ABU DHABI // Fatima Al Hameli started her professional career as a camel breeder when she pitched her tent beside the great sandy track at the Al Dhafra Festival.
She had arrived to stake her claim in the Arabian Peninsula's biggest camel beauty pageant.
Fatima marched up to the organisers and asked to enter her dusky camel Sudan into the competition.
"They said, 'No, you're a woman. It's forbidden'," says Fatima, who is now in her 50s. "I said, 'Women are the same as men, what's the problem?'"
In a country where women enrol in the army and run for election, the camel track is one of the last areas in which they are unseen.
Fatima was granted entry that day. It was her first foray as a professional camel competitor - and the first for an Emirati woman.
"She's a strong woman," says Fatima's daughter Afra, 28, who studied translation at university. "She likes to be the first in everything."
Camel racing and beauty contests are about prestige, money and fame.
"It's like a social power, to have so many camels," Afra says. "It's a man's domain."
Successful camels and their owners become household names. Events are heavily filmed, photographed, televised and broadcast live on radio.
The formal rules of racing and beauty contests are new and there is no rule that forbids women from competing. But social conventions make it a challenge.
"In all the Gulf, in Qatar, in Dubai, in all the Emirates there were no women, none," says Fatima. "It is forbidden."
A Qatari sheikha once participated in a race but on the rare occasion that women's camels are entered, it is under the names of male relatives.
"I have asked the women I know if they will come with me, but they said they can't because of their husbands and they are shy of the camera," Fatima says.
"I keep encouraging my friends and the women I know that they own camels but they say they can't."
Women like Fatima are raised around camels from childhood.
Born in the desert oasis of Liwa in the Empty Quarter, she started to tend camels with her father when she was 10.
At 12, she crossed from Abu Dhabi to Liwa astride her own camel, Saffron, in a four-week trip with her father, brother and cousin.
After marrying at 15, she would cross the Empty Quarter annually with her husband to hunt and graze camels at Umm Al Dhalooa ("the mother of the ribs") and Uruq Al Shaiba ("the old man's veins") in Saudi Arabia.
They navigated by the stars and would herd their camels by honking the car horns as they drove alongside.
At their home in Abu Dhabi city, Fatima kept camels in her back yard "in secret". Now she keeps 100 camels in Liwa and four on a small farm, or ezba, "close to home" in the centre of the desert between Al Ain and Abu Dhabi.
There, she hosts a women's majlis every night among the white dunes.
Her friends from Abu Dhabi, Al Wathbah and Baniyas arrive in 4x4s, wearing beautiful dresses. They unroll carpets and lay out cushions and lavish feasts for all of the guests.
Every meal is served with fresh camel milk from Mabrooka, a five-year-old mother.
"I love it; I love it from my heart," says Fatima. "The day I can't see my camel I can't live, I feel empty."
Yet until she made her demands at Al Dhafra three years ago, she was not recognised as a professional owner.
Sudan did not take home any prizes at that first festival but the experience encouraged Fatima to enter a camel auction last year. Those she bought - Tayara ("Airplane"), a female, and Captain, a male - placed at their first race in August and Fatima had offers of Dh2 million.
Supported by the sheikhs, she now receives a personal invitation to auctions. The Emirati celebrity camel race commentator and auctioneer Saif Al Kitbi calls her a "dear sister".
"I expect more women to enter this area after Ms Fatima's participation," Mr Al Kitbi says.
Fatima's recent camel purchase at the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition will be trained for races in August next year.
"I did it once and I will do it again," she says. "I have a licence for racing."
She has already decided to go to Qatar for an auction in January and one in Al Wathbah this spring. "In March, I hope that some women will participate with me," she said. "I encourage any woman to enter with me."
azacharias@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Racecard
6pm: Mina Hamriya – Handicap (TB) $75,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
6.35pm: Al Wasl Stakes – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (Turf) 1,200m
7.10pm: UAE Oaks – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,900m
7.45pm: Blue Point Sprint – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,000m
8.20pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy – Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (T) 2,810m
8.55pm: Mina Rashid – Handicap (TB) $80,000 (T) 1,600m
Fund-raising tips for start-ups
Develop an innovative business concept
Have the ability to differentiate yourself from competitors
Put in place a business continuity plan after Covid-19
Prepare for the worst-case scenario (further lockdowns, long wait for a vaccine, etc.)
Have enough cash to stay afloat for the next 12 to 18 months
Be creative and innovative to reduce expenses
Be prepared to use Covid-19 as an opportunity for your business
* Tips from Jassim Al Marzooqi and Walid Hanna
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Company%20profile
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Gulf Under 19s
Pools
A – Dubai College, Deira International School, Al Ain Amblers, Warriors
B – Dubai English Speaking College, Repton Royals, Jumeirah College, Gems World Academy
C – British School Al Khubairat, Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Yasmina Academy
D – Dubai Exiles, Jumeirah English Speaking School, English College, Bahrain Colts
Recent winners
2018 – Dubai College
2017 – British School Al Khubairat
2016 – Dubai English Speaking School
2015 – Al Ain Amblers
2014 – Dubai College
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.
Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff
By Sean Penn
Simon & Schuster
FIGHT CARD
1. Featherweight 66kg
Ben Lucas (AUS) v Ibrahim Kendil (EGY)
2. Lightweight 70kg
Mohammed Kareem Aljnan (SYR) v Alphonse Besala (CMR)
3. Welterweight 77kg
Marcos Costa (BRA) v Abdelhakim Wahid (MAR)
4. Lightweight 70kg
Omar Ramadan (EGY) v Abdimitalipov Atabek (KGZ)
5. Featherweight 66kg
Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Kagimu Kigga (UGA)
6. Catchweight 85kg
Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) v Iuri Fraga (BRA)
7. Featherweight 66kg
Yousef Al Husani (UAE) v Mohamed Allam (EGY)
8. Catchweight 73kg
Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Abdipatta Abdizhali (KGZ)
9. Featherweight 66kg
Jaures Dea (CMR) v Andre Pinheiro (BRA)
10. Catchweight 90kg
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Juscelino Ferreira (BRA)
BLACKBERRY
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FIGHT%20CARD
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Company%20Profile
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About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Company%20Profile
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Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
The stay
Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Stan%20Lee
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