Filipino pop duo WYWY, who live in the UAE, will perform at the ninth Hekayah event. Photo: The Arts Centre at NYUAD
Filipino pop duo WYWY, who live in the UAE, will perform at the ninth Hekayah event. Photo: The Arts Centre at NYUAD
Filipino pop duo WYWY, who live in the UAE, will perform at the ninth Hekayah event. Photo: The Arts Centre at NYUAD
Filipino pop duo WYWY, who live in the UAE, will perform at the ninth Hekayah event. Photo: The Arts Centre at NYUAD

Hekayah at the NYUAD Arts Centre to examine concepts of home to mark UAE National Day


Razmig Bedirian
  • English
  • Arabic

The concept of home, with all its variable definitions, will be explored at the ninth Hekayah, The Story, at The Arts Centre at NYUAD.

Poets, musicians, spoken word artists and storytellers will convene at The Black Box on November 27 for an event that aims to exemplify the values of UAE National Day. The performers, who live in the UAE and come from a range of backgrounds, will examine how disparate cultures reflect upon the concept of home, whether in a geographical or familial context.

Syrian oud musician Jad Al Kareem Tatou will be performing at the ninth Hekayah. Photo: The Arts Centre at NYUAD
Syrian oud musician Jad Al Kareem Tatou will be performing at the ninth Hekayah. Photo: The Arts Centre at NYUAD

The event will be emceed by playwright Reem Almenhali, who is an NYUAD alumna, co-creator of play Al Raheel | Departure and Admaf Creativity Award winner. Musicians performing at Hekayah, The Story, include the pan-Arab Basma Choir, dream pop duo WYWY from the Philippines and Syrian oud musician Jad Al Kareem Tatou.

Pulitzer Prize-winning US poet and NYUAD faculty member Gregory Pardlo is among the spoken word artists taking part in the event, along with Iraqi-Canadian artist Rand Abdul Jabbar, Kuwaiti oral historian Rasha Alduwaisan, Lebanese writer Rawad Raidan, Emirati artist Shahad Alsaqqaf, as well as Emirati writer Salha Obaid Hassan, Palestinian writer Samar Abdel Jaber and Syrian composer Ali Zain.

The ninth Hekayah will be emceed by theatre artist Reem Almenhali, who is an NYUAD alumna. Photo: The Arts Centre at NYUAD
The ninth Hekayah will be emceed by theatre artist Reem Almenhali, who is an NYUAD alumna. Photo: The Arts Centre at NYUAD

The line-up was selected through discussions between cultural figures from creative communities across the UAE. The curatorial process included Bill Bragin, executive artistic director of The Arts Center; US poet Dorian Paul Rogers, producer of Abu Dhabi’s Rooftop Rhythms; Osama Mootassem, marketeer and founder of cl-u and the brand nvr frgttn; Palestinian poet Farah Chamma; and Safeya Alblooshi, a Dubai-born sound artist and research assistant with the Music and Sound Cultures Research Group at NYUAD under the Kawader Research Fellowship.

“Hekayah was one of the first events we created when The Arts Centre was founded, as an important opportunity for UAE residents of many backgrounds to share their art and cultural perspectives on the occasion of UAE National Day,” says Bragin.

“It’s a place for deep consideration of the many meanings of home, family and place, in all their complexity, expressed through word and song. Each year, Hekayah is curated collaboratively to allow for a collective sensibility that includes global award-winning artists and local community based artists sharing the same stage.”

Hekayah, The Story will take place at NYU Abu Dhabi’s The Arts Centre on November 27 at 7.30pm

T20 World Cup Qualifier

October 18 – November 2

Opening fixtures

Friday, October 18

ICC Academy: 10am, Scotland v Singapore, 2.10pm, Netherlands v Kenya

Zayed Cricket Stadium: 2.10pm, Hong Kong v Ireland, 7.30pm, Oman v UAE

UAE squad

Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Darius D’Silva, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Junaid Siddique, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Waheed Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Zahoor Khan

Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed

Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE SQUAD FOR ASIAN JIU-JITSU CHAMPIONSHIP

Men’s squad: Faisal Al Ketbi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Kathiri, Thiab Al Nuaimi, Khaled Al Shehhi, Mohamed Ali Al Suwaidi, Farraj Khaled Al Awlaqi, Muhammad Al Ameri, Mahdi Al Awlaqi, Saeed Al Qubaisi, Abdullah Al Qubaisi and Hazaa Farhan

Women's squad: Hamda Al Shekheili, Shouq Al Dhanhani, Balqis Abdullah, Sharifa Al Namani, Asma Al Hosani, Maitha Sultan, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Maha Al Hanaei, Shamma Al Kalbani, Haya Al Jahuri, Mahra Mahfouz, Marwa Al Hosani, Tasneem Al Jahoori and Maryam Al Amri

The Vile

Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah

Director: Majid Al Ansari

Rating: 4/5

The specs: 2017 Maserati Quattroporte

Price, base / as tested Dh389,000 / Dh559,000

Engine 3.0L twin-turbo V8

Transmission Eight-speed automatic

Power 530hp @ 6,800rpm

Torque 650Nm @ 2,000 rpm

Fuel economy, combined 10.7L / 100km

IF YOU GO
 
The flights: FlyDubai offers direct flights to Catania Airport from Dubai International Terminal 2 daily with return fares starting from Dh1,895.
 
The details: Access to the 2,900-metre elevation point at Mount Etna by cable car and 4x4 transport vehicle cost around €57.50 (Dh248) per adult. Entry into Teatro Greco costs €10 (Dh43). For more go to www.visitsicily.info

 Where to stay: Hilton Giardini Naxos offers beachfront access and accessible to Taormina and Mount Etna. Rooms start from around €130 (Dh561) per night, including taxes.

Racecard

6pm: The Pointe - Conditions (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m

6.35pm: Palm West Beach - Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (T) 1,800m

7.10pm: The View at the Palm - Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (Dirt) 1,400m

7.45pm: Nakeel Graduate Stakes - Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m

8.20pm: Club Vista Mare - Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,900m

8.55pm: The Palm Fountain - Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m

9.30pm: The Palm Tower - Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,600m

Essentials

The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

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Updated: November 19, 2023, 12:02 PM