Turner Prize shortlist includes Iraqi artist Mohammed Sami and Zadie Xa's work at Sharjah Biennial
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The National
5 days ago
- The National
Are Britain's clean seas a thing of the past?
A few miles along the coast from Dover's white chalk cliffs the English seaside town of Folkestone is holding an art festival, but with a difference. Every three years the 'Folkestone Triennial' commissions art works in which the town is the 'gallery'. As you walk around you will come across 20 or so artworks of different kinds responding to Folkestone's landscape and history. I've been visiting the "Minister of Sewers'. The Triennial guide says it's 'a creative project by the Turner Prize-nominated artists Cooking Sections' created as 'a platform for the public to voice concerns about coastal water pollution and share their experiences with sewage spills and related issues'. The project, in the harbour's old Customs House, begins with a friendly welcome and a display about water pollution and sewage, but behind it is a serious purpose. Folkestone, like much of the English coast, is delightful to live in and visit, but bathing in the sea is nowadays not always a pleasure. It can be a risk, especially after heavy rain. Too many of the beaches in prime swimming areas of England – including lakes and rivers as well as the sea – have seen bathing water quality dip from 'excellent' to 'good' or worse. Heavy rainfall can lead to overflows in the often antiquated sewage systems. When that happens the water quality drops to 'poor'. There is no official 'Minister of Sewers' in England, but the Folkestone arts project encourages visitors to make an appointment for a chat with one of the volunteers. The 'Minister' dressed in an official-looking 'Minister of Sewers' costume sat with me for a chat. She took notes about my own experiences as a sea swimmer on this lovely coast to gather evidence and create a "Log of Grievances" to support collective action and push for better water quality. Too many of the beaches in prime swimming areas of England – including lakes and rivers as well as the sea – have seen bathing water quality dip from 'excellent' to 'good' or worse Art in Action strikes a chord with the British public because sewage, water quality and the cost of drinking water are big news right now across the UK. We think of ourselves as a wet little island, but we have serious water problems and possible future shortages. We have a growing population in the south east, an area which has much lower annual rainfall than rural areas like the Scottish Highlands, and despite significantly increased demand for water we have failed to build any new major reservoirs since 1992. The Starmer government is promising action. They commissioned a review of the water industry in England and Wales by a respected former civil servant, Sir Jon Cunliffe. It was published last week and calls for once in a generation fundamental reforms to address what is being called Britain's 'Great Stink moment'. The Great Stink is a reference to the shocking state of the River Thames at Westminster in Victorian times. In 1858, the river was so polluted with sewage and the smell so bad that Members of Parliament refused to meet. A massive public works programme followed and a world-leading sewage system for London was built. A similar kind of energy and investment is now being promised although the details are as yet unclear. What is clear is that the privatisation of the water industry in England and Wales by Margaret Thatcher in 1989 has been a profound failure. Privatisation extracted private profits for shareholders and paid huge bonuses to some employees while failing to invest in reservoirs, better sewerage and fixing broken pipes and waste. The 464-page Cunliffe review has provided 88 recommendations for change, but re-nationalisation is not being contemplated largely because it would demand a vast amount of public money, which is not available. The Water Services Regulation Authority, or Ofwat, will be scrapped and what follows is billed as 'the biggest overhaul of water since privatisation'. Well, we shall see. But it's worth pointing out that Britain is not alone in having a water problem. Rising demand, growing populations, changes in our climate, and arguments about water quality are nothing new. The South African city of Cape Town came close to running out of water entirely a few years ago with 'Day Zero' – no tap water – a real possibility. The Afghan capital Kabul right now has severe water shortages. India and Pakistan's recent short-lived conflict over the terrorist attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir led to threats that India would abrogate the Indus Waters treaty that has shared waters between these two nuclear armed powers since 1960. In France, pollution of the River Seine caused the French government considerable embarrassment during the 2024 Olympics. They have cleaned things up since then at great cost. And in the first days of the Trump administration in January this year the new President and California Governor Gavin Newsom argued not just about California wildfires but about lack of water to fight them. It's predicted that the world in the 21st century will see water conflicts even water wars over this most precious resource. We can hope not. As for me, I just want my children and other families to be able to swim in our beautiful clean seas without worrying about the possibility that we really need a Ministry of Sewers.
Broadcast Pro
21-07-2025
- Broadcast Pro
Lyrical documentary ‘From Abdul to Leila' to screen in Berlin
The film traces Leila, a French-Iraqi woman, who after an accident and years in exile, reconnects with her dissident father by learning Arabic and singing her story. French-Iraqi musician and filmmaker Leila Albayaty will present her lyrical documentary From Abdul to Leila at a special screening in Berlin on July 22 at 7 PM, hosted at Divan (Arabic Kulturhaus). The event will be followed by an exclusive Q&A session with the director herself. The deeply personal film traces Albayaty's search for her lost Arabic identity, a journey set in motion by music passed down from her Iraqi father, Abdul. After surviving a traumatic accident that left her with memory loss and enduring years of exile, Leila returns to her family home in the south of France. There, she confronts both her father's past, marked by the Iraq war, and her own fragmented identity. Determined to understand where she comes from, she begins learning Arabic and sets to music the poems Abdul once wrote for her. Through this act of artistic and linguistic reconnection, long-buried memories begin to resurface. From Abdul to Leila follows the emotional and physical odyssey of a woman who reclaims her story through music. As Leila travels from France to Iraq and Cairo, the narrative unfolds through intimate moments, blending documentary realism with poetic musicality. The film reveals her evolving relationship with her father, her struggle to overcome personal trauma, and her growing love for the Arabic language and culture. The documentary has already received critical acclaim, winning the Best Documentary Award at the Arab Film Festival Rotterdam and the Annual Aarhus Film Festival in Denmark, along with the Grand Jury Prize at the Tetouan Mediterranean Film Festival. The film was made possible with support from several cultural institutions, including Die Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien (BKM), the Centre du cinéma et de l'audiovisuel de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), the Doha Film Institute, Filmkunstering, the Goethe Institute of Cairo, and the French Institute of Tunis. It also participated in prominent industry platforms such as the Dubaï Film Connection, Sarajevo Cinelink Work in Progress and Medimed Barcelona. From Abdul to Leila is not only a rediscovery of heritage but a powerful reflection on family, memory, displacement, and the healing power of music.
Broadcast Pro
15-07-2025
- Broadcast Pro
Shahid and Al-Manassa sign deal to expand streaming access in Iraq
The partnership seeks to broaden access to licensed, high-quality entertainment in Iraq, as both Shahid and Al-Manassa aim to strengthen their roles in shaping the digital media landscape in the country. Shahid, the Arabic video-on-demand platform in the Middle East, has entered into a long-term strategic partnership with Iraq's digital streaming platform Al-Manassa, in a move aimed at expanding its presence and supporting the growth of licensed digital entertainment in the Iraqi market. Through this agreement, subscribers of both Al-Manassa and Al-Watani For Internet will gain access to Shahid's premium video-on-demand service, as well as live streams of MBC channels via the Al-Manassa app. The partnership brings Shahid's wide-ranging Arabic content to Iraqi viewers through an officially licensed platform, contributing to the development of the legal streaming ecosystem in the country. Speaking about the collaboration, Scott Weeman, Director of Partnerships at Shahid, said: 'We are proud of this partnership with Al-Manasa, which enables us to significantly grow the licensed distribution of our rich Arabic content library to Iraqi audiences and to support the ongoing development of premium digital entertainment services in Iraq. This collaboration stems from our ongoing commitment to expanding the reach of Shahid's unique entertainment content across the region.' Almuheleb AlZaidy, CEO of Al-Manasa, explained that Al-Manasa currently offers more than 200 live streaming channels and a massive and comprehensive VOD library. He added: 'The addition of the Shahid service and the MBC group of channels significantly enhances the value of our content, increasing diversity and ensuring we continue to keep pace with and meet the entertainment preferences of our audience in Iraq. This partnership is part of both parties' efforts to provide a more comprehensive and diverse viewing experience for the Iraqi audience, by providing high-quality entertainment content that suits a variety of tastes.'
