ABU DHABI // Like most children her age, Sarah al Kaabi loves playing computer games and listening to pop music. But when asked what her favourite hobby is, she replies: "Playing the piano."
When asked how she relaxes, she answers: "Playing the piano."
When she wakes up in the morning, the first thing she does is pray. After that, she plays the piano.
Last night Sarah, 11, was named as one of the winners of the UAE heat of the first Gulf International Chopin Competition. Later this month, she will be among those who represent the country at the final rounds of the competition in Kuwait.
To get there, she had to perform two pieces Mozart's Sonata No 16 in C Major and Beethoven's Für Elise for seven judges.
She was one of 12 children in her age group, three of whom were Emirati.
"My fingers are always moving," she said. "When I am bored, I am playing the piano, I hear the music in my head, my fingers play on the desk, on my books."
Sarah comes from a family of seven children, all of whom play at least one instrument. Her mother, Kafia, said she had never needed to be strict with any of her children about practising.
She and her husband had always tried to give their children as many opportunities and experiences as possible, said Mrs al Kaabi.
"It's about exposure to real life, giving them choices for their future, in education, in their hobbies," she said.
"We treat Sarah like an adult. Last year she came with me on a UAE business delegation to Malaysia. It's about opening their eyes so they have the confidence to make decisions themselves."
Even though she learnt the piano as a child, Mrs al Kaabi did not tell her daughter about that until she had reached a certain level, allowing Sarah to develop her own passion for playing.
"I don't need to pressure her to play," said Mrs al Kaabi. "She is always practising. It can't all be school work. This gives her some balance in her life.
"There is always someone playing an instrument in the house."
Sarah's father, Khaled, an engineer, does not play an instrument, but "he loves to hear them play and he encourages them in everything they do", Mrs al Kaabi said.
Sarah sees the piano not as a discipline but as an outlet, her source of escape.
"Me and my brother always fight over who will play," she said. "We had a fight over who could play Beethoven better." And the result? "I won."
She began learning the piano at seven. She learns most music by ear, picking up complex pieces without seeing them written out. "She doesn't need to read music," said Mrs al Kaabi. Sarah finds traditional piano instruction, through scales and arpeggios, "boring".
It is her 10 hours or more of practice each week that has taken her to this level.
She has been to several classical concerts in the city and says she is inspired by the musicians on stage, hoping one day to be in their shoes.
She is no stranger to performing in public. In November, she played with the Emirates Youth Orchestra in a concert for Unicef, the children's charity, at the General Women's Union. On National Day she played for the Ministry of Culture in Dubai.
Her teacher, Martin Hrsel, who teaches her twice a week at the Ministry of Culture, said Sarah was one of the country's young musical talents, the "future of the country".
"She has no problem playing in public. She hears the music of the whole orchestra, not just her own. She is very confident and is making excellent progress," he said.
Sarah's mother is passionate about music. She campaigns for music to have a greater emphasis in the emirates.
"There is so much emphasis on knowledge, not music," she said. "For football, you have a proper academy system like at Al Jazira. The young boys study and practice there, but for music there's nothing like this.
"We need to focus on the future, on taking our young talents to the international stage, which just isn't being done at the moment."
@Email:mswan@thenational.ae
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Results
STAGE
1 . Filippo Ganna (Ineos) - 0:13:56
2. Stefan Bissegger (Education-Nippo) - 0:00:14
3. Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) - 0:00:21
4. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) - 0:00:24
5. Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana) - 0:00:30
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) - 4:00:05
2. Joao Almeida (QuickStep) - 0:00:05
3. Mattia Cattaneo (QuickStep) - 0:00:18
4. Chris Harper (Jumbo-Visma) - 0:00:33
5. Adam Yates (Ineos) - 0:00:39
RESULTS
Lightweight (female)
Sara El Bakkali bt Anisha Kadka
Bantamweight
Mohammed Adil Al Debi bt Moaz Abdelgawad
Welterweight
Amir Boureslan bt Mahmoud Zanouny
Featherweight
Mohammed Al Katheeri bt Abrorbek Madaminbekov
Super featherweight
Ibrahem Bilal bt Emad Arafa
Middleweight
Ahmed Abdolaziz bt Imad Essassi
Bantamweight (female)
Ilham Bourakkadi bt Milena Martinou
Welterweight
Mohamed Mardi bt Noureddine El Agouti
Middleweight
Nabil Ouach bt Ymad Atrous
Welterweight
Nouredine Samir bt Marlon Ribeiro
Super welterweight
Brad Stanton bt Mohamed El Boukhari
Copa del Rey
Semi-final, first leg
Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')
Second leg, February 27
Who are the Soroptimists?
The first Soroptimists club was founded in Oakland, California in 1921. The name comes from the Latin word soror which means sister, combined with optima, meaning the best.
The organisation said its name is best interpreted as ‘the best for women’.
Since then the group has grown exponentially around the world and is officially affiliated with the United Nations. The organisation also counts Queen Mathilde of Belgium among its ranks.
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The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
Essentials
The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Windhoek, with a combination of Emirates and Air Namibia, cost from US$790 (Dh2,902) via Johannesburg.
The trip
A 10-day self-drive in Namibia staying at a combination of the safari camps mentioned – Okonjima AfriCat, Little Kulala, Desert Rhino/Damaraland, Ongava – costs from $7,000 (Dh25,711) per person, including car hire (Toyota 4x4 or similar), but excluding international flights, with The Luxury Safari Company.
When to go
The cooler winter months, from June to September, are best, especially for game viewing.
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
