Kosar Ali. Actress.
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BRITISH / SOMALI
Princess Haifa bint Abdulaziz Al-Mogrin
Princess Haifa bint Abdulaziz Al-Mogrin was recently elected to chair the UNESCO Executive Board Program and External Relations Commission for two years.
During the 213th session of the UNESCO executive board in Paris, the executive council named Princess Haifa, Saudi Arabia’s permanent representative to UNESCO, for the position.
Princess Haifa received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Riyadh-based King Saud University in 2000 and a master’s degree in science in economics with reference to the Middle East from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London in 2007.
source/content: arabnews.com
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SAUDI ARABIA
Latif Al Ani: ‘father of Iraqi photography’ dies aged 89.
The renowned cameraman was the first to chronicle life and society during the country’s ‘golden age’.
Known by many as the “father of Iraqi photography “, Al Ani was famed for documenting daily life in Iraq during the country’s “golden age”.
At a time when Iraq was forming into a new republic, Al Ani captured daily life as a site of modernity’s contrasts: old meets new, East meets West.
The photographer from Baghdad cemented his art in the fabric of the nation when he founded the photography department at the Ministry of Education in 1960 and later became director of photography at the Iraqi News Agency.
In 2017, at the Les Rencontres d’Arles, he was selected as the winner of the Historical Book Award from a shortlist of 15.’
Latif Al-Ani passed away in Baghdad on November 19th, 2021
He is the subject of two books:
source/content : thenationalnews.com
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IRAQ
18th November .
The day aims to raise awareness about the art of Islam and its contribution to culture and civilization. The ministry is working with the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization to produce the Biennale.
Islamic art is not restricted to religious art — it includes the art of the rich and varied cultures of Islamic societies throughout history.
It is a complex art to define because it spans over 1,400 years, covering many lands and populations, and is not restricted to a single medium. Instead, Islamic art covers a range of artistic fields, including architecture, calligraphy, painting, glass, ceramics and textiles.
Last year, Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan designated 2021 as the Year of Arabic Calligraphy in appreciation of its importance in expressing the Arabic language’s historic significance. The ministry has launched “The Calligrapher Platform,” an electronic platform to teach Arabic calligraphy and Islamic ornamentation with the support of the Quality of Life Program.
The International Day of Islamic Art was proclaimed at the 40th session of the UNESCO General Conference in 2019 and takes place every year on 18 November. It aims to raise awareness of past and contemporary artistic expressions of Islam, and the contribution of culture through Islamic Art to civilization.
source/content: arabnews.com
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SAUDI ARABIA
Aziza Chaouni. Architect. Educationist. Teacher.
The Fez-born architect was honored for her project on addressing climate change-induced tribal displacement.
The Moroccan architect earned both the Global Holcim Awards Bronze prize and the Acknowledgement Prize for her project “Cultural Interlude.” The project draws a self-sustaining music school and ecotourism center that aims to preserve the tribal cultural heritage in an oasis located in the town of M’Hamid El Ghizlane, in Zagora province.
Chaouni is also the co-founder of the Bureau of Ecological Architecture and Systems of Tomorrow (EAST) with Takako Tajima, a renowned landscape architect based in Southern California. Tajima has won many prizes, including The Architectural League Prize from the Architecture League of New York in 2009.
www.azizachaouniprojects.com
source/content: moroccoworldnews.com
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CANADA / MOROCCO
he 25 prophets and messengers mentioned in the Qur’an will be introduced in five different languages.
The Muslim World League has launched an exhibition on the lives of the prophets at its Expo 2020 Dubai pavilion.
“The Prophets As If You See Them” uses the latest technology to present the biographies of Islam’s prophets and messengers.
It sheds light on the messages of peace, love, affection, tolerance, coexistence, and humanity that they brought to the world.
Visitors can learn about the prophets’ titles, nicknames, characteristics, morals, childhoods, relatives, the books that were revealed to them, the miracles they performed, and the languages they spoke.
source/content: arabnews.com
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SAUDI ARABIA
The ninth Ajyal Film Festival presented by the Doha Film Institute announced the winners of the Ajyal Jury Competition and the Made in Qatar Awards in a festive closing ceremony at Katara Cultural Village.
This year’s esteemed international Made in Qatar Awards Jury included actress Sheila Vand; Executive Board Member and CEO of Katara Studios Ahmed Al Baker, and Farah Nabulsi, Oscar-nominated and BAFTA award-winning filmmaker. Jurors were divided into three age categories: Mohaq (8–12-year-olds), Hilal (13–17-year-olds), and Bader (18–25-year-olds).
The week-long festival, held under the theme, ‘Press Play!’ signifying the aspirations of the community to return to normalcy, featured 85 films from 44 countries, including Qatar. The programme included 31 feature films and 54 shorts from accomplished directors as well as first-time and emerging talent. 22 of the films are by Arab filmmakers, with 32 helmed by women filmmakers – nearly a third, highlighting the significant role of female talent.
Ajyal featured 13 films supported by the Doha Film Institute, including recipients of the Spring/ Fall Grants, co-financing, Qatari Film Fund and mentorship through the year-long labs and development workshops. The 2021 Made in Qatar programme presented by Ooredoo, had 10 films representing promising homegrown talent and storytellers.
The seven-day festival featured a diverse mix of virtual and in-person events including film screenings, interactive discussions, multi-media art exhibit, Qatar’s largest pop-culture event Geekdom, and a drive-in cinema as part of a multisensory experience for all ages.
source/content: www.iloveqatar.net
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QATAR
Khadar Ayderus Ahamed. Writer. Film Director.
Movie by Finnish-Somali writer-director Khadar Ayderus Ahmed won the Stallion of Yennenga grand prize at the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou.
A little more than one month after it won the Amplify Voices Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, The Gravedigger’s Wife has scooped Africa’s top film prize.
The drama, by Finnish-Somali writer-director Khadar Ayderus Ahmed, won the prestigious Stallion of Yennenga Grand Prize for Best Film at the Pan African Film Festival in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on Sunday.
Filmed in Somali in Djibouti, the tenderly moving story of love and devotion follows Guled (Omar Abdi), a man who makes a precarious living from loss.
The film took home the 20 million franc ($35,714) CFA prize money and the golden stallion statue, beating 16 other African films to the top prize. The films in competition were made by directors from 15 different African countries.
It was also Somalia’s first official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2021 Academy Awards, and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in July.
source/content: thenationalnews.com
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FINLAND / SOMALIA
Emtithal ‘Emi’ Mahmoud. Poet. Activist. Author. Speaker. UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.
June 2018 : UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, appointed the Sudanese-American slam poet Emtithal (Emi) Mahmoud as a national Goodwill Ambassador (US).
Author: Book titled Sisters’ Entrance
www.emi-mahmoud.com
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AMERICAN / SUDAN
Abdullah Mohammed Al Maainah
UAE Flag Day – November 03rd.
It is commemorated every year on the anniversary, which is, however, not a public holiday.
The day is marked by schools, government offices, businesses, and individuals hanging the national flag outside their homes and workplaces.
The veteran Emirati diplomat, Abdullah Mohammed Al Maainah, had designed the symbol of the country’s unity, pride and dignity when he was only a teenager 19 years old.
Al Maainah’s design was chosen among more than 1,030 entries submitted as part of a nationwide contest.
Later, the winning flag was raised on December 2, 1971 — the Foundation Day of the UAE.
On December 2, it will be exactly 50 years since the UAE flag was first hoisted to mark the country’s union.
Curiously, he did not know his design had been selected until he saw the flag fluttering at Mushrif Palace in Abu Dhabi with his own eyes.
“It was an overwhelming feeling. All of us were happy because we had unified as one country. However, I was overjoyed the most,” said the veteran diplomat, as he recalled how he found out about the contest and prepared for it with barely any time or resources.
“One of the arrangements related to declaring the establishment of the UAE at that time was to design a flag for it. A committee was formed to look into the matter and an advertisement was put out in the Al Ittihad newspaper inviting submissions from various artists,” he reminisced.
Al Maainah said he stumbled upon the advertisement just three days before the deadline was to expire.
“It was a race against time, as I didn’t have any drawing tools or colouring pencils. I rushed out to get them and worked all night to come up with the design. It was a happy feeling staying awake for the sake of designing the flag for my beloved country,” he added.
Only two flags were raised on December 2, 1971, to mark the formation of the nation – one in Abu Dhabi, the other at Union House in Dubai.
Al Maainah said the colours of the UAE flag were not chosen randomly.
“Every colour has an innate meaning. White symbolises peace, goodness and purity, black represents solidarity, green stands for hope, prosperity and development while red denotes bravery and courage,” he added.
Later, he was awarded 4,000 riyals as prize money, as the UAE dirham was yet to be introduced as the legal tender.
Al Maainah, who has travelled around the world as the UAE’s ambassador to several foreign missions, cherishes the honour bestowed on him by the country’s wise and visionary leadership for his design of the flag.
source/content : khaleejtimes.com
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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E)