Ahmed Mukhtar remembers being different from other children growing up in Baghdad.
Every afternoon, TV programmes in Iraq would begin the same way, at 4pm on the dot, with the melodious sound of the oud. For many children the music was little more than a signal that they would soon be watching one of their favourite shows. But for the then six-year-old Mr Mukhtar, the oud – a pear-shaped stringed instrument similar to a guitar – was the main attraction.
“I loved the oud from the first time I saw it on the TV and heard it,” said Mr Mukhtar, who left Iraq in 1996 to study in the UK. He applied for asylum and stayed, building a life in London, where he teaches oud and Arabic percussion.
“Other children didn’t care about the oud. They liked Mickey Mouse. They would see the oud music was playing and they would say ‘oh it’s the music' and come back. I came to listen to the oud and after that I continued watching,” he told The National.
Mr Mukhtar soon began to learn the instrument, and as a child was once made to perform in front of Saddam Hussein, who had a soft spot for the traditional Arab instrument.
Mr Mukhtar went on to master it, and with that expertise came an expectation to play regularly for the Iraqi leader – an obligation he had no intention of fulfilling. “The situation was horrible. There was no freedom. They used the music for the purpose and target of the dictatorship, to play for them.”
If you did not do that “you faced a lot of problems” and could not play the oud where you liked, he said. “You were not a free person,” added Mr Mukhtar. “I found the opportunity to escape so I left.”
He had read about London and sights such as Big Ben, before he came. “I had a nice picture of London,” he said. He quickly settled in and was happy, receiving support to study English, which he can now speak fluently, and to attend university.
Making and playing the oud – in pictures
“I found a lot of nice things [in the UK]. I liked it. I could live my life and do my favourite things,” he said. These included the oud, which he continued to study as part of a master’s degree in Middle Eastern Music at Soas – the School of Oriental and African Studies. He also studied performance and teaching.
The instrument was first found in Babylon, in ancient Iraq, around 5,000 years ago. Legend has it that it was made from the bones of Lamak, the sixth grandson of Adam. Playing the oud involves improvisation, matching its more than 25 scales to the mood of the occasion.
Mr Mukhtar is now an oud master, but he still spends much of his spare time practising, when he is not teaching others to play for Soas at the Arab British Centre. “You need to study and practise continually. I now do two hours a day but before I did more than this,” he said.
Mr Mukhtar composes title and documentary music and is working on his seventh album. He also performs all over the world.
“In the UK I have been to a lot of cities, from Edinburgh to Cardiff, to many places. And I travelled around Europe as well,” he said. “In some countries I have performed five or six times, like Holland, France and Spain. I have also performed in India and Thailand.”
Many of his students are Arab, but not all. He has some English students. “The oud helps me be in touch with many people who love Arab culture. They love Iraq and the heritage,” he said.
It also helps him stay spiritually connected to his homeland, a place he still visits. “When I play my emotions go to the area of Iraq and sometimes the places of Iraq,” he said.
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The full list of 2020 Brit Award nominees (winners in bold):
British group
Coldplay
Foals
Bring me the Horizon
D-Block Europe
Bastille
British Female
Mabel
Freya Ridings
FKA Twigs
Charli xcx
Mahalia
British male
Harry Styles
Lewis Capaldi
Dave
Michael Kiwanuka
Stormzy
Best new artist
Aitch
Lewis Capaldi
Dave
Mabel
Sam Fender
Best song
Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber - I Don’t Care
Mabel - Don’t Call Me Up
Calvin Harrison and Rag’n’Bone Man - Giant
Dave - Location
Mark Ronson feat. Miley Cyrus - Nothing Breaks Like A Heart
AJ Tracey - Ladbroke Grove
Lewis Capaldi - Someone you Loved
Tom Walker - Just You and I
Sam Smith and Normani - Dancing with a Stranger
Stormzy - Vossi Bop
International female
Ariana Grande
Billie Eilish
Camila Cabello
Lana Del Rey
Lizzo
International male
Bruce Springsteen
Burna Boy
Tyler, The Creator
Dermot Kennedy
Post Malone
Best album
Stormzy - Heavy is the Head
Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka
Lewis Capaldi - Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent
Dave - Psychodrama
Harry Styles - Fine Line
Rising star
Celeste
Joy Crookes
beabadoobee
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
The essentials
What: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
When: Friday until March 9
Where: All main sessions are held in the InterContinental Dubai Festival City
Price: Sessions range from free entry to Dh125 tickets, with the exception of special events.
Hot Tip: If waiting for your book to be signed looks like it will be timeconsuming, ask the festival’s bookstore if they have pre-signed copies of the book you’re looking for. They should have a bunch from some of the festival’s biggest guest authors.
Information: www.emirateslitfest.com
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km
Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)
On sale Jan/Feb 2020
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)
Valencia v Granada (7pm)
Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Sunday
Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)
Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)
Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)
Tales of Yusuf Tadros
Adel Esmat (translated by Mandy McClure)
Hoopoe
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
HOW TO WATCH
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So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
