Lalla Lydia

The Arab Spring comes to Meknes

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 03:23:00 +0000

Direct from the Occupy Butcher Street movement in Meknes, Morocco:

Felines demonstrating for their right to fair and equitable distribution of viande hachée.

This is the 99 percent.

Kayaking in Venice

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 06:10:00 +0000

Enjoy a beautifully-written article in the Financial Times exploring the pleasures of kayaking Venice's waterways.

Courtesy ECV-Ontheroad on Flickr
"This is hidden Venice, a world away from the visiting hordes, footpaths and overpriced gelato: the true Serenissima – and all it takes to uncover it are a few strokes on the canal less travelled."

Kayaks can reach the narrow, low tunnels that are too inaccessible for even gondolas.

Courtesy La Citta Vita on Flickr

This looks like a novel and exciting way to visit one of the world's most popular cities. Sign me up!

"...we slip under tiny bridges, ducking to avoid decorative lions’ heads, and shimmy west into the rio (tiny canals) of Castello. Each stroke pulls us away from the tourists, deeper into daily Venetian life. At water level, it is tiny details that catch the eye: outboard engines stored on balconies, drainpipes chiselled into ground floor brickwork – safe from wide delivery barges – and small dinghies, used to ferry owners to boats moored on opposite banks, hanging from hooks." -FT.com

Courtesy Dirt Fairy on Flickr

Grab a paddle and be sure to check out the FT's photo slideshow from this trip.

Paula Wolfert releases epic new Moroccan cookbook

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 05:03:00 +0000

I have three references when it comes to Moroccan cooking.

The first is my mother-in-law, a talented and innovative (in her own way) cook; a vintage Jewish-Moroccan cookbook written in French that she gave me years ago, with my frantic scrawl in the margins noting where my mom-in-law's recipes rapidly deviate from the book's kosher principles (starting with that first big lump of butter she stirs into her harira lamb stew); and finally, my go-to resource* when I can't get her by skype or I'm left scratching my head trying to perform metric to American measuring conversions...

Paula Wolfert's seminal cookbook Couscous and Other Good Foods from Morocco. More than any other, I've found it to be the most precise, descriptive in its methods and rich in anecdotal details on traditional Moroccan cooking.

Image credit Myung J. Chung

Wolfert began her Moroccan culinary explorations more than 50 years ago, learning at the side of experienced home cooks; this experience provided her with ample material to fill what was already a thick book with the widest array of dishes I've come across in English.

Apparently she's set a new milestone with The Food of Morocco, a 500+ page culinary memoir (ooh la la) that updates and expands upon her previous book. . It includes full color photographs and description of the sort of traditional, regional fare she's known for (her recipe for a seafood bistilla has been a favorite of mine, when I'm feeling particularly ambitious in the kitchen).

This excellent review says:

"Sidebars and intros provide adequate space for Paula to weave in culinary tales, divulge regional and historical contexts, and share poignant quotes from the literary giants who helped shape her own Moroccan experiences. All the while, she dishes out ample cooking advice while graciously acknowledging sources."

Image from Wolfert's book The Food of Morocco

A friend tipped me off to this recent NYT article on Wolfert and Mourad Lahlou (the San Fran-based culinary innovator at Aziza restaurant). The writer tries to build tension between the two's methods, but really fails to see that they both simply occupy a spectrum along generational lines.

And based on her comments in her instructions on how to make the thinner-than-phyllo warqa, crediting Lahlou with helping make the recipe successful, their professional relationship seems more collaborative than opposing. --But seriously, if you haven't won a James Beard award of a Michelin star, I'd just go for store-bought...

If you don't happen to have someone around to show you the ropes, Wolfert's books will surely be the best bet for learning, or just appreciating, the repertoire of traditional Moroccan cooking. Get an inside peek here.

I'm looking forward to just getting my hands on this book. I'd love to hear from anyone who's already gotten it, and to learn what you think of the recipes!

*And not just mine. It's in its umpteenth edition, so apparently a whole lot of other people are enjoying it, too. :)

Into Jebl: Graphic design inspired by Chefchaouen

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 04:10:00 +0000

Spanish graphic designer and multimedia artist Javier Reta's digital collages are inspired from the two years he spent living in Chefchaouen, in Morocco's northern Rif region.

This series is entitled "Into Jebl" (Into the mountain).

Javier's collages draw from his "devotion to these mountain woman and their hard work," his curiosity with Arabic typography as graphic elements and his personal photography.

I love the juxtapositions here, the humor of everyday objects...

...as well as the way in which images of daily life, hard, burdensome, or banal, are translated into sharp graphic elements.

An exhibit of Javier's work just opened at the Marita Segovia gallery in Madrid.

His photography is also quite stunning, veering towards the abstract. See this series 'Blue & Orange.'

All images courtesy Javier Reta. For more of his work, visit his website or portfolio.

Istanbul Modern from MOMA

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Designs inspired by Istanbul by Erdem Akan

The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) Store still has this delightful 'Destination: Istanbul' collection of modern designs from Turkey available.

While the cute rings by Aida Pekin (intriguing, but a little kitsch--her other jewelry is quite mod and organic) and diminutive oiseaux on Berra Alkan's porcelain have appeal, the real standout designer is Erdem Akan.

MOMA is carrying Akan's 'East Meets West' glasses (love!) but a tour of his site reveals so many more designs in this same vein -- "typically" Turkish but definitely modern.

This tray reminds me a bit of Younes Duret's designs,
but just goes to show how popular the star pattern is worldwide...

Simple espresso cups adorned with iznik tile patterns

Dome cloches

Some of these are intended as tourist takeaways. When was the last time you saw these on display in the Grand Bazaar?


Jockey meets fez. But would Ataturk approve?

Can you believe these are trivets?
Presumably reflections of Turkish hipsters are not included.

Would love to grab a few of these myself. Kudos to MOMA for bringing these young designers Stateside.

Hillariously Mapping Stereotypes of the Arab Spring

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:15:00 +0000

From the man who brought us the 'Ultimate Bigot's Calendar of Europe', now we have the (bigoted) 'Hitchikers Guide to the Arab Spring'.

Funny, yet depressing.

As is the 'Americans' View of Africa' and on it goes...

Found via The Arabist.

2011 Jameel art prize to Algerian Rachid Koraichi

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 01:56:00 +0000

Ever seen Arabic letterpress?

Now you have...

The 2011 Jameel Prize for contemporary art drawing upon Islamic traditions has just been awarded, and this year's winner is Rachid Koraichi, an Algerian multimedia artist.

The judges' comment:

Koraichi uses Arabic calligraphy, and symbols and ciphers from a range of other languages and cultures to explore the lives and legacies of the 14 great mystics of Islam. The work aims to show that the world of Islam, in contrast to contemporary perceptions of crisis and violence, has another side entirely, evident in the tolerant and sophisticated writings of great Muslim thinkers and poets such as Rumi and El Arabi.

All images courtesy the October Gallery, which has an extensive collection of Koraichi's work.

High brow / Low brow

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 12:38:00 +0000

I'm slightly embarrassed to admit this, but chocolate + pop rocks = a rockin' oral experience.

A friend of mine recently shared with me some her chocolate stash that she brought back from Israel, and though I'd never had thought to put the two together, this duo provides quite a sensation.

Image courtesy Rachel Tepper: source

Though tasty, the chocolate is hardly first rate-- but the novelty of it is worth getting a hold of a bar or two. (Mine went particularly well with black coffee to wash it all down.)

Image courtesy Rachel Tepper: source

If the above is the devilish imp of the chocolate world, this next treat would be a heavenly host of rosy-cheeked cherubim.

Tartufo nero from Tartuflanghe, a small, truffle-centric company from the Piedmont region in northern Italy.

A random person offered one of these to my husband, who then shared it with me, and we immediately scoured the store trying to locate them. No luck. It seems these babies aren't available in the U.S. (If you know otherwise, please drop me a line, I beg you.)

Image courtesy Tartuflanghe

They carry several variations (I have my eye on the Sicilian amaretto-truffle version) but if you like quality dark chocolate, these are addictively good. Like carry the wrinkled wrapper in your purse so you can ask every specialty store and organic grocery manager to carry them good.

And I promise you won't be afraid to recommend them to even the most discerning of cacao connoisseurs (even if that's you).

The Art of Madi: Summer on the Lebanese Riviera

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 02:41:00 +0000

For me, nothing exudes "summer" like the work of Lebanese artist and sculptor Hussein Madi.

His colorful, sun-drenched paintings bear the clear imprint of Matisse and Picasso, but his landscapes and the rounded sensuality of his figures, be they village folk, women, or musicians, speak to me and offer a perspective on earthy, joyful Oriental / Levantine culture that I find lacking in the other masters' work.

Like the Spaniard and the Frenchman, the Italian-trained Madi devoted many of his works to purity of form and abstraction, fusing the genre with the traditions of harmony and abstraction in Islamic calligraphy.

A wonderful and substantial book (seriously, it weighs nearly five pounds) covering his life's work, along with interviews and art critics' essays, The Art of Madi, is available if you can find it online or in a specialty bookstore.

I came across it in a little Arab bookstore in Los Angeles, and regret not having snatched it up then. If you can find this tome, get it, as I believe it's no longer in print and is a fabulous publication.

A series of his exhibitions have been taking place, mostly across the Gulf states and Beirut, (Nabad, Aida Cherfan, and Art Space galleries) as well as across Europe for many years. Check out his series on birds, if you have the opportunity.

All images courtesy the publisher Saqi Books.

Tunisian Street Art & Music on the Revolution

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 21:42:00 +0000

Graffiti and hip-hop. It's a classic combination, no matter where you go in the world.

In Tunisia, Franco-Algerian street artists 'Zoo Project' is painting the town with murals in commemoration of the people and actions that helped oust Ben Ali from power, while Foreign Policy magazine profiles the music of El General (the nom de guerre of 21-year-old Hamada Ben Amor), the young rapper whose incendiary underground song Rais el bled ("President of the country") got him into hot water and motivated thousands more into action.

Excerpt from the interview:

LB: Who inspires you musically?
HBA: I'm mainly inspired by two revolutionary rappers: Lotfi Double Kanon in Algeria, and in the west, Tupac Shukar. Tupac raged against the police. That's what I did. But I'm not following blindly the models of these rappers. For example, I don't use bad words in my songs. I'm just serving my art.

-- Everywhere I travel, it amazes me how often Tupac Shakur is a cultural reference (and undoubtedly a greater motivator for learning English than say, Shakespeare...) in every country I've been to. The unemployed guys I met who spent time listening to Tupac (and Michael Jackson) always spoke English to a level of fluidity that surpassed their peers spending hours studying English literature in the Faculté des Lettres. Just sayin'...

They've done a quick overview of other major hip-hop acts from the region as well, from Morocco to Iraq.

Read the full article 'Rapping the Revolution' on FP.com.

Zoo Project found via Out & About Africa

"Amina" and a Jihad for Love

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 17:29:00 +0000

I feel like enough has already been said about the revelation of the blogger behind A Gay Girl in Damascus turning out to be a married white American in Scotland...the treachery, the implications it may have for the gay community within Syria and regionally, the betrayal felt by those who had closely followed and supported "Amina" in her struggles and activism.

But amidst the flurry of comments, articles, and op-eds on the subject, I was surprised not to see one particular film mentioned at all in the past few weeks following the news of "Amina's" detention and later the pandora's box of Tom MacMaster's self-outing.

A few years ago I saw the documentary A Jihad for Love, a film with a wide scope, from public shaming and detention of a mass of gay men in Egypt, the persecution and flight of a group of gay Iranians into more liberal Turkey, (because, as Ahmadinejad will be happy to inform you, there are no homosexuals in Iran...) a Turkish lesbian couple and gay communities throughout India, Pakistan and elsewhere.

But just as interesting, if not more so (only because I think the travails of the gay community in the ME have received greater attention of late) is the plight of open homosexual Muslims living in the West.

A Jihad for Love focuses strongly on the story of an imam in South Africa, a family man, who has been open with his community about his sexuality and appears to be predominantly persecuted for it by total strangers. Callers on a radio talk show proclaim he should be stoned. Meanwhile, his two young daughters tell him they're proud of him for living his life honestly and in the fullness of his faith. What would normally tear a person down provides him with the motivation to speak out as a voice for Muslims who wish to embrace their identities as mutually inclusive...And there are more stories of those who've fled to Europe, of American-born Muslims and their own tragedies, joys and struggles.

MacMaster's dishonesty shouldn't further marginalize people who don't have the security of living openly in their own countries; but hopefully his acts will continue to serve as a catalyst for social debate and the s

Daniel Nassar closed his piece for Foreign Policy with the appeal to "listen to the sounds of the real struggle from real people. But don't lose your trust with those trying to create a real movement in Syria's LGBT community -- we need your help now more than ever" -- This film is one way to do that and discover a global picture of Muslim LGBTs, and hopefully create a more open forum for these voices as well.

Translation of Abdellah Taia's 'An Arab Melancholy' in WWB

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 00:38:00 +0000

June marks the annual LGBT "Queer" issue for Words Without Borders magazine. I contributed a excerpt by Moroccan writer Abdellah Taia, from his book Une mélancholie arabe / An Arab Melancholy--forthcoming in English translation in early 2012.

Entitled "The Algerian and the Moroccan," this excerpt recounts the narrator's relationship with an Algerian man in Paris, their tumultuous love affair, repeat break-ups, and the author's orthographic revenge upon his ex-lover after this last returns to him just a few pages from the "love journal" they had written together side-by-side during happier times, keeping the rest of their memories for himself.

The book jumps from Paris to Morocco, to Cairo and back, and is one of several of Taia's novels written in his autobiographical tone; there are moments of pure literary delight, touching humanity and cruel, dark passages from the author's boyhood.

Taia is best known for being the first openly gay Moroccan writer and much of his fiction, including the already translated Salvation Army, deals with his coming to terms with his homosexuality and Arab identity.

Hassan Hajjaj: Modern Moroccan Pop Art

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Thu, 26 May 2011 08:02:00 +0000

Andy Warhol's meets eye-popping studio photography and a playful profile Marrakesh's biker chicks in the photographic series 'Kesh Angels by Hassan Hajjaj.

The dayglo cover of the latest Saudi Aramco World Magazine's cover story, "Mid East Cool" about contemporary art from the MENA region, featuring a Hassan Hajjaj photograph.

Ever since I first came across British-Moroccan artist Hassan Hajjaj's photography exhibition at famed contemporary middle eastern artist gallery Rose Issa, I've been charmed by his kitchy layering of pop-art, complex urban identities, ironic post-orientalism, global consumerism, and his celebration of the biker culture unique to Marrakesh.

Marrakesh's flat oasis landscape is the ideal terrain for bikes, motorcycles and scooters, and the swarms of people --men, women and children of all ages-- is one of the first things you notice in Marrakesh. The preponderance of female riders is particularly noticeable compared to other Moroccan cities, where although many women have cars and bikes to get around, they lack the numbers and the eye-catching factor of brightly-dressed "mrrakchias" cruising the streets in the open air. This sub-culture* evidences a greater freedom of movement and independence for women not really found in other Moroccan cities, in my opinion. It also jives cooly with the city's free-wheeling and laid-back atmosphere.

In Hajjaj's series of photos, he combines his previous work in fashion and design (he designed the retro-kooky Moroccan-themed bar Andy Wahloo in Paris, for example) with elements from his multiplicity of cultures.

Kelly Carmichael sums it up well in her excellent review of the artist's work for Contemporary Practices magazine:

"With a nod to both African studio photography, Arabic film posters of his childhood and the iconic look of international fashion magazines, the photographs of both bodies of work are carefully stage-directed by the Hajjaj. Poses, costumes, props and backdrops form mini sets upon which theatrical narratives can be played out around the iconography of East meets West and contemporary culture and consumerism."

A few more quotes from Carmichael's review:

"The urban street aesthetic and contemporary textiles teasingly subvert traditional attire and rework tired clichés, becoming a theatrical device for Hajjaj to cast a flirtatious glance at his audience." "Addressing the politically charged symbol of the veil, Hajjaj playfully questions our perception of and obsession with stereotypes."

Cheeky.

*(Sociology students, here's a thesis waiting for you.)

Alternative transportation in Venice

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Wed, 25 May 2011 14:56:00 +0000

When walking just won't do it for you, consider another means of taking in the sights...

And for the hyperactive...space hoppers! Greener than a four-stroke but with all the sound effects, for that scooter experience.

SPACE HOPPERS in VENICE from bayougirl on Vimeo.

Cameleon's fusion of sounds in ' Wellah'

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Mon, 16 May 2011 20:42:00 +0000

This love song, "Wellah" features jazzy acoustic guitar, RnB beats, North African percussion, melancholic oriental flute and raspy vocals. It's a great mix.

Brothers Hocine & Hcen Agrane of Cameleon

It was hard to find much on these guys, but once I stumbled across this song by Algerian group Cameleon, I had to find more. The fruits of my search: Cameleon's pages on Facebook & Reverbnation. Some songs are better than others, but worth checking out for the wild mix of musical influences.

Now turn it up to catch that bass beat.

Lalla Links

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Tue, 10 May 2011 00:06:00 +0000

* Words Without Borders releases its special May issue devoted to new writing from Afghanistan and Malta

* Creative Roots features a recently-published book on Arabic graffiti art

* Honestly...WTF splashes b&w photos from Feria de Abril in Seville

* An exercise in sustainability & eco-home accessorizing by Sandrine Dole, who uses old rubber littering the streets of Marrakesh to create a line of poufs and pillows.

* An article from Hand/Eye Magazine on artisan Tunisian textiles

All photos via respective sites.

Thank you, Deutsche Welle ...

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 07:22:00 +0000

For not giving into the royal pomp and Anglomania that has swept over the radio, t.v. and web during the countdown to a stroll down the aisle of Westminster Abbey by a couple of British kids.*

At present, the German outlet's English-language site has been the only major news outlet** to put the apparent terrorist bombing in Marrakesh at the top of their website (followed closely by reports on Syria, and other political/economic/social news) -- even Le Monde placed the news in third place with only a thumbnail and a brief mention of UN condemnation of the attack. (In fact, DW's first hit on the royal nuptials concerns anti-monarchist protests planned across Europe; you'd have to scroll waaaay down to bottom to catch a profile piece on the Queen.)

I started this day at my local US Immigration center, celebrating a Moroccan friend being sworn in as an American citizen, only to walk into my workplace soon after to have a student worker turn to me and ask about the Cafe Argana bombing. I momentarily hesitated to call my friend, not wanting to spoil the mood on a day he became a new citizen only to confront tragedy in his homeland, but seeing the gutted remains of the iconic cafe on AJE caused me to dial. This senseless and seemingly random violence in the heart of the Red City has darkened a day of celebration, a day of life, for millions.

I hate to be a killjoy, but I can only commend editors who make the call to put breaking news with genuine international impact at the top of their site, even if only temporarily.

*Though I do appreciate the idea for the Kate & Will-themed drinking game suggested by NPR.
**Updated to add France Info to this count.

PEN World Voices featuring Arab Authors

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 02:17:00 +0000

I've always wanted to attend the annual PEN literary festival of international literature, and this year more than ever.

If you're in New York, head out to the festival and check out the "Revolutionaries in the Arab World" panel, featuring Franco-Moroccan author Abdellah Taia, Dutch-Moroccan author Abdelkader Benali, Palestinian journalist Rula Jebreal, to name a few (not to mention all the other great writers and culturati present).

FICAM: Africa & the Middle East's First Animated Film Festival

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 05:09:00 +0000

This Friday marks the opening night of the 11th edition of FICAM, the International Animated Film Festival of Meknes -- the first film festival in Africa and the Middle East dedicated entirely to animation in Africa*.

Last year's clip

It's hosted by the French Institute of Meknes and projections, lectures and events take place in several locations --including an old caravanserai in the medina -- throughout the Ismailian capital.

Previous festivals have hosted great names of international animation like Michel Ocelot (Kirikou, Azur & Asmar) and the beloved Hayao Miyazaki (Totoro, Ponyo) This year's theme focuses on the creators of the Russian school of animation, including Konstantin Bronzit (At the Ends of the Earth):

"Le cinéma d'animation russe, comme le démontre la programmation de cette année - qui ne se veut en aucun cas exhaustive vue son immensité- a pour modeste ambition de démontrer la diversité du cinéma d’animation qui puise sa force dans son patrimoine oral, littéraire et culturel, tout en étant contemporain, novateur, inventeur de formes."
The Russian animated film school, as this year's program demonstrates -- without intending in any way to be exhaustive, considering its immensity-- holds the modest ambition to demonstrate the diversity of an animated cinema that draws its force from its oral, literary and cultural heritage, all the while remaining contemporary, innovative, and inventing new forms."

The festival also supports a pedagogical initiative through its master class workshops for Moroccan film students -- and the great desire to inspire creativity and curiosity in Moroccan children and families through the joy and magic of animation.

*There's also the Animafrik Festival in Ghana.

Duty free cigarettes, perfume...and dabke

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:20:00 +0000

Fashion Friday: Flamenco Fashion Week

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Earlier this month saw the extravaganza of flounce and polka dots that is the premier flamenco fashion show in the world, the Salon Internacional de la Moda Flamenca (SIMOF) in Seville.

While the show doesn't get much press outside of Spain, Spanish women take their trajes very seriously -- having the show in February allows for enough time to prepare for the big feria in May, a major cultural event.

While I've been a little disappointed at some of the collections these past years, which seemed to be going the route of beauty pageant-wear, including pieces even Barbie might look askance at, but 2011 shows sign evidence of strong talent in these designs.

The elements of bold color and pattern combination are ever-present, along with the ubiquitous florals and fringe.

Some collections are notable for their modern cuts, and I was intrigued by one show, Maricruz, that included maternity-wear and confused by another, whose pirate theme didn't exactly 'float my boat'.

Photos are up at the De Flamenco site, though they're holding back on the images from the last day, when the big names and best talents are featured, along with some of the more performance-based shows.

Also check out this blog post from the exhibition hall.

All images courtesy De Flamenco.

Christian Lacroix & the Levantine dress

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 21:26:00 +0000

Whether or not you like traditional dress, the pure graphic elements of this exhibition of 150 women's garments from Jordan, Palestine, Syria and the Sinai are remarkable for the sheer vibrancy of color and line.

Having one of the big guns of French couture, Christian Lacroix, as curator certainly doesn't hurt either!

Christian Lacroix has teamed up with the delightful Musee du Quai Branly (they host art exhibits and performances from around the world), working on all aspects of the show, and I've seen slideshows, articles and videos popping up all over the place for it.

From a Guardian interview with the designer:

The exhibition at the Musée du quai Branly consists of a striking ensemble of 150 gowns and accessories dating from the 13th century, each painstakingly embroidered in vibrant colours by women in Syria, Palestine and Jordan. The garments, some from the museum's own archive and some on loan from a private collection, have never been seen in public before.

"There is an opulence to this work," says Lacroix. "It's the idea of these anonymous women making their dresses, very simple, very rustic, and yet you see all the richness in the detail, all the colours like a beautiful flower.

"It's about the self-expression of individuality and I think that is so different from what we are seeing in fashion nowadays, which seems to be connected more and more with status symbols and logos."

I find it interesting that the museum is contextualizing this exhibit with the rise of somber, fundamentalist garments in the modern Middle East, as well as France's own issues with the burqa.It's quite a different tack than that from similar exhibitions (here I'm thinking of the Yves Saint-Laurent 'Une Passion Marocaine') -- but one that will surely garner it plenty of visitors.

No Comment

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 08:37:00 +0000

Live from Egypt

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 18:05:00 +0000

Despite internet closures (!!) people in Egypt are still getting through to keep the world updated on the latest around the country.

Check out the BBC's live feed --updated almost every minute-- of what's happening on the streets.
And Al Jazeera English has a live video feed here.

Updated to quote:

1759: The BBC's Yolande Knell has been out on the streets of Cairo, where she describes people running, their eyes streaming as a result of the teargas hanging over the city. "We will never stop until this government goes," yelled one elderly man. Ordinary Egyptians appear to be losing their fear of direct confrontation with the security forces, says our correspondent. Read Yolande's eyewitness report here.

Even better:

1749: AP reporter Ashraf Sweilim reports that some Bedouins in Sinai are besieging the Sheikh Zoueid police station, demanding members of the security forces inside to surrender.

And:

1743: Middle East analyst Roger Hardy writes on the BBC News website:"If the Egyptian unrest turns into an Egyptian revolution, the implications for the Arab world - and for Western policy in the Middle East - will be immense. Egypt matters, in a way that tiny Tunisia - key catalyst that it has been in the current wave of protest - does not. It matters because its destiny affects, in a range of ways, not only Arab interests but Israeli, Iranian and Western interests, too."

Fashion Friday: Aennis Eunis gets his kicks

noreply@blogger.com (LallaLydia) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 09:52:00 +0000

Trained in Italy, NY and Jordan, architect-cum-cordwainer Anas Younis Shanaah designs shoes inspired by the beauty of Arabic calligraphy and mosaics under his semi-eponymous line Aennis Eunis. They're sensual enough to make Carrie Bradshaw sqeal (and seriously go into debt) .

With two collections so far, 'Calligraphy' and 'Arabesque', the designer is branching out into hosiery, apparel and accessories soon.

You can find them at Bloomingdales...in Dubai. In case you needed an excuse to visit the Emirates, here's your reason. Just save your pennies.

More designs at Aennis Eunis.