Latest news with #SultanSooudAlQassemi
The National
08-06-2025
- Business
- The National
Emiratis soak up Lebanon's food scene and culture after lifting of travel ban
After a four-year halt, the UAE travel ban to Lebanon was lifted in May, much to the joy of citizens from both sides. Emirati visitors have been quick to fly over, despite the recent unrest, as Lebanon prepares itself for what is hopes will be a busy summer season. Restaurants and bars have been booming in Beirut, with new creative venues opening almost weekly. New hotels are opening and Lebanon's famed summer festivals have announced exciting programmes of live music and performances from local and international artists. The cultural scene includes art exhibitions and a few new galleries. For Barjeel Art founder Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, this was what drew him to make a long-overdue visit soon after the ban was lifted. 'It had been 14 years since I had been to Lebanon and in that time many cultural institutions opened,' Al Qassimi tells The National. 'I was keen to visit them. Beirut, despite all the conflict, remains a major cultural hub in the region. I visited the Sursock Museum, the National Museum of Beirut, AUB galleries and the Dalloul Art Foundation alongside a tour of Basel Dalloul's own private collection at his residence. 'I was waiting for the right moment and made sure I went in the first few days after the travel ban was lifted. I plan to visit more often because of all of the cultural institutions, collectors' homes, archives and galleries that I didn't get to see during my short visit.' In the past, Emiratis enjoyed spending summers in Lebanon for all the above reasons, combined with more temperate weather than at home and a short flight. Now that the travel ban has been lifted, they're eager to visit again. Lebanon's Ministry of Tourism is anticipating a strong summer, thanks to returning expats and regional tourists. A lot of effort has been put into strengthening the tourism sector. Amenities and facilities have been added to Beirut's airport; campaigns encouraging tourists to visit other cities and rural locations have been running; and guides and other institutions have been undergoing training. We are working to extend tourism throughout the year and in all regions Laura Lahoud, Lebanon's Minister of Tourism 'We deeply appreciate the UAE's initiative and look forward to welcoming back all Gulf visitors who consider Lebanon their second home and are vital to its tourism sector, with many having strong ties and properties here,' Lebanon's Minister of Tourism Laura Lahoud tells The National. 'The government aims to solidify this renewed trust and pave the way for a thriving tourism industry. 'It is important that visitors have the best experience from the moment they arrive until the moment they leave. We are also working to extend tourism throughout the year and in all regions, from the north to the south and the Beqaa Valley. 'We want visitors to benefit from everything Lebanon offers – from the sea and the mountains to the beautiful nature – so that they always return.' The Phoenicia, one of the capital's oldest and grandest hotels, reopened in late 2022 after repairs from the 2020 Beirut Port blast. It has slowly been revamping its facilities, including the spa and restaurants. Amethyst, the hotel's poolside lounge, will reopen this month. 'We have observed a modest uptick in inquiries and bookings from the UAE market, particularly among leisure and corporate travellers,' says general manager Mathieu Greppo. 'Looking ahead, we are optimistic about the summer season. Continued stability and positive developments in regional relations would further bolster this outlook.' This month The View Hotel opened as an annex to the iconic historic shell of the former St George Hotel on the marina. A number of other restaurants, bars and coffee shops have opened, from high-end sophisticated experiences such as Mimi in Achrafieh to low-key burger joints like Slot in Gemmayzeh. Mimi owners Yasmina and Elissa Yared feel now is a good time to open their restaurant because people are steadily reinvesting in the country. Their Mediterranean-menu and lively atmosphere is already drawing in excited patrons. 'We always see that there is potential to invest here, as people love to go out and they're very positive despite all the problems,' Yasmina tells The National. 'The lifting of the ban is great news for the food and beverage sector. 'For the past five years, after the explosion and the economic problems, more than 70 per cent of institutions had to close and now people are reinvesting and opening. 'When we have more people coming from abroad it will maybe make it easier than before. The projection is positive, so we're hopeful.'
The National
27-05-2025
- General
- The National
New book details rich life of Inji Efflatoun beyond her time in prison
On the night of June 19, 1959, Inji Efflatoun stood alone on a Cairo street, attempting to hail a taxi. As a car finally pulled over, a group of men rushed her, seizing and forcing her into the vehicle. It was a sting. After months of living in hiding, disguising herself as a fellaha and flitting from house to house, the Egyptian painter and political activist had finally been arrested. Efflatoun's arrest marked a pivotal point. It signalled not only the beginning of her four-year imprisonment but a powerful new chapter in her artistic and political legacy. At Al Qanater Women's Prison, Efflatoun produced some of her most renowned works – paintings that captured the resilience of the incarcerated women and the brutal intimacy of confinement. She also recorded her famous memoirs onto cassettes, which were later transcribed and shaped her posthumous image. Though she recalled, in evocative detail, several phases of her life, it is her time behind bars that remains most closely associated with her name. But, as a new book reveals, Efflatoun's legacy and life were too expansive to be confined to a prison cell. The Life and Work of Inji Efflatoun is a project by the Barjeel Art Foundation, co-published with Skira. It is edited by Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi and Suheyla Takesh, who are the foundation's founder and director, respectively. The book presents, for the first time, an English translation of Efflatoun's memoir. The memoir elucidates several of her key moments. They begin with her early life in the Shubra neighbourhood of Cairo and her time at the Sacred Heart School. They touch upon her early mentorship by Kamel el-Telmissany, from whom she learnt that painting meant 'an honest expression of society and self'. She speaks about her involvement in political groups advocating for women's rights and anti-colonialism. She expresses her heartbreak after the death of her husband Hamdi Aboul Ela, a prosecutor who shared Efflatoun's political ideals and who probably died from injuries sustained during his arrest and torture. She narrates details of her arrest and how she managed to smuggle paintings out of prison. In short, the memoir describes a person who relentlessly defied confinement, whether the bubble of aristocracy, the constraints of gender norms or the physical walls of a prison. It portrays someone as fierce in her art as she was in her politics. For Efflatoun, painting and activism were not separate pursuits but shadows cast by the same flame. The memoir is translated from Arabic by Ahmed Gobba and Avery Gonzales, both former students of Al Qassemi at Yale University. He credits them with initiating the project. 'The book started when Ahmed wrote his final paper on Inji after he discovered that her family was from the same province of his grandfather,' Al Qassemi says. 'But her family were the landowners, and his family were the workers. And so there was this interesting relationship that was happening.' Gobba then proposed translating Efflatoun's memoir into English and began working with Gonzales. 'Initially, we were only going to publish the diary,' Al Qassemi says. The memoir is substantial, taking up a third of the 320-page book, and it is easy to see why it became popular when it was first published in 1993, four years after her death. 'Inji's life is fascinating,' Al Qassemi says. 'She came from an elite background and ended up forsaking all that privilege, choosing to be an activist, to stand up for the rights of the less privileged. She related to people who she fought for. There is no surprise that her book became quite popular, and that she's more known than other artists of her generation.' 'It started as a smaller project,' Takesh adds. 'Then we thought to commission one or two new essays on Inji's life and work to complement the memoir. One thing led to another, we kept discovering people's research, and eventually we ended up with nine new essays.' The essays explore the many facets of Efflatoun's extraordinary life. They examine her fearless activism and how her art served as both a personal outlet and a political expression, often reflecting the intensity of her struggles and convictions. Several essays consider her prescient sensibilities, as well as her active engagement with international networks of solidarity. The essays also touch upon her ties with the Soviet Union and her affinity with Mexican artists, particularly David Alfaro Siqueiros. Her exhibitions are portrayed not just as artistic milestones, but as acts of diplomacy that extended her reach far beyond Egypt. Efflatoun's personal life also finds its way into these essays. They trace the transformative nature of her marriage to Aboul Ela, a union that deeply impacted her, even as it ended in tragedy. Equally moving is her determined effort to learn Arabic – having been educated in French – which is framed as emblematic of her drive to connect with the fabric of everyday Egyptian life. 'We are also republishing three existing texts,' Takesh says. 'Two of them have been translated from Arabic. One of those is actually authored by Inji herself in 1972 as part of her participation in a conference in Tunis. The paper is about Egyptian modernist art, and she speaks about other people's work such as Mahmoud Said and Mohamed Nagy. She also situated her own practice within that constellation.' The book also features an essay by American artist Betty LaDuke, originally published in 1989. Written after LaDuke visited Efflatoun in her Cairo studio in the late 1980s, the piece presents a broad stroke of the artist's life before culminating with an interview that offers a rare, first-hand account of Efflatoun in her later years. Beyond the essay, LaDuke played a key role in shaping the book's visual narrative, contributing significantly to its rich collection of images. The Life and Work of Inji Efflatoun, in fact, draws from several private collections and institutional archives to present a vivid visual record of the artist's life, featuring her paintings as well as rare archival photographs. It is, quite possibly, the most comprehensive publication of Efflatoun's work to date, with high-resolution images that bring out the intricate details and textures of her paintings. As a whole, the book seeks to do justice to a painter who has too often – and unfairly – been reduced to her years in prison. 'One thing we did is expand on the two-dimensionality of Inji,' Al Qassemi says. 'Everything about Inji was about her arrest and time in jail. There were all these missing parts of her life. 'She spent four and a half years in jail, but she lived for many decades more than that. That's why we called the book The Life and Work of Inji Efflatoun. We actually go into parts of her life that have been completely neglected before.'
The National
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
New book unfurls the rich life of Inji Efflatoun beyond her time in prison
On the night of June 19, 1959, Inji Efflatoun stood alone on a Cairo street, attempting to hail a taxi. As a car finally pulled over, a group of men rushed her, seizing and forcing her into the vehicle. It was a sting. After months of living in hiding, disguising herself as a fellaha and flitting from house to house, the Egyptian painter and political activist had finally been arrested. Efflatoun's arrest marked a pivotal point. It signalled not only the beginning of her four-year imprisonment but a powerful new chapter in her artistic and political legacy. At Al Qanater Women's Prison, Efflatoun produced some of her most renown works – paintings that captured the resilience of the incarcerated women and the brutal intimacy of confinement. She also recorded her famous memoirs on to cassettes, which were later transcribed and shaped her posthumous image. Though she recalled, in evocative detail, several phases of her life, it is her time behind bars that remains most closely associated with her name. But, as a new book reveals, Efflatoun's legacy and life was too expansive to be confined to a prison cell. The Life and Work of Inji Efflatoun is a project by the Barjeel Art Foundation, co-published with Skira. It is edited by Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi and Suheyla Takesh, who are the foundation's founder and director respectively. The book presents, for the first time, an English translation of Efflatoun's memoir. The memoir elucidates several of her key moments. They begin with her early life in the Shura neighbourhood of Cairo and her time at the Sacred Heart School. They touch upon her early mentorship by Kamel el-Telmissany, from whom she learnt that painting meant 'an honest expression of society and self'. She speaks about her involvement in political groups advocating for women's rights and anti-colonialism. She expresses her heartbreak after the death of her husband Hamdi Aboul Ela, a prosecutor who shared Efflatoun's political ideals and who probably died from injuries sustained during his arrest and torture. She narrates details of her arrest, and how she managed to smuggle paintings out of prison. In short, the memoir describes a person who relentlessly defied confinement, whether the bubble of aristocracy, the constraints of gender norms or the physical walls of a prison. It portrays someone as fierce in her art as she was in her politics. For Efflatoun, painting and activism were not separate pursuits but shadows cast by the same flame. The memoir is translated from Arabic by Ahmed Gobba and Avery Gonzales, both former students of Al Qassemi at Yale University. He credits them with initiating the project. 'The book started when Ahmed wrote his final paper on Inji after he discovered that her family was from the same province of his grandfather,' Al Qassemi says. 'But her family were the landowners, and his family were the workers. And so there was this interesting relationship that was happening.' Gobba then proposed translating Efflatoun's memoir into English, and began working with Gonzales. 'Initially we were only going to publish the diary,' Al Qassemi says. The memoir is substantial, taking up a third of the 320-page book, and it is easy to see why it became popular when it was first published in 1993, four years after her death. 'Inji's life is fascinating,' Al Qassemi says. 'She came from an elite background and ended up forsaking all that privilege, choosing to be an activist, to stand up for the rights of the less privileged. She related to people who she fought for. There is no surprise that her book became quite popular, and that she's more known than other artists of her generation.' 'It started as a smaller project,' Takesh adds. 'Then we thought to commission one or two new essays on Inji's life and work to complement the memoir. One thing led to another, we kept discovering people's research, and eventually we ended up with nine new essays.' The essays explore the many facets of Efflatoun's extraordinary life. They examine her fearless activism and how her art served as both a personal outlet and a political expression – often reflecting the intensity of her struggles and convictions. Several essays consider her prescient sensibilities, as well as her active engagement with international networks of solidarity. The essays also touch upon her ties with the Soviet Union and her affinity with Mexican artists, particularly David Alfaro Siqueiros. Her exhibitions are portrayed not just as artistic milestones, but as acts of diplomacy that extended her reach far beyond Egypt. Efflatoun's personal life also finds its way into these essays. They trace the transformative nature of her marriage to Hamdi, a union that deeply impacted her, even as it ended in tragedy. Equally moving is her determined effort to learn Arabic – having been educated in French – which is framed as emblematic of her drive to connect with the fabric of everyday Egyptian life. 'We are also republishing three existing texts,' Takesh says. 'Two of them have been translated from Arabic. One of those is actually authored by Inji herself in 1972 as part of her participation in a conference in Tunis. The paper is about Egyptian modernist art, and she speaks about other people's work such as Mahmoud Said and Mohamed Nagy. She also situated her own practice within that constellation.' The book also features an essay by American artist Betty LaDuke, originally published in 1989. Written after LaDuke visited Efflatoun in her Cairo studio in the late 1980s, the piece presents a broad stroke of the artist's life before culminating with an interview that offers a rare, first-hand account of Efflatoun in her later years. Beyond the essay, LaDuke played a key role in shaping the book's visual narrative, contributing significantly to its rich collection of images. The Life and Work of Inji Efflatoun, in fact, draws from several private collections and institutional archives to present a vivid visual record of the artist's life, featuring her paintings as well as rare archival photographs. It is, quite possibly, the most comprehensive publication of Efflatoun's work to date, with high-resolution images that bring out the intricate details and textures of her paintings. As a whole, the book seeks to do justice to a painter who has too often – and unfairly – been reduced to her years in prison. 'One thing we did is expand on the two-dimensionality of Inji,' Al Qassemi says. 'Everything about Inji was about her arrest and time in jail. There were all these missing parts of her life. 'She spent four and a half years in jail, but she lived for many decades more than that. That's why we called the book The Life and Work of Inji Efflatoun. We actually go into parts of her life that have been completely neglected before.'
The National
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Takreem Foundation honours Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi and Shaikha Mai Al Khalifa at Dubai gala
Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi has received Takreem Foundation 's Cultural Excellence award. The Emirati writer and researcher was among a number creative and political figures who were celebrated at a gala fundraiser that took place on Thursday at Jumeirah Emirates Towers. Al Qassemi was honoured for his work in promoting Arab art and culture as founder of Barjeel Art Foundation, an independent initiative established in 2010. The foundation is dedicated to managing, preserving and exhibiting an extensive collection of modern and contemporary works from the region. It has hosted exhibitions around the world and contributed to the global visibility of Arab artists. Al Qassemi has also taught at prestigious institutions, including Yale University, Columbia University, Boston College and American University of Sharjah. His courses often examine the intersection of politics, art and modern Arab history. 'I founded Barjeel Art Foundation about 15 years ago' Al Qassemi said in his acceptance speech. 'It has been an enriching experience that introduced me to our contemporary culture and Arab identity. This joinery revealed an important truth: our responsibility isn't just to share our culture and heritage with the world – we must also share it with one another.' Other personalities celebrated at the event include Shaikha Mai Al Khalifa, who was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The Bahraini politician has been a prominent advocate for heritage preservation. In 2008, she was appointed as minister of information, and then served as the country's minister of culture between 2010 and 2014. As president of Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities, she has led several initiatives dedicated to restoring historic sites in the country. She has also worked closely with Unesco in her role as chairwoman of Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage. The late Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz was also given a Lifetime Achievement Award. The Saudi politician, businessman and philanthropist was an advocate for reforms in the kingdom. His son, Prince Abdulaziz bin Talal, received the award on his behalf. A special distinction was also awarded to Pierre Choueiri, chairman and chief executive of Choueiri Group media company as well as to Al Multaqa Literary Salon. Founded in 1998, Al Mutaqa is known for promoting intellectual exchange through discussions on literature, philosophy and art, pivoting these conversations around Arabic novels. The platform is recognised by Unesco and has contributed to the region's cultural landscape by hosting influential literary events, supporting emerging writers, and promoting a vibrant reading culture across the Arab world. The platform's founder and president Asma Seddiq Al Mutawa received the award during the fundraising gala. Takreem was established in 2010 with the aim of bringing Arab accomplishments and achievers to the forefront on a global stage. Since its inception, the foundation has honoured laureates from across the region. Takreem awards ceremonies have been held in cities including Beirut, Doha, Manama, Paris, Marrakesh, Dubai, Cairo, Amman and Kuwait. It also hosts regular galas to raise funds for various humanitarian initiatives. In 2024, the group partnered with Sesobel and Assameh Birth & Beyond – organisations that focus on children's well-being – to raise funds to cover the medical expenses and daily needs for their beneficiaries for a full year.
