Sharjah’s March Meeting is taking place during Ramadan this year, and much of its programming echoes the communal nature of the holy month.
The annual event, organised by the Sharjah Art Foundation, is being held from Friday to Sunday at Al Qasimiyah School. It coincides with the Sharjah Biennial, which is running under the title To Carry, reflecting on what we individually carry, from memories to languages, histories, wounds and ruptures.
The March Meeting's performances and discussions examine the meanings behind the biennial’s theme, but with an added focus. This year, under the title To Carry Song, they examine how songs contain cultural memories and hereditary knowledge.
The programme also addresses other modes of storytelling, including cooking, and aims to underscore the role of communities to conserve and pass on knowledge. To accommodate schedules during Ramadan, the programme will run between 10pm and 1am.
Here is what to look forward to at this year’s March Meeting.
Conversations
Panel discussions are always a focal point of the March Meeting. The platform attracts cultural figures and artists from around the world to discuss pressing subjects that resonate with the art world, particularly in the Global South.
On Friday, Emirati artist Hashel Al Lamki and Amal Khalaf, one of the biennial’s co-curators, will discuss how contemporary art practices are shaped by cross-cultural dialogue as well as experimentation with different materials. The discussion will reflect on Al Lamki’s own process, particularly related to projects the artist is presenting at the biennial, including Maat and Part-Time Lovers.
Gazan artists Mohammed Al-Hawajri and Dina Mattar will take part in a panel discussion on Friday. The couple, who moved to the UAE last year after their home in Gaza was bombed by Israeli forces, will be discussing their artistic process and the role art plays in preserving cultural identity in the face of existential uncertainty.
Swiss-Iranian poet Athena Farrokhzad and Indian poet Meena Kandasamy will be part of a panel discussion on Saturday about poethics, a portmanteau combining the words poetics and ethics. The discussion, moderated by Sharjah Biennial co-curator Natasha Ginwala, will explore the power of poetry to reflect upon political, environmental and social issues.
Also on Saturday, Navajo composer and artist Raven Chacon will delve into his artistic practice and the convergence of music, art and activism. He will be joined by Yakthan artist and filmmaker Subash Thebe Limbu, who will talk about Adivasi Futurism, a concept and art movement that incorporates elements from Adivasi culture within themes of science fiction and fantasy. Also joining the panel are Nici Cumpston, director of Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal art collection at the University of Virginia. Megan Tamati-Quennell, co-curator of the Sharjah Biennial, will be moderating the panel.
On Sunday, UK and Stockholm-based artist Olivia Plender and British social anthropologist Celia Plender will examine the transition between feudalism and colonialism, while highlighting the continuing impact of these historic power structures.
Later that day, New Zealand artist Luke Willis Thompson will discuss his work Whakamoemoea. The film piece is characterised as a political sci-fi. It was shot at Te Whare Runanga, a famous example of Maori architecture, carved from timber and incorporating other organic materials. It is a meeting house at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, where the founding document of Aotearoa/New Zealand was signed. Whakamoemoea is set in 2040, and presents a news broadcast that announces Aotearoa's movement from colonial governance to an indigenous, plurinational state.
Istanbul-born artist Dilek Winchester and New Zealand artist Ana Iti will then discuss how their two practices have a similarity in the way they deal with language as systems of knowledge. Winchester explores how Turkey’s adoption of the Latin alphabet impacted Turkish culture. Iti, on the other hand, examines the role of the printing press in disseminating the Maori language. The session will be moderated by Zeynep Oz, a co-curator of the biennial.
The five co-curators will come together in the final panel of the March Meeting to discuss their experiences of curating the event, and how their diverse backgrounds bolstered their collaboration.
Performances
Performances at the March Meeting will mirror many of the themes discussed. Houaida, known for her dreamy, otherworldly soundscapes, will conclude the inaugural day. New Zealand musician Mara TK will take the stage in the opening performance on Saturday, presenting soulful music informed by an intimate understanding of Te Reo Maori, the Maori language.
Later that day, Indonesian artists Suvi Wahyudianto and Dicky Senda will present a lecture and cooking performance. They will then discuss with biennial co-curator Alia Swastika how culinary practices have a role to play in the process of decolonisation.
Ata Ratu, from East Sumba, Indonesia, will conclude Saturday’s performances. Ratu will play the four-stringed jungga, a zither instrument from the island.
A concert by Chaar Yaar – the Faqiri Quartet on Sunday will be final performance of the March Meeting. The ensemble draws inspiration from 12th and 13th century Punjabi legends. Their work also touches upon more recent history, such as the partition of India and Pakistan, as well as devotional traditions that express love, friendship and exile.
Sharjah Art Foundation's March Meeting is running until Sunday at Al Qasimiyah School. Timings and a detailed programming is available online
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
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On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
