The hot African sun is shining generously over festival tents in a field filled with splendid statues. Emerging from one tent are beaming children, brandishing brightly coloured books, which they themselves have made in two hours.
They have been in a Publish Your Own Book workshop led by the admirable not-for-profit company 826 National, which is the brainchild of the acclaimed writer Dave Eggers (the author of Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, and more recently, Zeitoun) and is devoted to improving the reading, writing and literacy skills of underprivileged youth.
First founded in San Francisco, so popular was the initiative that it spread to cities throughout the United States and 20,000 children now have access to free sessions. A core philosophy of the project is to have "field trips" and special projects, taking skills beyond immediate locality - and now we are many thousands of miles away from San Francisco, at the Storymoja Hay Festival, in the heart of Nairobi.
The concept is indeed gathering a more global reach and has most recently inspired a fantastic version in London, the Ministry of Stories, led by the bestselling author Nick Hornby.
Modelling itself on 826 National, it has Dave Eggers's blessing and a host of illustrious advisers, including Zadie Smith and Roddy Doyle, who himself founded the 826-inspired project Fighting Words, in Dublin.
An underpinning belief of the Ministry of Stories is that "writing has the power to unleash young people's extraordinary imaginations and, in doing so, to build confidence and self-respect". The initiative has gained support not only from the people but from politicians, with Prime Minister David Cameron hosting a party for Hornby and the co-founders.
These projects are no dry academic affair: even the buildings in which they are housed display the architecture of the imagination: the San Francisco headquarters, which resembles the hull of a ship, is a "pirate supply store". And the London shop is monster-themed.
Whether pirates or monsters, inside them young people can be found writing stories, workshopping, being mentored. Indeed, "behind the shelves of monster supplies, there's an entrance to another secret place", says the Ministry of Stories.
So what exactly are the special ingredients of this new wave of popular literary projects sweeping through the world? I had the opportunity to get beneath the skin of this "movement", and enter the "secret place" of the imagination in action, witnessing the wonderful 826 National workshops over several days in October at the prestigious Storymoja Hay Festival, and speaking to workshop attendees and organisers.
What unites these projects over the miles is the passion for story-telling, and imparting the ability to tell stories to the younger generation the world over. Projects designed by 826 National explore the possibilities of storytelling in an ambitious range of forms, from chapbooks and magazines to student newspapers and books.
There are also special projects, such as two delightful books of letters to President Obama and to First Lady Michelle Obama that have caused a stir stateside. Similarly, the Ministry of Stories states that "all forms of writing are valid - from song lyrics to play scripts, screenplays to journalism, blogging to games, poems to graphic novels. The best results are achieved by making writing seriously playful."
When the talented founder of Kenya's dynamic Storymoja publishers, Muthoni Garland - herself a Caine Prize-nominated writer - first read about 826 National projects, including the bookmaking project, she was "salivating". After all, the principle of "Storymoja" is "Many Stories. One World", and among its inspired projects, it hosts the splendid annual Storymoja Hay Festival, which partners with the Hay Festival.
This year, audiences that included many schoolchildren had access to phenomenal performances by a host of local and international writers, including Benjamin Zephaniah.
"The bookmaking sessions seemed absolutely perfect as a tool to empower youngsters to exercise their imaginations to produce tangible work. And it demystified the 'scary' publishing process," says Garland. Eggers was "wonderfully receptive" to their invitation and dispatched an "amazing representative", the enthusiastic operations manager Ryan Lewis to lead the storytelling and bookmaking programme and teach the Storymoja team, led by Aleya, about how to implement the bookmaking initiative.
The love of stories is indeed a guiding philosophy, whether taught by Hornby in Hoxton, or Eggers in the US, or Lewis in Nairobi. The workshops I witnessed explored the very heart of what makes a story.
And the children were excited to explore the nuts and bolts of storytelling - character, plot, setting - and dreamt up worlds by turns wonderful and terrifying, imbuing their characters with hopes and fears, tracing out their trajectories. With the Hay Festival wristband upon arms busily sketching out stories, children imagined riding to school on dinosaurs, and superheroes saving the planet.
"Our students are craving high-energy, relevant and compelling learning opportunities. Teachers are also always looking for unique writing projects for their students," explains Lewis.
How was it possible to put this project in action not in a purpose-designed building in the US, but in a tent in a field in Kenya? The main challenge of running the project in Nairobi was co-ordinating logistics, explains Lewis.
The storytelling and bookmaking programme is usually run in centres equipped with photocopiers, computers, projectors and binding machines to help produce beautiful books for the students to take home. "Figuring out how to still offer the high quality of the final product that students deserve, while working out of a tent classroom in a field, required some creative adaptation," Lewis says.
The workshops proved immensely successful, reaching more than 100 students between the ages of eight and 12.
"Once the project was underway, it ran incredibly close to the version we do all the time in the US. We encourage the students to get as creative as possible, and this energy organically fuels the spirit and fun nature of the programme," Lewis says. "Each session was a high-energy and dynamic two hours of writing," with students he found to be intelligent, excited, involved and eventually overjoyed to receive the books they had written.
It is crucial, explains Garland, that young people have access to such intellectually stimulating initiatives at an early age. "The health of the mind - the ability to create and interrogate ideas - is critical for our economic growth and social development," she says. "Yet, educational emphasis in East Africa and many other parts of the world is still weighted towards cramming static facts to pass exams rather than on nurturing the capacity to think.
"In a region where many sleep hungry, and live in poor, hostile environments, it is tempting to consider the nurturing of 'thinking' as less of a priority. But achieving meaningful change of our difficult circumstances can only happen if we nurture the capacity to develop and implement the solutions ourselves".
Storymoja is visiting schools across the country to sign them up for Publish Your Own Book sessions as part of a larger "reading revolution" campaign. "The highlight of the campaign will be a world record attempt to overturn the self-defeating, widely held perception that Africans do not read", says Garland.
The aim is to gather the largest number of people who will read aloud simultaneously at one location, and also encourage donations of books to a newly built public library in Nairobi. With Kenyan National Library Services a key partner, they are seeking other partners to make this possible.
I caught up with Michael Onsando, a 20-year-old student at the University of Nairobi and an aspiring writer, who interns at Storymoja and volunteered with 826 National book-making. "Working with the children was amazing," he says. "The fact that they still see the best of the world that we ourselves have long failed to see was an eye-opener. I think it was great for the kids and helped with self-esteem."
According to 826 National, "connecting inner-city students with these creative and generous mentors allows students to dream and achieve on a grand scale." And indeed, whether this inner city is San Francisco, London or Nairobi, the dreams of the students are being rendered into colourful display.
Inside the tent in Nairobi, children sketched out their dreams with charcoal pencil, felt-tip pen and considerable talent. The stories, reflecting ideas as bright as the paper written on, are sure to linger on long after the festival.
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
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
SPECS
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The essentials
What: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
When: Friday until March 9
Where: All main sessions are held in the InterContinental Dubai Festival City
Price: Sessions range from free entry to Dh125 tickets, with the exception of special events.
Hot Tip: If waiting for your book to be signed looks like it will be timeconsuming, ask the festival’s bookstore if they have pre-signed copies of the book you’re looking for. They should have a bunch from some of the festival’s biggest guest authors.
Information: www.emirateslitfest.com
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
UAE central contracts
Full time contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Usman, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid
Part time contracts
Aryan Lakra, Ansh Tandon, Karthik Meiyappan, Rahul Bhatia, Alishan Sharafu, CP Rizwaan, Basil Hameed, Matiullah, Fahad Nawaz, Sanchit Sharma
Tips%20for%20holiday%20homeowners
%3Cp%3EThere%20are%20several%20factors%20for%20landlords%20to%20consider%20when%20preparing%20to%20establish%20a%20holiday%20home%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3E%3Cstrong%3ERevenue%20potential%20of%20the%20unit%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20location%2C%20view%20and%20size%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3E%3Cstrong%3EDesign%3A%20furnished%20or%20unfurnished.%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Is%20the%20design%20up%20to%20standard%2C%20while%20being%20catchy%20at%20the%20same%20time%3F%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3E%3Cstrong%3EBusiness%20model%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20will%20it%20be%20managed%20by%20a%20professional%20operator%20or%20directly%20by%20the%20owner%2C%20how%20often%20does%20the%20owner%20wants%20to%20use%20it%20for%20personal%20reasons%3F%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3E%3Cstrong%3EQuality%20of%20the%20operator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20guest%20reviews%2C%20customer%20experience%20management%2C%20application%20of%20technology%2C%20average%20utilisation%2C%20scope%20of%20services%20rendered%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%20Adam%20Nowak%2C%20managing%20director%20of%20Ultimate%20Stay%20Vacation%20Homes%20Rental%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
