The sight of two dolphins twisting playfully in the murky waters of the Mekong river elicits barely-stifled squeals of delight from a boatload of eco-tourists.
But a short distance upstream, river guard Pech Sokhan sighs as he holds up two large, tangled gill nets recently pulled from the river — evidence old habits die hard despite a ban on the practice that ensnares many dolphins.
“We have to keep educating people every day,” said Pech, one of 77 unarmed guards who patrol the Cambodian stretch of the Mekong river on the lookout for activities that could harm the dolphins.
Entanglement in gill nets — vertical mesh nets left in the water for long periods — is the main cause of death in adult Mekong dolphins, according to experts, who believe the grey mammals with distinctive blunt beaks are in imminent danger of extinction.
Estimates for the number of remaining adult Mekong river freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins range from 85 up to 180.
Although there are no comprehensive studies, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature classes the species as critically endangered.
The dwindling population faces numerous challenges including unexplained high rates of calf mortality, as well as disease, inbreeding and habitat loss.
But “gill nets are the biggest of these threats,” said WWF conservationist Gordon Congdon.
Freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins exist in only three river systems in Southeast Asia, with Cambodia hosting the largest population.
Community-based eco-tourism initiatives that allow poor villagers to generate revenue from the “smiling face of the Mekong,” mostly through boat tours and souvenir sales, are central to protection efforts.
And business is good. The region welcomed some 30,000 dolphin tourists this year, up from around 20,000 in 2011 and just 50 in 2000, said Touch Seang Tana, who heads a government commission to protect the species.
Kampi dolphin pool in eastern Cambodia’s Kratie province, where tourists can get up close with small groups of the mammals, is one of the success stories of government efforts to save the critically endangered creatures.
But not all locals can get in on the act, and despite plans to open two more dolphin viewing sites, many find that cheap and efficient gill nets remain the best way to put food on the table.
“It is unending until the poverty is gone,” Touch said about the battle against the dreaded nets, which ensnare dolphins as easily as they trap fish.
“People already know that gill nets kill dolphins. But they are thinking about their own stomachs.”
In what WWF hailed as “a huge step forward,” the government in August approved a dolphin protection zone in a 180-kilometer-long (110 miles) river stretch from Kratie to the border with Laos.
While fishing with small scoop nets, cast nets or hooks is still allowed in the safe zone, dolphin-unfriendly fishing methods such as gill nets and fish cages are banned.
Offenders are not arrested or fined, but their destructive fishing gear is confiscated — a heavy loss for poor families.
But despite these efforts, river guards confiscated some 8,000 meters of gill nets over just a few days in early December, Touch said, evidence the practice is still common.
Worse still, since the ban came into effect at least two adult dolphins have been found dead, ensnared in netting, he added.
The race is now on to educate the dozens of villages dotted along the Mekong about the new rules and offer incentives for traditional fishing communities to diversify their income and reduce reliance on fishing.
But the efforts have yet to reach fisherman Eam Mao, 55, who lives a few kilometers north of the popular Kampi dolphin pools and earns just over $ 2 a day from his catch.
“It’s much more difficult for us to make a living than for those who live nearer the dolphins,” he told AFP as he sat outside his modest home repairing a small cast net.
Still, river guard Pech is optimistic that the new rules can make a difference.
“Now when we confiscate the gill nets people dare not object because they know it’s illegal. Before, they would chase us with knives,” he recalled, laughing.
Cambodia battles to save rare Mekong dolphins
Cambodia battles to save rare Mekong dolphins
Behind the scenes of ‘Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams’
- The French fashion house’s milliner Stephen Jones discusses the Riyadh exhibition
PARIS: The exhibition “Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams” — currently showing at Riyadh’s Saudi National Museum until April — is a tribute to the famed French fashion house’s long-running excellence. British milliner Stephen Jones, one of Dior’s master creators, was heavily involved in the creation of the exhibition.
Jones’ big break came in 1982, three years after graduating from Saint Martin's School of Art in London. He appeared in the video of UK pop group Culture Club’s hit single, “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?” wearing a red velvet fez of his own design. This caught the eye of acclaimed French designer Jean Paul Gaultier, who invited Jones to Paris to design the hats for his womenswear collection.
“I took advantage of his long lunch break to draw like crazy,” Jones told Arab News. “When he came back, he selected 25 of my sketches.”
Jones’ hats proved a huge success and provided the then-28-year-old designer an entry into the Paris fashion stratosphere. He quickly found himself working with the likes of Thierry Mugler, Claude Montana, Azzedine Alaïa, Rei Kawakubo, and John Galliano.
It was the latter who intoduced Jones to the Christian Dior team in 1996. Dior is the only fashion house in the world to have an integrated haute mode (hat design) atelier, which Jones has directed for the past 28 years. . During that period, he has worked alongside Galliano (1996 to 2011), Raf Simons (2012 to 2015), Maria Grazia Chiuri (since 2016) and Kim Jones (since 2018).
“If there's a hat in Dior, I've had a hand in it!” he said with a smile.
With which of the designers at Dior have you had the most creative affinity?
I think each designer at Dior has had a completely different process, and a completely different view on hats, so I can’t compare them. For John Galliano, it was part of the storytelling; for Raf Simons it was a mid-century gesture; and for Maria Grazia Chiuri, my brief was to make a hat that every fashionable young girl in the world would want to wear. So, they’re all completely different briefs that cannot be compared.
Was your visit to Riyadh your first time in the Middle East? What were your impressions of Saudi Arabia?
I worked on the “Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams” exhibition in Doha in 2021. However, the selection of dresses is very different this time. I had been to Saudi Arabia once before, and I think it’s an extraordinary place. The people there are extremely hospitable and kind, and it is, of course, very hot compared to England. Some of the landscapes are extraordinary, especially the desert. I went to the Edge of the World, which is one of the most spectacular places I have ever visited in my life.
Were there any surprises during the installation of the exhibition, unearthing looks from past collections?
When we were installing the hats, some of the looks I remembered, some I didn't. But many have never been shown before, so it sometimes feels like I’m seeing them for the first time. I think the ultimate surprise for me was the Desert Beauty room, because there were many looks I had never seen before. Each and every one of them is so full of memories. It’s like asking me, “Tell me about your children.” Each one needs a specific set of skills, which was a story illuminated by the clothes. Each one reflected the designers’ approach to Christian Dior.
Do you remember every single hat you have designed?
More or less, yes. And when I remember it, I can really feel it, I can see the thought process behind it, I know the weight of it, the texture of it.
How many hats have you designed in the course of your career?
I would say about 100,000, at a conservative estimate.
Is there a hat in the exhibition that is particularly significant to you?
Obviously, the Bar suit hat (from Christian Dior’s first collection), because it was one of Dior’s favorite creations, and I continue to be astounded by its modernity.
Dior wrote in his 1954 “Little Dictionary of Fashion”: “Without hats, there is no civilization.” Would you agree?
Yes. A hat is transformational. A hat makes all the difference.
Steve McQueen’s ‘Blitz’ — old-school thrills in historical war drama
DUBAI: “Blitz” is a throwback in more ways than one. Acclaimed British director Steve McQueen’s latest movie, now streaming on Apple TV+ after a short cinema run, is a period piece anyway, set in London in World War II during the titular German saturation-bombing campaign, but the film itself — the narrative and pacing particularly — also seem to be from the past; a straightforward rip-roaring Boys’ Own adventure anchored by two excellent performances from newcomer Elliott Heffernan as nine-year-old mixed-race George and Saoirse Ronan as his single mother, Rita.
The chemistry between the two is utterly convincing, and crucial to the main storyline: George’s attempt to return home having joined the hundreds of thousands of children being evacuated — often without their parents — from the UK’s urban centers to the countryside to escape the Blitz.
On the morning of his evacuation, he pleads with Rita not to make him leave. And when she takes him to the train station, he tells her he hates her, then refuses to speak to her as she stands outside his carriage. Within a couple of hours, of course, he’s full of remorse and decides to jump off the train and head back home. So begins a journey fraught with danger, during which George meets a number of disparate characters who teach him about both the kindness of strangers and the danger of relying on that kindness as a given, and in which his courage and resourcefulness are tested to their limits.
Heffernan makes for a compelling central character — conveying George’s emotional confusion and stoic resolution well. Ronan, as usual, is pitch perfect (including vocally — Rita is a gifted singer, and a love for music is a constant thread throughout the film). McQueen tackles the movie’s darker themes (and some are very dark) with a light touch, not dwelling on them — a choice that also matches the retro, family-friendly feel — but not shrinking from them either. And visually “Blitz” is magnificent; some of the aerials shots of a bombed-out London are breathtaking.
“Blitz” doesn’t break any new ground, and feels like something of an outlier in McQueen’s catalogue in its lack of nuance. It is, though, gripping, moving and entertaining.
Northern Soul: Discovering the center of English pop culture
- Exploring England’s northwestern powerhouses, Manchester and Liverpool
DUBAI: London might be the UK’s capital, and the center of Britain’s financial and political power, but visitors seeking the true heart of England should head to the two great northern cities of Manchester and Liverpool. Here, two of the main pillars of English popular culture — football and music — take center stage.
As part of the British government’s attempts to raise awareness of tourism opportunities outside of London, Arab News went on a press trip in November that delved deep into the rich cultural history of both cities. The two have much in common. Each has two Premier League football teams — one red, one blue — and in each the red team has historically been far more successful (although in Manchester, that gap is narrowing rapidly). And both have been the focus of movements that have changed the face of pop music: the ‘Madchester’ scene of the late Eighties/early Nineties, and the Merseybeat scene of the Sixties, from which emerged the band often hailed as the greatest of all time, The Beatles — four Liverpool lads who grew up within a few miles of each other, three of whom, it turned out, were among the finest songwriters to have ever lived. (The other was Ringo Starr, who, to be fair, was a metronomic and creative drummer crucial to The Beatles’ sound).
In Liverpool, our base is the majestic Titanic hotel, named for the ill-fated liner, which was registered in Liverpool. Thankfully, it lives up to that name only in its impressive scale — even the corridors are enormous — and is anything but a disaster for its guests, providing service and accommodation that would be the envy of any luxury cruise ship.
It’s part of the regeneration of Liverpool’s docks, and sits just around the corner from Everton’s new stadium, which will be inaugurated at the start of next season (several of our taxi drivers joke that it will be the most impressive stadium in England’s second tier once Everton — Liverpool’s blue team — are relegated this year). But it’s Anfield, home of Liverpool FC, that is globally renowned. We attend the late kick-off against Aston Villa on Nov. 10, and experiencing a game live is the best way to truly understand just how much significance football holds in English culture. While you get a better view of the action watching on television, that’s more than compensated for by the atmosphere — tens of thousands of people gasping, groaning, singing and roaring in unison.
Most English football grounds are now far more welcoming than their reputation suggests — women and children commonly attend, and Liverpool can count many from the Arab world among their supporters thanks to the impact of Egyptian superstar Mo Salah — but the language remains industrial. So if you want to experience a Premier League stadium without the man in the seat in front of you advising the referee exactly where to put his whistle, maybe opt for a tour on a non-matchday. The Anfield one offers a comprehensive journey through Liverpool’s trophy-laden history, right up to the just-ended Jurgen Klopp era, with some great stories from knowledgeable guides and ex-players, visits to the home and away dressing rooms (the away one is considerably less fancy, of course), a pitch-side wander, and a trip to the executive boxes.
Manchester City’s Etihad stadium tour offers much the same experience, although with more focus on interactive experiences (a press conference with Pep!) — perhaps to compensate for the fact that the team’s history, until the last decade or so, is nothing like as golden as Liverpool’s. It’s an impressive setup though, and probably more fun for kids.
Back in Liverpool — and back to music — we visit the world-famous Cavern club, where The Beatles made their name. While it understandably plays up its historic links to the Fab Four, it’s still a thriving venue today, welcoming established international stars, local up-and-comers, and veteran cover bands, and is packed out most nights (mostly with tourists). It’s just one of dozens of bars and clubs in the city center that stage live shows in a city where the music scene continues to flourish.
To dive deeper into The Beatles’ history, Liver Tours offers a bespoke experience led by incredibly knowledgeable guides who will take you round the major landmarks associated with the band — from their childhood homes, through the church hall where John Lennon and Paul McCartney were first introduced, to places that inspired their songs (Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, and more). It’s an exhaustive venture, highly recommended for Beatles’ lovers, but perhaps a little too much for casual fans, who may prefer the excellent Beatles Story on Albert Dock — a celebration of the band’s rise to world domination, a reminder of just how quickly it all happened (less than eight years between the release of their debut single and their final album), and a statement about how much the band did for their hometown.
In Manchester, we stayed in The Reach at Piccadilly, located just round the corner from the city’s main train station and a short walk from the Northern Quarter — home to several great independent shops and cafés and a favorite haunt of many of the city’s most famous musicians over the years; many of them are celebrated, if obliquely, in the area’s pavement art. Despite the Reach’s central location, it’s a very peaceful hotel with friendly staff and fantastic breakfasts.
Our Manchester music tour is a more scattered affair than the Liverpool one — less-focused on a single band (understandable, given how singular The Beatles are) but exploring the breathtaking array of talent spawned in, or coming to, the city and its suburbs, from the 165-year-old Hallé Orchestra; the Free Trade Hall, where Bob Dylan famously performed in the Sixties and the Sex Pistols infamously performed in the Seventies and inspired a legion of young Mancunians to pick up guitars and form bands of their own; on to Seventies rockers 10CC, Eighties miserabilists Joy Division and The Smiths, as well as the creators of one of the all-time-great debut albums The Stone Roses, and the Nineties Britrock behemoths Oasis (plus dozens of others in between). Our guide from Brit Music Tours, once again, carries a wealth of information in his head and doesn’t just reel off a list of facts, but tells numerous insightful and entertaining anecdotes.
And despite spending several hours on these tours over three days, it feels like we barely scratched the surface of the two cities’ culture — let alone their vibrant foodie scenes, shopping and nightlife. If you’re planning a trip to the UK and would like somewhere more relaxed than London, but with just as much — if not more — to offer, then head northwest.
Billboard Arabia Music Awards celebrates regional music scene
RIYADH: The Billboard Arabia Music Awards took place in Riyadh on Wednesday night to honor the most-streamed songs and popular artists in the region, including Palestinian Chilean singer Elyanna who is on a world tour with British rock band Coldplay.
Focusing on digital data from global music and video platforms while spotlighting Arabic music, the event attracted numerous celebrities and music enthusiasts, including Jara, billed as Saudi Arabia's first female rapper.
"Hala Walla! My name is Jara, and I’m thrilled to be at the inaugural Billboard Music Awards in Saudi Arabia. This moment is incredibly special to me, especially as I’m one of the nominees for Best Female Hip Hop Artist in the Middle East. Whether we win or not, I’m just so excited to be part of this celebration today." Jara told Arab News ahead of the ceremony.
The awards saw notable winners, including the Song of the Year award that went to “Tamer Ashour;” the Artist of the Year prize won by Sherine Abdulwahab; the Favorite Artist that was won by Amr Diab; the Best Khaliji Song prize that went to “Ayedh;” the Best Khaliji Artist award that went to Abdulmajeed Abdullah; the Best Khaliji Female Artist award won by Omaima Talib; the Best Egyptian Song nod that went to “Tamer Ashour;” the Best Levantine Song that was won by "Wain;" and the Best Female Artist from the Levant that went to Nancy Ajram. Meanwhile the Best Moroccan Song award went to Saad Al-Mujarrad’s "Guli Mata," and the Best Indie Artist nod that went to Cairokee.
Red Sea International Film Festival’s awards ceremony draws global cinema icons
- The Golden Yusr Best Feature Film Award went to “Red Path” and the Best Director prize went to Lotfi Achour for “Red Path”
- The Best Actor and Best Actress awards went to Mahmoud Bakri and Mariam Sherif, respectively
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival held its closing red carpet event and Yusr Awards ceremony on Thursday night.
Stars from Hollywood, Bollywood and beyond walked the red carpet at the festival’s new headquarters in Al-Balad in Jeddah.
The likes of British actor and filmmaker Dev Patel, British actor John Boyega and Brazilian model Alessandra Ambrosio were on the closing event’s red carpet, although the festival will continue its slate of screenings until Dec. 14.
Hollywood’s Sarah Jessica Parker also walked the red carpet as Bollywood-to-Hollywood crossover star Priyanka Chopra Jonas and her husband, musician Nick Jonas, posed for photographs alongside Mexican actress Eiza González.
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee — known for films such as “Malcolm X” and “BlacKkKlansman” — presided over the features competition jury this year, which awarded the coveted Yusr Awards late on Thursday night. Meanwhile, Oscar-winning actress and producer Viola Davis and Chopra-Jonas were honored at the closing event.
Lee spoke to Arab News hours before the awards ceremony, saying the festival’s international slate of films impressed him.
“It’s just great. The films (that) were curated for us (were) from a lot of the countries in the region. I like to show my students at (New York University) world cinema, because everything’s not Hollywood. And that is how you learn about a culture, the stories that they tell reflect the history and the herstory — you’ve got to say both now — of the world we live in.”
Lee kept tight lipped about the winners, saying: “The 16 films that were in competition, we had a lot of choices. So, we deliberated amongst my fellow jurors, it was hard to pick.”
Of the 14 awards up for grabs at the Yusr Awards ceremony, the Golden Yusr Best Feature Film Award went to “Red Path,” the Best Director prize went to Lotfi Achour for “Red Path” and the Jury Award was given to “Seeking Haven For Mr. Rambo” by director Khaled Mansour.
The Best Actor and Best Actress awards went to Mahmoud Bakri and Mariam Sherif, respectively. Meanwhile the Golden Yusr Short Film prize went to “Hatch” by directors Alireza Kazemipour and Panta Mosleh and the Film AlUla Best Saudi Film Award went to “Hobal” by director Abdulaziz Alshlahei.
The festival, which is running under the theme “The New Home of Film” this year, featured 120 films from 81 countries at the new venue — previous ones were held at the city’s Ritz-Carlton hotel — where five purpose-built cinemas and a large auditorium hosted back-to-back screenings as well as “In Conversation” panels with celebrities.
Dev Patel (L), John Boyega (R) and guest in the Green Room on Closing Night on of the Red Sea International Film Festival 2024 on December 12, 2024 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Getty Images)
Those talks proved to be the biggest draw of the festival, with leading Hollywood and Bollywood stars featured on the agenda. From Indian superstars Kareena Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor to Marvel actor Jeremy Renner and Oscar-winner Brendan Fraser, as well as Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas, among others, this year’s bill was not short on star power.
Johnny Depp’s film “Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness” is the closing ceremony screening on Thursday night and Depp is expected to walk a separate red carpet before the screening.
