Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Charlotte
Charlotte
Charlotte
Nob
Plaza
Colour
November 14, 2009
Zeina Esmail
Zeina Esmail is a Calgary-born Middle Eastern who's been in the fashion industry for over eight years. She's a fashion stylist under the Plutino Group. Her work can be seen in various plublications such as Flare and Plaza. She has wow-ed fashion enthusiasts all over the world with her creative editorial work. Check out some of her latest work including NYC shoot: Wonder Woman - brilliant!
November 8, 2009
Amou Sully
The Oud is a string instrument commonly found in Middle Eastern music. This instrument dates back to the 19th century. It creates one of the most mesmerizing sounds ever.
Below is a video of Amou Sully playing his oud in his home; one of his daily routines. Listen as this man's fingers do the talking...
(Click on the link above picture!)
Below is a video of Amou Sully playing his oud in his home; one of his daily routines. Listen as this man's fingers do the talking...
(Click on the link above picture!)
November 6, 2009
Think about it
Following the events of 9/11, the image of Arabs around the world changed for the worst. Before these catastrophic events, Arabs were portrayed as terrorists in the media, especially Hollywood. From Arnold's "True Lies" to more recently Jamie Foxx' "The Kingdom", the image of Arabs around the world has only deteriorated. Through such stereotypes, discrimination against Arabs or Middle Easterners was felt globally. Most Arabs I know have gone through some form of discrimination. Whether at airports, universities, or a regular grocery store, most Arabs I know have had the displeasure of going through such an experience. This has lead to an outcry from the Arab communities around the world, whether in the Middle East or in Canada, Arabs are unhappy with the treatment they receive in their everyday life. The plea to put an end to this can be heard from all corners of the globe as they attempt to portray themselves as the victims.
Except when looking at the Middle East itself, all countries included, an even more ruthless form of discrimination is being carried out by the Arabs against other races. Everywhere you look in the Middle East you find foreigners from Southeast-Asian origin. From Sir Lanka, India, Pakistan, Philippines, etc. Hopefuls come to the Middle East in search of better opportunities. For the men, unfortunately, this usually means hard labour. Not your typical hard labour you find here in Canada or anywhere in the western world for that matter. These "workers", using the term loosely, are required to work 12-16 hour days in the sun. Of course everyone knows how hot that can be on a summer day. With temperatures reaching over 55 Degrees Celsius in countries like Qatar and Kuwait. These workers are considered second class citizens and are paid very little. Usually, they share rooms with more than 6 or 7 people in order to be able to support their family back home. A family they rarely get to see. The Arabs that exploit these workers benefit from the cheap and endless supply of labour. Ever wonder why projects in the UAE are completed so fast? As for the women, their opportunities are usually found as stay-in nannies. Part of her duties include, being available 24/7 to attend to the needs of those she serves. These duties include cooking, cleaning, looking after children (more accurately raising the children, this is not an exaggeration) while also getting paid very little. These women usually have their children back home whom they send money to. They put up with a lot for very little and Arabs are exploiting the suffering that these foreigners are willing to endure in order to live a lavish lifestyle. This is not to say that all Arabs of the world fall under this category, far from it. But for those living in the middle-east, more specifically the gulf, this is commonly found. Before pointing out others' injustices, and in order to bring an end to racism and discrimination altogether, we, as Arabs, have a duty where we are not only the victim but culprit as well.
Except when looking at the Middle East itself, all countries included, an even more ruthless form of discrimination is being carried out by the Arabs against other races. Everywhere you look in the Middle East you find foreigners from Southeast-Asian origin. From Sir Lanka, India, Pakistan, Philippines, etc. Hopefuls come to the Middle East in search of better opportunities. For the men, unfortunately, this usually means hard labour. Not your typical hard labour you find here in Canada or anywhere in the western world for that matter. These "workers", using the term loosely, are required to work 12-16 hour days in the sun. Of course everyone knows how hot that can be on a summer day. With temperatures reaching over 55 Degrees Celsius in countries like Qatar and Kuwait. These workers are considered second class citizens and are paid very little. Usually, they share rooms with more than 6 or 7 people in order to be able to support their family back home. A family they rarely get to see. The Arabs that exploit these workers benefit from the cheap and endless supply of labour. Ever wonder why projects in the UAE are completed so fast? As for the women, their opportunities are usually found as stay-in nannies. Part of her duties include, being available 24/7 to attend to the needs of those she serves. These duties include cooking, cleaning, looking after children (more accurately raising the children, this is not an exaggeration) while also getting paid very little. These women usually have their children back home whom they send money to. They put up with a lot for very little and Arabs are exploiting the suffering that these foreigners are willing to endure in order to live a lavish lifestyle. This is not to say that all Arabs of the world fall under this category, far from it. But for those living in the middle-east, more specifically the gulf, this is commonly found. Before pointing out others' injustices, and in order to bring an end to racism and discrimination altogether, we, as Arabs, have a duty where we are not only the victim but culprit as well.
November 5, 2009
First Encounter - Kuwait
It's been 13 years I hadn't been to the Middle East. My first encounter in years happened to be Kuwait. I mean even as an Arab, I was in shock. I was waiting for my 18:20 flight bound to Kuwait then Dubai in the Athens International Airport alone (I was actually extremely punctual for once) and just as I was thinking this is great it looks like I'll have a whole row to myself, a wave of what seemed to be over a thousand people storm in. They were all loud and very excited. None Arab; just one huge group of Indians/Pakistanis/Sri Lankans/etc. and one huge group of Philippinos. I guess Dubai and Kuwait were about to receive their new shipment of under paid workers! I asked myself where the rest of the Arabs where at. I guess they cannot be bothered to be associated.
As soon as I arrived to the Kuwait International Airport I felt like all eyes were on me – from children to adults. Anyway, so I did my thing: exchanged some money, got my Visa and stood in the “Foreigners” line. It was a huge line and again everywhere I looked there were people from India and the Philippines – it’s insane! Maybe it was just that day that they all decided to migrate to Kuwait but they were just all over the place anticipating getting in the country and starting the grind.
So they stamped my passport and I was on my way to the luggage pick up area where a bright Indian man dressed in blue with the cost of his services embroidered on his shirt was waiting for me with a cart. “Hi Mama, which one your bag?” he yells. Next thing you know I got a personal helper strutting next to me with my bag, putting it on the conveyor belt for security check and just taking care of everything! I can get used to this, I thought. Walking through the electronic doors to get to the arrivals section (with my personal helper) felt like I was some kind of Hollywood star walking on the red carpet - all eyes on you. As soon as those doors open you see hundreds of people mostly (98%) dressed in the traditional Arab clothing (men: disdasha, gutra and ogal and women: abaya) just watching you until you’ve found you’re host and you’ve walked away. I was actually very shocked to see that the majority of people still wear the traditional clothing but at the same time I thought it was pretty cool since at least they’ve kept up with some aspect of the Arab tradition. Although I was warned of the red carpet feeling, I still felt very awkward. It’s really a different and unique experience in this airport. You have to try it out for yourself.
Stepping outside the airport towards the parking lot – that’s where all the lushness starts (and not to mention the unexpected heat wave). From Lamborghinis to Maseratis to whatever spells out expensive is all you see. These people got it going on!
As soon as I arrived to the Kuwait International Airport I felt like all eyes were on me – from children to adults. Anyway, so I did my thing: exchanged some money, got my Visa and stood in the “Foreigners” line. It was a huge line and again everywhere I looked there were people from India and the Philippines – it’s insane! Maybe it was just that day that they all decided to migrate to Kuwait but they were just all over the place anticipating getting in the country and starting the grind.
So they stamped my passport and I was on my way to the luggage pick up area where a bright Indian man dressed in blue with the cost of his services embroidered on his shirt was waiting for me with a cart. “Hi Mama, which one your bag?” he yells. Next thing you know I got a personal helper strutting next to me with my bag, putting it on the conveyor belt for security check and just taking care of everything! I can get used to this, I thought. Walking through the electronic doors to get to the arrivals section (with my personal helper) felt like I was some kind of Hollywood star walking on the red carpet - all eyes on you. As soon as those doors open you see hundreds of people mostly (98%) dressed in the traditional Arab clothing (men: disdasha, gutra and ogal and women: abaya) just watching you until you’ve found you’re host and you’ve walked away. I was actually very shocked to see that the majority of people still wear the traditional clothing but at the same time I thought it was pretty cool since at least they’ve kept up with some aspect of the Arab tradition. Although I was warned of the red carpet feeling, I still felt very awkward. It’s really a different and unique experience in this airport. You have to try it out for yourself.
Stepping outside the airport towards the parking lot – that’s where all the lushness starts (and not to mention the unexpected heat wave). From Lamborghinis to Maseratis to whatever spells out expensive is all you see. These people got it going on!
October 30, 2009
Coffee's Story
Engaged in one of my week-day conversations through work Outlook program, the topic of the history of coffee came up. Though very random, it somehow enticed me to start this blog even more than before. The title of my blog along with its indirect theme was inspired by the story behind coffee.
Here's a little glimpse of Coffee's story: Coffee was discovered "by accident" in Ethiopia many many years ago by a sheep herder named Kaldi. Kaldi noticed his sheep becoming really hyper every time they would pass by a plant with red buds/cherries. He soon discovered that they were eating these buds which were causing them to be extra excited. So, he tried them himself and sure enough, he too became hyper. Finally, this is how the coffee bean was discovered.
After this discovery, the Arabs took the plant away in order to begin farming it in greater quantities. They were the first ones to begin a coffee monopoly. The coffee bean was considered to be very sacred and precious and was therefore highly guarded by the Arabs. In the 1500's, the Arabs wanted to keep the coffee in Arabia forever but since it was highly sought by everyone, it was eventually taken away and smuggled in to other grounds. And that's how it became internationally known today.
MY VERSION: Basically, the Ethiopians discovered it, they weren't smart enough to make it a commodity, so the Arabs took it away from them, made some money, stimulated the economy, tried to keep it to themselves, then karma came into play and took it away from them, and now it's sold everywhere in power hungry cafés such as Starbucks :).
Here's a little glimpse of Coffee's story: Coffee was discovered "by accident" in Ethiopia many many years ago by a sheep herder named Kaldi. Kaldi noticed his sheep becoming really hyper every time they would pass by a plant with red buds/cherries. He soon discovered that they were eating these buds which were causing them to be extra excited. So, he tried them himself and sure enough, he too became hyper. Finally, this is how the coffee bean was discovered.
After this discovery, the Arabs took the plant away in order to begin farming it in greater quantities. They were the first ones to begin a coffee monopoly. The coffee bean was considered to be very sacred and precious and was therefore highly guarded by the Arabs. In the 1500's, the Arabs wanted to keep the coffee in Arabia forever but since it was highly sought by everyone, it was eventually taken away and smuggled in to other grounds. And that's how it became internationally known today.
MY VERSION: Basically, the Ethiopians discovered it, they weren't smart enough to make it a commodity, so the Arabs took it away from them, made some money, stimulated the economy, tried to keep it to themselves, then karma came into play and took it away from them, and now it's sold everywhere in power hungry cafés such as Starbucks :).
What it is
This is the beginning of a blog all about the presence of Middle Eastern culture around the world. (At least that is my intention; if I end up blogging off topic don't blame me as long as it's a good read!) I know that I originally promised to blog about my travelling endeavours but I experienced countless technical internet difficulties during my last voyage that I decided to change it up a little bit. SO, it will include a mixture of travelling blogs as well as the prevailing topic.
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