On Thursday, the 44th Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) will open its doors to the public, bringing 168 authors and creatives from Canada and around the world to the city’s Harbourfront Centre.
Under the theme Where Imagination Takes Flight, the 11-day event will host some of the world’s most prominent writers including Pulitzer Prize and PEN/Faulkner Award-winning author Richard Ford, Man Booker Prize-winning author Anne Enright, celebrated writer Alberto Manguel, Oscar-winning director of Women Talking Sarah Polley, The Handmaid's Tale author Margaret Atwood who will participate in a performance reading alongside actor Jesse Eisenberg, and many others.
The prestigious event will bring together authors and academics to discuss significant issues such as the future of AI, its threats and potential; food culture and how it relates to cultural heritage and self-expression; the fascination with the world’s oceans and the urgent action needed on climate change.
Besides its aim to keep the conversations relevant to contemporary times, the festival is also taking real steps to expand its reach to include more non-English speaking authors and readers – something the organisers say they were able to explore further thanks to two online editions during the pandemic years.
Margaret Atwood on stage during TIFA 2021. Photo: TIFA
In 2020 and 2021, TIFA was able to present, through digital editions, both Canadian and international writers in their own languages, with audiences of diverse backgrounds tuning in from Canada and globally, aided by live captions. Last year, for instance, the festival invited Bengali writers, who are coming back for this year’s event. “I think one of the very important roles of what we do as a festival is represent and celebrate those stories and languages,” Roland Gulliver, director of TIFA, tells The National.
Now for the first time, TIFA will have a dedicated Arabic programme featuring three conversations with six authors: Tunisian writers Kamel Riahi and Mohamed Khelifi, Egyptian-Canadian novelist May Telmissany, Palestinian-Icelandic Mazen Maalouf, Egyptian writer and academic Waleed Al Khachab and Syrian poet Jackleen Hanna.
Developed in collaboration with Riahi, the programme will have these authors take the stage on Saturday to discuss the festival’s theme of taking flight, in the context of democracy, what it means to be a writer away from your home country and how you can participate in shaping the idea of democracy when you’re not there.
The festival hopes to increasingly reflect the diverse population of its host city through its programming. Photo: Brian Medina
“Taking flight is a very, very powerful idea in terms of your own personal safety and having to flee for your own security … and the things that some people have to do to find a place to feel safe and secure and have that freedom of expression,” Gulliver says.
Riahi’s conversation with Telmissany will discuss the reality of Arabic writing in exile today, while Al Khachab and Hanna will come together for a discussion and some Arabic poetry reading. Maalouf and Khelifi will talk about how immigration can impact a writer’s style and even imagination.
Hani Yakan, an events coordinator at TIFA – who is among the team behind the development of the programme – says the talks will feature live translation. “These events will be interpreted… [The festival] is catering to the Arabic communities here [in Toronto] that are thriving now,” he says.
However, outside of these curated talking series, other noteworthy Arab authors are also participating this year. Sudanese-Scottish writer Leila Abulela will take part in a reading from the Toronto Public Library Sanctuary collection, which will be installed at TIFA and will include books that have been banned, censored and challenged from a public library or school in North America.
Palestinian-Icelandic writer Mazen Maarouf is part of the event's inaugural Arabic programme. Photo: Jenny Hviding
Palestinian-Canadian writer Saeed Teebi will give a creative writing masterclass, while Lebanese graphic novelist Joseph Kai will discuss his latest book Restless. Christine Estima, an author of Lebanese, Syrian and Portuguese heritage, and who has written The Syrian Ladies Benevolent Society will also talk about her latest work.
To conclude this special Arabic programme, a musical show from the Canadian Arabic Orchestra will have its TIFA debut featuring classical Middle Eastern music under the direction of composer and orchestra co-founder Lamees Audeh. The performance will include pianist Elliot Sarkis, Oud player and composer Manar Naeem and percussionist Kareem El-Tyeb.
The impact of this effort translates to a festival that is more representative of the multicultural city where it takes place. A five-metre high swing set called The Swings – a part-performance, part-installation attraction of TIFA inspired by its theme – will sit within the festival’s outdoor space.
Gulliver hopes it will serve as a reminder to authors and readers, of all backgrounds and languages, to celebrate the joy of books, “both when a writer creates a story, but also when you pick up a book and read.”
The Toronto International Festival of Authors runs from September 21 to October 1. More information at festivalofauthors.ca.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
1.
United States
2.
China
3.
UAE
4.
Japan
5
Norway
6.
Canada
7.
Singapore
8.
Australia
9.
Saudi Arabia
10.
South Korea
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The specs
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Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors.
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Game Changer
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White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
What are the influencer academy modules?
Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
Cinematography, shots and movement.
All aspects of post-production.
Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
6. Free economic and creative zones in universities
7. Self-sufficiency in Dubai homes
8. Co-operative companies in various sectors
9: Annual growth in philanthropy
Director: Paul Weitz
Stars: Kevin Hart
3/5 stars
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions Publisher: LucasArts Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn Rating: 4/5
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
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Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final second leg:
Juventus 1 Ajax 2
Ajax advance 3-2 on aggregate
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Name: Thndr Started: 2019 Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr Sector: FinTech Headquarters: Egypt UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi Current number of staff: More than 150 Funds raised: $22 million
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Looking for a new family pet? Here are the links to visit when it comes to adopting...
