This year, one of the focal points of the Sharjah Biennial's annual March Meeting, an event taking place until Sunday, is re-examining art and culture since the 1960s — as political, social and economic systemic shifts redefined the world and its divisions of power.
The annual programme began on Thursday with a panel discussion exploring revolutionary anticolonial efforts in the Global South between the late 1950s to early 1970s. Panelists highlighted how periodical publications of revolutionary movements and the visual language of activism has had a reverberating influence on the world to this day.
“Western-centric histories of the '60s have disavowed their roots and radical interconnections with the Global South,” Zeina Maasri, a senior lecturer of art history at the University of Bristol, said at the March Meeting. “In fact, anticolonialism informed a new generation of contestation and offered new radical horizons for leftist internationalism.”
Sharjah Biennial proposes that while Woodstock, the civil rights movement and the space arms race are traditionally seen as the events that defined the 1960s, it was a tumultuous time across the entire world.
Independence movements were flaring against colonial powers across Asia, Africa and South America. Palestinians were rising up against the Israeli occupation in a struggle that continues today. Then there are even less-studied events such as the international support of the Vietnamese people in their struggle against US imperialism; the 1966 Tricontinental conference in Havana; the Cuban revolution; the Algerian war for independence; and the much-overlooked Nigerian Civil War, also called the Nigerian-Biafran War.
While historians have been trying to shape a more holistic viewpoint of that time period for some time, the consequences and criticisms of Western hegemony and colonialism have been particularly well-preserved in the publications and posters of the time.
Mahvish Ahmad, an assistant professor in Human Rights and Politics at the London School of Economics, is one of the founders of Revolutionary Papers, an initiative highlighting anticolonial, anti-imperial and socialist periodicals of the Global South.
Speaking at the March Meeting, Ahmad underscored the importance of collecting, digitising and unifying periodicals — including newspapers, magazines, cultural journals and newsletters.
“There is a vast amount of paper archives that despite the sharp analysis and centrality to anticolonial theorisation, remains scattered, fragmented and repressed,” she said.
“At a time when critiques of colonialism have gone mainstream, it’s necessary to reground ourselves in the material legacies of historical and contemporary movements that have been at the very front end of the fight against colonialism.”
Revolutionary Papers aim to bring these material legacies to the forefront.
“The 1960s constituted an especially active historical period of anticolonial revolt,” Ahmad said. “Many of the periodicals on our website are from this period in particular, but we don’t think that anticolonial revolt was limited to this time period. It goes further back and up to the present as well.”
The project has worked with papers from Pakistan, Chile, China, Palestine, South Africa, Cuba, Oman and Tunisia, to name a few. These include Sawt Al Thawra, a weekly Arabic bulletin published from 1972 onwards by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman and the Arabian Gulf.
Ahmed said Sawt Al Thawra constructed an internationalist and revolutionary world view through the analysis of a series of key themes, spanning the transnational left in the Middle East, the Palestinian revolution, various national liberation movements and revolutionary activity in Cuba and Vietnam — "basically articulating a series of transnational anticolonial connections within the pages of this magazine".
In its bid to construct an online resource for these periodicals, Revolutionary Papers works closely with activist archives from around the world, some of which house thousands of documents. The website also features a digital teaching component, which Ahmad said aims to “reintroduce and bring back into circulation materials that have been produced by anticolonial movements".
Then there are the revolutionary posters and visual language of the time period. Wide in origin and style, many of them resonate with one another, exhibiting a broadly defined anticolonial solidarity.
“Beyond its articulation in the Global South, the anticolonial project conjured up a broader framework of solidarity that intersected with the African-American civil rights movement and mobilised diasporic postcolonial immigrant communities,” explained Ahmed.
The figure of the peasant turned anticolonial freedom fighter was one of the images that proliferated during time and inspired agency and solidarity, Maasri added, pointing out a set of posters from Palestine, Vietnam and Latin-American countries.
One poster, for instance, displays a freedom fighter with text in Spanish and Arabic that reads: “The struggle continues in Palestine and in El Salvador, and the revolution will be victorius.” The poster was designed by Swiss artist Jihad Mansour — born Marc Rudin — who was an active member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine from 1979 to 1991, and who designed some of its most remarkable posters and publications.
“It’s not just an example of transnational solidarity, but it’s also an example of artistic solidarity,” Maasri said.
“The question of travelling cultures, including visual cultures as sites for imaginative identification and transformation, is key — not least in the shaping of new sensibilities and structures of feelings that prefigure radical horizons of possibility.”
Concluding her presentation, Maasri said people needed to be careful not to reduce the designs as mere propaganda. The 1960s was a period of artistic fertility and experimentation, and that art was instrumental in weaving a sense of solidarity among countries fighting colonial forces.
“New modes of artistic practice and public exhibition were practical alternatives to the market system and entry into public culture and politics. Art, she says, "was indeed vital" to the feeling of solidarity spreading through cultures of the Global South.
The story of Edge
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
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Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.
▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.
▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
2pm Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 1,800m
Winner AF Al Baher, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh75,000 1,400m
Winner Alla Mahlak, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
3pm Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner Davy Lamp, Adrie de Vries, Rashed Bouresly.
3.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 1,400m
Winner Ode To Autumn, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
4pm Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 1,950m
Winner Arch Gold, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
4.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh75,000 1,800m
Winner Meqdam, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
5pm Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,800m
Winner Native Appeal, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
The view from The National
Match info
Athletic Bilbao 0
Real Madrid 1 (Ramos 73' pen)
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How Filipinos in the UAE invest
A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.
Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).
Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.
Tank warfare
Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a “three decade holiday” on modernising tanks.
“There clearly remains a significant armoured heavy ground manoeuvre threat in this world and maintaining a world class armoured force is absolutely vital,” the general said in London last week.
“We are developing next generation capabilities to compete with and deter adversaries to prevent opportunism or miscalculation, and, if necessary, defeat any foe decisively.”
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
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Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
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Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
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Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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MANDOOB
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The Ashes
Results
First Test, Brisbane: Australia won by 10 wickets
Second Test, Adelaide: Australia won by 120 runs
Third Test, Perth: Australia won by an innings and 41 runs
Fourth Test: Melbourne: Drawn
Fifth Test: Australia won by an innings and 123 runs
