Thursday 8th Jun, 2017
By Jodi Davies.
I've lived in Dubai for the last seven years, in a villa a stone's throw from the beach, in the shadow of the Burj Al Arab (well, almost...). I feel incredibly fortunate to live here and over the years I've watched, mostly in awe, but sometimes with a tinge of regret, as Dubai develops around me. I've seen the relentless move to modernise and make shiny and new that's led to every last vestige of sand being consumed by grand, ornate constructions, and I've seen bright white malls and palatial villas spring up, seemingly overnight, as if by magic.
Tuesday 12th Jul, 2016
By Julie Ahadi
Let’s start with a predefined notion of “normal” from a western perspective:
- A western male teenager: Dresses in a hoody, wears expensive trainers, and spends time either graffitiing or climbing walls.
- A young Arab man: Walks aimlessly around malls for hours, dressed in a sparkly white, freshly laundered thawb and headdress (with sandals).
Perhaps that’s the reason, therefore, that a video, showing an Arab man in traditional attire as described above, scaling multiple buildings in sandy (undisclosed) locations, went viral earlier this year. His speed and dexterity has earned him the nickname “Spiderman of the Gulf”. But, aside from the fact he was wearing the most inappropriate footwear–yes, sandals–is it that much of a big deal? A young, fit man with time on his hands and energy to burn choosing to climb a building or ten? It seems pretty standard for any–and all–silly antics to be filmed by your mates and uploaded onto YouTube these days. And that’s exactly what happened here. So it’s not the act so much as the circumstances–i.e., someone doing something which is completely at odds with our cultural stereotypes–that amuses us so.
Monday 16th May, 2016
By Julie Ahadi.
There is an Arabic proverb (Lebanese, in fact) that goes: “He who wants to eat honey should endure the stings”. We suspect that a fair proportion of consultants in the GCC may benefit from reminding themselves of this mantra in the days and months ahead as the impact of low oil prices play themselves out.
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