The palm-sized sculpture of a boat will highlight the movement of people throughout history at London’s British Museum at the opening of Refugee Week.
The boat made of reclaimed metals and wood symbolises the journey to Europe made by migrants across the Mediterranean as they flee wars in the Middle East, Central Asia and West Africa.
A piece of bicycle mudflap has been folded and welded to look like a fishing boat. Inside, matchsticks burnt at the tip appear like migrants, huddled together as they make their cold and dangerous sea crossing.
Syrian-born, Cambridge-based artist Issam Kourbaj, donated the work to the museum and described it as a “humble gesture” reflecting on global migration. “It's not only about Syrian refugees. It is about many refugees of ecological, economic political causes,” he told The National.
More than 82.4 million people have been forced to flee their homes, more than ever before. One in 95 people – over one per cent of the world’s population – is displaced.
Yet migration and refugees will be an issue for humankind, said Kourbaj. “I don't think that at any time historically the idea of refugees ever stopped, because its [part of] life. The word refugee can have many different meanings.”
He points to the world’s oldest known refugee, King Idrimi, who fled Aleppo around 3,500 years ago, with his statue housed at the British Museum. The limestone statue of the King, which he commissioned of himself, includes cuneiform carvings of his own life.
His new work, Precarious Passage (2016-2023), is part of a continuing series which he began in 2016 and saw the creation of a flotilla of over a thousand small boats, which he has presented alongside installations, performance and text.
The original series was dedicated to the millions of Syrians fleeing brutal attacks on civilians after the start of the Syrian revolution in 2011.
It soon came to encompass the global migration to Europe. “European colonisers interfered with the world, and the world became poorer. The only resources now are in Europe,” he said, “When Europeans travel abroad, they are called explorers, but when it's the other way round, it is labelled in a negative way.”
In this new iteration, the boat appears through a large hole that was drilled into the copy of the British Museum’s A History of the World in 100 Objects. It is a nod to former museum director Neil McGregor’s naming of Kourbaj's boats as the 101st object to encapsulate our modern age, in 2020.
Hartwig Fischer, director of the British Museum, said the work would be presented for the first time to mark refugee week, “Issam Kourbaj’s Precarious Passage highlights the challenges people are facing who seek refuge from violence and poverty throughout history.
“I am grateful to him for the gift of this artwork,” said Fischer.
“The Museum continues to support Refugee Week and its aim to promote awareness around the hardship of being displaced today as well as the creativity and resilience of refugees,” said Fischer.
Boats are an important metaphor for migration, said Kourbaj: “Metaphor means to cross over. Just like a boat is transporting you from one place to another.”
The artist came to the UK in the 1990s, to study theatre in design. As an art student in Damascus in the 1980s, Kourbaj was fascinated by the boat makers of Syria’s island of Arwad, whose ageless woodcarving craft is said to have existed since the Phoenicians. “I used to go there and draw them,” he said.
Decades later, he came across a 2,300-year-old miniature lead model of a boat carrying three goddesses, housed in Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum. The ancient sculpture that was excavated in Tartus is an important reminder that anyone can be displaced. “This is how Syria sent goddesses across the Mediterranean in the past,” he said.
While researching his series, Kourbaj visited refugee camps on the Isle of Lesbos in Greece in 2016 and met Syrian refugees in the UK on the Isle of Bute in Scotland in 2019.
The artist questions the government’s handling of migration, where asylum seekers are threatened with deportation to Rwanda. “In our culture, somebody knocks at your door, you open the door. You don't close the door in their face or lock them in the basement.”
Refugees to the UK had real reasons to be here, he added. “I doubt that anybody would leave their own country just for the sake of leaving if we don’t have a reason to leave.”
He hopes the work will highlight the need to treat refugees with more dignity. “People who were forced to migrate forced to migrate [need] an ear to listen to, to respect their human rights,” he said.
“They need to be respected, regardless of where they are coming from.”
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
As You Were
Liam Gallagher
(Warner Bros)
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final second leg:
Juventus 1 Ajax 2
Ajax advance 3-2 on aggregate
UAE SQUAD
Omar Abdulrahman (Al Hilal), Ali Khaseif, Ali Mabkhout, Salem Rashed, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Zayed Al Ameri, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Khalid Essa, Ahmed Barman, Ryan Yaslam, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmin (Al Wasl), Adel Al Hosani, Ali Hassan Saleh, Majed Suroor (Sharjah), Ahmed Khalil, Walid Abbas, Majed Hassan, Ismail Al Hammadi (Shabab Al Ahli), Hassan Al Muharrami, Fahad Al Dhahani (Bani Yas), Mohammed Al Shaker (Ajman)
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
2024%20Dubai%20Marathon%20Results
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWomen%E2%80%99s%20race%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E1.%20Tigist%20Ketema%20(ETH)%202hrs%2016min%207sec%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Ruti%20Aga%20(ETH)%202%3A18%3A09%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20Dera%20Dida%20(ETH)%202%3A19%3A29%0D%3Cbr%3EMen's%20race%3A%0D%3Cbr%3E1.%20Addisu%20Gobena%20(ETH)%202%3A05%3A01%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Lemi%20Dumicha%20(ETH)%202%3A05%3A20%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20DejeneMegersa%20(ETH)%202%3A05%3A42%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
ALL THE RESULTS
Bantamweight
Siyovush Gulmomdov (TJK) bt Rey Nacionales (PHI) by decision.
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) bt Hussein Fakhir Abed (SYR) by submission.
Catch 74kg
Omar Hussein (JOR) bt Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) by decision.
Strawweight (Female)
Seo Ye-dam (KOR) bt Weronika Zygmunt (POL) by decision.
Featherweight
Kaan Ofli (TUR) bt Walid Laidi (ALG) by TKO.
Lightweight
Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) bt Leandro Martins (BRA) by TKO.
Welterweight
Ahmad Labban (LEB) bt Sofiane Benchohra (ALG) by TKO.
Bantamweight
Jaures Dea (CAM) v Nawras Abzakh (JOR) no contest.
Lightweight
Mohammed Yahya (UAE) bt Glen Ranillo (PHI) by TKO round 1.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) bt Aidan Aguilera (AUS) by TKO round 1.
Welterweight
Mounir Lazzez (TUN) bt Sasha Palatkinov (HKG) by TKO round 1.
Featherweight title bout
Romando Dy (PHI) v Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) by KO round 1.
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What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Strait of Hormuz
Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.
The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.
Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.
Five%20calorie-packed%20Ramadan%20drinks
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