It had been six years since we had heard a new album or live gigs from Damon Albarn and comic artist Jamie Hewlett's animated supergroup Gorillaz, when fifth studio album Humanz dropped in April this year. Tomorrow, the Humanz Tour, which kicked off in Chicago in July, will drop anchor in Dubai for Fiesta de los Muertos.
Gorillaz have long been famous for their big-name collaborators, on stage and in the studio, from The Clash's Paul Simonon and Mick Jones to late soul legend Bobby Womack and hip-hop giants such as Mos Def and D12. This weekend's gig promises guest spots from De La Soul, Little Simz, Kilo Kish and Syrian singer Faia Younan. The night will also see a homecoming for a name with a distinctly local link. Syrian-Lebanese rapper Eslam Jawaad lived in Dubai for seven years until recently, and will be reprising a role he last took at Gorillaz' ground-breaking 2010 concert at Damascus's Citadel. The band were the biggest western act ever to play in Syria, and Jawaad took on rapping duties, performing a specially written Arabic version of the band's hit Clint Eastwood. At the time, the rapper and the band both hoped the gig would be the catalyst for the start of many more western bands visiting Syria, and vice versa. History has proved tragically different, but Jawaad's relationship with Albarn and co has continued, and goes back for some time before that night in Syria.
Jawaad first met Albarn during the 2006 recording of the latter's previous supergroup The Good, The Bad & The Queen's eponymous debut album. Albarn was looking for an Arabic rapper for a track on the album, and Jawaad's name came up through a friend of a friend. "We had a meeting just to talk about it, and hit it off so well we basically went straight into a recording session," Jawaad recalls. "With that song locked down, I went on tour with TGTB&TQ, and after that got involved with some other of Damon's projects such as Africa Express."
Noting the frontman's love of Arabic music and culture, Jawaad initially brought his friend to Syria in 2009, where he recorded with members of the Syrian National Orchestra for Arab Music and conductor Issam Rafea, some of which would end up on the Gorillaz' third album, Plastic Beach. This initial visit led to the 2010 concert, and also the formation of Africa Express Presents The Syrian Orchestra of Musicians, with whom Jawaad and Albarn toured European festivals this summer. Jawaad is even thanked on the Plastic Beach sleeve notes under his real name, Wissam Khodur.
Jawaad has also had a successful career as a rapper outside of his work with Gorillaz. He has toured with Wu-Tang Clan and Fun-Da-Mental, manages and executive produces acts and events, and was a founder member of the Arap collective, which also included the likes of Malikah and The Narcicyst.
His solo album, The Mammoth Tusk, came out in 2009 – the same year as his ongoing Syrian adventures with Albarn began. Has his friend been keeping him too busy to record new material? "Not at all. Actually, I have a new album all written, but it's been delayed because the producer I really want to use, in Holland, is busy with movies at the moment," he says.
Jawaad is now based in London, where he also works as an executive producer for ArtReach, who put on festivals and events across Europe. With his Dubai return imminent, does he have any plans to return on a longer-term basis? "There's nothing in the pipeline," he says. "I'm always interested in developing bridges professionally or creatively between the Mena region and West. I've always been involved in promoting artists across that bridge. It's still a second home to me there. I lived there seven years and there are still lots of good people there that I know, so if something was happening that required my expertise in the region, I'd consider moving back. Until then, I've got plenty going on in London."
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Read more:
Ahead of Dubai show: Massari on performing with purpose
Also on the bill at Fiesta De Los Muertos
Mohammed Assaf to make guest appearance at Dubai's Fiesta de Los Muertos
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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.
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'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
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The Cockroach
(Vintage)
Ian McEwan
Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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A cheaper choice
Vanuatu: $130,000
Why on earth pick Vanuatu? Easy. The South Pacific country has no income tax, wealth tax, capital gains or inheritance tax. And in 2015, when it was hit by Cyclone Pam, it signed an agreement with the EU that gave it some serious passport power.
Cost: A minimum investment of $130,000 for a family of up to four, plus $25,000 in fees.
Criteria: Applicants must have a minimum net worth of $250,000. The process take six to eight weeks, after which the investor must travel to Vanuatu or Hong Kong to take the oath of allegiance. Citizenship and passport are normally provided on the same day.
Benefits: No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
more from Janine di Giovanni
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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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.”
Generational responses to the pandemic
Devesh Mamtani from Century Financial believes the cash-hoarding tendency of each generation is influenced by what stage of the employment cycle they are in. He offers the following insights:
Baby boomers (those born before 1964): Owing to market uncertainty and the need to survive amid competition, many in this generation are looking for options to hoard more cash and increase their overall savings/investments towards risk-free assets.
Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980): Gen X is currently in its prime working years. With their personal and family finances taking a hit, Generation X is looking at multiple options, including taking out short-term loan facilities with competitive interest rates instead of dipping into their savings account.
Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996): This market situation is giving them a valuable lesson about investing early. Many millennials who had previously not saved or invested are looking to start doing so now.
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
THE BIO
Ambition: To create awareness among young about people with disabilities and make the world a more inclusive place
Job Title: Human resources administrator, Expo 2020 Dubai
First jobs: Co-ordinator with Magrudy Enterprises; HR coordinator at Jumeirah Group
Entrepreneur: Started his own graphic design business
Favourite singer: Avril Lavigne
Favourite travel destination: Germany and Saudi Arabia
Family: Six sisters
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
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Barcelona v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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