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  • Olympic star Yusra Mardini walks the Boss runway in Miami 

Olympic star Yusra Mardini walks the Boss runway in Miami 

Olympic star Yusra Mardini walks the Boss runway in Miami 
Mardini wore a white shirt dress with a beige vest, beige calf-length stockings and brown heels. (Instagram)
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Updated 17 March 2023
Arab News

Olympic star Yusra Mardini walks the Boss runway in Miami 

Olympic star Yusra Mardini walks the Boss runway in Miami 
  • The Syrian refugee appeared for the German designer having walked for Parisian brand Casablanca earlier this year
Updated 17 March 2023
Arab News

DUBAI: Syrian Olympic swimmer Yusra Mardini has officially added another title to her growing repertoire of accomplishments after becoming a model. 

The athlete, whose story of fleeing her homeland alongside her sister Sarah was made into a BAFTA-nominated film by Netflix called “The Swimmers,” walked the runway in Miami this week for German fashion label Hugo Boss. 

“Thank you for including me in this phenomenal experience,” Mardini wrote on Instagram sharing a picture of herself on the catwalk. 

Mardini, who is based in Germany, wore a white shirt dress with a beige vest, beige calf-length stockings and brown heels from the brand’s Spring/Summer 2023 collection. 

She walked the show, which was inspired by Miami, alongside A-list stars Naomi Campbell, Pamela Anderson, Law Roach, US Palestinian producer DJ Khaled, Precious Lee and Ezra Frech. 

This is Mardini’s second runway appearance, after she appeared for fashion brand Casablanca’s Autumn/Winter 2023 show in January. 

She also starred in Boss’s digital campaign that month, which featured a long list of Arab and international stars, including DJ Khaled, Dutch Palestinian model Gigi Hadid, Demi Lovato, Paris Hilton, Columbian singer Maluma, actress Bella Thorne and many more. 

In the advert, Mardini shared a photo collage featuring two images — one from her childhood and one present-day photo, while wearing Boss sweatshirts. 

In a recent interview with Arab News, Mardini said she is turning her focus to her non-profit work, as well as other endeavors.  

Having competed in the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics as part of the Refugee Olympic Athletes Team, Mardini is aiming to develop a foundation to facilitate education and sports opportunities for refugees. She is also starting her own journey as a filmmaker. 

“I am also studying in a university here in California called University of Southern California and I am studying film and production,” she said. “I am doing a lot of activities in the fashion domain and I have a non-profit organization, and I am doing something with the UNHCR and I am also studying, so generally I am happy with my life.”

Topics: Yusra Mardini boss Miami

Europe’s first majority Black orchestra debuts stateside

Europe’s first majority Black orchestra debuts stateside
Updated 23 March 2023
AFP

Europe’s first majority Black orchestra debuts stateside

Europe’s first majority Black orchestra debuts stateside
  • The London-headquartered Chineke! echoes similar efforts in the US, including the Detroit-based Sphinx organization that promotes representation of Black and Latino artists in classical music
Updated 23 March 2023
AFP

NEW YORK: After more than three decades in the classical music industry, British double bassist Chi-chi Nwanoku began grappling with the question that had troubled her for years: Why was she consistently the only Black musician onstage?
“Why did I never ask anyone about it? Why did we never talk about it?” she describes wondering. “Was I being tolerated, or were people just completely unaware?“
“Or were people okay with the status quo?“
In 2015 Nwanoku took a leading role in creating a more diverse future for classical music, which, from musicians to conductors to repertoire, traditionally skews heavily white.
She founded Chineke!, Europe’s first majority Black and ethnically diverse professional orchestra, which this week played at the prestigious New York Philharmonic’s David Geffen Hall in Manhattan’s Lincoln Center.
The performance was part of their long-awaited North American debut tour — it was among the many performances the pandemic pushed back — which included stops in New York, Ottawa, Toronto, Boston, Worcester and Ann Arbor.
The New York show featured the pioneering composer Florence Price’s Symphony No. 1, along with a rendition of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto featuring the New York Phil’s principal clarinet Anthony McGill.

The London-headquartered Chineke! echoes similar efforts in the United States, including the Detroit-based Sphinx organization that promotes representation of Black and Latino artists in classical music.
Yet the League of American Orchestras, which represents professional and amateur symphonies across the United States, found in a 2014 study on diversity that just 1.4 percent of orchestra musicians were Black — and there’s little reason to believe much has changed.
“Because the great majority of American orchestras are not individually transparent with racial and ethnic data on their artists, we do not know the percentage of Black orchestral artists in our orchestras today,” writes the Black Orchestral Network, a collective of Black musicians from more than 40 orchestras launched in 2022.
“From our vantage point, however, we have seen little meaningful progress.”
It’s mind-boggling to Nwanoku, who told AFP during a rehearsal break that “it seems to me that the only colleagues of color that I see who have a job in an orchestra in this country are those who are exceptional.”
“We have to be that much better to actually be given a job.”
Nwanoku believes that especially for young people, seeing more diverse faces onstage is “an immediate door-opener.”
“It’s the most incredibly winning thing to feel represented on a stage,” she said. “Even if when you walk through the front of house to buy a ticket, if you don’t see anyone who looks like you, that is immediately uncomfortable.”
“But when you see people that look like you in any place — in the supermarket, at the train station, at the concert hall, at the cinema — you immediately feel that is a place that I can walk into with confidence,” Nwanoku continued.
“You can be what you can see.”

Topics: Chineke! Chi-chi Nwanoku Sphinx organization League of American Orchestras New York Philharmonic’s David Geffen Hall

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Sharjah Museums Authority to exhibit replicas of artifacts that blind visitors can touch

Sharjah Museums Authority to exhibit replicas of artifacts that blind visitors can touch
Updated 22 March 2023
Arab News

Sharjah Museums Authority to exhibit replicas of artifacts that blind visitors can touch

Sharjah Museums Authority to exhibit replicas of artifacts that blind visitors can touch
  • The specialist ‘tactile tours’ will be led by guides with extensive experience of working with visually impaired people
  • The initiative is part of the authority’s efforts to offer more inclusive museum experiences for people with disabilities
Updated 22 March 2023
Arab News

DUBAI: The Sharjah Museums Authority is putting on display replicas of some artifacts from its collections so that visitors with visual impairments can touch them.

The specialist ‘tactile tours’ will begin next month, the Emirates News Agency reported. In addition to being able to get their hands on the models of objects as part of the interactive museum experience, visually impaired visitors will also be offered brochures in braille containing additional information about the exhibits.

One of treasures a replica of which has been made is a copy of the Qur’an attributed to Uthman ibn Affan from the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization’s Abu Bakr Gallery of Islamic Faith. It is written in Kufic script on parchment made from animal skins.

Other replicas at the same gallery include a 6-meter-long Kaaba curtain decorated with Qur’anic verses and Islamic patterns, and a Qur’an that is one of the most prominent works by calligraphist Ahmed Karahisari.

At Sharjah Archaeology Museum, the replicas include a 7,000-year-old necklace discovered in Al-Buhais 18 cemetery, and a rectangular, soft-stone box dating back to between 2500 and 2000 B.C.

The tactile tours will be led by guides with extensive experience of working with visually impaired people. More replicas are due to be added next year.

Manal Ataya, the authority’s director-general, said the initiative is in line with the organization’s efforts to support people with disabilities and inclusion.

“At SMA we aim to provide an accessible and more inclusive museum experience for people with all disabilities by offering them equal access to our museums, displays and programs,” Ataya said.

The authority has launched a number of initiatives for people with disabilities in recent years, including an “Autism-Friendly Museums” project in 2018 that was the first of its kind in the Gulf region, according to the Emirates News Agency.

Topics: Sharjah Museums

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What We Are Watching Today: ‘New Saudi Voices’ on Netflix

What We Are Watching Today: ‘New Saudi Voices’ on Netflix
Updated 22 March 2023
Sulafa Alkhunaizi

What We Are Watching Today: ‘New Saudi Voices’ on Netflix

What We Are Watching Today: ‘New Saudi Voices’ on Netflix
  • The flicks were first showcased by emerging Saudi filmmakers at the Red Sea Film Festival in 2021
Updated 22 March 2023
Sulafa Alkhunaizi

RIYADH: “New Saudi Voices,” a collection of 11 short films, was released by Netflix in 2022. Each story has its own flare and characters on unique journeys.

The flicks were first showcased by emerging Saudi filmmakers at the Red Sea Film Festival in 2021 under the New Saudi/New Cinema Shorts program.

All short movies stayed true to their genre including horror, science fiction, and comedy. The videography shots in the non-animated episodes reflected the mood of the story through light or dark hues.

However, some films fell short and had gaps in the storytelling process, leaving the viewer feeling underwhelmed or surprised by the turn of events. Many others delivered thought-provoking messages.

Khalid Fahad’s “Little Bird” had won the American Film Award and the Best Short Film Award at the Saudi Film Festival.

In the story, a boy named Malik has a difficult life and the film captures his loneliness, sadness, and frustration, with a tragic revelation at the end.

While the idea behind the movie is explained through a statement at the end, the initial viewing alone does not capture it fully and is somewhat shrouded in ambiguity. What makes the project bold is its foray into a topic that is seldom covered by films in the region.

“The Day I Lost Myself” by director Rami Alzayer highlights the daily struggles of people suffering from anxiety disorder. In the film, Salem is on his way to a job interview and gets stuck in an elevator with a stranger where they dive into a conversation about his condition.

The film contributes to an important conversation about mental health and brings awareness and understanding on the topic through the character’s personal journey.

Overall, “New Saudi Voices” is an ambitious and effective project that brings an array of diverse storytellers together to depict various facets of Saudi life.

Topics: New Saudi Voices Netflix What We Are Watching Today

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UAE’s Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza honored at London’s Arab Woman Award

UAE’s Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza honored at London’s Arab Woman Award
Updated 22 March 2023
Arab News

UAE’s Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza honored at London’s Arab Woman Award

UAE’s Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza honored at London’s Arab Woman Award
  • She was recognized for her philanthropy and her contributions to female empowerment
  • ‘I am proud to represent my country, where women have not had to struggle to obtain their rights’
Updated 22 March 2023
Arab News

LONDON: The UAE’s Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza was honored on Tuesday with the Arab Woman Award at a ceremony in London in recognition of her contributions to female empowerment in the region and her philanthropic efforts in various countries, Vogue Arabia reported.

Sheikha Fatima has been a strong supporter of cultural initiatives, particularly those involving the arts and sports. 

She has endorsed several programs aimed at boosting the cultural scene in the UAE and the region through her role as chairwoman of the board of directors of the Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy and the Fatima bint Hazza Cultural Foundation. 

Her other accomplishments include increasing access to education in Bangladesh, building schools in Kenya, and forming the Fatima bint Hazza Fund for Emirati women to pursue higher education abroad, Vogue Arabia reported.

She is “committed to enhancing the role of women in various ways, as she is a supporter of sports and arts, and we are honored to bestow her with the Achievement Award in Cultural Development,” the Arab London Foundation said.

The philanthropist has also helped broaden young people’s interest in fields such as art, literature, sustainability and community interaction, Vogue Arabia reported. 

The Fatima bint Hazza Cultural Foundation recently launched a series of short stories for young people focusing on culture, local identity and sustainability

Upon accepting her award, Sheikha Fatima praised Emirati leaders and their efforts to encourage women to pursue their dreams.

“Effective participation and making progress and positive change are the core values that we have been raised on,” she said. 

“I am proud to represent my country, the UAE, where women have not had to struggle to obtain their rights but have always been at the forefront since the establishment of the state.”

Topics: Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza Arab Woman Awards

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Nora Attal models for Gigi Hadid’s Guest in Residence 

Nora Attal models for Gigi Hadid’s Guest in Residence 
Updated 22 March 2023
Arab News

Nora Attal models for Gigi Hadid’s Guest in Residence 

Nora Attal models for Gigi Hadid’s Guest in Residence 
Updated 22 March 2023
Arab News

DUBAI: British Moroccan model Nora Attal showed her support for her friend Dutch Palestinian catwalk star Gigi Hadid by modeling for her fashion label Guest in Residence. 

Hadid shared a picture on her brand’s Instagram page of Attal wearing one of her cashmere pieces from the label’s Core collection.

She then reshared the picture to her private account, tagging Attal and adding a white heart.

Instagram/ @guestinresidence 

The pair have appeared on many runways together, including the Versace show in Los Angeles earlier in March. 

Hadid wore two outfits. The first was a floor-length gown with a semi-sheer corset bodice and a voluminous satin bottom, while her second look featured a structured black blazer, a knee-high skirt with black leather gloves, shoes and a bag. 

Attal wore a sheer turtle-neck top with a puffy miniskirt and black stockings. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Nora Attal (@noraattal)

Hadid launched her clothing label, which features soft, colorful knitwear, in September. 

“Over the last handful of years, I didn’t want to be backed into starting my own line just because there was an offer on the table or a deal to be made,” she wrote to her followers on Instagram at the time.

As a result, the 27-year-old rejected many opportunities until she found a path that “felt genuine.”

“The earliest days of Guest in Residence came about when I started to question the cashmere market, and those answers gave me a path,” she wrote.

“I believe that because of its sustainable qualities — natural and made to cherish and to pass down — cashmere is a luxury that should be more accessible.”

The model hopes her brand will encourage investment in quality pieces at reasonable prices, “and a wardrobe that can grow and change with your style, that can endure life with you, and that can become heirlooms.”

Topics: Nora Attal Gigi Hadid Guest in Residence

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