What is the state of youth today? Twelve writers from Coventry and Beirut paired up as part of the British Council’s Youthful Cities scheme to answer this question. The events over the past year culminated in the BBC’s Contains Strong Language festival in September, with an online event on November 11 and the Global Youth Summit in December.
The writers, all under the age of 25, found that the two cultures had much in common from the start. Theirs is a generation of migration: two of the participants, Nur Turkmani and Kelvin Adomako Ampong, realised they both grew up in Ghana and emigrated from the country at the age of 12: Turkmani to Lebanon and Adomako Ampong to Britain. And the writers say they have many of the same fears, from the climate catastrophe to economic and social struggles.
“I think the universal feeling of being young today is a sense of fleetingness,” Turkmani, who is from Beirut and worked with Adomako Ampong of University of Coventry, tells The National. “Kelvin, you put it brilliantly: this idea of things moving so quickly, especially in this age of information where you're so bombarded.
"We’re very aware of climate change and racial injustice, and how the pandemic has furthered inequalities among so many people. And, like so many people in progressive cultures, there’s also always this fear of a backlash online. We found we had a lot of shared anxieties.”
The writers met weekly in Zoom workshops from March until September. They strayed into new territories, experimenting with writing for performance or thinking through ideas around translation. One of the most important meeting points between the two cohorts was on the level of form: most of the Coventry poets came from a spoken word tradition, whereas those from Lebanon tended to write for the page.
“Hearing Lewis [Driver] and Kelvin and Chrissy [Christine Okorie] from the Coventry team perform their spoken word, I started to think a bit more about what these words would sound like when they're performed aloud: the Ts and the Ss and the Zs, and how they come together to convey a certain emotion,” says Turkmani.
The British Council programme was led by Coventry’s Be a Change Everywhere, founded by poet John Bernard, and Rusted Radishes, a literary and art journal run out of the American University of Beirut since 2012. The cohort comprised, from Beirut, Nour Annan, Yasmina Tabbal, Amina Hassan, Turkmani, JD Harlock and AJ Naddaff, and from Coventry: Adomako Ampong, Megan Waters, Theotima Ioannou, Driver, Alice Richmond, and Okorie.
Coventry and Beirut aren’t natural partners – particularly given the extreme state of Lebanon’s economy, which makes it hard to find any cultural comparison to that city at the moment – and the points of difference they encountered were unexpected. Religion, for example, became one: the Lebanese writers were more secular in their outlook, while some of the Coventry writers wanted to use their words to express their faith. And, more prosaically, location: the Lebanese writers were surprised to find that most of the University of Coventry students were not from Coventry.
A split also arose around the choice of theme for their project. The Lebanese writers were keen to look at the idea of the hospital as a metaphor for mental health and Lebanon's social breakdown, as many nurses died in the August port blast and many healthcare professionals are emigrating, especially to the Gulf.
However, those in Coventry felt protective about hospitals and their workers. This was in the midst of the pandemic, when the UK was rallying around its healthcare sector as emergency rooms filled up with Covid-19 patients.
The writers compromised and settled on the idea of a train.
“We thought about things within us that are either holding us back or taking us too quickly forward,” says Adomako Ampong. “The train came to symbolise the idea of stagnancy and constant motion. Here in Coventry, we feel a loss because we are always catching up – there's always a need for productivity, there's always something to do. On the other hand, on the Beirut team, they expressed the idea of stagnancy due to the political context.”
The pandemic also meant the final projects were delivered separately, with the Coventry writers giving a spoken word performance for the BBC Contains Strong Language festival and the Lebanese contingent producing the film Not Much Longer Now. The work is set in Lebanon, where abandoned train tracks, covered in grass and weeds, convey stasis – in contrast with a breathless news report about Beirut from the 1970s, delivered in a plummy British accent.
Despite challenges, the writers grew close over the course of the project and have plans to meet up, when Covid-19 restrictions allow.
“We need to dance to some Afrobeats!” says Turkmani.
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Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
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Transmission: 8-speed auto
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PROFILE OF CURE.FIT
Started: July 2016
Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
Based: Bangalore, India
Sector: Health & wellness
Size: 500 employees
Investment: $250 million
Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)
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.
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Two products to make at home
Toilet cleaner
1 cup baking soda
1 cup castile soap
10-20 drops of lemon essential oil (or another oil of your choice)
Method:
1. Mix the baking soda and castile soap until you get a nice consistency.
2. Add the essential oil to the mix.
Air Freshener
100ml water
5 drops of the essential oil of your choice (note: lavender is a nice one for this)
Method:
1. Add water and oil to spray bottle to store.
2. Shake well before use.
Champions League Last 16
Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG)
Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED)
Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA)
Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG)
Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA)
Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG)
Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)
THREE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS
Khalfan Mubarak
The Al Jazira playmaker has for some time been tipped for stardom within UAE football, with Quique Sanchez Flores, his former manager at Al Ahli, once labelling him a “genius”. He was only 17. Now 23, Mubarak has developed into a crafty supplier of chances, evidenced by his seven assists in six league matches this season. Still to display his class at international level, though.
Rayan Yaslam
The Al Ain attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for his club in the past 15 months. Yaslam, 23, is a tidy and intelligent player, technically proficient with an eye for opening up defences. Developed while alongside Abdulrahman in the Al Ain first-team and has progressed well since manager Zoran Mamic’s arrival. However, made his UAE debut only last December.
Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.
Fighting with My Family
Director: Stephen Merchant
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Florence Pugh, Thomas Whilley, Tori Ellen Ross, Jack Lowden, Olivia Bernstone, Elroy Powell
Four stars
Results:
2.15pm: Handicap (PA) Dh60,000 1,200m.
Winner: AZ Dhabyan, Adam McLean (jockey), Saleha Al Ghurair (trainer).
2.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 1,200m.
Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel.
3.15pm: Conditions (PA) Dh60,000 2,000m.
Winner: Hareer Al Reef, Gerald Avranche, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
3.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 1,700m.
Winner: Kenz Al Reef, Gerald Avranche, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
4.15pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup (TB) Dh 200,000 1,700m.
Winner: Mystique Moon, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
4.45pm: The Crown Prince Of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 1,200m.
Winner: ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel.
THE SPECS
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Price: From Dh59,700
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Info
What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship
When: December 27-29, 2018
Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae, Virgin megastores or call 800 86 823
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
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