The Wall of Fame Arabia in Cafe Arabia was inspired by a bar the owner visited in Scotland. Ravindranath K / The National
The Wall of Fame Arabia in Cafe Arabia was inspired by a bar the owner visited in Scotland. Ravindranath K / The National

Cafe Arabia combines a love of art and desire for community



I've been in the UAE since 1990, but my inspiration for Cafe Arabia goes back to when I was studying in Beirut. My friends and I used to go to a tiny, simple cafe with only five tables. The owner served only tea, coffee and whatever she baked that day. It made me realise how you can create something from little or no resources.

The Landmark Cafe in Vienna, where the likes of Arthur Miller and Andy Warhol would discuss ideas and introduce their works, was another inspiration. After visiting there I felt I wanted to bring something similar here in the UAE. I wanted Cafe Arabia to be a community cafe, with members active in literature, music and art.

As well as holding a book club, art clubs and film nights, we show and sell the work of local artists and artisans. We also hold a monthly arts and craft bazaar.

People need to support individually owned, independent businesses here. We need more people to create new concepts with distinctive characters, and not just copy international chains.

The things we sell in the cafe are a combination of things I collect through my trips and travel: Moroccan green tea pots, lanterns, Lebanese mouth-blown glass, Palestinian hand-painted plates, Syrian and Egyptian handmade ornaments. The local artisans we support include the cushion designer Moon By Mazoon and the artist Jen Simon (02 643 9698), whose prints are her reflections on living in the UAE.

Decorating Cafe Arabia single-handedly and with a minimal budget was a big achievement. I had to use my personal home furniture, and all my cutlery and crockery.

My Wall of Fame Arabia was inspired by a bar I visited in Scotland, which has a wall of great Scotsmen and women. I wanted to do the same with a gallery of Arabs who have made a difference on the global stage. 

I love modern quirky art, and my work reflects that. It is our way of making life less serious.

I was told I should only portray Sheikh Zayed in a serious black and white image, but I went ahead with the multicoloured piece because I felt that this is a man of all seasons, whose legacy is beyond borders or time. He was also well-known for his sense of humour, wit and optimism and here I portray him just like that. It is an optimistic, happy and reassuring image. I get lots of orders for this piece – even from a couple of royals.

Cafe Arabia is on 15th Street, between Second and 24th, opposite Choueifat school. Opening hours are 8am to 10pm weekdays and 8am to 11pm on weekends. For more information on the cafe or on Aida Mansour's art, contact the Cafe Arabia office at 02 643 9699. You can also visit Cafe Arabia's page on Facebook

UAE jiu-jitsu squad

Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)

Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)

Thank You for Banking with Us

Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

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Key changes

Commission caps

For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:

• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term). 

• On the protection component, there is a cap  of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).

• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated. 

• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.

• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.

Disclosure

Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.

“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”

Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.

Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.

“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.

Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.

If you go...

Flying
There is no simple way to get to Punta Arenas from the UAE, with flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi requiring at least two connections to reach this part of Patagonia. Flights start from about Dh6,250.

Touring
Chile Nativo offers the amended Los Dientes trek with expert guides and porters who are met in Puerto Williams on Isla Navarino. The trip starts and ends in Punta Arenas and lasts for six days in total. Prices start from Dh8,795.

Company%20Profile
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Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5