Queens of Syria. Courtesy East Wing Gallery
Queens of Syria. Courtesy East Wing Gallery
Queens of Syria. Courtesy East Wing Gallery
Queens of Syria. Courtesy East Wing Gallery

5 things to do today: Watch a screening of Queens of Syria and get tickets to attend Bunnyville

Our daily round up of things to do. Watch a screening of the film Queens of Syria, get tickets to attend Bunnyville, visit Aloha Abu Dhabi Festival, take part in the celebrations of World Down Syndrome Day at Yas Mall, and attend a talk at Café Scientifique.

Ellen Fortini

March 23, 2016

  • English
  • Arabic

Watch a screening of the film Queens of Syria at East Wing Gallery. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition If I Leave, Where Will I Go?, the film tells the story of 50 women from Syria, forced into exile in Jordan, who came together in August 2013 to create and perform their own version of The Trojan Women, the ancient Greek tragedy about the plight of women in war. In Arabic with English subtitles. From 7pm, free with registration, East Wing, Limestone House 12, DIFC, Dubai, 050 553 3879, register at info@east-wing.org

Get tickets to attend Bunnyville, an Easter outing for families at Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort, where children can decorate colourful eggs, enjoy face-painting, and take part in entertaining activities as well as an egg hunt with prizes. There will also be a petting zoo, photos with a life-size Easter bunny, and seasonal snacks and refreshments. At 7pm, there will be a screening of Finding Nemo on the shores of the hotel's lagoon. Saturday, 4pm to 8.30pm, from Dh109 for children; from Dh89 for adults, Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort, Corniche, Abu Dhabi, 02 677 3333, Irene.Vilches@sheraton.com

Visit Aloha Abu Dhabi Festival, a waterfront extravaganza with a carnival spirit featuring food trucks, live music, watersports and fashion pop-ups. From 4pm to midnight, Al Muneera Beach Plaza, Al Raha Beach, Abu Dhabi, www.alohaabudhabi.ae

Take part in the celebrations of World Down Syndrome Day 2016 at Yas Mall, including a walkathon with children, parents and volunteers to raise awareness of the rights of people with Down Syndrome, as well as the launch of the Abu Dhabi branch of the Emirates Down Syndrome Association. From 3pm to 6pm, main entrance, Yas Mall, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, www.yasmall.ae

Attend a talk at Café Scientifique that will feature Aubrey de Grey, the British author, biomedical gerontologist and chief science officer of the SENS Research Foundation, who will speak about regenerative medicine and slowing down the ageing process. From 5.30pm to 7pm, free with registration, Urban Bistro, CNN Building, Dubai Media City, Dubai, register under the Events tab at www.cafescidubai.com

listings@thenational.ae

Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:

1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition

Expert advice

“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”

Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles

“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”

Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre 

“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”

Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
 

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.”

Three ways to limit your social media use

Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.

1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.

2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information. 

3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.

While you're here
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill

Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.

On Women's Day

White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogenChromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxideUltramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica contentOphiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on landOlivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour

Abu Dhabi