Arabs & Arabian Records Aggregator. Chronicler. Milestones of the 25 Countries of the Arabic Speaking World (official / co-official). AGCC. MENA. Global. Ist's to Top 10's. Records. Read & Enjoy./ www.arabianrecords.org
Oussama Mellouli became only the fourth swimmer to compete at six Olympic Games when he dived off the pontoon at Odaiba Marine Park on Thursday and then set his sights on Paris 2024 when he will be 40.
The Tunisian made his Olympic debut at Sydney 2000 and has now competed at five subsequent editions to join Therese Alshammar and Lars Frolander – both of Sweden – and Derya Buyukuncu of Turkey in an exclusive club.
The 37-year-old won gold in the 1500 free at Beijing 2008 followed four years later by bronze in the longest event in the pool as well as the open water title at London 2012.
He was 20th at Odaiba Marine Park on Thursday almost eight minutes behind winner Florian Wellbrock who delivered a masterclass in open water swimming.
Mellouli almost didn’t make it to Tokyo at all because of an ongoing dispute with the Tunisian Swimming Federation which saw him announce his retirement last month.
Days later, however, he confirmed he would race in Japan after Tunisian Olympic Committee president Mehrez Boussainpledged to mediate between Mellouli and the federation.
Mellouli though said the dispute had affected his training and subsequent performance, saying:
“I think I could have done a better job. Considering the last five weeks since Setubal (the FINA qualifying race), I’m a bit disappointed about (not being) a bit more in the fight.
“I think I wasn’t in the race for the first three loops and then I was below average in the last four loops.
“I think the poor situation that I’ve been in after my qualifier, I think a lot of extra stuff that’s been happening in my preparation didn’t get me in top form and top condition.
“After the qualifier I was hoping the situation could have been better so I could be in a better condition.”
It seems that Mellouli doesn’t want to end his career on such a note and when asked if he intended to compete in France, Mellouli said:
“I honestly hope so. I think I have more to prove.”
Should he do so, the eight-time world medallist would become the first swimmer to compete in seven Olympics after Alshammar attempted to qualify for the Sweden team in the women’s 4×100 free this year although her bid came to an end at the Sette Colli meet in June.
Thursday’s race saw Wellbrock win by more than 25 seconds ahead of Kristof Rasovszky and European champion Gregorio Paltrinieri and add to his bronze in the 1500m freestyle.
The German now holds the Olympic and world titles and Mellouli said:
“He did an amazing job, congratulations to the German team.
“Florian is a superstar. He has shown tremendous skills in the pool and today dominated the 10k so congrats.”
The first morning of swimming finals at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre featured Mellouli’s fellow Tunisian Ahmed Hafnaoui who won the 400 free from lane eight, prompting an outburst of emotion and unconfined joy.
Hafnaoui described Mellouli as a “legend” and said he aspired to be like him, a legacy of the older man’s success in the pool since he claimed his first global medal with 400IM bronze at the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona.
“I hope so,” said Mellouli.
“I’m very proud of him, words can’t describe how proud I am of him. I know the 400 freestyle is a very tough event, I think my best finish was fifth.
“He is a mature athlete at a young age.”
He added:
“That was great for Tunisian swimming, for Arab swimming, for north African swimming.
“I’m very proud of the kid. He shook the world and did an amazing job, an inspirational job.”
The Sheikh Zayed Festival witnessed an intense public turnout that exceeded the barrier of one million visitors, followers and viewers of the festival, who gathered in the Al Wathba area, coming from inside and outside the country, to celebrate the welcome of the New Year 2023.
The various events attracted visitors, especially the huge fireworks and drone shows, where 4 records were broken in the Guinness Book of Records.
The festival squares were crowded with crowds, and the Al Wathba area was filled with followers and viewers of the drone shows and fireworks, which lasted for about 60 minutes for the first time, for the Guinness Book of Records to record this great achievement.
Amid feelings of happiness and joy, the largest fireworks display and the largest drone show lit up the sky of Al Wathba. The largest fireworks display, which lasted for more than 40 continuous minutes and broke three records in the Guinness Book of Records in terms of quantity, time and shape, won the admiration of visitors. In addition to the largest display of “Drones”, using more than 3,000 drones, a message was drawn in the sky of Al Wathba, welcoming the New Year at the end of its interesting show.
Al-Waleed Othman, an arbitrator of the Guinness Book of Records, confirmed that the Sheikh Zayed Festival was able to break 4 records at the same time, 3 of which are related to fireworks and a new record related to “Drones”, explaining that the most number of helicopter fireworks thrown in 30 seconds or more was recorded. The number of fireworks launched in 30 seconds (wheels), the most repeated fireworks in 30 seconds, in addition to the largest formation of a quick response code by drones.
Othman said: We are pleased to be present at the Sheikh Zayed Festival in the New Year’s celebrations, and we extend our congratulations to the organizers of the festival, who used to break records annually in order to please the audience.
The festival’s audience was keen to document the wonderful moments of the various shows on their mobile phones and share them on social media. The impressive performances were also broadcasted on the festival’s social media.
The Emirates Fountain and laser performances won the admiration of the festival-goers, young and old, with their dazzling musical and laser shows.
The Pavilions of World Civilizations also allocated a lot of international artistic and folklore shows, turning the festival into a global artistic carnival in celebration of New Year’s Eve, whether by holding concerts on the stages of the Pavilions of Civilizations or by participating in the march of world civilizations that roamed all parts of the festival, presenting popular performances in traditional clothes of countries. participation.
Visitors to the Sheikh Zayed Festival expressed their happiness with the international and diverse folklore and artistic events and performances, including the activities of the Heritage Village, the city of recreational games, the children’s city, the arts area, go-karting competitions, Crazy Cars, the Garden of Lights and Flowers, in addition to the Selfie Street area, the Museum of Sweets and many others.
William Mullally picks the best movies by Arab filmmakers over the past year.
‘Perfect Strangers’
Director: Wissam Smayra
Starring: Mona Zaki, Nadine Labaki, Georges Khabbaz
The original Italian version of “Perfect Strangers” had already been remade across the world before its Arabic-language iteration was released on Netflix. But nowhere else has it caused the stir that it did in the Middle East. The conceit is simple: Seven friends at a dinner party decide to play a game, placing their phones in the center of the table to make their calls and messages known to all. As the night goes on, their secrets are revealed, upending everything they thought they knew about each other. Not only was this the best version of the film so far, with pitch-perfect casting and memorable performances, it was also the bravest: each of its stars pushed themselves in ways they had never been able to in regional film previously, shattering taboos, capturing the world’s attention and changing Arab cinema forever.
The highest grossing film in the history of Egyptian cinema, “Kira & El Gin” is Marwan Hamed at his best. This is a crowd-pleasing historical epic that not only captures the spirit of Egypt past and present, but sets a course for a new future for the country’s film industry. Following two men fighting the British occupation in Egypt during the 1919 revolution, Hamed’s film rarely sags despite its nearly three-hour run time and sprawling cast, structured more as a suspense thriller than a social studies lecture. As Hamed jumps from genre to genre across his films, proving equally adept at each, one wonders how he will top this, should he try. But it would be foolish to bet against him as he continues to notch up career high after career high.
‘Boy From Heaven’
Director: Tarik Saleh
Starring: Fares Fares, Tawfeek Barhom, Mohammad Bakri
Egyptian-Swedish filmmaker Tarik Saleh has a bone to pick. Growing up in Europe, he was always labeled as ‘other’ — an idea reinforced in the books in his school library describing Arabs as “stupid” and “uncivilized.” Now firmly entrenched as a filmmaker, Saleh refuses to make films tailored to the Western gaze, turning his camera deep into the inner workings of Egyptian society and forcing international viewers to accept that they are seeing things through eyes that are not their own. In “Boy from Heaven,” Saleh goes deep into a corruption scandal at the influential Al-Azhar Mosque, following a hero whose strong Muslim faith is unrattled as he uncovers the evils hiding from plain sight, with scenes and images you won’t soon forget.
‘The Alleys’
Director: Bassel Ghandour
Starring: Maisa Abd Elhadi, Nadia Omran, Munther Rayahna
In 2014’s “Theeb,” Jordanian writer Bassel Ghandour crafted perhaps the greatest example of the Bedouin Western in cinema history. With “The Alleys,” Ghandour steps into the director’s chair for the first time and turns the streets of Amman into the setting for a modern noir, in which the darkness hiding in the city’s back streets slowly boils to the surface. The film’s sprawling nature is both benefit and detriment, but it’s a stirring snapshot nonetheless, elevated by star-making performances from Maisa Abd Elhadi and Nadia Omran.
‘You Resemble Me’
Director: Dina Amer
Starring: Dina Amer, Mouna Soualem, Lorenza Grimaudo
Filmmaker Dina Amer is most familiar to global audiences for her fearless journalism in 2013’s “The Square” and various Vice News stories she produced as their foreign correspondent from the front lines of regional conflicts. “You Resemble Me” cements her as a filmmaker to watch, as her harrowing experimental recounting of the life of Hasna Ait Boulahcen, the woman miscredited as Europe’s first suicide bomber, is a deeply affecting dissection of the roots of terrorism and the racism that Arab women face in Europe. One of the most original films released this year.
The story of Yusra and Sara Mardini, two sisters from Syria who risked their lives to escape conflict for a better future only for one of them to become an Olympian, is so powerful that a film capturing their story could not help but be inspirational. El-Hosaini, the Welsh-Egyptian filmmaker behind 2012’s excellent “My Brother the Devil,” made it into something more — a thought-provoking reframing of the refugee experience at a time when Syrians and many others still suffer from that stigma, as well as a chronicle of women’s empowerment as the structures that held them back crumble, all told with a light touch that never alienates the huge global viewership the Netflix film has enjoyed.
‘Mediterranean Fever’
Director: Maha Haj
Starring: Amer Hlehel, Ashraf Farha, Anat Hadid
Palestinian cinema is often, understandably, a no-holds-barred dissection of the plight of its people. But that is by no means its only manifestation, as Maha Haj, a previous collaborator with renowned satirist Elia Suleiman, proves with her latest feature, “Mediterranean Fever,” the follow up to her acclaimed 2016 feature “Personal Affairs.” Haj focuses here on smaller human problems, following an aspiring writer who suffers from depression and befriends a small-time crook living next door. At times comedic, the film drifts into dark territory while always keeping its audience guessing. After winning best screenplay at Cannes in 2022, Haj has confirmed herself as one of the region’s most singular voices.
There is no more versatile actor working in Arab cinema today than Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri, who, with Touzani’s “The Blue Caftan,” has capped off a tremendous run of eight films in the last two years, including Farah Nabulsi’s Oscar-nominated “The Present” and Mohammed Diab’s “Amira.” This is perhaps his best performance yet. He plays Halim, a struggling master tailor in Morocco whose life is turned upside down when he and his wife take in a young apprentice. Stealing the strikingly-filmed show, however, is his co-star Lubna Azabal as his wife Mina, who is quietly enduring her own private battle with breast cancer as she and her husband struggle to communicate. With this and 2019’s “Adam,” Touzani is already one of Morocco’s great chroniclers.
‘Raven Song’
Director: Mohamed Al-Salman
Starring: Asem Alawad, Ibrahim Alkhairallah, Abdullah Aljafal
The singular contemporary Gulf filmmaker Mohamed Al-Salman is not making films so that the world may understand Saudi Arabia — he’s making them so that Saudi Arabia may understand itself. “Raven Song,” his debut feature after years of acclaimed shorts, is a stylish jump back to 2002 in the Kingdom, a formative time for both the filmmaker and his country, in which the fight between traditionalism and modernity was so heated that it manifested prominently even in the world of poetry. At times dream-like, “Raven Song” is a film that defies definition, with interpretations likely to roll in for years to come.
A new modern landmark in the capital of the Kingdom, the Light Ball, has been named by Guinness World Records as the largest illuminated LED ball in the world, with an estimated height of 35 meters.
Located at Boulevard World, the exterior of the ball emanates bright lighting that flickers in different patterns, while the interior boasts a 220-seat theater equipped with state-of-the-art features.
Guests can recline in their seats facing a 360-degree circular screen. The short films presented in the theater are five minutes long, with varying genres suitable for families to enjoy. The shows run every 30 minutes daily from 3:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
In addition to cultural experiences, Boulevard World includes the largest artificial lake in the world. Visitors can take part in boat and submarine rides in the lake — a first for Riyadh Season.
There are also distinctive entertainment options, such as Combat Village, Super Hero, the largest sphere in the world and cable car trips between Boulevard World and its neighboring zone, Boulevard Riyadh City.
The zone offers visitors other entertainment experiences as well, such as Boulevard Pier, Discovery, Realistic Monopoly, The Mountain, Area 15, Ninja Warriors and Fun Zone for children.
source/contents: arabnews.com (headline edited)
___________
Located at Boulevard World, the exterior of the ball emanates bright lighting that flickers in different patterns, while the interior boasts a 220-seat theater equipped with state-of-the-art features. (Supplied)
Lekjaa was instrumental in Morocco’s 2022 footballing triumphs, but he continues to look to the future.
When Morocco’s football team defied all odds by topping their group at the Qatar World Cup and qualifying to the round of 16, the president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) appeared simultaneously happy and unsatisfied.
As most football watchers — and even Moroccan fans and analysts — seemed to say that the Moroccan team’s group performance was a welcome surprise, Fouzi Lekjaa begged to slightly differ.
Yes, the performance was welcome, but there was nothing surprising or shocking about it, the FRMF chief suggested. Others believed — or hoped — that Morocco could do well in the knockout stage, but Lekjaa knew the team could and should do much better. With many pundits favoring Spain to beat Morocco in the round of 16, Lekjaa beamed in an interview that the Atlas Lions have “the potential to compete with anyone.”
Over the team’s next few games, Lekjaa’s words would prove true. The team defeated Spain on penalty kicks after a 120-minute grueling and edgy match, progressing to the quarter-finals for the first time in its history. With a star-suffused Portuguese team waiting in the quarter-finals, the FRMF remained adamant that Morocco could stun their European opponents. And that, ultimately, this being Morocco’s moment to lift Africa’s quarter-final curse, he was confident Morocco would seize it.
And while Morocco’s campaign may have been ended by France in the semi-finals, and while the Atlas Lions may have failed to snatch the bronze medal during their third-place game with Croatia, they have largely achieved what has long been Lekjaa’s goal: put Moroccan football in the global spotlight and earn African football the world’s respect.
Of course, credit for the Atlas Lions’ triumphs cannot be given to one person. Head coach Walid Regragui, players like Yassine Bounou and Sofyan Amrabat, and the team’s technical and medical staff all helped throughout the historic run.
But Lekjaa, who has also been member of FIFA’s executive council since 2021, has been duly celebrated as the orchestrator of the advancement of Moroccan football and the plaudits and respect it has earned of late. While talents on the pitch and the coaching staff’s vision and tactical nous were instrumental in Morocco’s exploits, many have argued, the Atlas Lions’ success story would not have been possible without the reforms the Moroccan federation has witnessed under Lekjaa.
With his team’s sustained quest for Moroccan talents in the diaspora, the recent colossal investments in the national football league and in sporting infrastructure such world-class stadiums and a well-respected football academy, Lekjaa’s leadership has made Moroccan football a leader in Africa and a force to reckon with on the world stage.
It is thus in recognition of his revolutionary leadership at the helm of the FRMF, especially the last-minute, well-timed decision to appoint an inspired coach ahead of the World Cup, that Morocco World News is choosing Lekjaa as one of this year’s most important personalities.
Education and career
Lekjaa was born in Berkane in 1970, where he finished his education before leaving for Rabat to join the Hassan II Agronomic and Veterinary Institute, where he obtained a degree as an agricultural engineer.
He then studied at the National School of Administration in Casablanca and worked at the Ministry of Finance as well as the Ministry of Agriculture. He has been described as the youngest to ever hold the position of budget director in the Finance ministry’s history.
In October 2021, Lekjaa was named as Minister Delegate to the Minister of Finance, responsible for the Budget, as part of Aziz Akhannouch’s government, currently in power.
Career in football
While he has occupied numerous high-profile posts in Morocco’s government, Lekjaa is perhaps best known for his transformative contributions to the country’s football scene.
Having grown up a supporter of his local club, Renaissance Sportive de Berkane (RSB), Lekjaa was appointed president of the club in 2009, while he held another job as a civil servant.
In 2012, RS Berkane rejoined the Moroccan top-flight league for the first time since the 80s, and reached the Throne Cup’s final in 2014, for the first time since 1986.
Since then, the club has been crowned champions of the Throne Cup two times, in 2018 and 2022.
They have also achieved unprecedented continental success, reaching the final of the CAF Confederation Cup three times, winning the title in 2020 and 2022. They also won the most recent CAF Super Cup in 2022, after defeating their fellow Moroccans in Wydad Casablanca.
In 2014, Lekjaa succeeded Ali Fassi Fihri as President of the FRMF, the position he continues to hold today. During his time, Moroccan clubs have achieved success on the continental stage, winning three CAF Super Cup titles, two Champions’ League titles, and reaching five finals.
In 2022, the Super Cup title was contested by two Moroccan teams — with Wydad AC winning the continent’s Champions League while RS Berkane took home the Confederations Cup.
Morocco’s national football team also qualified for the 2018 Russia World Cup under Lekjaa’s presidency, although they could not make it past the group stage despite strong performances against Spain and Portugal.
In 2022, following trouble with players and disapproval from Morocco’s football fans, Bosnian manager Vahid Halilodzic was dismissed by FRMF only a few months before Morocco was set to participate in the World Cup finals.
In his place came Moroccan coach Walid Regragui, who went on to lead Morocco’s squad through a historic run that saw them reach the World Cup’s semi-finals. The decision to hire Regragui has been hailed by many as a step in the right direction of putting more trust in local talents.
Looking to the future
Morocco’s 2022 World Cup triumphs have been declared as just the beginning by some, and it certainly seems that Lekjaa is looking to the future as well.
Despite its World Cup bids being rejected before, Morocco will most likely bid again to host the 2030 World Cup. With Lekjaa joining FIFA’s Executive Council last year, this bid could see a better fate than the past ones.
If successful, Morocco would be the second African and Arab country to host the global competition. Lekjaa told the Associated Press earlier this month that Morocco is considering a joint bid with Spain and Portugal to show the world that the relationship between Morocco and its European neighbors is one “in which civilizations can meet and cultures meet.”
The Moroccan team’s performances at the 2022 tournament have only strengthened Morocco’s international reputation as a footballing nation with a history and passion for the sport, which should also serve well to strengthen its bid.
Many of the stars that led Morocco to the semi-finals in 2022 should still be playing in four years when the US, Canada, and Mexico host the competition, leading to hopes that they can maintain the same level or improve upon it in the future.
Regragui has already made it clear his aspirations are for the next World Cup, asserting that because the Atlas Lions have shown they can compete with the world’s best, Morocco lifting the trophy in 2026 is not a quixotic goal.
Egyptian mezzo soprano Farrah El-Dibany has performed La Marseillaise the French national anthem, in the beginning of the final FIFA World Cup match against Argentine in Doha, Qatar on Sunday.
Farrah El-Dibany has sang during the re-election of Emmanuel Macron on April 24.
She was awarded France’s Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in the grade of Chevalier (Knight) by France’s Ambassador to Cairo Marc Baréty during an official ceremony in April.
Born in Alexandria in 1989, El-Dibany is one of the well-known Egyptian singers of her generation, establishing herself on an international scale in a short time.
Rashid Diab was the first in a stream of brilliant Sudanese artists who came flooding into Kenya in the early 1990s.
He has been a way-shower ever since. Experimenting with technical skills that he’s acquired and mastered over the years, his awesome etchings have come to Nairobi’s Red Hill Gallery in an exhibition entitled A Trajectory of Etchings – 1980-2000.
A trip up to Hellmuth and Erica Rossler-Musch’s ever-green gallery is well worth the trek, if for no other reason than to meet two of the most hospitable art lovers around.
But then, to see the Gallery’s pearly white walls covered in a rich array of Rashid’s colourful etchings is all the more reason to come and see.
They are mainly abstract works, but one can see so many influences surfacing through his swirls of colours, two-dimensional lines, and calligraphic curves that disclose his Sufi upbringing.
There are more than 50 etchings, all of which are beautifully framed and displayed in geometric clusters of both miniature gems of genius dressed in sepia and ochre ink as well as larger works suggesting symbolic forms such as are found in northern Sudan, in the ancient murals of Meroetic and Kush civilisations.
The venerable Sudanese artist flew in from Khartoum, especially for his exhibition opening last Sunday, November 20, having been preceded by his son Yafil, who prepared the way for Nairobi to see facets of his father’s art other than the style of painting that he is currently passionate about and which we have seen in recent exhibitions of his work in places like Tribal Gallery, One Off, and Gravitart.
“We met Yafil more than a year ago when he came and suggested that we have an exhibition of his father’s etchings,” Hellmuth told BDLife shortly before the exhibition opened.
“We were impressed with the etchings, especially as they cover a span of 20 years, but we couldn’t hold the exhibition until now.”
There had been many steps involved in bringing Yalif’s idea to fruition, especially as he had to return to Khartoum and the process of curating the show had to proceed online.
The fact that none of the etchings had ever been seen before in Kenya made the preparation process all the more exciting for Hellmuth who relished the challenge.
But once he’d selected his favourites from the hundreds that Yalif had shared, Hellmuth insisted on framing all but ten of them to show them in their best light.
“My father was impressed to see the exhibition as he had never seen so many of the works shown so well in one space,” Yalif said.
Rashid himself hadn’t discovered his passion for printmaking, specifically for etching until he was introduced to the technique in Spain, at the Complutense University of Madrid where he had been awarded a fellowship to attend.
That discovery led to his getting advanced degrees in painting and etchings, including a PhD.
But after years of working as a scholar and professor of fine art, he felt compelled to return to his homeland where he has been sharing his knowledge, skills, wisdom and experience with his fellow Sudanese ever since.
In 2000 when he returned to Khartoum, he established the Dara Art Gallery. And several years after that, the Rashid Diab Art Centre was born.
“As we don’t have a national art gallery in Sudan, the Centre has played an important role,” Yalif said. It has also given Rashid the visibility required for the world to recognise his talent and leadership role in the arts of Sudan.
For instance, he won the King Juan Carlos of Spain award for Excellence in Service. He has also won ambassadorial status from the Japanese and British governments for his concern for peace and the environment.
He’s also exhibited his art all over the Middle East and Europe.
So, while he hasn’t lost his passion for printmaking, he had to put it on hold while shifting artistically as well as socially and culturally from his Spanish to his Sudanese circumstance.
“I’m concerned about the role of women in our society, which is why they appear so frequently in my art,” Rashid told BDLife at the opening of his first solo exhibition at Red Hill.
But it is thanks to his son, who discovered hundreds of his etchings while archiving his father’s art that we have the opportunity to see this treasure trove of an earlier phase of Rashid’s artistic ‘trajectory.’
Following up a highly eventful year, the diverse artist delivers an electrifying track for the official soundtrack of the 2022 World Cup which he will perform at the final match.
Ahead of his performance at the FIFA 2022 World Cup finals taking place in Qatar on Sunday the 18th of December, Wegz releases ‘Ezz El Arab’ as part of the tournament’s official soundtrack.
Internationally acclaimed Egyptian artist Wegz has been continuously growing throughout his career. In only a few years, the Alexandrian rapper and singer has managed to permeate the cultural zeitgeist, becoming an ever-present figure in contemporary Arabic music.
This year, Wegz has achieved major accomplishments, such as his track ‘Al Bakht’ amassing over 150 million views on YouTube and topping the charts on Spotify’s most played artist in the MENA region.
If there is one thing that Wegz has demonstrated throughout his career, it’s that he is always moving forward, continuously trying to evolve his sound and expand his reach.
In pursuit of these ventures, the beloved Egyptian rap icon has just released an official track for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, looking to afro-beats, electronic music, and his signature singing style to deliver an energising track that explores themes of unity and pride.
The music video for the track was directed by Ali El Arabi, who also directed Wegz’s, ‘B3oda Ya Belady’ from the highly acclaimed documentary ‘Captains of Zaatari’. The video features Wegz in a variety of shots around Qatar, DJing to an adoring crowd of football fans, and performing to camera in a cinematic portrayal of the tournament’s festivities.
This year’s World Cup has been more than just a sporting event for people of the MENA region. The tournament has always been a time for gathering and community, even if many Arab national teams have not reached their full potential in previous iterations of the World Cup. But this year’s tournament, hosted in Qatar, has seen incredible performances from teams such as Saudi Arabia, and of course, the Moroccan national team, who have instilled a sense of pride in Arab fans around the region and beyond. Watch the full music video here
“Festivities and celebrations affiliated with the Journey of the Holy Family in Egypt are now on UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity,” professor Nahla Imam, heritage consultant at the Egyptian Ministry of Culture and country representative of Egypt at the 2003 Convention of Safeguarding the Intangible Heritage of UNESCO, told Ahram Online on Wednesday.
Imam credited the move to the efforts of the Egyptian ministries of culture and foreign affairs, adding that Egypt’s efforts were almost unanimously supported by UNESCO’s Inter-Governmental Committee.
This is the seventh intangible cultural heritage element that Egypt enlists in UNESCO. Prior to the Journey of the Holy Family, the Egyptian manual-textile industry in Upper Egypt was put on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage Sites in Need of Urgent Preservation.
Egypt first enlisted El-Sirah El-Helalya (The Epic of Beni Helal) in 2008, Tahteeb(Stick Art) in 2016, the Aragouz Puppet in 2018, and the knowledge and traditions affiliated with palm trees in 2019.
According to the accounts of historians, the Holy Family spent around four years in Egypt.
Their trip started in the Sinai at Al-Farma, on the border with Gaza, where they arrived after fleeing Jerusalem. Their trip ended in Durnaka, Assiut, venue of the famous Monastery where the feast of Virgin Mary is celebrated in August each year.
As the FIFA World Cup reaches its climactic end, one cannot help but reflect on what an extraordinary political event it has been. Those who argue that sport and politics should be decoupled will have found it hard watching politics as an ever-present from the day Qatar was awarded the event back in 2010 and at every single match since the tournament began on Nov. 20.
But perhaps one of the most fascinating and hopefully impactful thrills at the World Cup has been the rare opportunity to remind the world that, for all its troubles, fissures and rivalries, the peoples of the Arab world do have much in common and that football has highlighted that reality every day in Qatar.
Some might question these signs of togetherness among fellow Arabs. Yet there were copious examples where it shone. Three achievements stood out.
Firstly, for Morocco to beat Spain and then Portugal in the knockout rounds was exceptional, especially following their defeat of Belgium, the second-ranked side in the world, in the group stage. There was more than an element of delight in seeing a former colony defeating, in Spain, its one-time colonial master. Morocco will get the chance to overcome its other colonial power, France, in the semifinals on Wednesday. In fact, star player Achraf Hakimi was born in the poor suburbs of Madrid. Morocco were the only team in the quarterfinals not from Europe or South America. Few in the region were not cheering them on. A sense of collective pride emerged as a result of the North African country’s success in becoming the first Arab and African state to reach the semifinals.
One might have thought that, given the dire state of relations between Morocco and Algeria, that Algerians would have shied away from joining in the festivities. Evidence suggests otherwise. Algerians were out supporting Morocco as enthusiastically as anyone else in the region. A friend was in Paris and told me: “After one of the Morocco victories, there were lots of Algerian supporters and flags joining their Moroccan brothers and sisters in celebration.” The Algerian captain and superstar Riyad Mahrez was quick to praise the Atlas Lions’ achievements.
Secondly, Tunisia beating reigning world champions France in the group stage was also an unforgettable moment. This was the first time they had beaten European opposition in the World Cup. This was every bit as big a win as in 1982, when Algeria beat the mighty West Germany in their first ever World Cup game.
Third, the Saudi victory over Argentina was another huge milestone. In many ways, this ignited the World Cup for the Arab world.
A sense of pride has also broken out that many of the finest players in the world come from this region. Hakim Ziyech for Morocco is one. Mahrez and Mohammed Salah were not in Doha but are still at the top of the sport. Kylian Mbappe, a star of this tournament, has an Algerian mother.
The key players in the Arab teams largely play in Europe. This shows football at its best in terms of breaking down barriers. Fourteen out of the 26-man Morocco squad were born outside of the country, showing how the team relies on the Moroccan diaspora. This includes Ziyech, who opted not to play for the Netherlands. That points to one challenge that countries like Morocco face, as they lack the footballing infrastructure to develop and nurture enough talent at home.
This World Cup has also often been about one country that is not there. At every single game featuring an Arab side, and plenty others beside, the Palestinian flag was there. It is a political symbol and a defiant message that the Arabs will not forget or ignore what is happening to the Palestinians in the diaspora and under occupation. As an even more brutally right-wing coalition is about to take power in Israel, this message should be carefully noted in the US and European capitals. Palestine still matters.
Israeli hasbaristas were also caught out. Having belittled and mocked those who claimed otherwise, they discovered that, despite the normalization deals, Arabs are not willing to gloss over Israel’s crimes and oppression. Time and time again, Israeli journalists, while trying to pretend everything was all lovely and wonderful with their newfound Arab friends, found that “free Palestine” was pushed back in their faces. Many locals snubbed their requests for interviews.
” A World Cup in the Arab world has brought some cheer to a region that has been hit hard by wars and other crises. “
Chris Doyle
Palestinian armbands and keffiyehs were being worn at nearly every match by huge numbers of fans. The sheer arrogance of believing that a state could oppress millions of people and that all would be peace and happiness was exposed as the nonsense it is. The Moroccan players had no hesitation in raising the Palestinian flag after their wins over Spain and Portugal.
Many Arabs also expressed admiration for the courage of the Iranian team after the players refused to sing their national anthem ahead of their opening match against England. This points to the widespread sympathy many Arabs feel toward Iranians, notably currently the women, who are struggling for their freedoms.
The Western media has been quick to point out all that was wrong with this World Cup. It is about time it also highlighted what has gone right. For all the criticisms of Qatar in the run-up to the cup over issues such as workers’ rights, one of the key elements of its bid has been fulfilled. Football in the region has been the winner. The atmosphere has been considerably warmer than many expected, with largely good-natured relations among fans of all countries. It seems that rival fans have not needed to be segregated, showing the festival-like atmosphere. Fan violence does not seem to have featured. The largest numbers of fans, of course, came from the Arab world, with Saudi Arabia providing the largest number from a single country.
Many outside the region were dismissive of the claims that football mattered in the Middle East. One leading commentator contemptuously told me, while on the BBC, that Qatar did not have a footballing heritage. Yet the region should never have been ignored. A World Cup in the Arab world has brought some cheer to a region that has been hit hard by wars and other crises, and whose peoples have not had much to celebrate in recent years.
Chris Doyle is director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, in London. Twitter: @Doylech
Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News’ point of view
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
_____________
Palestinians watch the World Cup quarterfinal between Morocco and Portugal in Gaza City, Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022. (AP Photo)
