Wafaa Shabbat flicks through the television channels in search for Bab Al-Hara, the popular Syrian drama in its eighth season this Ramadan. "Bab Al-Hara is how I feel it's Ramadan here in Algeria," she says.
On the floor next to her is a big spread of Syrian food: tabbouleh, fatteh with tahini, thick lentil soup. The plates are now empty, and her husband, singer and actor Abdul Rauf Shabbat, and their 16-year-old son, Muhammad, start bringing everything back to the kitchen.
The family came from Damascus in 2012 and now live in a suburb, one hour’s drive east of the capital Algiers. Like so many Syrian families, they have family members scattered around the world. One daughter is in Germany, the two eldest still in Damascus. Wafaa shows photos of them and their children: grandchildren whom they still have not met.
“We talk to them every day, send photos and videos. But we miss them all the time,” she says.
“I miss Syria too, especially on Ramadan. We used to celebrate with all the communities in Damascus: Syrians and Palestinians, Christians also, together.”
Abdul Rauf, now with a plate of knafeh sprinkled with pistachios, smiles. He misses the Ramadan sweets of Damascus, he says.
“And my friends of course, we would always meet in the evenings to sing and talk, smoke shisha. Now, they are everywhere – Syria, Australia, Germany, Sweden.”
Back in Algiers, in the suburb of Bir Khadem, is the Syrian restaurant Bawabat Istanbul, open since 2012. Munir Abdullah, a Palestinian born and brought up in the Yarmouk camp in Damascus, lifts his hand from a plate of fried falafel. A tomato cut in the shape of a flower decorates the plate; cumin and paprika is sprinkled on top. He hands it over to Basel Alaghawani, also from Damascus, who brings it out to the table.
“Most of us have been here for a few years. My father studied in Algiers when he was young, that’s why we came here,” Munir says.
It is lunchtime, a few days before Ramadan, and the restaurant, with a warm breeze coming in from the street outside, is full. A father and his daughter share a big plate of shawarma; a group of teenage friends eat the falafel decorated by Munir. Bawabat Istanbul is the only Syrian place in Bir Khadem. All over the capital and other cities in Algeria, new restaurants indicate the Syrian refugee community’s presence in the country.
Up to 43,000 Syrians now live in Algeria, according to UNHCR and government estimates. Most arrived before spring last year, when it was possible to fly into the country and enter with only a Syrian passport. Since then, visa restrictions have been imposed, effectively barring refugees from entering legally.
“They were always welcomed in Algeria, who saw them as brothers and sisters. But when many other countries began imposing visas, they saw no option but to do the same,” says Pascal Reyntjens, from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Algiers.
Since then, and especially with the new agreement between Turkey and the EU to make crossings into Europe harder, a growing number of Syrians are coming to Algeria from the south, through smuggling networks established in Mauritania and Mali. UNHCR’s spokesman in Rabat, Morocco, Anthony Berginc, told news agency IRIN that “more and more Syrian refugees [are] crossing into Algeria” that way.
But still, life in Algeria is better for refugees than in some other countries in the region; there are no camps or squalid settlements such as in Turkey, Jordan or Lebanon. Instead, they are able to rent houses or apartments.
Syrians in Algeria also face less discrimination and anti-refugee resentment. Relations between the countries go back a long way. Few Algerians would fail to mention how Emir Abdelkader, the Algerian national hero who first resisted French colonisation, found refuge in Damascus after imprisonment in France. Today, many associate Syria with popular soap operas, quality clothing and food.
“I have had only good encounters here. People, when they hear you speak the Syrian accent, are nothing but friendly. We feel welcome,” says Rami Turkman, manager of Bawabat Istanbul.
He came to Algeria in 2012 like the others, fleeing his native Homs and the destruction brought by the fighting between the Free Syrian Army and the regime.
“I literally kidnapped my mum and dad. I took their passports and brought them to the airport; they would have never left otherwise.”
Rami walks around among the tables, sharing small talk with the customers. He picks up a small girl with colourful braids in her hair, takes out his phone and snaps a selfie of them together.
The restaurant serves food such as that found in Syria, but in the bread basket, next to the pita, are baguettes – essential for any Algerian diner. Phrases like “bien sûr” or “la bass”, Algerian for “how are you”, have been added to the staff’s Syrian vocabulary.
This Ramadan is the fourth Munir and the others are spending in Algeria. He says he tries to be happy because he is with his family, rather than thinking about home.
“But of course I miss Ramadan in Old Damascus. There’s nothing like it.”
Each year, he says, communal iftars were prepared for the poor, with donations from restaurants and wealthy Damascenes.
“And in the mornings, before daybreak, the musaharatis would go around and wake people up with their drums and songs. In the evenings, you had Sufi dancers.”
Basel takes out his phone and plays a YouTube clip with iconic singer Tawfiq Al Munjid, whose voice would sound at daybreak from the Umayyad Mosque. For a brief moment, hearing him sing brings everyone back to Old Damascus.
On the wall behind the restaurant counter there hangs a collection of photos of family members, smiling children and a portrait of a young man. He used to work at the restaurant, says Rami.
“But he left for Europe. Harraga,” he says, citing the North African term for a migrant, and the refugee journey.
Bawabat Istanbul once had five branches in Algiers but since staff have left for Europe, only three remain.
Many Syrians come to Algeria with a plan to try to reach Europe. Migration routes go either through Morocco or Libya; the latter is more dangerous, with lawlessness and extremist groups, but finding a way overland to Spain is becoming increasingly difficult.
Among those who stay, many take jobs in trades, shops or restaurants. As for Abdul Rauf, he has continued to sing and act in Algeria. He shows photos from a film set in the Algerian desert and an episode of Alhane Wa Chabab, Algeria's TV talent show, where he gives singing lessons to the participants.
A bit farther from the city centre is Baba Hassan, a suburb that has been home to Syrian families for generations. Now, many refugees have moved in. A recently opened restaurant has soft couches and a counter full of Syrian sweets. Its menu, similar to that at Bawabat Istanbul, has the citadel of Aleppo printed on its cover.
Nour Derdar has worked there since she arrived from Damascus two years ago. Life in Algeria is good, she says.
“There are no camps here, it is not overcrowded like in Jordan and Lebanon. And my kids go to school; they are doing fine.”
Refugees and migrants have the right to health care and education to year six. Still, access to both hospitals and schools remains an issue, says journalist Faten Hayad.
“The law says that schools should keep [stay] open to all children, but in reality this is not the case. Many schools say that they are full and just close their doors.”
This affects migrants and refugees from Africa more than the Syrians, she says. More than 100,000 people from countries like Niger, Mali, Cameroon and the Central African Republic live in Algeria, and face a much tougher reality. They have been the victims of anti-migrant attacks and their living conditions are usually bad.
The main issue, for Syrian refugees as well as migrant workers, is that being a refugee does not allow them to work legally. Most people would rather not talk about how they make a living.
“Everyone is forced to work without papers. And you can’t do anything in your name. Buy a car, a house, anything for the future,” says Anas Aamar, who works with Nour.
When Wafaa and Abdul Rauf think about the future, their greatest wish is to be reunited with their daughters and grandchildren. But when and if that will happen, they don’t know.
“There are fewer and fewer ways out of Syria these days, so what can we do?” says Wafaa.
Jenny Gustafsson is a Swedish freelance journalist living in Beirut.
Ten10 Cricket League
Venue and schedule Sharjah Cricket Stadium, December 14 to 17
Teams
Maratha Arabians Leading player: Virender Sehwag; Top picks: Mohammed Amir, Imad Wasim; UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Zahoor Khan
Bengal Lions Leading player: Sarfraz Ahmed; Top picks: Sunil Narine, Mustafizur Rahman; UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Rameez Shahzad
Kerala Kings Leading player: Eoin Morgan; Top picks: Kieron Pollard, Sohail Tanvir; UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Imran Haider
Pakhtoons Leading player: Shahid Afridi; Top picks: Fakhar Zaman, Tamim Iqbal; UAE players: Amjad Javed, Saqlain Haider
Punjabi Legends Leading player: Shoaib Malik; Top picks: Hasan Ali, Chris Jordan; UAE players: Ghulam Shabber, Shareef Asadullah
Team Sri Lanka Cricket Will be made up of Colombo players who won island’s domestic limited-overs competition
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
The specs: 2019 BMW X4
Price, base / as tested: Dh276,675 / Dh346,800
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 354hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,550rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.0L / 100km
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
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.”
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
Bio
Born in Dibba, Sharjah in 1972.
He is the eldest among 11 brothers and sisters.
He was educated in Sharjah schools and is a graduate of UAE University in Al Ain.
He has written poetry for 30 years and has had work published in local newspapers.
He likes all kinds of adventure movies that relate to his work.
His dream is a safe and preserved environment for all humankind.
His favourite book is The Quran, and 'Maze of Innovation and Creativity', written by his brother.
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In Search of Mary Shelley: The Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein
By Fiona Sampson
Profile
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Big%20Ape%20Productions%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20LucasArts%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsoles%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PC%2C%20PlayStation%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)