Saturday, October 31, 2009

Abu Dhabi events

The Abu Dhabi event calendar is really overflowing this weekend! With the Formula One, including high-profile concerts, the Festival of Thinkers and the additional Corniche Yasalam-programme, there is lots to choose from for all, I guess!

For me, the highlight came last night, with Ragheb Alama playing, within walking-distance of my home. See him here at last year's Jordan festival

Monday, October 26, 2009

Modernist mosque architecture

Next to my home in Abu Dhabi this very modernist mosque is growing. I understand it is not uncontroversial as a mosque, but I must say I really appreciate the style and the attempt to build a typical but very modern mosque.



Saturday, October 24, 2009

UN day



A computer breakdown has left me without photos and blogging for sometime - it may still be a while before I am back in full force.

But today is the UN day - 24th October - which certainly deserves a mention. Also, Sweden saw several climate actions ahead of the December Copenhagen summit today: here and here, organized by 350.org.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

MEIFF again

The National has exclusive coverage here. I saw Ibn Babil/Son of Babylon yesterday, and it's beautiful and very very sad - about a Kurdish boy and his grandmother in the days after Saddam Hussein's fall in Iraq. I think the screenings here were the first public viewings ever, and if you have the chance to see it - do!

I hope for the opportunity to see Heliopolis tomorrow (photos here) as well as No one knows about Persian cats and Scheherazade, tell me a story later this week.

Shirin Neshat on Iranian women

This exhibition looks very interesting - if I get to Stockholm again before January I will really try to see it, at downtown Kulturhuset.

Here you can also find an interview with Shirin Neshat and read more of her and her work.

Friday, October 09, 2009

Nobel prize laureates

I am not sure I completely understand the motivation for awarding the peace prize to Barack Obama - however much I appreciate his style and effort so far. If I were on the award committe I would probably argue for not risking devalueing the prize by more or less giving it for hoped-for future results and not past achievements. But maybe this only reveals me as the boring risk-aversive bureaucrat I truly am?

Yesterday the literature prize winner was announced, and I really liked the motivation read out there, without ever having read Hertha Müller.

Forehand speculations included the laureate, but also other favourites of mine - Amos Oz, Adonis perhaps the foremost.

Permanent secretary Peter Englund interviewed ahead of the announcement. I heard a nice interview with him afterward, describing the surrealist experience of coming through the door too.

Among the science prize winners I seem to notice an unusually high ratio of women, which I like!

Update - Swedish voices: Swedish Committe for Afghanistan and the Swedish peace lobby.

Obama's reaction and Arab comments.

MEIFF - Middle East film



The film festival here opened last night and I am hoping to see several of the planned Arab, Iranian and Turkish films, even if I was busy for last night's opening gala and Mosafer.

Here, the new festival director talks to The National, and here again.

Speaking of film festivals, I can share a previous article on film, when Israeli Kaleem Aftab on the Lebanon war recently won the Venice Golden Lion

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Booker prize and book prizes



I haven't actually read today's Booker Prize winner Hillary Mantel, but both Svenska Dagbladet and Dagens Nyheter write about the event. A review from the Guardian can be found here.

Seeing how intrigued I was by Thomas Cromwell when recently watching the second season of The Tudors, I really look forward to reading the book!

Svenska Dagbladet also interviews Peter Englund, secretary of the Swedish literature academy, ahead of tomorrows revelation of this year's Nobel Literature prize.

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Food food food...

Well, not all cooked by me but an assortment of culinary experiences from recent months!







Rebuilding Afghanistan - photo exhibition

A gallery here in Abu Dhabi is right now and next week showing a photo exhibition by Dutch photographer Hans Stakelbeek from Afghanistan.

The exhibition has toured widely internationally already and reviews of previous exhibition occasions can be found here and here. Here you can see photos from a previous exhibition.

Monday, October 05, 2009

Celebrating 40!

Favourite crazy comedians Monty Python celebrates 40 years!

Look at the pythonline.com community (members only).

My favourite sketch is this one!