There’s a small island nestled in blue waters, with a history of slavery and oppression, that has historically punched far above its weight in terms of culture, sport, and specifically music. That island is Jamaica.
Yas Island can only lay claim to a couple of Jamaica’s achievements, but we spent Friday night there as it celebrated Jamaica’s most famous son’s birthday (with apologies to Usain Bolt) with the Reggae Beach Festival. It’s an island, after all, and thus the perfect place to celebrate Bob Marley’s birthday.
Of course, there is a world of difference between the island of Jamaica and the island of Yas. Not least in terms of the response to warm up DJ Teddy Jam which perfectly illustrated the slightly surreal nature of a reggae festival on Yas.
The authenticity of the event, then, is clearly somewhat debatable. We previously spoke to one of the few local distributors of genuine Jamaican foodstuffs in the UAE, who was unable to access to the festival on economic grounds, but that’s fine – we had a very nice pizza to keep it authentic. Pizza is popular in Jamaica, just like everywhere else in the world, and served as a further reminder of the slight cultural confusion surrounding the event.
The music was why everyone was really here though, and by and large it hit the spot. There were some slight misfires during the earlier, DJ-led section of the event – I'm not sure when Marc Anthony's Vivir Mi Vida entered the reggae canon, but all was forgiven when Ky-mani Marley, hit the stage at around 11pm. Ky-mani, is one of reggae legend Bob Marley's many children, and while he may not command quite as much public recognition as his sibling Ziggy, reggae and his father's legacy are close to both his heart, and presumably his bank account too. With eight studio albums of his own to mine for material, the first half hour or so of his set was politely received, if not entirely familiar, but when his father's hit Iron Lion Zion finally kicked in, a previously intrigued crowd became a full-on fan base as Marley finished up with a medley of his father's greatest hits.
With a nine-piece band pumping out the basslines and drum fills Marley offered up the closest you're likely to get to a Bob Marley gig in the absence of his departed father. It wasn't quite the real thing, as evidenced by the Jamaican pizza, but it was enough to leave a sizeable crowd with their reggae fill for the night.
*Ky-mani Marley returns to Yas Beach at Reggae Beach Fest tonight (Saturday, February 10) from 5pm
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Union Berlin (5.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Hertha Berlin v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Freiburg (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Monchengladbach (8.30pm)
Sunday
Mainz v Augsburg (5.30pm)
Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (8pm)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Day 1 fixtures (Saturday)
Men 1.45pm, Malaysia v Australia (Court 1); Singapore v India (Court 2); UAE v New Zealand (Court 3); South Africa v Sri Lanka (Court 4)
Women Noon, New Zealand v South Africa (Court 3); England v UAE (Court 4); 5.15pm, Australia v UAE (Court 3); England v New Zealand (Court 4)
COPA DEL REY
Semi-final, first leg
Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')
Second leg, February 27
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
The Energy Research Centre
Founded 50 years ago as a nuclear research institute, scientists at the centre believed nuclear would be the “solution for everything”.
Although they still do, they discovered in 1955 that the Netherlands had a lot of natural gas. “We still had the idea that, by 2000, it would all be nuclear,” said Harm Jeeninga, director of business and programme development at the centre.
"In the 1990s, we found out about global warming so we focused on energy savings and tackling the greenhouse gas effect.”
The energy centre’s research focuses on biomass, energy efficiency, the environment, wind and solar, as well as energy engineering and socio-economic research.
From Conquest to Deportation
Jeronim Perovic, Hurst
Ireland v Denmark: The last two years
Denmark 1-1 Ireland
7/06/19, Euro 2020 qualifier
Denmark 0-0 Ireland
19/11/2018, Nations League
Ireland 0-0 Denmark
13/10/2018, Nations League
Ireland 1 Denmark 5
14/11/2017, World Cup qualifier
Denmark 0-0 Ireland
11/11/2017, World Cup qualifier
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
MATCH INFO
England 2
Cahill (3'), Kane (39')
Nigeria 1
Iwobi (47')
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Opening Rugby Championship fixtures:Games can be watched on OSN Sports
Saturday: Australia v New Zealand, Sydney, 1pm (UAE)
Sunday: South Africa v Argentina, Port Elizabeth, 11pm (UAE)
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m; Winner: Gurm, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Al Nafece, Al Muatasm Al Balushi, Mohammed Ramadan
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Adrie de Vries, Ibrahim Aseel
6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Ottoman, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Liwa Oasis – Group 2 (PA) 300,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Hakeemat Muscat, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ganbaru, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
