In a world of mainstream K-dramas filled with cliches and reoccurring themes, “The King: Eternal Monarch” stands unique and absolutely mind-blowing.
The romantic-fantasy series has the Korean megastar Lee Min-Ho as the king, Lee Gon, and Kim Go-eun as strong and fierce Jeong Tae Eul, the main love interest and a detective in Korea.
The theme of the show is parallel universes crossing paths. The countries featured are the kingdom of Corea and the Republic of Korea, the two characters belonging to different universes. The king is shown to be loved by all around him and is a mathematician and just ruler.
The drama uses real time-traveling theories and concepts, has an intriguing Korean twist, and a standout performance by Woo Do-Hwan who plays a dual role as the king’s bodyguard in both worlds.
The Palestinian artist’s latest single — an elegiac slow-burner with a killer guitar line — has attracted plenty of attention since its release on July 10, with Nahas being featured as Apple Music’s New Artist of the Month and seeing her track listed in Spotify’s global Fresh Finds playlist.
Abir
‘Inferno’
The Moroccan-American singer brings both sides of her heritage to this first release from her upcoming EP “Heat,” mixing Western R&B and pop with some Oriental flavor. “I’m a lot of things a Muslim Arab woman isn’t expected to be,” Abir says in a press release. “The current narrative is uninformed and it’s honestly boring.”
Bashaar Al-Jawad
‘Saabe Al-Rajaa’
The Lebanese pop star — who came to fame on season four of “The Voice” has released an upbeat dance version of this song — the soundtrack to the Ramadan series “Al Awda” — remixed by DJ Red Ramp. The new mix, according to a press release, is intended to “spread happiness and energy for everyone.”
Aeli ft. Seki Supervillain
Tunisian producer and composer Aeli recently moved from Dubai to Los Angeles. (Supplied)
‘Cry Me A Valley’
Tunisian producer and composer Aeli recently moved from Dubai to Los Angeles. To commemorate the move — which also marks his transition from architect to full-time music producer — he is set to release a string of collaborations with regional artists, all with the theme of “goodbye.” The first release sees Aeli join forces with a Dubai-based rapper on this Afrobeat track about a disintegrating relationship.
LONDON: Award-winning contemporary Islamic artist Siddiqa Juma’s path to success was not straightforward.
Juma worked for many years as a graphic designer — a compromise between her creative urges and financial stability. Her parents, she says, wanted her to be a pharmacist, but that was never for her. But the idea of her studying art was never up for discussion.
Juma spent her childhood in Tanzania, East Africa, between Zanzibar — where she was born — and Dar Es Salaam. She recalls those early years, surrounded by “raw beauty,” as being simple, happy and carefree.
Siddiqa Juma worked for many years as a graphic designer. (Supplied)
“There wasn’t this perception that it was dangerous to be outside or that some harm would come to us. We weren’t wrapped in cotton wool,” she tells Arab News.
When she was eight years old, one of her drawings was published in the local newspaper — an early indication of her artistic talent and a moment she still treasures. “That is my earliest recollection of doing art,” she says.
When she was 13, her father’s job at the British Embassy required the family to move to the UK. They settled in London, which is where — after completing her education — she began her graphic design career, laying out a publication called African Events.
It was marriage and motherhood — and the pressure of trying to juggle career and family — that proved decisive in shaping her life as an artist. She describes a watershed moment when her daughter fell ill with gastroenteritis and Juma felt “torn in two” trying to meet work and family commitments. Even though relatives were around to help she found it hugely upsetting and decided to give up her job and devote herself to raising her children.
“Digital Kaabah 4” is by Siddiqa Juma. (Supplied)
Although those years were very fulfilling in terms of family, Juma says she felt stifled creatively: “I felt as if there was something I needed to do for myself.”
The turning point came when she wanted to teach her children the Arabic alphabet and found very little in the way of inspiring materials. She also found the TV shows her children were watching lacked content that they could relate to as Muslims. Her solution was to create material herself: She wrote and published a successful educational book and became involved in developing children’s programs.
Juma continues to come up with her own solutions to obstacles. For example, she is keen to use her profile to help other Muslim artists. She notes that while many people are aware of Islamic tourism, finance, modest fashion and food products, Islamic art has not achieved the same recognition. To this end, in January, she launched the online platform IslamicArtPrints.com.
Her own big break as an artist came when one of her paintings was commissioned to hang in the multi-faith room of the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, and she realized there was demand for her work. “I couldn’t believe it,” she says. “That was a ‘light-bulb’ moment.”
Siddiqa Juma addresses the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in her painting “Hope.” (Supplied)
Two of her best-known pieces are “Make Your Mark” and “Diversity,” both of which — like the majority of her work — express her Islamic faith. “My faith is my life and my compass for living,” she says. She has also produced a number of works focusing on the Hajj, many of which were featured at an exhibition in Jeddah — “I was paid to go to Hajj! It was literally my paintings that took me to Makkah,” she told UK website Change The Script in 2018. “It was a very emotional time.”
Her work is usually conceptual and abstract — rather than a literal interpretation of Islamic themes, and she is also known for using her art as a response to critical events, including the London and Manchester bombings, the New Zealand mosque massacre and, most recently, the killing of Floyd George. Her piece “I Can’t Breathe” pays tribute to black victims of police brutality. The proceeds from that painting will be donated to an anti-racism cause.
“I Cant Breathe” is by Siddiqa Juma. (Supplied)
“Sometimes events wake you up,” she says. “You can go through life without really examining that being black can mean being disadvantaged in so many ways, but this really upset me.”
Another seismic event, of course, is the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which Juma addressed in her painting “Hope.” She believes the global crisis has given people a chance to pause and reflect on some of the things that are out of balance in our world.
“I hope things don’t return to ‘normal’,” she says, explaining that she sees the pandemic as an opportunity to ensure a “more compassionate outlook” is given greater prominence.
DUBAI: In season two of Hulu’s hit television series “Ramy,” viewers get a glimpse into the widely-held, yet rarely publicly explored belief that publicizing your good news puts you at risk of attracting the ‘evil eye’ — a concept known as hasad in Arabic and nazar in Urdu.
“Ramy,” written by and starring Egyptian-American actor Ramy Youssef, explores the fictional life of an Egyptian Muslim living in the US whose journey of self-discovery involves the ever-present struggle of finding a balance between the customs and culture of his parents and those of Western society.
One episode focuses on Ramy’s sister, Dena (played by Bahraini actress May Calamawy), who quarrels with her mother after announcing her law-school scholarship on Facebook. Instead of congratulating her, Dena’s mother admonishes her for posting the news on social media, and warns her that she’s now vulnerable to envious ill-wishers. Paranoid that her hair loss is a result of the evil eye, Dena turns into a miserable mess. This wasn’t a completely fictional tale. The episode was loosely based on Calamawy’s real-life experiences of dealing with hair loss and feeling she was cursed.
Many young Middle Easterners and Asians are similarly caught between the modern-day norm of posting attention-grabbing updates on social media and cultural traditions which advise hiding good news from others. Dubai-based YouTuber Emad Arshad, who has lived between the UAE and Canada and is an avid social-media user, faced a similar ordeal to the experience portrayed in “Ramy.”
“A few years ago my wife got sick, then I got sick all of a sudden and my kid got sick, and this started happening around the time when I had released a travel vlog about our family trip to Turkey. My family pointed out that I released this vlog and was now getting nazar. We constantly have these debates — I agree and disagree with them,” he says, verbalizing the inner battles faced by many of his peers.
Nabeela Ismail is an artist and photographer of Zanzibari descent. (Supplied)
A recent poll on Instagram of 165 millennials of Middle Eastern and Asian heritage revealed that 76 percent of them worried about, or at least contemplated, possible nazar-related repercussions when posting about their lives on social media. While some add the distinctive eye-bearing amulet (a symbol culturally regarded as protection against the evil eye, but also referred to as nazar) emoji to their captions, or type “#mashallah” (stressing that their good fortune is the will of God) in the hope that will cover them, others avoid posting potentially envy-inviting images altogether.
Many, of course, simply dismiss the belief in nazar as paranoia and superstition. “I think it’s sad how much it scares people,” says Algerian-Finnish Safi Ahmed-Messaoud. “It allows others to hold you back and affects your life for no reason.”
But beliefs about hasad and nazar are deeply rooted in both religion and culture across Asia. The Qur’an, in an invocation of protection from evil, states: “Say, ‘I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak…from the evil of an envier when he envies.” And a Prophetic hadith — Sunan Abu Dawood 4903 — condemns malicious envy, stating, “Beware of envy, for verily it destroys good deeds the way fire destroys wood.”
And it is by no means solely an Islamic belief — in Judaism, the evil eye is known as “ayin hara” and casting off the evil eye is also engrained in Hindu traditions.
Historically entrenched customs however, are often at odds with modern-day trends — particularly those that involve posting exciting personal updates on social media.
Emad Arshad has lived between the UAE and Canada and is an avid social-media user. (Supplied)
“I constantly face that question about how much should I post, and the fear of the evil eye. I firmly believe that it exists,” says Arshad, who describes his family as “Orthodox Muslim”. Nonetheless, he spends hours creating content to share his adventures and thoughts through his YouTube channel, Evlogs. “It allows me to share my creativity, and helps me connect with friends, family and people with similar passions to me,” he explains.
Author Shelina Janmohamed uses the phrase “Generation M” to refer to the young Muslims finding ways to balance faith with modernity. “These Muslims are not rejecting modernity, they are shaping it,” she writes in her book, “Generation M: Young Muslims Changing the World.” “Affordable, accessible and democratic, the Internet, mobile and social media are tools for Generation M to achieve their aspirations and become part of a worldwide network of peers who share their values.”
From fashion bloggers to business owners, social media is employed as a necessary marketing tool by entrepreneurs, and apps like Instagram are being used by countless other Middle Eastern and Asian millennials, who post about everything from the food on their plates to the shoes they’re wearing.
Nabeela Ismail, an artist and photographer of Zanzibari descent who works with The Threelancers — a Middle East-based content creation and photography platform for restaurants and cafés — believes that there’s a balance between using Instagram to inform and engage with fellow users, and becoming an outright exhibitionist on it, which may very well attract negative vibes from envious followers.
“I think there is a fine line between seeming like you’re showing off or showing something simply because of the fact that Instagram is a visual platform,” she says. “As a creative you want to create content and aesthetically pleasing pictures — it’s such a tough balance. But, I definitely do say a little prayer more often now, when I post something.”
Sidrah Zahid is the founder of lifestyle and accessories brand Aina. (Supplied)
Arshad meanwhile, checks his intentions before making a post. “If anything has remotely to do with showing off or showing that I may have a better life than someone around me then I’ll hold off,” he says. “For example, we were just on a staycation, so I didn’t want to vlog that entirely because there are a lot of people who may not be able to afford it. Things are tough during COVID, so I try to show the reality of things, and not just the fancy, bling-bling of everything.
“My intention is never to portray something that’s fake,” he continues. “I try to always keep things very real and honest, and try to stay humble so my audience connect with me on an authentic level.”
Dubai-based Sidrah Zahid, founder of lifestyle and accessories brand Aina — which has been producing face masks since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, also believes intention is key, and she believes social media and faith can coexist without negative repercussions for entrepreneurs.
“In this day and age, it is essential to use social media for your business to flourish. It’s really one of the main ways to create brand awareness or attract any sort of attention to your product,” she says. “I do believe in the evil eye because it exists in our religion, and I do believe it can impact your life, personally or workwise. But I also believe the power of God is bigger than all of those things and if you just have enough faith and maintain positive energy around you, and have a very strong belief that the intention (behind) your work is pure and positive, then God will save you from that evil eye.”
LOS ANGELES: For Arabs and Muslims living in the United States, this Eid Al-Adha marks another holy day that must be celebrated at home.
But for some families, this gives parents the opportunity to use crafts and activities to keep their children entertained and teach them about their cultural heritage.
Arab News spoke with Nour Tonbakji to find out how her family held on to Eid Al-Adha traditions while living in Los Angeles.
“The hardest thing about alienation is getting away from family and the feeling of loneliness and missing the atmosphere and the warmth of your own country and the beautiful gatherings,” Tonbakji told us.
An expert in handicrafts, Tonbakji used crafting as a way to engage her children and connecting them to their heritage.
“Whenever I have any religious event or a point that I’d like to highlight to my kids, I try to use social media to find things I can print that can support the action I have in mind,” she said. “So we do lanterns and crescent in Ramadan, during Eid Al-Fitr we do decorations & we do coloring or now in Eid Al-Adha we decorate sheep and a model for Kaaba.”
Families like the Tonbakjis are also sharing their traditions with their new neighbors. And during the coronavirus pandemic even small gestures are going a long way toward building a community.
“Kids share in everything of course so that they feel the happiness and that there is an occasion happening now and we do the same thing during Ramadan or during any occasion that relates to us,” said Tonbakji.
“We usually prepare small bags gifts that include delicious meals and gifts and we distribute them to the neighbors and we tell them that we are passing through a religious event that’s related to us and we add a small card that explains the event.”
With Ramadan and now Adha overlapping with the pandemic, the Muslim community has faced exceptional circumstances this year. But the safety of the people remains the most important, as Eid will come again next year with better conditions.
British Asians fear blame for rise in COVID-19 cases, racial abuse during Eid Al-AdhaIthra to celebrate Eid Al-Adha with ‘Double the Festivities’ event https://ift.tt/3ff77zh July 30, 2020 at 09:55PM
TRIPOLI, Lebanon: Tradition dictates that Muslims donate cuts of mutton during Friday’s Eid Al-Adha festival, which would spell brisk business for butcher Abdulrazak Darwish but Lebanon’s economic crisis has cast a pall over his trade.
“This year has been the worst for us because of soaring inflation,” said the 54-year-old resident of the northern city of Tripoli.
“There is no demand for meat or requests from clients to slaughter sheep this Eid Al-Adha,” he told AFP from inside his nearly empty store near the city’s port.
Thousands of sheep are usually slaughtered annually in Lebanon at Eid Al-Adha — the festival of sacrifice — one of two major holy days observed by Muslims across the world.
It is custom for the better-off to donate cuts of mutton to needy members of their community as a form of religious charity during the holiday.
But that might not happen this year, as the country is now mired in its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The Lebanese pound has in past months lost around 80 percent of its value against the dollar on the black market.
In a country where most consumer goods are imported, that devaluation has had a huge impact on prices and the purchasing power of ordinary Lebanese.
In Darwish’s butcher shop, one lonely cut of mutton hangs from a hook. Fridges next to it are completely empty.
For the vast majority of people whose income is not in dollars, the cost of a sheep has more than tripled since last year.
Darwish says the price he pays his suppliers is already prohibitive and leaves him with “no margin to make a profit.”
Tripoli already harbored some of the country’s poorest but the combined effect of the monetary crisis and coronavirus lockdowns is sentencing thousands of families to hunger.
This has upset Eid Al-Adha mutton donations, said Sheikh Nabil Rahim, who connects wealthy families with the needy during the Islamic holiday.
“Donations have severely dwindled by more than 80 percent which means no mutton this Eid Al-Adha,” he told AFP from his office, a stack of religious textbooks piled on his desk.
“A big segment of the Lebanese population are now preoccupied with themselves and their personal problems as a result of the economic crisis,” explained the man who runs an Islamic radio station.
Sitting on a chair outside her Tripoli apartment, Mona Al-Masri said she is preparing for a frugal Eid Al-Adha this year because of the downturn.
“Our priorities have changed,” said the 51-year-old, explaining she is not planning to buy any meat for the feast, which usually abounds with lamb and mutton.
Instead, she will prepare dishes using lentils, vegetables and herbs, she told AFP, explaining she usually relies on donations for mutton.
“This year it seems no one is planning to distribute anything,” she said.
Eid Al-Adha will still be celebrated this year even though many mosques will not hold public prayers and travel restrictions will limit annual Hajj pilgrimages and traditional family gatherings for the holiday.
Butchers have faced further complication due to power outages that have increased as state failure worsens.
“We can’t buy large quantities of meat, not even during the holidays,” said Ali Hassan Khaled, a 50-year-old butcher in a low-income Tripoli neighborhood.
He said he usually slaughters at least 100 sheep for his customers during Eid Al-Adha, but this year he has only received 10 orders.
“This Eid Al-Adha, it seems, people won’t be eating meat and won’t receive their portion of mutton donations,” Khaled said, circled by several hanging carcasses.
Salima Hijazi, a 33-year-old Tripoli resident, is one of them.
The woman usually prepares stuffed vine leaves with mutton for the feast — a staple holiday dish. But this year, mutton is no longer on the menu.
“Our incomes are nearly worthless... and we are now forced to change our eating habits,” she said.
Lebanon’s Jumblatt: country needs new prime ministerLebanon reinstates lockdown measures after virus rebound https://ift.tt/3fentrV July 30, 2020 at 04:27PM
DUBAI: For years, women in the Middle East have struggled to speak up on issues that have only been whispered about in the region, said co-founder of The Goodness Podcast Noor Tehini.
To give women a chance to openly discuss these taboo topics, Tehini, who is Lebanese and who grew up in the UAE, decided to start the online platform and community Goodness two years ago, dedicated to tackling matters relating to women’s wellness in a real, honest, and holistic way.
In January, on the second anniversary of the online platform’s founding, Tehini launched The Goodness Podcast “with the goal of celebrating the inspirational stories of women living in the Middle East,” she said, speaking to Arab News.
“There was so much information, wisdom and raw honesty to be shared and no better way to convey that than by allowing our community to essentially eavesdrop on our conversations,” added Tehini.
Now at its 26th episode, the podcast has welcomed a number of guests, including entrepreneurs, nutritional therapists and mothers.
“We’ve had women openly discuss eating disorders, postpartum depression, miscarriages, and more on our various platforms,” Tehini said.
However, the entrepreneur still thinks there are specific topics that women are not yet comfortable discussing. “A few topics that I’ve found women still struggle to speak about openly are marital issues and matters relating to sexual health,” she explained.
And if the tables were to turn and Tehini were a guest on the podcast, she said she would probably discuss self-discovery — “Finding your voice, both personally and professionally, learning about who you are, trusting yourself, and allowing a full and accepting expression of that,” she elaborated.
“In some of the darkest moments of my life, conversations and connections with other women were the light I needed. These are the moments when you realize that you are not alone, that other people are going through what you are going through, and that, through honest conversation, you can learn from each other or at the very least experience some sort of release through sharing,” she added.
Now, at the top of Tehini’s guest list are Lebanese actress Razane Jammal, sexologist Sandrine Atallah, and body-positive advocate Danae Mercer.
“It’s a long and hard journey, but I’m loving every step of the way,” she said.
LONDON: The Arab International Women’s Forum (AIWF) has drawn together experts from the Middle East and internationally to examine some of the key challenges raised by the coronavirus pandemic.
In her introduction to the virtual event, held in cooperation with global partner Pfizer, AIWF founder and Chairwoman Haifa Al-Kaylani paid tribute to “the women at the frontline of the coronavirus crisis — women in science, research, policy development, health care, the media, and women who are caregivers, mothers and community leaders.”
The panel was moderated by AIWF board member Dr. Oualae Al-Alami, vice president cluster lead at Pfizer Biopharmaceutical Group and chair of the Regional Diversity & Inclusion Council for Pfizer Africa.
The speakers were Dr. Maryam Matar, founder and chairwoman of the UAE Genetic Diseases Association; Dr. Graciela Morales, vice president and Pfizer vaccines lead for emerging markets; and Dr. Fadi El-Jardali, professor of health policy and systems and chairman of the Health Policy and Management Department at the American University of Beirut.
Al-Alami noted that women account for 70 percent of health services personnel. “They’re on the frontlines, sometimes sacrificing their lives for patients and their families during the crisis,” she said.
“Typically there’s a pay gap, with women earning 80 percent of the wages of their male counterparts.”
The experiences of women coping amid the pandemic have shed light on how the structure of societies has a notable impact on stress and resilience levels.
Dr. Maryam Matar is the founder and chairwoman of the UAE Genetic Diseases Association. (Supplied)
Matar said pressures on women in the UAE were mitigated by the way society is structured around extended families.
“I’d like to pay tribute to the importance of the extended family within the UAE which provides women with important psychological support,” she added.
“A woman might be working as a nurse or a teacher but she has the support of her mother or mother-in-law. It’s very important to emphasize the importance for any community where women are on the frontline to have a safety net for them when it comes to economic and psychological support.”
Matar said the UAE was in a good state of preparedness when the pandemic struck, thanks to crisis planning and long-term investment in developing resources.
“In 2019, we had a big conference in Abu Dhabi dealing with disaster and crisis management. We were discussing a scenario of what might happen in a pandemic with specific reference to the 2020 Expo.
This exercise put us on our toes and made us think through the various scenarios. We went through a very tough exercise to formulate a response. This planning demonstrated the vision of our UAE leader,” she added.
“We have to remember that when we’re talking about the UAE, we aren’t just talking about Emiratis — we’re talking about 200 nationalities. In the UAE, we understand the role of non-Emiratis in helping us to build our country,” she said.
The panel was moderated by AIWF board member Dr. Oualae Al-Alami. (Supplied)
“At the same time, however, it’s very important for us to have our own nationals in a position to take the lead in the implementation of policies throughout the chain of response, not just in emergencies but in every respect.”
Matar noted that it had taken decades of work to build capabilities, including investment in education and the forging of public-private partnerships (PPP).
“The participation of women in combating this crisis on the frontline didn’t happen overnight. It took 50 years to build up this capability within the community,” she said.
“We’ve learnt the importance of planning and clear vision. A key element in dealing with the crisis has been very effective public-private partnerships.”
In relation to the role of the World Health Organization (WHO), Matar said she would have liked to see a more nuanced approach better fitted to the widely varying conditions within countries across the Middle East and North Africa.
“With regard to dealing with the pandemic, it’s clear that there’s no single WHO policy which should be applied universally to all nations. This is a strong lesson for all decision-makers. Policies should be made to fit the needs and situations of each country and region,” she added.
“Previously, the WHO has always had this approach of defining countries according to regions. I believe this should be reformed as per the needs of individual countries, not regions,” she said.
“There are major differences in the preparedness of each country and the vulnerabilities of their populations. We need, for example, to have plans for food and job security.”
Dr. Graciela Morales said vaccines are the only long-term solution for ending this pandemic. (Supplied)
In relation to the global efforts underway to develop a vaccine, Morales said there have been unprecedented levels of cooperation.
“The pharma industry sector has been working together through collaborative networks and platforms. We’re in a race against the virus, and these have been challenging times,” she added.
“This has been an opportunity to recognize the collective advantage of all sectors working together and sharing knowledge. We’re confident that science will win.”
She said vaccines are the only long-term solution for ending this pandemic. Pfizer is “testing four vaccines simultaneously to increase our chances of success with the highest safety profile possible and in the shortest possible time,” she added.
“We have early positive data from one of the candidate vaccines, and overall the preliminary data is encouraging … What we can say at this point is that there’s a viable vaccine candidate based on the data we have to date,” she said.
“We’ve worked hard to secure our production capacity for all our products during the pandemic to ensure that all in need of treatment will have the possibility of receiving it. At the same time, Pfizer is scaling up manufacturing to be ready to produce and supply the vaccine.”
El-Jardali said governments could do more to support PPP in the development of vaccines. “Many countries talk about public-private partnerships, but in reality, in this time of crisis this concept has broken down. There has been a lot of dysfunction in PPP, and we’ve seen in many cases that the PPP relationship is mostly contractual,” he added.
“It should mean sharing both benefits and risks, but in some countries we’ve seen that the private sector opted out and tried to leave the public sector dealing with the implications of the coronavirus for economic reasons,” he said.
“We need to revisit the frameworks for PPP and to have better regulation, especially in middle-income countries.”
El-Jardali said lessons that should have been learnt in relation to recent outbreaks of infectious diseases have not been acted on.
“In relation to vaccines, we’ve had over the past two decades five major disease outbreaks, but the response came late because of the market-based approach to investment,” he added.
“We all know that the private sector invests in vaccines when they have a protected, profitable market. What has been missing has been the role played by the government. What are governments doing to change and modify the incentive for the R&D (research and development) model so that the pharma industry can take a more proactive approach to investing in vaccines before crises become overwhelming?” he said.
“We haven’t learnt the lessons of the past two decades because it has been abundantly clear that if a pandemic came along we’d have a problem with vaccines, but nothing has been done to address this. Governments should’ve been much more proactive in working with the private sector and pharma industry to create push and pull incentives.”
The webinar was attended by over 240 participants from 31 countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Palestine, Morocco, Oman, Tunisia, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, France, Canada, the US, the UK, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, India, Ghana, Kenya and Pakistan.
DUBAI: If you are yearning to experience a different culture or cuisine but are still hesitant about traveling, Larte can satisfy your Italian craving from inside Dubai.
Located in the emirate’s Studio City, the restaurant has a youthful vibrancy to it. The muted grey walls are adorned with colorful art and accent shelves, with Italian music playing in the background.
Larte offers five varieties of bruschetta, a traditional Italian first course of grilled bread with different toppings.
Go for the Pomodoro if you are looking for a fresh or traditional option, as it is topped with fresh tomato cubes, basil, garlic and extra virgin olive oil.
If you like mushrooms then the Tartufina might be more to your taste, topped with burrata, truffle sauce, pomegranate seeds and honey.
If you prefer a warm, decadent starter, go for Alpeggio, topped with sauteed baby spinach, brie and crushed walnuts.
Another option is Norcinan, for those who prefer to start with something more filling and earthy-flavored, with beef bacon, sheep’s milk pecorino cheese and mushroom sauce.
There is also an option for those looking for an Italian flavor with a modern twist. Crudaiola is topped with mashed avocado, rucola, sundried tomatoes, sunflower seeds and extra virgin olive oil.
We would recommend the Pomodoro and Tartufina options, but Larte has a platter of assorted bruschettas if you are unsure of what you want.
For a main course, we would highly recommend the Cotolette. The breaded prime rib was soft and juicy yet crispy.
It comes with a side of garlicy and smoky roasted potatoes, grilled mushrooms and Arrabiata sauce, which is made by cooking garlic, tomatoes and dried red chili peppers in olive oil.
The most memorable course at Larte was dessert. For chocolate and cheese lovers, we would recommend the Nutella cheesecake as it has a perfect balance of sweetness and sourness.
The tiramisu was also excellent. Its strong coffee flavor was not bitter and went well with the creaminess of the filling.
MANAMA: Traversing cultural boundaries, social commentary and musical exploration, a Kuwaiti artist is creating a new vision of Arab and Khaleeji music can be seen.
Plus Aziz (stylized as +Aziz) formed Kuwaisiana four years ago when he decided to leave his brand strategy job in New York (where he had been based since 2009) and relocate to New Orleans to focus on his music career.
Kuwaisiana (a combination of the words Kuwait and Louisiana) mixes elements of funk, rock and reggae with evocative poetic lyrics about the day-to-day lives of Arab-American youth and the evolving viewpoint of Khaleejis living in the Arabian Peninsula.
“It’s an expression of us all working together as a band,” Aziz told Arab News of the band’s upcoming five-track record. “We’re at the mastering stage now, all the layers are fixed and we’re looking for someone to give it that last polish.”
Kuwaisiana’s debut record, “Chapter 1,” was released in 2018 and was followed by a US tour. The album – and band – were well-received, prompting Aziz to invest further time and energy into developing the project. The band will release the new record independently, after having a digital distribution deal with Universal MENA for their previous one.
‘Chapter 2,’ according to the 37-year-old singer-songwriter, will feature a less dramatic range of genres. “The first record was genre-hopping,” he said. “At the time I didn’t care about history or cultural context, it was more about presenting the songs we had as best we could. With the second release there’s a bit more sifting and refining the Kuwaisiana sound.”
When it came to writing and recording the new material, Aziz said he took a more calculated and structured approach, not only with the subjects and music, but also in involving the band members more in the process.
“I do believe it lives up to being a follow-up to our debut in terms of looking at this cross-cultural aspect. Right now, due to what I’ve been focusing on, it is skewing a bit too much to the Khaleeji side, so we’re trying to bring it back to the middle where there’s more second line and New Orleans jazz,” Aziz explained.
