The Lost Opera by Ashley Peevor and Nikki Watson at Timber 2021.
The Lost Opera by Ashley Peevor and Nikki Watson at Timber 2021.
The Lost Opera by Ashley Peevor and Nikki Watson at Timber 2021.
The Lost Opera by Ashley Peevor and Nikki Watson at Timber 2021.


In a forest in the UK, music, survival and signs of normality


  • English
  • Arabic

July 06, 2021

Something truly remarkable has happened. What makes it seem so remarkable is that it used to be just normal. The Timber Festival has been taking place on sunny days in a great forest in the heart of England. There are swans and ducks on the river Trent nearby. Children are playing cricket. And in the forest, people are laughing as they set up tents at the campsite. There are family play areas, food stalls, tee-shirt sellers and environmental activists trying to sign up new members. Above all, musicians on a stage are playing in front of a live audience. It is a taste of how things once were and still might be, despite the fact that coronavirus cases in England are rising rapidly as a result of the Delta variant.

As the vaccine programme continues, the death rate is down and the UK is beginning to return to normal or, as we all suspect, invent a new normal. Much has been written about tourism, air travel and whether we want to work in offices or at home, but there is a far bigger picture that is so obvious at this cultural festival.

When I talked with audience members at the festival, the most striking aspect was our shared profound desire to rethink much about who we are and what we are doing. Coronavirus meant erecting tough borders and harsh boundaries between nations and between all of us as citizens.

Wearing a mask is the most apparent personal boundary, but since the pandemic began, all of our lives have been marked by not being in crowds, not meeting people we love and not joining in music events. We have had an enforced gap in one of our deepest human desires – to be together, to co-operate. It is this desire that brings us together – to yell our support at football teams, to have parties, to sing in choirs and to worship in churches, mosques and temples.

The historian Yuval Noah Harari says co-operation is the key to the success of humans as a species. We are not very big or terrifying – no fangs, no claws – but we are social mammals who can co-operate with one another and that makes us strong.

At the festival, there was an emphasis on preserving the natural environment, especially woodlands. This led to conversations about the 50°C temperatures in the western US and Canada and the problems caused by climate change. If terrible things happen in the Americas, Australia, the Arctic and Antarctic, they will one day happen next door.

As we emerge from the coronavirus darkness, we should ponder not just what we lost, but also the insights gained

Coronavirus is another catastrophe that has affected everybody. On the bright side, there are usually human solutions to human problems, despite some glib comments in recent years from British and American politicians about building walls or creating barriers – as if in some magical way this will keep out problems altogether, by leaving them to others.

Former British prime minister Theresa May once suggested that we are either “citizens of somewhere” or “citizens of nowhere.” This was crude politics, the delusion that nations can keep out problems of the world merely by being more nationalistic. The suggestion is also naive because as “citizens of somewhere” we are also connected to “citizens of everywhere.” The pandemic, economic shifts, climate change, poverty, migration and war have different faces in different countries but even billionaires, who build fortified boltholes on secluded island fortresses, cannot entirely escape the consequences.

Cynics may conclude that I want us all to hold hands and sing along with John Lennon’s Imagine. But I want something much more hard headed because human connectivity is not hippy talk. Thinking and co-operating are means to ensure our survival. If poorer countries lack vaccinations and become petri dishes for coronavirus mutations, the whole world will suffer. We can only survive a pandemic when we also do good, by ensuring a vaccinated world. And while rich countries may dither over the harsh decisions necessary to tackle climate change, this autumn’s Cop26 climate conference in Glasgow needs to agree on actions. A failure at Cop26 would be a failure of both imagination and of thought. It would be catastrophic if we fail to link the matter of our future survival to reducing our current wastefulness.

But there is good news. The speed at which scientists developed several different coronavirus vaccines shows that human ingenuity can work miracles. Technological solutions to climate change are also possible. And our human hunger to be together, to gather and enjoy our communities dates back a long time. As we finally emerge from the coronavirus darkness, we should ponder not just what we lost to Covid-19, but also the insights we have gained. Inter-dependence between people and countries is not a sign of weakness. It is a mark of strength and of our common humanity.

Here in this green English forest, it has been possible to have some green thoughts and hope – realistically – that they will grow.

  • Entrance to Timber 2021.
    Entrance to Timber 2021.
  • Treetop Tightrope Spectacular - Chris Bullzini at Timber 2021.
    Treetop Tightrope Spectacular - Chris Bullzini at Timber 2021.
  • Keisha Thompson at Timber 2021.
    Keisha Thompson at Timber 2021.
  • Julie Hesmondhalgh discusses her Wilderness Tracks with Geoff Bird at Timber 2021.
    Julie Hesmondhalgh discusses her Wilderness Tracks with Geoff Bird at Timber 2021.
  • The Lost Opera by Ashley Peevor and Nikki Watson at Timber 2021.
    The Lost Opera by Ashley Peevor and Nikki Watson at Timber 2021.
  • Where There is Light - Squidsoup, at Timber 2021.
    Where There is Light - Squidsoup, at Timber 2021.
  • Gruff Rhys at Timber 2021.
    Gruff Rhys at Timber 2021.
  • Helisophere - The Dream Engine at Timber 2021.
    Helisophere - The Dream Engine at Timber 2021.
  • Field Music at Timber 2021.
    Field Music at Timber 2021.
  • Mayfly by Kapow at Timber 2021.
    Mayfly by Kapow at Timber 2021.
Your rights as an employee

The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.

The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.

If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.

Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.

The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.

Herc's Adventures

Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5

Who has been sanctioned?

Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.

Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.

Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.

Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.

Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi

Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe

For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.

Golden Dallah

For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.

Al Mrzab Restaurant

For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.

Al Derwaza

For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup. 

Full Party in the Park line-up

2pm – Andreah

3pm – Supernovas

4.30pm – The Boxtones

5.30pm – Lighthouse Family

7pm – Step On DJs

8pm – Richard Ashcroft

9.30pm – Chris Wright

10pm – Fatboy Slim

11pm – Hollaphonic

 

'Dark Waters'

Directed by: Todd Haynes

Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, William Jackson Harper 

Rating: ****

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Porsche Macan T: The Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo 

Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm 

Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm 

Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto 

Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec 

Top speed: 232kph 

Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km 

On sale: May or June 

Price: From Dh259,900  

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid

When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

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PROFILE OF STARZPLAY

Date started: 2014

Founders: Maaz Sheikh, Danny Bates

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Entertainment/Streaming Video On Demand

Number of employees: 125

Investors/Investment amount: $125 million. Major investors include Starz/Lionsgate, State Street, SEQ and Delta Partners

The Brutalist

Director: Brady Corbet

Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn

Rating: 3.5/5

In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

You may remember …

Robbie Keane (Atletico de Kolkata) The Irish striker is, along with his former Spurs teammate Dimitar Berbatov, the headline figure in this season’s ISL, having joined defending champions ATK. His grand entrance after arrival from Major League Soccer in the US will be delayed by three games, though, due to a knee injury.

Dimitar Berbatov (Kerala Blasters) Word has it that Rene Meulensteen, the Kerala manager, plans to deploy his Bulgarian star in central midfield. The idea of Berbatov as an all-action, box-to-box midfielder, might jar with Spurs and Manchester United supporters, who more likely recall an always-languid, often-lazy striker.

Wes Brown (Kerala Blasters) Revived his playing career last season to help out at Blackburn Rovers, where he was also a coach. Since then, the 23-cap England centre back, who is now 38, has been reunited with the former Manchester United assistant coach Meulensteen, after signing for Kerala.

Andre Bikey (Jamshedpur) The Cameroonian defender is onto the 17th club of a career has taken him to Spain, Portugal, Russia, the UK, Greece, and now India. He is still only 32, so there is plenty of time to add to that tally, too. Scored goals against Liverpool and Chelsea during his time with Reading in England.

Emiliano Alfaro (Pune City) The Uruguayan striker has played for Liverpool – the Montevideo one, rather than the better-known side in England – and Lazio in Italy. He was prolific for a season at Al Wasl in the Arabian Gulf League in 2012/13. He returned for one season with Fujairah, whom he left to join Pune.

Updated: November 01, 2021, 1:34 PM