There shall be one currency

Few people in Europe have noticed so far that there is a process going on here in the Middle East that will create a new currency potentially rivalling the Euro and the US dollar.

Since 2001, the GCC countries are working on replacing their dinar, dirham or riyal with a common currency. Originally, that project was set to be finished by January 1, 2010. While it's been delayed, the region's leaders yesterday announced an important decision: they finally agreed on where the GCC central bank would be located. And it's not Bahrain or Dubai, with their reputation as financial places; but Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - which is not surprising if you consider that Saudi Arabia is not only the largest, but also the strongest country in the area in terms of economy and political power.

It remains uncertain though, when exactly the currency will be introduced, whether it should be pegged to the US dollar - and how it will be called. Some analysts, apparently, have suggested the term "khaliji", which means "of the Gulf", as using an existing name would probably not find agreement from all members of the union. Watch out for more debates about this!

Seeing the economic power of the member states, I think we should expect a strong player in the world markets when the new currency is finally introduced.

An arty glimpse of Sharjah

Sharjah City, located right to the East of Dubai with no perceptible transition between the emirates, positions itself as the culture capital of the UAE. I went there last weekend to see for myself if the place can live up to that promise.

A colleague had warned me that the traffic in Sharjah is almost as mad as in Dubai's most busy times, and that parking spaces are in very short supply. So I decided to take the bus to get there.

And I was grateful once more for having an accurate guide book, which sent me to Deira bus station while, in reality, I had to depart from the Bur Dubai bus station. So after sweating my way from one shore of the Dubai Creek to the other, I took a bus back to the side I started from and was happily on the bus to Sharjah just one hour after I had left the hotel.


Größere Kartenansicht

Arriving in Sharjah around midday, I quickly changed my earlier plan of walking to the city's Al Hisn Fort and to go on a culture walk through the reconstructed older part of Sharjah from there, passing a number of museums. Instead, I decided to take a taxi to Sharjah Art Museum, which is the biggest art museum there (and probably across the UAE), and host of the Biennal, a two-month multi-exhibitions festival including program.

It's easy to spend a few hours there - even if you don't read every little board telling you about the artists and his or her grand ideas.

One current exhibition is "Lure of the East", curated by Tate London, which shows British Orientalist Paintings from dozens of museums worldwide (go here for a random review I found).

Between about 1830 and 1925, a number of British artists travelled the East - among them Lord Byron, David Roberts, John Frederick Lewis, or David Wilkie. And there was even a female painter travelling the East at that time - Henriette Brown, who insisted on accompanying her husband on a diplomatic trip.

They all benefited from the region's growing connection with Western Europe, through railway, steamboats and the Suez channel.

I think many of the stereotypes and cliches along the lines of the style of"Lawrence of Arabia" originate in that era - as the contemporary painters seem to have focused on depictions of the (desert) scenery, bedouins dressed in traditional clothing and portrayals of other high-standing people in local dresses, colorful street scenes, old prunk buildings from the inside or outside, bazaars and markets, and scenes with camels; at least judging from that exhibition.

And of course the harems captured the male painters' imagination, for obvious reasons, one being they were absolutely denied access which must have made it even more alluring. Also, it seems that even Western people at the time liked to have themselves painted in Oriental clothes, in order to demonstrate their cosmopolitanism and cultural refinement.

While it was interesting to see how artists at the time viewed "The Orient", I found most paintings not very captivating; in fact, many seemed quite plain to me. There seemed to be little behind most of them. Or maybe it was only me looking at them superficially, as most failed to capture my interest beyond what they reflected regarding the painters and their views.

The other exhibits at the museum were a stark contrast to that, as many were quite playful and made use of space, sounds, and light in a partly quite engaging way.

Sharjah, by the way, as many sources emphasize, is one of the most conservative of the seven emirates of the UAE. So you better stick to the strict dress code, and absolutely stay away from alcohol. And you also may want to show your affection for your partner only within the privacy of your own room.

Unless you want to get into trouble, as others before you have found out themselves: There are every now and then stories about couples, doing, well, you know what, only to be put to prison and then banned from the UAE for life.

And we wouldn't want that, would we.

What's wrong with them?

I honestly don't know what these digital cameras have against me.

First, one denies duty pretending to have a "lens error". Granted, that one had to go through a lot, braving desert wind and sands two times. (I hear it's been to the camera doctor by now, and may be well again).

The next camera insidiously came with a virus-infected memory card, eating up about 50 percent of my Bahrain pictures. And to top it off, that unfaithful little beast just quietly slipped away one evening. I wonder if it disliked having to photograph the strangely artificial all-year indoor ski slope at Dubai Mall? Anyway, it was simply gone, and no frantic calling all the places I had been to, including speaking to several taxi drivers, brought it back so far.

The third camera, then, lent by a very nice colleague, just went into permanent shivering mode which made taking any non-wiggly pictures impossible when I went to Sharjah City last weekend. (By the way, that camera worked again the moment I tried it out back at my hotel.) So I took to using my fantastic 1 megapixel mobile phone camera.

Gee! All I want is simply take a few pictures. What's wrong with you, digital cameras?! Maybe I should go analog again. That would teach you.

Swine Flu Label Debacle?

So this is the season of the swine flu. Not overlooking the seriousness of the current outbreak and the need to contain it in a concerted worldwide effort, I seem to have missed something.

There is a lot in the news about how it spreads (still waiting for "Swine flu reaches the moon"), questions of where it originated (with journalists going to interview neighbors of 'the first cases' in Mexico City), and how people react. But why exactly is it called swine flu?

Ok, swine influenza is caused by strains of influeza virus that usually infect pigs; an illness not uncommon for pigs in some areas of the world. This virus, though, is rarely transmitted to humans, and even then often just results in antibodies being developed. And that's it.

Without getting into details (mainly because I don't know them), the current outbreak, while we call it 'swine flu', results from a new strain that developed from bits of several different types of influenza viruses - only one of them actually is part of the swine influenza virus; and according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the new strain has not yet been isolated in pigs.

Nonetheless, the term, suggesting a close link to those animals, is used widely in the media, and has quickly become a fixed expression in our daily vocabulary. (Amazing area for linguists, by the way - to trace how the term spread around the world).

Maybe this is partly because the label 'swine flu' is easier for journalists and people to use than something like 'influnza A virus subtype H1N1', and it links into a concept people are used to from their experiences with bird flu. Other animal, more advanced virus, same scary story?

With the bird flu outbreak, many thought it was sensible to kill chicken populations in the fight to curb the virus. Handy as the term 'swine flu' might seem to speak about the current phenomenon, it may be misleading, though.

Consider this reaction: I read that officials in Abu Dhabi have issued a circular banning the import and sale of all types of pork in the country "as a precautionary measure against swine flu". Background is "the alarming situation".

Now, from what I understand you can't get 'swine flu' through eating pork. So what does it help to keep pork out of a country where, in addition, that sort of meat isn't consumed widely due to Muslim belief anyway?

Maybe it'd indeed be better to use a more technical term when we speak about the current flu, one that is not misleading in helping to understand and discuss what measures are appropriate to take.

This might actually also make it easier for governments to communicate their actions. Who knows if there aren't people around asking for killing pigs, as they had seen similar measures taken against the bird flu?

And then we should help our fellow journalists find a short and striking way of referring to the flu within the limitations of a 15 seconds news spot.

Meanwhile, better wash your hands.


PS: On May 5th, the ban on pork products was lifted in the UAE. You may now notice thermal scanners at Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai airports, though, checking for people with high fevers entering the country.

Best place to live in Middle East

Now look at this: Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the best places to live in the Middle East, according to an international survey of more than 200 cities. And that despite all the criticism!

Emaar Properties AGM

Just came back from Emaar Properties AGM. And guess what - it became quite emotional and thus exciting to watch.

Because some shareholders were expressing their disappointment about the company's intention not to pay any dividends this year due to the economic crisis. The Chariman said he understands that, but it'd be "like tearing down your own house if we paid out the cash now needed for the company's operation". After the shareholders' vote (an overall "yes"), dozens left the room in protest. I can write that, because it'll be in the news tomorrow anyway. But you read it here first ;-)

Emaar, by the way, is the company behind such big-scale projects as the Burj Dubai or Dubai Mall, and they're also developing property abroad.

For those who are unsure what an AGM is: An "Annual General Meeting" is a yearly meeting of a company's shareholders. They can review fiscal information and ask questions regarding the decisions the business will take in the future.

The Arts in Dubai

Generally Dubai is not famous for its local culture scene.

People interested in what the region produces in terms of arts will usually be better served in Abu Dhabi, or in Sharjah city - the latter excplicitly aiming to establish itself as a cultural center, with a range of museums and events such as the Biennal, a one-month program of exhibitions, performances, and workshops.

However, if you look a bit closer, there are a few goodies in Dubai, too.

I'm not merely speaking about the big events such as the relatively new International Festival of Literature, Dubai International Film Festival or visits from world-class acts such as the amazing and totally enchanting Cirque du Soleil.

But rather I mean a series of sometimes tiny, in many cases one-room-only art galleries mainly located in an industrial area off Sheikh Zayed Road, not too far from Mall of the Emirates (that's the one with the indoor sky slope).

Along a dusty road leading through a phalanx of one-storey plate-and-concrete warehouses and hidden behind rows of parked trucks, there are such gems as The Third Line, which features a changing collection of contemporary Middle Eastern Art.

When I went there the past weekend (after a lazy hour in a coffee shop), they showed paintings by an artist "humorously investigating the precarious and complicated nature of memory and monument." The surrealistic compositions and the strong colours made a welcome change to sand and skyscrapers.

Then there are other places such as B21. Currently, this small gallery presents photographs by a regional artist who restages situations of disputes in the Middle East with amateur actors in totally different settings such as a modern apartment or a state house. Somewhat unsettling and chilling, but definitely not failing to leave an impression and reminding of some of the conflicts we have often come to accept as a daily item in international news coverage.

Another place just a few buildings away is The Courtyard, which unites a series of shops, studies and galleries grouped around a tranquil courtyard.

One of these galleries, Total Arts, currently houses the sculpture and installation exhibition "Scraps". The artist couple Dariush Zandi and Shaqayeq Arabi took bits and pieces of leftovers from an explosion and huge fire in a Dubai warehouse and turned them into a rare example of such installations in Dubai, evoking the shock and tragedy of the 2008 event.

Contrary to the lighting in the picture to the left (which shows scissors fused into a solid sculpture by the fire), the whole exhibition was set in a darkened room, and the exhibits - which include a half-molten plate roof - dominate the whole space. The exhibition creates a whole atmosphere of gloom, including sounds reminding of war, and even tampering with the scent of the air.

Even though the exhibitions came in more homeopathic dosage than in other places, I enjoyed exploring these galleries. Also, I had a few interesting conversations - for example with a Total Arts curator.

Apart from illuminating the story behing Scraps for me, she told me about an Iranian couple - apparently, there are many impulses coming from Iran - partly because of this country's long history and tradition. They had been expelled from the country as they had hidden political statements in their work, only about three weeks ago. Or a picture that had to be removed from a fair shortly before officials visited, even though the work had been on display in a gallery for months. All in all, art, though, appears to be able to live its ways as long as you don't openly go against key values of the country.

Another conversation was with an advertising photographer from London, whom I met inside his workshop, and who told a story of how he came to Dubai which you hear in a number of variations quite often from expats. In his case, he had been invited to be a jury member of a photo competition in Dubai at short notice. He kept coming for that competition for a few years, and then decided to try living here. The challenge for him was to build a network and to develop the infrastructure needed for his work - which just did not exist when he came.

After that, it was time for a dose of purely low-brow entertainment - which I treated myself to at the Mall of the Emirates: A Hollywood movie in the resident cinema's Gold class.

Think cloud-like reclining leather armchairs almost putting you to sleep before the movie starts, and at-the-seat service...