LIWA // Emirati women are using age-old skills to create modern designs - and for some, a new way of life for their families - for the handicraft markets at the Liwa Date Festival.
"When we were young we had to weave, because it was a part of life," Salma Ahmed al Mansouri, who was selling at one of the booths, said yesterday. "But later on there was no point in it, so we stopped.
"Now though, when I see the finished product I am so proud, and money that comes from my own handiwork has a different taste to it."
Her stall is filled with woven bags, bookmarks and other crafts.
"Recently at the [Abu Dhabi] book fair, I sold Dh6,000 worth of crafts, and was able to buy my family a washing machine and refrigerator," she said. "It's made a big difference in our lives."
There are 160 stores in the marketplace, as well as more outside the exhibition grounds. Some of the women travel to multiple festivals throughout the region.
"It's important to keep our traditions alive as well as make a living," said Maryam Ali Ahmed Saeed, who lives in Khor Fakkan but came for the festival. "We sell at every festival we can find."
Decades ago, women would weave tents, camel bags and carpets. But after Sheikh Zayed provided all the residents of the Western Region with houses in the mid-1970s, the craft became less of a necessity.
But even today business opportunities in rural areas are limited and jobs are scarce.
Even if the husband or children are employed it often can be hard to provide for big families, said Leila Ben-Gacem, who works for the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development.
"Extra income is often welcomed," she said. "Even if you go to university, jobs are hard to come by in that area. But now children are seeing their mums, who are semi-literate, provide for the family, and the women are realising they can create their own jobs."
For many, attending events such as the Liwa festival allows them to sharpen their selling skills and to gauge buyers' tastes.
Fatima Darwish Almherbi is offering soaps infused with Arab perfumes such as musk or oud. "People love scented soap, but there aren't any that have traditional Arab perfumes," she said. "It's a hobby, but it's good to show that we can make our own things, that I have the ability."
While she is selling only to friends and at the festival, she hopes to one day sell her soaps in other markets and stores.
Some of the marketplace participants work with cooperative societies or organisations such as the Red Crescent, Made in the UAE - which supports female artisans in Al Gharbia - or the Women's General Union of Abu Dhabi, which pays women such as Kaltham al Mansouri a salary.
"I divorced my husband," said Ms al Mansouri. "I have working children who want to help me, but I refuse to take their money.
"I want to take responsibility for my family. I'm proud of myself."
One of the organisations, the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, has been working for the past 18 months with women in Al Gharbia to revitalise traditional crafts.
"So the objective was to revitalise Emirati heritage but it had an impact on the family and social inclusion. They never thought they could have a booth at a fair, and argue over where it's placed or negotiate over price," said Ms Ben-Gacem.
For the first time, five of the women who work with the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development have booths at the stall.
They have attended workshops to help improve the quality of their craft, as well as work with sewing machines, make measurements and pick the highest quality wool.
"I feel a big change in myself, I'm using my time for something good for my family," said Salma Ahmed al Mansouri.
"I never imagined that one day I would produce things, and get into trade. Now, I want people to see my things, to know about me and my business."
mdetrie@thenational.ae
This article has been altered to reflect that the name of the organisation is Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, not Sheikh Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development as originally published.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Past winners of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
2016 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2014 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2012 Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
2011 Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2010 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2009 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
65
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FIGHT%20CARD
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
RoboCop%3A%20Rogue%20City
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Company%20Profile
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RESULTS
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1.600m
Winner: Miller’s House, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Kanood, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Gervais, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Important Mission, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.50pm: The Entisar Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Firnas, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Zhou Storm, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
RESULTS
1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m
Winner: Lady Parma, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
2.15pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m
Winner: Tabernas, Connor Beasley, Ahmed bin Harmash.
2.45pm: Handicap Dh95,000 1,200m
Winner: Night Castle, Connor Beasley, Satish Seemar.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh120,000 1,400m
Winner: Mystique Moon, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
3.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Mutawakked, Szczepan Mazur, Musabah Al Muhairi.
4.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,800m
Winner: Tafaakhor, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
4.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,950m
Winner: Cranesbill, Fabrice Veron, Erwan Charpy.
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Second Test
In Dubai
Pakistan 418-5 (declared)
New Zealand 90 and 131-2 (follow on)
Day 3: New Zealand trail by 197 runs with 8 wickets remaining
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Brahmastra%3A%20Part%20One%20-%20Shiva
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Inside%20Out%202
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HAJJAN
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
GYAN’S ASIAN OUTPUT
2011-2015: Al Ain – 123 apps, 128 goals
2015-2017: Shanghai SIPG – 20 apps, 7 goals
2016-2017: Al Ahli (loan) – 25 apps, 11 goals
