You are not a stranger to the Arabian Gulf. What has your experience been of performing in the region?
I have been there a few times. I performed in Dubai and Kuwait and this will be my first time in Abu Dhabi. I always love exploring new cultures and meeting new people. I always talk about that in my act.
You perform all over the world, from Europe and the Middle East to China – does this suggest that stand-up comedy is a universal art form?
I don’t think it’s about keeping the material universal. I think it’s down to the idea that comedy should be for everybody. At the end of the day, what I think I am doing is telling stories. What I have to do is make sure that everyone understands and relates to what I am saying.
What drew you to comedy?
Laughter is the best thing I can remember from childhood – people laughing uncontrollably and also the fact that it was free. The second reason was to meet girls. I was not that attractive when I was young and I had no money – all I had was jokes. I realised that women who used to run away from me would stick around once I made them laugh. But then when I ran out of jokes, they started running away again and so I had to come up with more jokes. I found out that laughter was the best way to keep women around and keep people happy.
Your comedy also addresses serious topics about growing up in a tough environment and the stigma surrounding your background
I use comedy for people to understand my Haitian culture. I want to use it to dispel some of the stereotypes around it. I think people from the Middle East would understand that, because they are often portrayed in one way, but when you go there and see it for yourself, that’s not the case. Like, when I came to the Middle East, it really opened my eyes and I realised I lived in a bubble and that’s not how the world is. That’s why I tell people that to know about the world, they need to go out there and visit places and not get your information from the television and media.
You grew up in a conservative household – what did your parents think about your choice of career?
Well, they were very strict. They came to America and they wanted to follow that American dream of proper education, getting a job with benefits and then getting married and having kids. Doing anything as entertainment was unheard of in my house.
Did it go well when they found out you planned to tell jokes for living?
Are you crazy? They never knew about it, at first. I did it all behind their back. In fact, I remember I did a show at The Apollo in 1997 and that came on television on Saturday at 1am. Now, I didn’t think my mother would be watching it because she is normally in bed by 10pm. But that night, not only was she not in bed, she was also watching the show on television. The next day, I came home and my brother said: “Yo, mum watched you on TV.” I was nervous because my brother wouldn’t tell me what she thought. So I went to see her and she had five or six of her friends in the living room and they all stopped talking when I walked in. One of her friends just looked at me and pointed and said: “Is that the comedian there?” and my mother smiled and said: “Yes, and he is my favourite one.”
Oh man, I can only say that I am flattered and blessed. I mean, Eddie Griffin – what can you say about that? It is like a dream that I never thought would happen, to perform with him. I have no words for him, because that guy is a comedy genius. I just can’t wait to get down there and perform.
Tell us about the film work you are doing
I been writing a lot of movies and one of them is a drama called I Still Have a Soul, about a Haitian boxer called Maurice who goes from Haiti to New York City to follow his boxing dreams. I shot a trailer for it that you can see on YouTube and soon I will launch a kickstarter page to help raise money for it. I also produce a film festival that's sponsored by [American broadcaster] NBC called Short Cuts and the whole point of it is to help get people of colour, whether you are Spanish, black, Indian, Arab or others, into the industry.
In addition to Eddie Griffin and Wil Sylvince, Comedy Friday also features:
Ahmed Ahmed
Expect to see a lot more from the Egyptian- American comedian in the UAE. After his performance in the capital, Ahmed will remain in the UAE to perform at the opening of Comedy Oasis, a regular new event in Andreea’s Restaurant at the Habtoor Grand Beach Resort and Spa in Dubai. The 45-year-old is an industry veteran who, after relocating to Hollywood at the age of 19, landed roles in TV series including Roseanne and Jag, and in the 1996 action-movie Executive Decision. A regular at Hollywood’s The Comedy Store, Ahmed has also toured extensively with the popular Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, alongside Maz Jobrani, Aron Kader and Dean Obeidallah.
Mohammed Amer
The affable Palestinian-American is largely known for being one-third of the pioneering comedy troupe Allah Made Me Funny. His career took off in 1999 after reaching the finals of Houston’s Funniest Person competition, which resulted in nationwide tours. But it was when he joined Allah Made Me Funny in 2006 – with fellow comics Preacher Moss and Azhar Usman – that he began to receive international attention, with sold-out tours in the United Kingdom, Europe and South Africa. As well as crowd-favourite routines, his Abu Dhabi performance could include material from his autobiographical solo comedy show Legally Homeless: Trials of a Refugee.
• Will Sylvince will be performing at Comedy Friday at Al Raha Beach Theatre on Friday at 7pm. Tickets start at Dh145 from www.platinumlist.net
sasaeed@thenational.ae
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
MATCH INFO
Jersey 147 (20 overs)
UAE 112 (19.2 overs)
Jersey win by 35 runs
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Company%20Profile
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MORE ON THE US DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Brief scores:
Kashima Antlers 0
River Plate 4
Zuculini 24', Martinez 73', 90 2', Borre 89' (pen)
The%20specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%204cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E261hp%20at%205%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E400Nm%20at%201%2C750-4%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10.5L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C999%20(VX%20Luxury)%3B%20from%20Dh149%2C999%20(VX%20Black%20Gold)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
