Hay Festival Abu Dhabi

Hay Festival Abu Dhabi will host internationally acclaimed authors and thinkers over four days of entertainment and inspiration

Hay Festival has today announced the line-up for the first edition of Hay Festival Abu Dhabi (25-28 February 2020), supported by the UAE’s Ministry of Tolerance, featuring a range of award-winning writers, journalists, historians, film-makers and artists in an international programme spanning nearly 100 events over four days. The festival spotlights the latest ideas in the arts, sciences and current affairs, with over 20 nationalities and 7 languages represented. The programme reflects the diversity of communities in Abu Dhabi itself, including writers from all around the Middle East, North Africa, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, China, Nigeria and Europe. A vibrant programme for schools will welcome over 70 local schools, inspiring and entertaining thousands of local students aged 7-16 years in Arabic, English, Hindi and Tagalog.

A unique four-day celebration will feature agenda-setting conversations from some of the world’s finest writers and liveliest minds, addressing the world as it is and as it might be. Film screenings in partnership with BBC News Arabic will reflect current social and political situations in the Arab world, while live performances of music and poetry will open and close the festival, and a welcoming free-to-enter festival site with a dedicated bookshop will extend the reach of the festival to a wide audience.

Explore the programme and book tickets at hayfestival. org/abu-dhabi. Those in full-time education and/or under 25 years of age are able to book tickets to events free of charge.

His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Tolerance of the United Arab Emirates, said on the occasion: “The Hay Festival Abu Dhabi will be an important celebration of tolerance and cultural exchange. It will help in our quest in the UAE to build positive relationships with others. We are confident that the Hay Festival Abu Dhabi will be an important celebration of the values of human fraternity that have enabled the success we enjoy today in our country.

It will also contribute to the growing status of the UAE as a flourishing cultural hub and an important global center for cultural exchange. “I invite all to attend the Festival with an open will, open heart and open mind. I encourage all of us to seize this opportunity to witness, share and engage in the meaningful ideas and conversations that will stay with us. Most of all, I encourage all of us to have fun and to relish the festival’s expressive and vibrant atmosphere. Let thoughts and ideas resonate with all who attend the festival and let the spirit of human fraternity so active here in Abu Dhabi permeate the dialogue and spread out to the world.”

Big Dreams Make the Best Recipes, Says Michelin-Starred Greg Malouf At Sharjah World Book Capital Discussion

Michelin-starred chef Greg Malouf was in his element while discussing his culinary journey and his latest bestselling cookbook at the inaugural ‘Cooks & Books’ session held at Al Rawi Café as part of the ongoing year-long Sharjah World Book Capital (SWBC) 2019 celebrations.

The Cooks & Books initiative celebrates local and international chefs and their cookbooks. It aims to promote reading by giving food enthusiasts the opportunity to look at cookbooks through the eyes of their authors.

Malouf began by narrating why and how he became a chef whose forte is traditional Middle Eastern cuisine with a twist. The author of seven bestselling cookbooks, written in association with his former wife Lucy, Malouf talked about starting his own restaurant and later his consultancy in the UAE.

“I guess it was pre-determined that I would become a chef,” he said. “I was born in Melbourne in a typical Lebanese household where there was a lot of food and discussions centered around the kitchen table. However, I was not allowed into the kitchen and had to sneak in to raid the fridge!”

By the age of 12, Malouf had decided he wanted to be a chef against stiff opposition from his parents who did not see a future in it. “I quit school, ran away from home to go to Sydney, where I apprenticed at a Mexican kitchen to learn the ropes.”

When he returned, ready to cook up a storm, Malouf realised that the kind of restaurants he was looking for didn’t exist. That set him off on a journey around the world, beginning with Paris, to learn and eventually create his own version of a new culinary experience.

New Feast: Modern Middle Eastern Vegetarian, his latest bestseller, was a new direction for Malouf. “Arabic food tends to revolve around meats and fish. I wanted to show how you could cook amazing dish-

es using vegetables. Eggplant is my favourite vegetable; I plan to write a book on 1,001 ways to use it in dishes.”

Revealing what goes into the creation of a recipe, Malouf said: “A lot of dreams. I am a big dreamer, while Lucy is the academic. She gets into my head, interprets my dreams, and writes down the recipe beautifully! All my dishes are based on memories of my childhood, my travels, or of certain vegetables and other ingredients.”

Malouf credited the success of his books to the intensive research he and Lucy undertake before compiling their recipes. He also advised aspiring chefs to exercise restraint, and more importantly, follow their heart while experimenting with dishes. “Don’t overload the dishes with ingredients, colours, and so on just to make the plate look glamourous,” he said.

“Food is not merely for Instagram. People must be able to eat it and enjoy it.”

Auction for Australian bushfire victims An auction to raise funds for Australian bushfire victims, to be donated through Emirates Red Crescent to the Australian Red Cross, concluded the event. Fathi Afaneh, CEO of FAST Construction, won the bid for an exclusive dinner for six persons cooked by Malouf, hosted at either Malouf’s or the winner’s residence. His offer of AED 10,100 topped the lively bidding session that began at AED 1,000. The winner will also receive the original manuscript of Malouf’s next book scheduled to be published shortly.

Following the session, Malouf signed copies of his books for guests and continued discussions about Middle Eastern cuisine with his readers. Attendees also had access to the freshest produce at The Ripe Market pop-up that was put up to complement the event. Running from 19 to 21 January, the 4th International Rain Enhancement Forum (IREF) serves as a global platform to bring together leading international and national experts, researchers, scientists and stakeholders to tackle pressing water and sustainability issues worldwide.

Commenting on the event and its key highlights this year, His Excellency Dr. Abdulla Al Mandous, Director of NCM and President of the Regional Association II (Asia) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said: “The UAE, under the forward-looking vision of its wise leadership, continues to play an instrumental role in tackling vital global issues affecting millions of lives worldwide, including water resource sustainability. In line with this vision and strategies, the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs in 2015. Managed by National Center of Meteorology (NCM), the program has come a long way in supporting the vital water sector, one of the seven sectors identified by the UAE National Innovation Strategy.”

He added: “In hosting IREF 2020, the UAE seeks to demonstrate its pioneering efforts in engaging with international community to address critical water security issues through cloud seeding. Rain enhancement research has emerged as an important scientific discipline due to its vital role in addressing water stress in arid and semi-arid regions. In convening top national and global experts under one roof, we are confident that IREF 2020 will

4th International Rain Enhancement Forum Kicks off in Abu Dhabi

continue to achieve positive outcomes and actionable strategies to improve the security and sustainability of freshwater resources locally and globally.”

Session two highlighted ‘Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent System Applications in Meteorology and Rain Enhancement’ and included presentations on the incorporation of artificial intelligence and systems for meteorological applications. The session discussed key topics including the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for rain enhancement, statistical techniques for determining optimized cloud seeding conditions, next-generation weather sensor technologies, and applications in hydrometeorological research, forecasting and monitoring.

The third session on day one was titled ‘Innovations in Rainfall Enhancement: Methodologies and New Insights’ and included presentations on innovative research and advancements in materials and methods applicable to rain enhancement. It tackled important topics such as the application of nanotechnology for developing novel cloud seeding materials, the study of the effects of electrical charges on cloud droplet formation, and the stimulation of convection to formulate artificial clouds and precipitation.

IREF is the first of its kind event that aims to provide the scientific community with a platform to discuss the latest scientific and technological advancements with a view to finding new water security solutions through rain enhancement. IREF is structured to reinforce the rain enhancement science based on five key strategic