World Monuments Fund strengthens its presence to support heritage in Arab countries

JEDDAH: Escaping personal strife, a Muslim single mother carves a space for herself in the heart of rural Australia in “Translations,” an engrossing debut novel by Australia-born Palestinian-Egyptian writer Jumaana Abdu.

Set in New South Wales in the period just after the COVID-19 era with the threat of bushfires looming, the novel explores one woman’s efforts to cultivate not only the land but also a sense of belonging and identity on foreign soil.

In this story of self-discovery and resilience, Abdu intricately weaves in the broader theme of solidarity between First Nations of Australia and Palestinians — two nations grappling with colonization, dispossession and cultural erasure.

The novel’s title could be a reference to not just the transformation of the land through re-vegetation and restoration, but also the translations that characters undertake to bridge linguistic, cultural and emotional gaps between them — translation in this sense is portrayed as the language of solidarity and resistance.

Hidden within the trope of new beginnings in a small town, Abdu paints a powerful picture of mutual recognition and respect, of shared struggles, and the healing potential of intercultural bonds.

This is unveiled through Aliyah’s interactions with the community into which she slowly, and sometimes reluctantly, begins to integrate, including her conversations with Shep, the reserved Palestinian man from Gaza who she hires as a farmhand, and Billie, the wise and nurturing Kamilaroi midwife.

Love and faith are also focal elements in the story. Love in its many forms — romantic, familial, and communal — acts as a balm to past wounds for the Arab and Aboriginal characters, while faith, both in the divine and in human resilience, guides Aliyah, and her childhood friend Hana, through despair toward hope.

“Translations” is a profound exploration of not just the complex interplay between identity and trauma, but also a look at how love can bridge divides, and how shared histories of resistance can unite different peoples in their quest for peace and understanding.

In one pivotal moment in the story that carries a deep message, Shep discusses displacement and the “chain of loss and expulsion” with Billie’s husband Jack, an Aboriginal character, who poignantly says: “You want to wish for something, wish for the return of the land’s dignity.”

DUBAI: Argentine model Georgina Rodriguez has joined forces with Lebanese dance group Mayyas, who won the 17th season of “America's Got Talent,” for a new campaign.

They starred in an advertisement for Egyptian real estate company Horizon Egypt Developments, where Rodriguez and the Mayyas promote Saada, a real estate development in New Cairo in Egypt.

The video opens with a formal outdoor gathering in a desert setting, where guests dressed in evening attire socialize under draped golden canopies and soft candlelight. 

Rodriguez arrives in a shimmering gold, form-fitting gown, drawing attention as she walks through the crowd.

She stops and watches as the Mayyas perform a choreographed routine to orchestral music. The dancers were dressed in black and gold outfits, paired with gold eye masks, moving in the synchronized formations they have become famous for.

During the event, a waiter hands Rodriguez a letter. After reading it, she makes a phone call and says in Spanish, “Pack my bags. She reached before me.” The scene then transitions to her getting into a luxury car and when the driver asks for their destination, she responds: “It’s always Saada.”

This is not Rodriguez’s first campaign for Saada. In October, she led a campaign for Saada Sahel, another real estate development on Egypt’s North Coast.

In the video, she was seen speaking on the phone, saying: “I already got the tickets, we are going next summer.”

For the campaign, she wore a white lace-trimmed sundress with spaghetti straps and a fitted bodice featuring intricate lace detailing.

The look was accessorized with a necklace from Egyptian brand Nado’s Jewelry’s Perle collection, which includes large, rounded links alternating between polished gold and diamond-encrusted surfaces. 

Teaming up with Rodriguez and winning “America’s Got Talent” are not the only global milestones for the Mayyas.

In 2023, Nadim Cherfan, the founder and choreographer of the dance troupe, reached a major career milestone when he choreographed part of Beyonce’s performance at the grand opening of Atlantis The Royal in Dubai.

“To the artist of my life Beyonce, thank you for making my dream come true. Thank you for being the humblest, most professional and phenomenal human that you are,” he shared on social media at the time.