Traditional handicrafts festival to showcase Emirati heritage

Al Ain to host third edition of the festival which will include artisans, live performances, handicrafts and competitions

Abu Dhabi: The third annual Traditional Handicrafts Festival will be held in Al Ain’s historic Souq Al Qattara, from November 2 to 12, the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) announced.

The festival promotes UAE national identity, preserves intangible cultural heritage and reinforces the efforts of artisan families who pass down their traditions over generations.

“The festival will take place in the heart of the vibrant heritage city of Al Ain as a testament to its importance as a national event that raises awareness of the skills and expertise of our artisans. The 10-day festival will include activities and programmes that reflect different aspects of the UAE’s intangible heritage that we have to preserve and promote to the community, our youth, and tourists,” said Saif Saeed Gobash, director-general of TCA Abu Dhabi.

“The third edition will also feature a series of live performances to highlight the importance of ancestral heritage to younger generations and showcase Emirati handicrafts,” added Gobash.

In order to achieve its goal of being a distinctive destination for visitors, the festival will display numerous products from Emirati artisans, such as traditional clothing, textiles, perfumes, incense and local incense burners, aromatic spices and herbs, traditional gold jewellery, henna, sweets, and a selection of traditional cuisines.

As part of the public programme, educational workshops throughout the festival will highlight the techniques of traditional handicrafts along with the raw materials used to manufacture them and the method to convert them into final products.

The festival will also feature competitions for several age groups, such as children’s Al Yolla traditional dance competitions, preparation of traditional cuisines, Arabic kahwa coffee preparation, and a handicrafts competition, as well as a variety of cultural events for the public.

Emirati cultural heritage practices such as Al Harbia, Al Sheela, and Al ‘Azi will be performed throughout the festival, in addition to Al Ayala and Al Taghrooda which are included on the Unesco list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Traditional handicrafts festival to showcase Emirati heritage

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Dubai's Alabbar plans messaging app for Middle East

Billionaire Mohamed Alabbar, one of Dubai’s most prominent businessmen, plans a phone messaging service for the Middle East that aims to compete with services such as WhatsApp.

Alabbar, who made his fortune as the chairman of Dubai’s largest listed property developer, Emaar Properties, has been moving into other areas, in particular technology.

Asked on the sidelines of a conference in Dubai on Tuesday if he was considering launching a messaging app akin to WhatsApp, Alabbar replied:

“Yes, soon,” adding “it’s regional” when asked if the service would be designed for an Arabic-speaking audience.

He declined to give any further details.

Mobile phone penetration in the Gulf region is among the highest in the world, with Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in the top seven globally with rates near to the equivalent of two phones for every person.

The region is also home to a young and tech-savvy population – Saudi Arabia is one of the top consumers of YouTube videos – but there is comparatively-little Arabic-language online content.

Alabbar was behind the investment firms which in July bought out logistics firm Aramex, with a source at the time saying this was part of a strategy to build an e-commerce platform for the Arab world.

And in April, he took a 4 percent stake in online fashion retailer Yoox Net-A-Porter.

Dubai's Alabbar plans messaging app for Middle East

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Sean Paul, Nancy Ajram to perform at free Abu Dhabi F1 concerts

They will take the stage at the three-day festival Beats on the Beach in November

Sean Paul is coming to town next month — and it’s free to see him.

The Jamaican singer will perform on November 25 at the annual, non-ticketed three-day festival Beats on the Beach, taking place at Abu Dhabi Corniche.

Paul recently made a comeback with his Sia hit Cheap Thrills, as well as the Jay Sean collaboration, Make My Love Go.

Performing on the second day of the festival, he will be joined by pan-Arab boy band The5 and X Factor Arabia crooner Adham Nabulsi, as well as soulful UAE-based singer-songwriter Esther Eden.

On November 24, the first day of the festival, Filipino sensation Yeng Constantino will headline the show, joined by Emirati Arabs Got Talent singer and guitarist Shamma Hamdan.

Regional hip-hop collective — and last year’s Emerging Talent Competition winner — S.O.S. will also perform, while the top three finalists of this year’s ETC, who have yet to be chosen, will battle it out for a chance to perform on November 26, the final day of the festival.

Nancy Ajram will close the weekend with a performance that night, joined by the Dubai-based rock’n’rollers Bull Funk Zoo.

More acts are expected to be announced.

The free festival complements the after-race concerts happening concurrently at du Arena, Yas Island. The Chemical Brothers perform on November 25, Lionel Richie on November 26 and Rihanna on November 27.

Tickets — which cost Dh2,080 (three-day pass), Dh1,875 (two-day pass) and Dh525 (day-long pass, only for Friday) — are available at Virgin Megastore outlets and in all Etihad shops. They can also be found online atyasmarinacircuit.com or through 800927 or 02-6599800.

Sean Paul, Nancy Ajram to perform at free Abu Dhabi F1 concerts

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BBC’s Scott Mills returns to Dubai

He will slip behind the decks at Media One’s ON42

Programme Name: Eurovision 2016 – TX: 14/05/2016 – Episode: Eurovision 2016 (No. n/a) – Picture Shows: Scott Mills – (C) BBC – Photographer: Guy Levy

BBC Radio 1 presenter Scott Mills is returning to the UAE with a set at Media One’s arty venue ON42.

Mills, a UAE regular who calls Dubai his ‘happy place’, will slip behind the decks during GOSSIP, a weekly ladies night, on November 2. He’ll be joined by UAE-based DJ Natalie Brogan. The night will kick off with ’90s music, followed by a slew of dance hits and three free drinks for women.

Call 04-4271000.

BBC’s Scott Mills returns to Dubai

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Dubai Free Zone Council to apply Dubai Statistics Centre system

The Dubai Free Zone (DFZ) Council has approved the usage of the Dubai Statistics Centre (DSC) system.

Apart from approving the usage of the system, a meeting chaired by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of DFZ Council, also reviewed the progress on the strategic plan of the council, studied a potential co-ordination with the Federal Competitive and Statistics Authority (FCSA), collaboration with the Ministry of Finance around the Value Added Tax (VAT) Act, and the electronic connectivity between Free Zones and Dubai government departments.

In the meeting, the progress on the first phase of the strategic plan of the council was evaluated. The first phase, which has been completed, is concerned with collecting information, comparing standards with international counterparts, discussing the challenges that lay ahead for free zones, and the role of the council in addressing those challenges.

Phase two is set to be put into action soon, and includes a number of workshops to propose appropriate projects and initiatives for the next five years.

The FCSA presented an overview of its vision, mission and partnered initiatives in developing the performance of the UAE in the field of international competitiveness and data and statistics by identifying policies in the sector.

The entity is a significant source of local data and continuously monitors the competitive performance of the nation within global reports. It prides itself for its various local, federal and international partnerships that support its area of expertise.

The council issued a decree mandating its legislative committee to co-ordinate with the entity in submitting a comparative report between the DFZ Council and international counterparts.

The DSC presented their framework and how it collects information through electronic connectivity with various entities, which allows it to closely observe live data while complying laws regarding confidentiality, privacy and security of information.

The Dubai Department of Finance presented a brief about the VAT, the planned federal law around the same, the matters related to free zones, and an update on the discussions with the Ministry of Finance in this regard.

The council mandated its legislative committee to review the law, specifically matters related to free zones, and revert with a suggested method of implementation for companies based out of free zones in Dubai.

During the meeting, members addressed a recommendation received from the Executive Council of Dubai to connect free zones with government departments electronically.

This step aims to smoothen the work flow between both parties and accelerate completion of transactions. The members agreed to execute the recommendation, as it helps in overcoming the obstacles that tend to delay the processing of applications.

Dubai Free Zone Council to apply Dubai Statistics Centre system

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The Stranglers to perform in Dubai

The English rock band will put on a show at the Irish Village next month

English rock band The Stranglers will perform at the Irish Village on November 24. The punk-rock band, known for hits such as No More Heroes, Peaches and Something Better Change, have been around for over four decades.

They released their first three albums within 13 months of each other, establishing themselves as a relentless band. Since 1977, they’ve released a total of 17 studio albums. They’ve also set a record for most consecutive nights played at London’s Roundhouse, beating the Who and the Rolling Stones.

Tickets to see The Stranglers at the Irish Village are Dh150, available from the venue, or through theirishvillage.com and platinumlist.net. Doors open at 7pm. Show begins at 9pm. This event is 21+ only.

For more, contact 04-2395000.

The Stranglers to perform in Dubai

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Meet Dubai’s Les Miserables cast

Some of the world’s best stage actors are a part of Cameron Mackintosh’s production at Dubai Opera from November 10

Actress Patrice Tipoki as Fantine in Les Miserables. She will play the role in Dubai from November 10.

The Dubai debut of the smash hit musical Les Miserables at Dubai Opera will be performed by some of the biggest Broadway talents from around the globe.

The production will be sung in English and led by Broadway stars John Owen-Jones as Jean Valjean and Hayden Tee as Javert. The musical, based on Victor Hugo’s story, will run from November 10 to December 2.

Patrice Tipoki, who is known to Australian audiences from lead roles in The Lion King and Wicked, will play Fantine.

Peter Polycarpou, who was in the original London cast of Les Mis playing the role of Jean Prouvaire, has taken over the role of the greedy Thenardier this season. Carrie Hope Fletcher, who was recently seen in the London production of Les Miserables, will play Eponine. Emily Langridge, who was recently seen in Gypsy, will portray Cosette.

Colby Mulgrew, Santiago Weston and Oliver Zetterstrom will share the role of Gavroche; Mia McLoughlin and Ena Vllasaliu will share the role of Little Cosette and Angel Bishop-Simon and Grace Rogers will share the role of Young Eponine.

Paul Wilkins, who went straight into the West End cast of Les Miserables in its 30th anniversary year as a cover Marius is playing the role itself in Dubai.

Tickets start at Dh275, on sale at dubaiopera.com.

Meet Dubai’s Les Miserables cast

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