Latest news with #Tabbaa
Zawya
24-03-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Jordan, Hungary discuss means to enhance economic ties
AMMAN: Jordanian Businessmen Association (JBA) President Hamdi Tabbaa and Hungarian Ambassador Attila Kali on Saturday discussed prospects of enhancing economic relations between the two countries and reactivating the Jordanian-Hungarian Joint Business Council. Tabbaa stressed the need to reinvigorate the business council, which links the JBA and the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency, and intensify meetings to highlight promising investment opportunities and boost Jordanian-Hungarian partnerships across various economic sectors, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. Tabbaa referred to "remarkable" improvement in many Jordanian sectors, especially tourism, real estate, food industries, energy, and ICT, stressing the need to increase the trade volume and Jordanian exports to Hungary. The Hungarian envoy noted that relations with Jordan are "steadily growing," pointing to the development of many Jordanian sectors, particularly finance, ICT and services. He stressed the need to reactivate the Joint Business Council and build investment partnerships, particularly in food and tourism industries, increase the trade volume and enhance untapped export opportunities, including fertilisers, pharmaceuticals and chemicals. Kali pledged the embassy will provide facilities for businesspeople in both countries, support cooperation between private sector institutions and ease procedures to increase the number of Hungarian tourists to the Kingdom. The volume of trade between the two countries stood at some $49 million in 2023, where vegetables, electrical equipment, machinery and food products were key Jordanian exports to the Hungarian market. © Copyright The Jordan Times. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Zawya
24-03-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Jordan: JBA president, Tunisian ambassador discuss ways to support inter-Arab investments
AMMAN: President of the Jordanian Businessmen Association (JBA) Hamdi Tabbaa and Tunisian Ambassador to Jordan Moufida Zribi on Sunday discussed ways to enhance Arab partnerships and support inter-Arab investments. During the meeting, the two sides went over enhancing economic, trade and investment cooperation by activating the Jordanian-Tunisian Joint Business Council, which was established in 2016, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. Tabbaa stressed the importance of boosting Jordanian-Tunisian relations at the economic, trade, and investment levels and intensifying meetings for the two countries' businesspeople and the private sector to present "promising" investment opportunities and benefit from them, especially in the Kingdom's development, service and tourism projects. Tabbaa highlighted the importance of issuing a unified Arab visa for Arab investors, including unified investment laws, to promote inter-Arab investments in various economic sectors and achieve their common interests, calling for enhancing trade exchanges, particularly in terms of Jordanian exports. He also noted the need to enhance the two countries' "untapped" export opportunities, especially in the garment, fertiliser and chemical sectors, increasing the number of Tunisian tourists to Jordan and promoting archaeological, religious and medical tourism in the Kingdom. Zribi pointed to the need to activate the joint business council soon, increase trade exchange and benefit from privileges of the Kingdom's investment environment. The diplomat stressed the embassy's readiness to facilitate meetings for trade delegations, which would positively reflect on the two countries' economic interests. The envoy added that the volume of mutual trade exchange has surged in recent years, stressing the importance of increasing the number of mutual tourist flow. Based on official figures, Jordan-Tunisia trade exchange amounted to some $38 million in 2023, with the Kingdom's exports concentrated in aluminium, pharmaceutical products, fertilisers and organic chemicals. © Copyright The Jordan Times. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Khaleej Times
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Nahla Tabbaa: Redefining art and activism through culinary performances
If you have stepped inside any museum or a contemporary gallery lately, you might have come across creative radicals who are redefining the landscape by eschewing traditional practices in favour of more daring approaches that unapologetically combine different disciplines, often leaving viewers pondering and questioning the very definition of art. Nahla Tabbaa is one such Arab voice who is constantly pushing the boundaries of art and recalibrating the role of an artist and creator. Born in Amman, the 38-year-old Tabbaa is an interdisciplinary artist, chef, pedagogue and programmes curator whose work straddles "the urban and the organic, the beautiful and the grotesque," as she herself puts it. Although Tabbaa effortlessly flits between critical research, alchemy, drawing, textiles, experimenting with ceramics and sculpture, she's probably best known for her culinary performances. A fascinating genre that blends the politics and symbolism of food, the culinary arts can be an enigmatic and yet, powerful form of expression that artists like Tabbaa are using to process grief and as a mark of resistance and protest as well in a world riven by war and turbulence. Tabbaa's work proves that the humble kitchen can be both an intimately personal space and a political and social battleground, a domestic setting from where she challenges the hegemony of the political class and asks fundamental questions about humanity, putting her weight firmly behind the historically oppressed. Tabbaa is a familiar name in the UAE art world, having exhibited widely in the region. From Al Serkal Avenue to Art Dubai, she has summoned the magic of food to reflect on the harsh realities of everyday life. "I have been informally exploring food as an act of self-care and hospitality as an extension of community building for a decade. However, this always stood outside the art world. It was just a way of life and an interest in research that I've always had," says Tabbaa, who completed a culinary and farming diploma at the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Cork in Ireland and has staged her culinary acts, workshops and tasting sessions across UAE down the the years ('Shamsa' at Jameel Arts Centre, 'Rewilding the Kitchen' at Alserkal Arts Foundation in Dubai and a large-scale group exhibition titled 'On Foraging: Food Knowledge and Environmental Imaginaries in the UAE's Landscape' at 421 in Abu Dhabi, to name a few). In 2023, as part of 'On Foraging: Food Knowledge and Environmental Imaginaries in the UAE's Landscape' at 421, she collaborated with artist Moza Almatrooshi to delve into the ecology of UAE's native plants — a practice they continue to do together. The outcome of this collaboration was an edible lecture at 421 and a dinner at Jebel Yanas in Ras Al-Khaimah, which refashioned dishes ubiquitous to the UAE, like stuffed dates with chaami, oyster shells filled with rice and sehna (anchovy powder), laminated pasta, plant-infused coolers etc. As part of the artistic adventure, participants embarked on a hike in search of wild honey at Jebel Yanas and spent the night there, rewinding and reconnecting with nature for a change. In 2015, I took on a part-time job as a food tour guide with Frying Pan Adventures in Dubai and that deep dive into stories, mapping migration and understanding flavours as pointers in history was so fascinating. "In 2015, I took on a part-time job as a food tour guide with Frying Pan Adventures in Dubai and that deep dive into stories, mapping migration and understanding flavours as pointers in history was so fascinating. This landscape of artist-chefs began to grow for me and thankfully, with the support and opportunities presented at institutions like 421, Jameel Arts Centre, SEAF, Campus Art Dubai and Alserkal Arts Foundation, my practice started to evolve,' shares Tabbaa, who was awarded the prestigious Salama bint Hamdan Emerging Artist Fellowship in 2021. Though born in Amman, Tabbaa's mother hailed from Bangladesh. Fittingly, in a kind of homecoming, one of her culinary performances titled 'Inside the Belly of the Beast' was recently staged at the Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation's gallery space in Dhaka. The performance was born out of grief, rage and resilience. The artist insists that she was deeply affected by human atrocities committed in her part of the world, particularly on her mind was the sufferings of the people of Gaza as well as the tense political situation in Bangladesh. 'Inside the Belly of the Beast' unfolded as a visceral culinary performance, marking the second iteration of 'Thil' — an immersive experience conjured by the artist, which invited audiences into a world where food became a medium for storytelling, resistance, and remembrance. As the title suggests, 'Inside the Belly of the Beast' reimagined the insides of a formidable beast even as it reflected on human suffering. She describes it as 'biblical', adding that she set herself 'the task of creating a menu that would reflect 'Thil's anatomy, and give audiences the experience of being swallowed by a beast, and to truly think about what it means to be inside the Belly of the Beast.' For 'Thil', she drew references from mythology as well as the Arabic phrase, 'Ya Rab Tanshak Al Ard wa Tiblakom' — 'May God open up the Earth and swallow us whole.' In the context of Bangladesh, the artist had curated hybrid foods at the 'Inside the Belly of the Beast' exhibition that traced their origins to pivotal moments in Bangladesh's history — famine, partition, and liberation — while also reflecting her own homeland Jordan, which borders Palestine and as we recognise today, is currently besieged by war and famine. The performance honoured wild and indigenous plants from both regions, mixing up dishes that examined trauma and joy, grief and celebration. Two of Tabbaa works were installed at the Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation space in Dhaka — 'I Sit Under Your Shade' (2022) and 'Thil' (2024). The audiences were free to engage and interact with her work. With 'Thil' — Arabic for 'shadow'— she hopes to speak against what's happening in Palestine. It was conceived during Tabbaa's residency at MAG Foundation in Amman and took shape as a mythical creature embodying both our collective shadow and rage against injustice. 'Durjoy Rahman, the founder of Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation, had acquired my work 'I Sit Under Your Shade', which he first saw on display during his visit to Colomboscope in Sri Lanka. Not only was I showing there, but I was also running a culinary workshop and culinary performance as part of the festival programme. We had discussed the idea of tailoring a micro-residency, and working on a culinary performance, but it all came together and made sense when Durjoy had viewed images of my latest work 'Thil'. He proposed the idea of creating an immersion from within 'Thil' and this is how 'Inside the Belly of the Beast' was born,' explains Tabbaa, rueing the fact that culinary performances often face the challenge of having a limited reach. They appear niche to the larger world and are highly inaccessible to those not already consciously clued into contemporary art. 'Also, they cannot solve the larger issues we are dealing with. I'm not putting an end to famine, instead we are indulging in food. The way I try to sensitively address these urgent issues as a chef and artist is to ensure that the dishes are not in any way excessive, or wasted, that my processes are extremely sustainable, and that ingredients are local and true," she reasons. Both of Tabbaa's parents are artists. She grew up in the Amman countryside and has lived in the UAE for a decade. Through her work, she has also taken pains to remind viewers of the importance and poignant teachings of nature. In fact, her first job in the UAE was to activate a community urban garden at Sharjah Art Foundation's Al Mureijah Art Spaces. 'I had grown up amidst plants in a rural part of Jordan and in the previous job as a coordinator at Makan Art Space in Jordan, I was also tending to an aquaponic greenhouse and supporting the director with her vision for including artists who were interested in plants and gardens and their politics,' she explains. At Sharjah Art Foundation, she further went on to establish their community programme, one of the pillars being the garden as a space of production, conversation and experiments. "Ten years on, the garden has been liberated to grow as it pleases. It is a stunning ecosystem in the heart of the Al Mureijah Art Spaces, both for humans and the-more-than-human world. You'll find so many birds, birds nests and cats, nestling in its density," says the artist proudly. "My choice to live in Dubai was to escape a more homogenous Arab identity in Jordan and explore a space that felt like a hybrid of both my roots," she says. "Although I had visited Bangladesh, yearly, my entire life, my identity was almost narrated to me through the lens of my mother and family members. Living in Dubai and experiencing other South Asian encounters and narratives allowed me to be more expansive," she states. In a way, Tabbaa has seen UAE's art scene rise rapidly over the years, mirroring her own personal growth as an artist. "When I first moved to Dubai," she recalls, "there weren't as many community programmes, neither were there public programme curators or educational departments for institutions. I'm proud to be one of the contributors to public engagement strategies and the growth of these programmes. I have witnessed and been part of the shifting scene, the growing number of emerging and mid-career artists self organising, the openness with which institutions had supported our visions, and the space I had to embrace my multiple identities, not just in my ethnicities but also as an artist, chef, curator and activist."
Zawya
19-02-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Jordan: JBA, Azeri ambassador explore economic cooperation
AMMAN: Chairman of Jordanian Businessmen Association Hamdi Tabbaa and Azerbaijani Ambassador Ildar Salimov on Tuesday discussed prospects for strengthening economic, investment and trade relations, highlighting the role of the private sector in driving mutual cooperation. During the meeting, Tabbaa stressed the need to intensify business meetings between private sector representatives from both nations, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. He noted that the upcoming Arab Businessmen and Investors Conference with Central Asian Countries and Azerbaijan, set to take place in Abu Dhabi next week, will provide a platform to enhance economic ties and explore joint investment opportunities. Tabbaa also highlighted the importance of expanding trade exchange and enhancing cooperation in key sectors such as energy, information technology and the green economy. Salimov welcomed the association's participation in the conference, highlighting its role in attracting foreign investments and fostering economic partnerships. The diplomat underscored the need to present promising investment opportunities and increase trade volume by enhancing cooperation between business communities in Jordan and Azerbaijan. According to an official date, mutual trade exchange reached approximately $4 million in 2023, with Jordan's exports to Azerbaijan primarily consisting of pharmaceutical products, mineral and animal food preparations. © Copyright The Jordan Times. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Zawya
29-01-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Jordan, China to hold economic conference in 2025
AMMAN — Chairman of Jordanian Businessmen Association (JBA) Hamdi Tabbaa discussed with Commercial Attaché at the Chinese Embassy Cheng Yongru, ways to hold a Jordanian-Chinese economic conference during the current year in the Kingdom to support bilateral economic and trade relations and enhance mutual investments. Tabbaa on Sunday affirmed the importance of developing bilateral relations in multiple economic sectors, primarily tourism, energy and education, and activating the Jordanian-Chinese Business Council to enhance volume of mutual trade and investment. Tabbaa called for intensifying meetings for the two countries' businesspeople and the private sector to present and benefit from investment opportunities, especially in development, service and tourism projects, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. Yongru stressed the importance of strengthening joint economic, trade and investment relations, welcoming the economic conference aimed to enhance volume of mutual trade and investments. Noting the embassy's role in providing support for joint economic projects in various sectors, Yongru expressed the Chinese side's interest in investing in Jordan's various development sectors and enhancing mutual trade exchange and investment flow. He said that Jordan enjoys an "advanced" investment environment, which provides opportunities for Chinese investors to invest in the Kingdom, calling for continued coordination and consultation among businesspeople to present the two countries' existing investment opportunities. According to official data, volume of Jordan-China trade exchange amounted to nearly $4,855 million in 2023, as exports accounted for about $359 million, while imports approximately stood at $4,496 million. © Copyright The Jordan Times. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
