American rapper Macklemore's pro-Palestine song is now available for streaming.
Hind's Hall, which declares the musician's solidarity with student protesters around the world, can be listened to on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube and other platforms. Macklemore has said all proceeds from the streaming platforms will go to UNRWA, the UN agency that provides aid and support for Palestinian refugees.
There are no streaming figures available, but the audio video has had more than 500,000 views on YouTube and the clip announcing the song has had 1.5 million views. In the description for both videos, Macklemore includes a link to the UNRWA website for those who want to donate directly.
Hind’s Hall was inspired by the current student protests happening around the world, most notably the activism at Columbia University where Hamilton Hall was taken over and Hind’s Hall declared as its new name.
The song title is also a reference to Hind Rajab, the Palestinian child, 6, who was recently killed by the Israeli military in Gaza while waiting for help.
The activists, composed mostly of students, were calling for their university to divest from Israel.
Macklemore’s unwavering support for Palestine
The rapper performed Hind's Hall live for the first time during his sell-out concert in Wellington, New Zealand on Thursday.
“I stand here today and every day forward for the rest of my life in solidarity with the people of Palestine, with an open heart, in the belief that our collective liberation is at stake – that we all deserve freedom in this life of ours,” Macklemore said in a short speech before performing the track.
“I put out a song called Hind’s Hall – can I play it for you guys?” he asked. As he performed, the red, white and green of the Palestinian flag flashed across the stadium. Behind him a video montage played showing student protesters in the US intercut with footage of politicians and scenes from Gaza.
Several fans in the crowd also waved keffiyehs – the black and white scarf linked with Palestinian solidarity. Towards the end of the song he led a chant of “free, free Palestine”. Macklemore later called for an immediate ceasefire.
He also shared a post with a series of photos from his concerts in Wellington and Auckland. In one photo, he is seen wearing a light blue bomber with a prominent “Free Palestine” patch along with the Palestinian flag. In the last photo of the series he is seen waving the Palestinian flag while crowd surfing.
Macklemore has been vocal in his support for Palestine. He spoke at a pro-Palestinian rally in Washington DC in November 4, although he previously said he did not consider himself an expert in the conflict.
“When I say Free Palestine, it’s not against anyone. It actually means we should protect everyone,” he said in an Instagram Reel from December.
“It means equality for all, respect, peace and love. It means the right to exist, regardless of what sector you’re from … There are innocent humans out in Gaza getting murdered with our dollars, and those precious human lives are an extension of us.”
He concluded: “I love my Jewish brothers and sisters so much. And my perspective is one that’s saying ‘free Palestine’ is also rooted in your protection, my loves. And there isn’t a drop of anti-Semitic thought in my head or my blood. Never again, means never again for all.”
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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.”
Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
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