Young and old, confident to their cores, dozens of men descended on Fujairah yesterday from the villages of Oman and the Emirates to revive the ancient art of swordsmanship - and possibly give birth to the nation's newest reality show.
FUJAIRAH // Swords clashed against the backdrop of a 16th-century Fujairah fort late last night in the first annual Al Saif Traditional Sword Competition.
The competition also amounts to the UAE's newest reality show: it will be televised tonight as 32 contestants clash blades, and viewers can cast SMS votes for their favourite swordsman.
The event kicked off with the shrieking of the nadhba, the traditional call of mountain tribes used to announce their arrival at weddings and other celebrations.
Competitors then faced off in a whirl of flashing blades in a mock battle called Al Mzafin, The Confrontation, a traditional dance of the mountain tribes.
One of the first in the ring was Tahnoon Rashid, 42, who took on a competitor nearly two decades his junior.
But the competition's oldest swordsman said age was no barrier.
"I took this sword before anyone [else here] was born," Mr Rashid said. "My children are starting now to learn now and inshallah, they will compete with me in a few years."
Like many, Mr Rashid still carries the battle scars of training from a sword that sliced his palm open 18 years ago. But the wounds were not necessarily motivation for victory.
"I don't think about being first," he said. "The swordsman should think only about himself."
The younger generation have different ideas.
"We came here to take the first prize and we will win, inshallah," said Ahmed al Kumzari, 32. "With these things there is no need to train. It is an instinct from when we are born, like taking milk from the mother."
About 20 of his tribesmen travelled from Kumzar, an Omani town known for its slower, smooth sword dancing technique.
"This is our habit from a small age," said Mohammed Ahmed, 20, one of the four competitors from Kumzar. "At any wedding party, I am the first one out there."
Designed to replicate war, the dance is popular at wedding parties. That has ensured it has remained a favourite among youth, who relish the tradition but prefer lighter blades than their elders.
Rashid Hiduwan, 70, from the Fujairah village of Al Bidi, favours a heavier sword that cannot be blown by the wind. Quick to show that he has not lost his skills to age, he sucks in his stomach to fasten his old bandolier and brandishes a sword that belonged to his grandfather.
Tribes came from mountain villages across the UAE and Oman. Voting is expected to break down along tribal lines.
Contestants are judged on four criteria: their entry, the leaping and clashing of swords, the throwing and catching of the sword, and style.
"I started when I was 13. The sword was longer than I was," said Rashid al Shehhi, a judge. "It's about the shaking of the sword. Does he have trust in himself when he's throwing the sword? Is he confident when he's handling the sword? If he can catch the sword from the same place he throws it, it shows he's confident."
A warrior can double his points by catching the fallen ghutra of his opponent but risks a deduction of 200 points if he drops his sword. The judges' scores are worth 30 per cent of a contestant's total; the SMS votes 70 per cent.
The event is sponsored by Fujairah's Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi. A total purse of Dh250,000 and golden, silver and bronze swords will be divided among the top three contestants.
Elimination rounds will be broadcast each weekend on Hawas TV, Fujairah TV and Sama Dubai before the finals on November 26 and the grand finale on December 10.
azacharias@thenational.ae
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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.
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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.
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“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.”
A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
Info
What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship
When: December 27-29, 2018
Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae, Virgin megastores or call 800 86 823
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
