Just a year and half after its inception, the monthly Rooftop Rhythms poetry recital has grown to become one of Abu Dhabi's most popular nightlife happenings.
Now, such has been its success, its organisers are considering launching another poetry reading night in Dubai, as well as a new Arabic-language version in Abu Dhabi.
Dorian Paul Rogers, a teacher who originally hails from Georgia in the US, began the show in March 2012 at the Cafe Arabia in Muroor.
It’s popularity meant it soon outgrew the venue. These days the show, at which amateurs read their own compositions live on stage, regularly attracts around 200 people to the the Hilton Capital Grand Hotel (formerly Rocco Forte hotel.)
“The high attendance is just a residual effect of the quality experience we provide our supporters,” claims Rogers.
“The goal is to entertain and inspire in a positive and classy atmosphere. We involve the crowd with music and fun activities, but the big draw is the talented performers of Abu Dhabi.”
One of these performers is Kwame Busia, an architect and music producer from the UK.
“Rooftop Rhythms is an excellent platform for emerging and existing talent in Abu Dhabi,” he explains.
“At shows like this you begin to get a glimpse at how much creativity there is in Abu Dhabi and you realise we're just scratching the surface.”
Another regular attendee is Amandeep Bhangu, a television reporter for BBC World and Al Jazeera English.
She says: “Rooftop Rhythms challenges stereotypes about the UAE by proving not only is there a wealth of creative talent in the region, but also an insatiable appetite for quality arts and cultural events.”
The next Rooftop Rhythms takes place at the Hilton Capital Grand Hotel on Airport Road on Friday, September 27. For more information visit http://www.facebook.com/groups/rooftoprhythms
Honeymoonish
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
