a robust network covering more than 45 destinations in 15 African countries. With a fleet of over 65 jetliners, it serves various cities throughout Southern Africa, as well as destinations in Madagascar and St Helena Island.
The collaboration is expected to bring mutual benefits, including network expansion, increased capacity, and extended marketing reach. Airlink Chief Executive Rodger Foster highlighted the significance of the deal, saying, “Having Qatar Airways as an equity partner is a powerful endorsement of Airlink and echoes our faith in the markets we currently serve and plan to add to our network.”
The partnership will also align both carriers’ loyalty programs – Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Airlink Skybucks – offering enhanced benefits to customers.
Qatar Airways, which currently flies to 29 destinations in Africa, has been actively pursuing its Africa growth strategy since 2019. The airline has been expanding its presence on the continent, adding new destinations such as Abidjan, Abuja, Accra, Harare, Kano, Luanda, Lusaka, and Port Harcourt to its network, while also resuming services to Cairo and Alexandria.
This investment follows Qatar Airways’ previous strategic moves in Africa, including acquiring a 60% stake in a new multi-billion-dollar international airport being built near Kigali, Rwanda, in 2019.
As part of its broader expansion plans, Qatar Airways has also announced increased flight frequencies to popular tourism destinations. Starting October 27, the airline will add an eighth daily flight to London, bringing the total to 56 weekly flights. Additionally, it plans to increase services to Male (Maldives), Miami (US), and Tokyo (Japan) during the 2024-2025 winter season.
This latest acquisition underscores Qatar Airways’ commitment to strengthening its position in the African aviation market and capitalizing on the continent’s growth potential.
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
Omar created and launched Majid Magazine for children, and an array of adorable characters, in 1979.
Just as Walt Disney founded one of the world’s largest and most influential entertainment conglomerates, an Egyptian journalist is hailed as the “Walt Disney of the UAE” for his pivotal role in shaping the region’s media landscape with Majid Magazine.
For many Arab adults now in their 50s, the magazine and its beloved characters, like Majid, Kaslan Jiddan and Captain Khalfan, are cherished symbols of childhood joy. Yet, few recognize the creative genius behind these treasured memories: Ahmed Omar, who passed away on Aug. 9 at the age of 85.
His vision and storytelling prowess were crucial in shaping the magazine’s enduring legacy.
Born in Egypt in September 1939, Omar embarked on a lifelong journey with words and stories.
His passion for reading blossomed at a young age, and school and public libraries became his sanctuaries, where he delved into a world of diverse books and nurtured a profound love for literature.
Omar’s frequent visits to Cairo’s Azbakeya Book Market, where he discovered affordable secondhand books, helped him build a personal library filled with diverse titles. His extensive reading played a crucial role in shaping his vision and enriching his ideas, which later shone through in his literary works.
He read to build a deep reservoir of knowledge, with classical literature captivating him from an early age. Naguib Mahfouz’s novels, which delve into the intricacies of life in Egyptian neighborhoods, had a profound impact on him. Omar was also shaped by the works of renowned Egyptian writers like Yusuf Idris, Gamal El-Ghitani, Mohamed Hassanein Heikal and other prominent authors.
He began his professional career at the UAE’s Al-Etihad newspaper, where he was a founding member and contributed to laying its foundation. He later managed the local news section.
The most significant achievement of his career was establishing Majid Magazine for children and becoming its editor-in-chief in 1979. The idea for the magazine was born within Al-Etihad daily and eventually transformed into one of the most important children’s magazines in the Arab world.
Omar recognized the need for Arab children to have a publication that represented them, stimulated their imagination and nurtured their minds. Working alongside a talented team of journalists and illustrators, he turned the magazine into a platform for expressing the thoughts and emotions of Arab children through words and drawings.
Through his tireless efforts, Omar made the magazine a symbol of Arab childhood and a cherished part of the memories of successive generations.
He spent most of his time in the magazine’s offices, creating, planning, overseeing writers and content, and preparing issues. When a new issue was printed, he had several weeks’ worth of issues ready in advance.
The inaugural issue of the magazine was published on Feb. 28, 1979, with 5,000 free copies that quickly vanished from the shelves. Majid, a character representing human values rather than superpowers, struck a chord with children. Majid Magazine maintained a weekly publication schedule every Wednesday without fail, gaining significant popularity throughout the region.
Omar oversaw and managed the magazine with ultimate care and interest for almost 30 years. He provided guiding articles for children and wrote scripts for comic stories, enriching each issue with beloved characters such as Zaki the Clever and Captain Khalfan, among others.
His editorials in Majid Magazine served as weekly lessons for both children and adults, filled with educational messages and moral guidance. His contributions established him as an educational pioneer, as he dedicated his knowledge to serving the younger generation and imparting valuable lessons.
Through his deep understanding of the nuances and secrets of childhood, Omar succeeded in capturing the attention of children from across the Arab world. The magazine’s readership grew to hundreds of thousands of young readers.
The late journalist believed that nurturing a love of reading in children is a collective duty of families, schools and magazines alike. He famously remarked: “Instilling a reading habit early in life is crucial, as it is difficult to cultivate later on. Introducing a child to a magazine is not just about providing entertainment — it’s a crucial step toward nurturing a lifelong passion for reading.”
Since the inception of the magazine, Omar was dedicated to imbuing it with a distinctly Gulf Arab flavor, reflected in its content, stories and characters. He attracted leading children’s writers and cartoonists, ensuring the magazine resonated deeply with young readers across the Arab world by preserving the unique identity of Gulf children.
Notable characters such as Kaslan Jiddan, Fadooli, Abu Al-Dhurfaa, Zakiyah Al-Zakiyah, Shamsa and Dana, and Captain Khalfan and his assistant Fahman became beloved figures among the magazine’s young audience.
Omar emphasized that his magazine was designed to appeal to children growing up in a traditional environment, instilling religious values, cultural awareness and pride in their Arab heritage.
As a testimony to his magazine’s success, mail subscriptions to Majid flourished throughout the Arab World as fans eagerly awaited each issue every Wednesday. For decades, it managed to compete with translated comics magazines such as Mickey (licensed from Disney and translated in Egypt) and Little Lulu (licensed and translated in Lebanon).
Consequently, the magazine evolved alongside the UAE’s social progress and embraced digital advancements with a YouTube channel and a website, although critics would argue that it is nowhere as influential today — despite the additional reach provided by modern technology — as it once was in the 1990s and 1980s.
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), signed a 30-year water purchaser agreement with Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power for phase 1 of the Hassyan sea water desalination project using solar power. The project is part of DEWA’s efforts to increase its water desalination capacity to 730 MIGD by 2030, from 490 MIGD at present. The project aligns with Dubai’s unparalleled economic growth and the Emirate’s thriving construction sector. This complements the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, addresses the substantial population growth, and meets the steadily increasing demand for water in domestic, commercial, and other consumer sectors.
The agreement was signed by HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA; and Mr. Mohammad Abunayyan, Chairman and Founder of ACWA Power. Officials from both entities were present.
Last August, DEWA announced ACWA Power as the ‘Preferred Bidder’ for the construction and operation of the 180 Million Imperial Gallon per Day (MIGD) Sea Water Reverse Osmosis Hassyan Phase 1 Independent Water Producer (IWP) project, with an investment of AED 3.357 billion (USD 914 million). The allocated land area for the project is 252,300 square metres. DEWA achieved a world record by receiving the lowest bid of 0.36536 USD/m³ of desalinated water. This project is the largest of its kind in the world for water production based on Sea Water Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) technology using solar energy. It is DEWA’s first Independent Water Producer (IWP) model project. The water desalination capacity in Dubai is currently 490 MIGD. This capacity will increase to 670 MIGD in 2026 with the completion of this project.
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) signed a 30-year water purchaser agreement with Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power for phase 1 of the Hassyan sea water desalination project using solar power
“We are pleased to sign the agreement with ACWA Power. This project supports the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to enhance water supplies in Dubai from sustainable sources and achieve the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050 to provide 100% of Dubai’s total power capacity from clean energy sources by 2050. We are building water production plants based on Sea Water Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) technology which require less energy than Multi-Stage Flash distillation (MSF) plants, making it a more sustainable choice for water desalination. By 2030, DEWA aims to produce 100% of desalinated water by a mix of clean energy and waste heat,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.
HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, said: “We ensure the continuation of the 100% availability of DEWA’s services according to the world’s highest levels of availability, reliability, and efficiency thanks to our state-of-the-art infrastructure and advanced technologies. This is based on innovation and sound scientific planning so that we contribute to making the UAE the world’s leading nation by its centennial in 2071.”
Mohammad A. Abunayyan, Chairman of the Board of Directors, ACWA Power, said: “This agreement between ACWA Power and DEWA is another example of the strong collaboration between ourselves and our valued partners in the United Arab Emirates. The Hassyan IWP will be the largest plant of its kind in the world, and we have set a new record for the lowest levelised water tariff. The plant will be highly efficient, desalinating water through reverse osmosis powered by solar energy. With our years of experience in the industry, ACWA Power has ambitious aims and we are proud of continually breaking records through innovation and using new technologies to enhance water security. With this project, we are reaffirming our commitment with our partners towards achieving the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050.”
The King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language recently launched a “Camel Lexicon” as a part of its Falak platform for linguistic databases.
This initiative aligns with Saudi Arabia’s designation of 2024 as the Year of the Camel, recognizing the historical connection between these animals and the Arabian Peninsula.
The “Camel Lexicon” is aimed at scholars and researchers, and provides extensive information on the cultural significance of camels in Saudi Arabian society.
According to Abdullah Al-Washmi, secretary-general of the academy, this effort strengthens national identity by highlighting the role of camels in poetry, literature and daily life.
Camels symbolize loyalty and authenticity in Saudi Arabia’s culture and are deeply embedded in the country’s poetic heritage.
The Falak platform, launched earlier this year, is a gateway to Arabic linguistic lexicons with over 1.5 billion words from diverse contexts.
It supports text analysis, linguistic data tagging, and collaboration among Arabic-language enthusiasts.
As Saudi Arabia celebrates the Year of the Camel 2024, the academy has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting the Arabic language and preserving the nation’s rich cultural heritage.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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Camels symbolize loyalty and authenticity in Saudi Arabia’s culture and are deeply embedded in the country’s poetic heritage. (Supplied)
From weightlifting to gymnastics and boxing, Arab athletes made the nation proud at the Olympics.
Meet the Olympics winners here
The 2024 Olympics concluded last night in Paris, and have marked a very special season for Arab athletes.
Despite controversy and a few ups and downs over the past 17 days, the best sportswomen and sportsmen from the region did their nations proud, earning a total of 17 medals. Overall, the medals were won by athletes from seven countries: Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Bahrain and Algeria. Bahrain won the highest number of medals this time with four major wins (two gold, one silver, and one bronze). In second place was Algeria, bringing home three medals (two gold, one bronze).
Tied in third place, Egypt and Tunisia earned three medals each (one gold, one silver, one bronze), followed by Morocco, which also won three medals (two gold, one bronze). Jordan came in fifth with one silver medal, and Qatar completed the seventeen wins with a bronze medal.
It’s no easy feat earning an Olympics medal, and while 2024 has marked a proud moment for the region, it’s also important to note that this isn’t the first time our athletes have brought home this number of wins. Back in 2020, the Tokyo Olympics saw Arab athletes earn a total of 18 medals!
Among this year’s winners, some of the most talked about athletes were the ones that went through the biggest hardships. Algeria’s Imane Kheliff faced speculation and bullying at a global level, but remained undeterred in her pursuit for gold. Winning her medal last week, she said, “I sent them a message with this gold medal, and I say my dignity has been restored and my honor is above anything else.”
Days prior to Khelif’s proud moment, France-born Algerian athlete Kaylia Nemour (who be made history when she became the first-ever African gold medalist in gymnastics. The win was twice as special given Nemour’s past dispute with the French gymnastics federation, which led to her switching from competing for France to competing for Algeria in 2023.
Also in the list of noteworthy names is Tunisia’s Firas Katoussi, who won a gold medal in 80kg taekwondo, Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali, who brought hold gold in 3,000m steeplechase, and Egypt’s Ahmed Elgendy, who set a world record with 1,555 points in modern pentathlon. Congratulations to all the athletes who represented the region and did their nations proud. Below, a complete list of all the Olympics winners from the region.
Wrestler Akhmed Tazhudinov secured the second gold medal for Bahrain at the Paris Olympics after defeating the Georgian Givi Matcharashvili.
His victory secured Bahrain’s fourth medal at the Paris Olympics and the first ever in wrestling at the Olympic Games. This is Bahrain’s first-ever medal outside of athletics.
The 21-year-old wrestler won in the men’s 97kg freestyle wrestling. Georgia’s Givi Matcharashvili won silver, while Azerbaijan’s Magomedkhan Magomedov and Iran’s Amirali Azarpira took bronze.
