Arts, Culture & Entertainment – Page 62 – Arabian Records (1st post : Eid Al Fitr – 01st Shawwal 1439 (AH) / 15th June 2018 ) / (BETA testing – Research

Zeina Barhoum, Arab Soprano to perform at Palestine Museum US on March 21st, 2020

Zeina Barhoum – Arabic Soprana. Classically trained Soprano. Opera singer.

Jordanian opera singer Zeina Barhoum is set to perform at the Palestine Museum US on March 21, organizers announced. The renowned singer will virtually perform in Arabic and other languages, including the songs “Sanarjeo Yawman,” “Jerusalem, Flower of Cities,” “O mio babbino caro” and several others according to reports in ArabNews.com

Founder :

Founder of Alcántara Music and Art series
Amman Opera Festival (AOF). First Opera Festival in the Arab World launched in 2017. Under the Royal Patronage of HRH Princess Muna Al Hussein, Jordanian soprano Zeina Barhoum launched the first opera festival in the Arab world, the Amman Opera Festival (AOF), with the full operatic production of Verdi’s La Traviata at the 2000-year old Roman Amphitheater in July 2017, alongside over 150 International musicians and dancers from more than 10 countries.

Awards / Honour:

Best Soloist Award, The Eisteddfod competition
Award at the 2nd Taras Shevchenko International Singing Competition, where she sang Taras Shevchenko’s popular folk song The Mighty Dnieper Roars and Bellows in Arabic and Ukrainian for the first time
Appointed by the United Nations World Food Programmed (WFP) as its advocate and humanitarian voice (May 2020)

Education:

Bsc – Visual Communication, American University of Sharjah

website : www.zeinabarhoum.com

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JORDAN

Egyptian Women’s Day – March 16th

Hamida Khalil was the first of six Egyptian women who were shot dead on March 16, 1919 by British soldiers while they were protesting colonialism.

This date marks the Egyptian Women’s Day.

Highlights: About the first Egyptian woman to die at the hands of British occupation:

Hamida was born in Gamalia district in Cairo and was known as the “revolutionary girl.”
She joined protesters who gathered outside Hussein Mosque in Cairo and was one of 300 women who took to streets in the first female demonstration known in Egyptian history
Four days after her murder, some 1,500 women organized an anti-colonialism protest
March 16 was chosen as Egyptian women’s day as the beginning of decades of women’s struggle against colonialism and for their political and education rights.

source: content: www.egypttoday.com

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EGYPT

11th Century Manuscript of Ahmad bin Majid Al Sa’adi Restored . 16th Century Omani Navigator & Cartographer.

Ahmad bin Majid Al Sa’adi (aka) Ibn Majid (aka) Shihab ad-Din “Star of the Faith” and “The Lion of the Sea”. Poet and Writer of 44 books. Inventor of the Magnetic needle.

The manuscript is loaned from the Al Assad National Library in the Syrian Arab Republic.

The manuscript was loaned to the National Museum-Oman, for two years under the purpose of preservation and conservation and coordination was maintained with the National Records and Archives Authority, Oman – to restore this document to its original state, through the implementation of an integrated program for preservation, conservation, indexing and revision.

This manuscript was written in the 11th century AH / 16th century CE, under the ruling of Al Nabhani dynasty. It is compiled (175) sheets, (350) pages and (23) lines per page. Texts were written by “Naskh” script using black ink and headlines in red. The body of the manuscript is surrounded by two red frames.

This manuscript is one of few preserved copies of the manuscripts of Ahmed bin Majid Al Sa’adi around the world, the oldest among them is the one which is preserved in the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts in St. Petersburg Russia”.

This compiled collection includes the most important and best known of the works by Ahmad bin Majid`s. It is divided into three parts: al-Fawāid fī ilm al-bahr wa-alqawāid or (The Book of the Benefits of the Principles and Foundations of Seamanship), completed on 17 Rabi al-Thani 984 AH/ 13 July 1576. This part is dedicated to 18 benefits related to marine sciences and some proverbs.
The second collections: Hāwīyat al-ikhtisār fī usūl ilm al-bihār, it is the longest section and includes 11 chapters.

The third collection consists of 14 proses, in addition to eight chapters in marine sciences.

Ahmad bin Majid Al Sa’adi was an Omani navigator and cartographer. Born in Julfar, he was educated in his early years by his father Majid bin Mohammed al-Sa’adi, who was a renowned marine captain and navigator.

Ibn Majid is one of the best-known navigators in the Indian Ocean and among the finest scholars of the art of navigation and its history among the Arabs.

He was the inventor of the magnetic needle (magnetic compass), which is used for navigation and orientation at sea.

He was also the author of nearly forty works of poetry and prose. Among his many books on oceanography, Fawā’id fī-Usūl Ilm al-Bahr wa-al-Qawāid or (The Book of the Benefits of the Principles and Foundations of Seamanship), which was compiled in the year (880-895 AH / 1475-1490 CE) at the end of his life, which is considered as one of his best.

He is remembered as Shihab ad-Din “Star of the Faith” and “The Lion of the Sea”.

source: contents – www.timesofoman.com

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SYRIA / OMAN

Winners of Princess Seetah Award : Saudi Arabia

The winners of ‘ The Princess Seetah bint Abdul Aziz Award ‘ – were as follows:

Excellence in national achievement: Health ministry’s volunteering program and education ministry’s distance learning digital platform ‘Madrasti’ (my school)

Excellence in Islamic endowment: General Authority for Endowments for mitigating the effects of the virus on people through its humanitarian initiatives.

Excellence in social work: The Madinah Al-Munawarah’s NGO for its ‘The good city initiative.’

Excellence for social work entrepreneurs: Sheikh Abdullah Ibrahim Al-Subeai for setting up a charitable institution and donating money to various causes in the Kingdom during the pandemic.

Corporate social responsibility: Advanced Petrochemical Company for its initiatives during the pandemic and Sadara Chemical Company for its work with the health sector in tackling COVID-19.

Established in April of 2012 by royal decree, the Princess Seetah bint Abdul Aziz Foundation for Excellence in Social Work is an independent nonprofit organization.

The late Princess Seetah was famous for her piety, devotion and benevolence. Known as “the mother of the needy” and “the mother of goodness,” her charitable efforts made her a household name over the course of her life.

Her house was open to all types of Saudi people. She would meet with them, listen to their problems and try to find solutions either by following up on their issues, helping them financially or presenting their problems to those in charge if she was unable to do so herself.

During her life, she served as president of the National Family Safety Program, as an honorary member of the Saudi Historical Society, president of Safat Al-Khair Project and president of Al-Saud Women’s Forum.

www.seetahaward.org

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The Seventh Princess Seetah Awards’ gala dinner was held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh. (AN Photo) / pix: arabnews.com

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SAUDI ARABIA

UN Adopts May 10th as International Day of Argania : March 2021

The Permanent Mission of Morocco to the UN announced today that the UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution proclaiming May 10th of each year as the International Day of Argania.

Argan trees cover more than 71% of the Souss valley in south-western Morocco.

Morocco’s rich resources position Morocco as the largest international exporter of argan-based products.

Argan is a popular ingredient in beauty cosmetics, including for hair and skin care.

Argan product sales for medicine, cosmetics, and consumption makeup over 90% of the Souss-Massa region’s economy.

Over 17,500 cooperatives are active in the argan industry. Most of the rural businesses employ local women, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

source: moroccoworldnews.com

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MOROCCO

Sarah Malallah: Youngest Kuwaiti to Win International Piano Competitions

Sarah Maitham Malallah , youngest Kuwaiti pianist to win major competitions outside Kuwait.

The six-year-old girl won four competitions from Sept 2020 till Feb 2021.

Awards:

1st place : Karabakh International Culture and Art contest, Azerbaijan (2020)
1st place : 2nd International Music Festival ‘Astana Stars’, Kazakhstan (2020)
1st place : Star Bridge International Contest (in the under 6 category), Germany (Feb 2021)
2nd place : Russian III International Competition ‘Ca Ave Musica’, Turkey
etc…

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KUWAIT

First Joint Saudi-Japanese Anime Film “The Journey” : March 2021

Saudi Arabia’s Manga Productions has launched a promotional video for the first joint Saudi-Japanese anime film “The Journey” using 4 G technology.

A number of famous Arab actors have taken part in the Arabic version of the movie, including Nassar Al-Nassar, Abdo Chahine and Rasha Rizk.

It is a joint production with famous Japanese studio Toei Animation, and is directed by renowned international director Kobun Shizuno, who has directed anime hits including “Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle” and “Detective Conan.”

“The video will be featured in the region and worldwide to export our Saudi culture and historical stories from the Arabian Peninsula,” added CEO of Manga Productions, Dr. Essam Bukhari. “This will be the first of a number of videos that will be produced by Manga Productions and will be featured in cinemas in the Middle East and the world.

source: http://www.arabnews.com

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‘The Journey’ tells the story of Aws, a potter with a mysterious past who indulged in an epic battle in defense of his city. (SPA) / pix: arabnews.com

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SAUDI ARABIA

Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo, Founder – Abu Dhabi Festival

Huda I Alhamis-Kanoo, Patron of the Arts

Founder – Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (ADMAF) – 1996
Founder & Artistic Director : Abu Dhabi Festival (2004)

www.admaf.org / www.abudhabifestival.ae

Awards:

The Abu Dhabi Award and Abu Dhabi Medal (conferred by H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi)
The UN-affiliated Women Together Award
The Aspen Institute Emerging Voice Award for Cultural Stewardship
The Puccini Festival Foundation Award,
The Middle East Institute’s Visionary Award,
etc…

Orders Conferred:

The Commander of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (Orden de Isabel la Católica), conferred upon her by HM Juan Carlos, former King of Spain, by order of HM Philip IV, King of Spain
The Medal of Civil Merit of Spain
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesverdienstkreuz)
Commendatore dell’Ordine della Stella della Solidarietà of Italy
Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur of France
Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France
The Belgian Officer of the Order of the Crown, bestowed upon her by HM Albert II, King of Belgium
The Gloria Artis Medal of Poland
Order of the British Empire (OBE), bestowed upon her by HM Queen Elizabeth the Second
etc…

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Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo is the founder of Admaf and artistic director of the Abu Dhabi Festival. Courtesy Abu Dhabi Festival / pix: thenationalnews.com

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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E)

Moroccan Poet Abdellatif Laabi Wins 2021 Roger Kowalski Award, Lyons-France

Moroccan francophone poet Abdellatif Laabi has won the 2021 Roger Kowalski Award for Poetry, organized by the city council of Lyon, in east-central France

The Award was for his most-recent poetry book, “Presque riens” (Almost Nothing), published in October 2020.

Named after a famous Lyon-native poet, the Roger Kowalski Award for Poetry each year honors a living francophone poet who is connected to the city of Lyon. Laabi was eligible for nomination because his wife, Jocelyne, is a Lyon native. He is the first Moroccan to ever win the award.

Founder of the first ever Moroccan francophone poetry magazine, called “Souffles” (Breaths) along with other writers Mohammed Khair-Eddine and Mostafa Nissaboury (1966).

Abdellatif Laabi published a novel in 2003, “Le Chemin des ordalies” (The Path of Ordeals), where he shares memories from his experience in prison.

Published 20 poetry books and five novels, along with tens of works translated from Arabic.

source: moroccoworldtoday.com

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FRENCH /MOROCCAN- FRENCH / FRENCH-ARAB / EUROPEAN ARAB

Morocco Receives Certificate of UNESCO Heritage Registration for COUSCOUS : December 2020

UNESCO gave couscous the special designation on December 16, 2020.

Samir Addahre, Morocco’s ambassador to the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), received the certificate of registration of couscous on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Couscous is Morocco’s 10th “element” on the list. Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Mauritania presented a joint request to include couscous on UNESCO’s list in December 2018.

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How heritage brings people together

The registration of “Knowledge, know-how and practices related to the production and consumption of couscous” is the result of a joint application by Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. This joint inscription of a shared heritage illustrates the extent to which intangible cultural heritage can be a subject on which States meet and cooperate. This is, moreover, the meaning of UNESCO’s action: building bridges between peoples, bringing them closer together through the practices and knowledge they have in common.

UNESCO / www.en.unesco.org

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source: moroccoworldnews.com

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MOROCCO / NORTH AFRICA