The Emirati writer Noura Al Noman’s debut novel Ajwan, about a 19-year-old alien whose infant son is kidnapped by a shadowy militia, came out in Arabic in 2012. She’s currently finishing the sequel and has two further books planned in the series.
What has the reception to Ajwan been like?
It’s been overwhelming. I think my biggest surprise was getting emails from a Spanish student and an Italian blogger, both asking to interview me. Those interviews were picked up by bloggers in other languages, including Bulgarian, and a few months ago, two Americans and one Swiss contacted me to tell me they loved it.
Will you be publishing an English version?
I’ve translated it and it’s been ready for publication for more than a year, but I am reluctant to send it to a publisher. Too many young adults are abandoning Arabic literature and exclusively reading English; my six kids and I are a case in point. If an English version is published I suspect no one will bother to read the Arabic. I can’t decide.
Does the book have a message?
The obvious message is that in my part of the world, there are forces that exploit disenfranchised people by manipulating their emotions and their enthusiasm and making them blow themselves up, steal, kill and destroy for a cause that isn’t even theirs and only serves their leaders. I’ve also followed the lead of my favourite authors in predicting a world that celebrates diversity.
What’s your ultimate ambition?
Kids around the world waited religiously for the last instalment of Harry Potter. I want to see a day when an Arab teenager drags his or her parents to a bookstore an hour before it opens and they all stand in a long line of other teenagers, waiting for the next instalment of their favourite Arab series. Wouldn’t that be something!
artslife@thenational.ae
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
