There’s a famous 1960s British musical called Stop The World: I Want To Get Off. The title probably says it all, given the gloomy news from around the world right now. Sometimes the deluge of information around the globe seems too much. Now is one of those times.
Palestine, Israel, Iran, the prospects of a wider war in the Middle East. Ukraine, Russia, Nato and again the prospects of a wider war in Europe. The recalibration of American interests round the world. Oil shocks. Donald Trump’s tariffs. The continuing prospect of economic and trade dislocation from the Strait of Hormuz to Wall Street and the City of London.
And then there is the very controversial decision of Mr Trump to send US Marines to California while public unrest about the treatment of migrants continues. Meanwhile in London, defence experts make public comments about Europe having passed from a “post-war” era into what is now a “pre-war” era as Nato’s leaders are encouraging member nations to find 5 per cent of gross domestic product for defence. Almost everywhere it seems governments are trying to find more money for more weapons.
But since “stopping the world and getting off” is not an option, I’ve been trying to cheer myself up by joining the hundreds of thousands of British people who turn up at book and music festivals this summer.
The weather in Britain has been (mostly) glorious. Glastonbury is the biggest and best-known of the music festivals and is happening soon. But there are little gems of culture everywhere. I’ve just returned from speaking at the Borders Book Festival in the south of Scotland just a few kilometres from the border with England.
For readers around the world who have never been there, I should point out that the “border” between Scotland and England exists on maps but is nothing more than a sign or two on the road – no border patrols or customs checks or bureaucracy, just the lovely British countryside in summer.
And a book festival is the perfect antidote to doom-scrolling about international crises and military confrontations. The best thing about these festivals is not the authors and writers, although we do form a kind of community. Authors are always comparing notes about publishers and the challenges of writing itself. But the best thing is the audiences.
They can range from children to the elderly. The shared interest in books and knowledge is the most cheering characteristic all these festivals have in common. Audiences often challenge authors but when they do it, it is always polite and open minded. As the old-fashioned saying goes, we may disagree, but we try very hard not to be disagreeable.
Audiences at book festivals also tend to like solving problems rather than creating them. For me, these festivals feel like an antidote to a world that looks as if it is going crazy. And there is also that strange kind of camaraderie among the authors.
Those I met most recently include a former contender to be UK prime minister, two former government ministers, an author of a children’s book about insects, various broadcasters, award-winning novelists, sporting stars and TV personalities plus several astounding British intellectuals whose expertise ranged from the history of the seas around our coasts to the story behind the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in the Second World War.
The most cheering moment was a request to talk to a group of articulate young people with ambitions to become journalists and writers. Their incisive questions and their fundamental optimism were the perfect antidote to the news headlines.
It’s impossible to calculate how many book or literary festivals there are in Britain in any one year, but one informed guess suggests it could be almost 100 of varying sizes. You could visit about two a week every week. The best known include those in Edinburgh, Hay on Wye, Oxford, Bath and elsewhere. Some – including Shetland in the far north of Scotland, or Ilkley in Yorkshire or Hexham in the north of England – are not only great festivals but an excuse to visit some truly beautiful parts of the country.
It is not possible to emulate the 1960s musical and stop the world to get off. But it is possible to find an antidote to the bad news deluge that engulfs us. And if you can’t get to a festival, you can always engineer an escape from reality another way. Buy a book and escape into a new reality.
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Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
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A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
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Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
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Torque: 370Nm
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Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
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Fuel consumption: L/100km
Price: Dh306,495
On sale: now
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2.
3.
4.
5.
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There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
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THE BIO
Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old
Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai
Favourite Book: The Alchemist
Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail
Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna
Favourite cuisine: Italian food
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Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
