Emirati poet Hoor Al Nuaimi is set to study at Oxford University in the UK next year. NYU Abu Dhabi
Emirati poet Hoor Al Nuaimi is set to study at Oxford University in the UK next year. NYU Abu Dhabi
Emirati poet Hoor Al Nuaimi is set to study at Oxford University in the UK next year. NYU Abu Dhabi
Emirati poet Hoor Al Nuaimi is set to study at Oxford University in the UK next year. NYU Abu Dhabi

How Emirati poet Hoor Al Nuaimi fuses the best of Arabic and English in her work


Saeed Saeed
  • English
  • Arabic

For Hoor Al Nuaimi, celebrating the UAE’s 49th National Day next week will be particularly poignant, as it falls just before she embarks on a prestigious overseas adventure.

Just two weeks ago, the Abu Dhabi resident found out she was one of two Emirati students heading to Oxford University in the UK, and she still can't believe it.

As a recipient of the renowned Rhodes scholarship, the NYU Abu Dhabi senior will undertake a two-year programme at the world-famous university, where she will study the complexities of international law and governance.

"Time has already moved so fast and I am getting even more excited," she tells The National. " Inshallah in September 2021 I will be there."

Al Nuaimi's time ensconced within Oxford's Hogwarts-like 11th-century grounds and the surrounding idyllic town should also provide ample inspiration for continuing her literary pursuits – part of which will be on display on Wednesday, November 25, as part of NYU Abu Dhabi's Hekayah concert.

Forming part of the university's The Arts Centre events season, the annual National Day celebration hosts a number of local and international talents, who will perform poetry that touches upon the multiculturalism, dynamism and tolerance that defines the UAE.

While the pandemic forced the event to move online this year, Al Nuaimi, 21, finds the format a blessing in disguise.

Describing herself as primarily a writer, this will be her first time sharing her work with an audience, even if it is pre-recorded.

“I have never performed or shared my work with anyone before, so this is a good opportunity to finally step out of the bubble and raise my voice,” she says. “I don’t know if I would have done it if the event was physically held live.”

Style and form

The performed work, Turmeric, is a neat distillation of Al Nuaimi's interests and creative process.

A piece that reflects on Emirati women’s relationships with tradition and modernity, it is an English poem that underwent redrafts in Arabic.

Like her short stories, Al Nuaimi initially wrote the piece in English and then translated it into Arabic, before retranslating it to English for the final draft.

Al Nuaimi admits it can be an arduous and rigorous process, but the creative rewards are rich.

“With every single translation, I find a new metaphor and motif that I expand on when reworking the poem,” she says. “I really love this constant cycle of creating and recreating.”

The method also gave her a deeper appreciation of the nuances and literary possibilities that come with both English and Arabic.

“Arabic is amazing when it comes to the variety of metaphors, because a lot of the words are so loaded with various meanings,” she says. “And while the English language doesn’t have as many metaphors, it provides a sense of structure and form that is very useful.”

Her upcoming debut work

Al Nuaimi is using the same approach for her debut collection of short stories.

Hoping to release it next year, she says the yet-to-be-titled book features stories set in the UAE with a cast of strong local women.

“The story follows the different objects in the lives of these Emirati women,” she says. “I explore these relationships, with the writing less focused on a plot but more on language and characters. It is very allegorical.”

Hekayah will stream on Wednesday, November 25, at 7pm from NYU Abu Dhabi The Arts Centre's Facebook page. More details are at nyuad-artscenter.org

MATCH INFO

Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai

The biog

Name: Timothy Husband

Nationality: New Zealand

Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney

Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier

Favourite music: Billy Joel

Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia

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Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')

Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')

Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)

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Find the right policy for you

Don’t wait until the week you fly to sign up for insurance – get it when you book your trip. Insurance covers you for cancellation and anything else that can go wrong before you leave.

Some insurers, such as World Nomads, allow you to book once you are travelling – but, as Mr Mohammed found out, pre-existing medical conditions are not covered.

Check your credit card before booking insurance to see if you have any travel insurance as a benefit – most UAE banks, such as Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, have cards that throw in insurance as part of their package. But read the fine print – they may only cover emergencies while you’re travelling, not cancellation before a trip.

Pre-existing medical conditions such as a heart condition, diabetes, epilepsy and even asthma may not be included as standard. Again, check the terms, exclusions and limitations of any insurance carefully.

If you want trip cancellation or curtailment, baggage loss or delay covered, you may need a higher-grade plan, says Ambareen Musa of Souqalmal.com. Decide how much coverage you need for emergency medical expenses or personal liability. Premium insurance packages give up to $1 million (Dh3.7m) in each category, Ms Musa adds.

Don’t wait for days to call your insurer if you need to make a claim. You may be required to notify them within 72 hours. Gather together all receipts, emails and reports to prove that you paid for something, that you didn’t use it and that you did not get reimbursed.

Finally, consider optional extras you may need, says Sarah Pickford of Travel Counsellors, such as a winter sports holiday. Also ensure all individuals can travel independently on that cover, she adds. And remember: “Cheap isn’t necessarily best.”

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Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Rating: 2/5
 
City's slump

L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1

FIXTURES

Saturday
5.30pm: Shabab Al Ahli v Al Wahda
5.30pm: Khorfakkan v Baniyas
8.15pm: Hatta v Ajman
8.15pm: Sharjah v Al Ain
Sunday
5.30pm: Kalba v Al Jazira
5.30pm: Fujairah v Al Dhafra
8.15pm: Al Nasr v Al Wasl

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Recipe

Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo

Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Method

Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.

Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.

Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking,  remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.

Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.

 

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Conservative MPs who have publicly revealed sending letters of no confidence
  1. Steve Baker
  2. Peter Bone
  3. Ben Bradley
  4. Andrew Bridgen
  5. Maria Caulfield​​​​​​​
  6. Simon Clarke 
  7. Philip Davies
  8. Nadine Dorries​​​​​​​
  9. James Duddridge​​​​​​​
  10. Mark Francois 
  11. Chris Green
  12. Adam Holloway
  13. Andrea Jenkyns
  14. Anne-Marie Morris
  15. Sheryll Murray
  16. Jacob Rees-Mogg
  17. Laurence Robertson
  18. Lee Rowley
  19. Henry Smith
  20. Martin Vickers 
  21. John Whittingdale
The specs

Price: From Dh180,000 (estimate)

Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged and supercharged in-line four-cylinder

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 320hp @ 5,700rpm

Torque: 400Nm @ 2,200rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 9.7L / 100km