The Common No.11: Tajdeed: Contemporary Arabic Stories features 25 stories by writers from 15 Middle Eastern countries, translated into English. The initiative will be discussed at NYUAD on Thursday.
The Common No.11: Tajdeed: Contemporary Arabic Stories features 25 stories by writers from 15 Middle Eastern countries, translated into English. The initiative will be discussed at NYUAD on Thursday.

How a US magazine challenged stereotypes of Arabic fiction



Displaced people fleeing wars; stories with mischievous jinn and beautiful princesses; fables with sages and flying carpets. These are typical stories associated with the Arab world,new and old. Any other type of literature, particularly contemporary fiction that eschews these clichés, has a harder time finding an audience.

Enter two editors: one from the United States; and one from Jordan, who took on the challenge of introducing 25 short stories of fiction from 15 Middle Eastern countries; stories that refute stereotypes about Arab writing.

Translated into English, they were published in a special issue of US literary journal The Common. The initiative was discussed at NYUAD on Thursday, together with issues of translation and international collaboration, at the panel Tajdeed: Bringing Contemporary Arabic Stories to America.

“It is a challenge to introduce readers to a new literary culture,” says Jennifer Acker, founder and editor-in-chief of The Common, who also teaches at Amherst College, Massachusetts.

Working with award-winning Jordanian writer, Hisham Bustani, the issue was published on April 6, 2016, and titled Tajdeed (Renewal). “It was called Tajdeed to begin a renewal of interest and a renewal of investment in literary craft and experimentation, as the style of these pieces is not traditional,” says Acker.

It features award-winning writers such as Zakaria Tamer (Syria) and Hassan Blasim (Iraq), as well as authors published in English for the first time. There is also a short story, A Bouquet, by Emirati writer Fatima Al Mazrouei.

While the issue attracted interest from the publishing and academic worlds, generating interest in translated works remains a challenge.

“A lot of readers think of reading works in translation as doing something that is ‘good for you’, like eating your vegetables,” says Acker. “Those of us invested in translating and publishing and promoting Arabic works want to change that perception, so that people realise that reading the short stories like the pieces in Tajdeed is more like the pleasure of eating ice cream.

“Although many of the pieces we published have quite a dark worldview and perhaps should not be read before bedtime.”

Another hurdle is finding the right translator. “The number of translators who are both bilingual and bicultural is not huge and these people have limited time and funds,” she says.

“Arabic is a difficult language and there are so many different registers, as well as country-specific idioms, of course. You need the right marriage of writer and translator to render a work into not only digestible English but English with its original, intended flavours.”

A collaborative process that spanned four years, Bustani, who chose most of the work, says: “My criteria was to introduce what I call ‘new Arabic writing,’ and by new, I do not mean ‘young’ or emerging writers, but a new approach to theme and style that departs from ‘traditional’ or ‘classical’.

“In the US, only three per cent of all published books in a year are translations from all the other languages of the world. Within that three per cent, only one per cent are translations from Arabic; that makes translations from Arabic so infinitesimal that it does not appear on the radar of the English-speaking world.”

Bustani says a lack of literary translation initiatives in the Middle East means that “only the glamorous novel awards get some of the novels into English”.

“Those novels that reside outside the politics of awards, the short-story form and poetry, all those are the orphans of the contemporary Arabic literary scene.”

There is also bias, where the English-speaking world has certain expectations about Arab literature.

“So literature in translation that succumbs to superficial perceptions about the violent, abusive, terrorist, fundamentalist, misogynist Arab will find an easier way to get published than works that dig deep, explore complexities and refuse to make artistic short-cuts,” says Bustani.

“Also, publishers are not interested, and when they are, they are interested in works that reflect their own [usually superficial] understanding about our region.”

Youssef Rakha, an acclaimed Egyptian writer with more than eight published books, wrote the introduction to Tajdeed and was part of the panel discussion on Thursday, along with Acker and Bustani.

“I thought it was a very reasonably representative selection, although I would seriously object to the idea of ‘the best of’, simply because, however objective one tries to be, such a choice inevitably remains subjective,” he says.

Given US president Donald Trump’s attempts at imposing a travel ban on six Muslim-majority countries, could this actually prove beneficial for Arabic fiction?

“America’s antagonistic engagement in the Middle East and with Muslims of all nationalities has raised interest in Arabic communities,” says Acker. “Our hope is that contemporary Arabic writers will someday soon enter people’s consciousness as simply ‘writers’ known for their craft, poeticism and storytelling.”

Rym Ghazal is a feature writer at The National.

UAE squad

Ali Kashief, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdelrahman, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Mohmmed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammad Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Eisa, Mohammed Shakir, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Adel Al Hosani, Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah), Waleed Abbas, Ismail Al Hammadi, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai) Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Mahrami (Baniyas)

If you go

The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at. 
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.   

TWISTERS

Director: Lee Isaac Chung

Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos

Rating: 2.5/5

THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick

Hometown: Cologne, Germany

Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)

Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes

Favourite hobby: Football

Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk

WWE Evolution results
  • Trish Stratus and Lita beat Alicia Fox and Mickie James in a tag match
  • Nia Jax won a battle royal, eliminating Ember Moon last to win
  • Toni Storm beat Io Shirai to win the Mae Young Classic
  • Natalya, Sasha Banks and Bayley beat The Riott Squad in a six-woman tag match​​​​​​​
  • Shayna Baszler won the NXT Women’s title by defeating Kairi Sane
  • Becky Lynch retained the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing match
  • Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women’s title by beating Nikki Bella

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.”

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

New Zealand 21 British & Irish Lions 24

New Zealand
Penalties: Barrett (7)

British & Irish Lions
Tries: Faletau, Murray
Penalties: Farrell (4)
Conversions: Farrell 
 

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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now

Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.

The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.

1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):

a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33

b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.

2. For those who have worked more than five years

c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.

Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

Company profile

Date started: 2015

Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki

Based: Dubai

Sector: Online grocery delivery

Staff: 200

Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends

Courses%20at%20Istituto%20Marangoni%2C%20Dubai
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The Bio

Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity

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UAE%20medallists%20at%20Asian%20Games%202023
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The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

  • be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
  • not be younger than 25 years old
  • not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
  • be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
  • have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
  • undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
  • A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially