‘What are you going to do when you grow up?” It’s a question people dread because it always seems to carry a secret agenda, as if the questioner knows the right answer and is waiting for you to figure it out. Everyone has an opinion: your mother thinks you should be a doctor, your auntie thinks engineering is a safe bet, your best friend says law.
I was thinking about that question when I heard Sana Amanat speak as part of the Emirates Literature Festival. She’s an editor at Marvel Comics and best known for her role in bringing to life Ms Marvel, one of only a handful of female superheroes, and the first to be portrayed as Muslim American. Amanat grew up loving comic books but she never thought that “comic book editor” would be her grown-up job. She said she originally, and half-heartedly, thought she’d go to law school but much to the delight of comic-book lovers, she’s chosen a different path. A riskier path, to be sure, but one that may allow her to leave a lasting mark on pop culture.
Also at the festival, I heard Peter Frankopan talk about globalisation – in the ancient world, not our present context. In his evocation of ancient cities and trade routes, he argues for the pervasive and profound effects that the East had on the West (an inversion of the narrative that the West likes to tell about itself). His book, The Silk Roads, shows us that globalisation is not a new term but is almost as old as humanity itself, and that recent political and cultural upheavals may result in the balance of power shifting back to the East from the West. There’s another unexpected career path: re-writing the arc of western history.
You might expect that Amanat’s talk would be crowded – who wouldn’t want to listen to a hip young woman talk about comic books – but Frankopan’s talk was also packed. In fact, the entire festival was thronged: people of all sorts, queuing to buy books and have them signed, waiting for various author sessions to start, or just milling around looking at the different exhibits.
As a literature professor, I’m particularly inclined to love literature festivals, of course, and always try to make room for the book fairs in Abu Dhabi and in Sharjah, where this month the Sharjah Arts Foundation launched Biennal 13. But I don’t think that all those people at the Emirates Literature Festival were fellow faculty members, especially since there were lots of children roaming around, happily flipping through picture books. So who were those people, I wonder, and is an annual festival enough to foster a love of arts and culture? Festivals are wonderful celebrations, but maybe they also serve another purpose, which is to present people with a wider range of possible answers to “when I grow up”.
Arts and culture have the power to revitalise cities and create dynamic systems of exchange and development, as Frankopan traces in The Silk Roads; it’s when we engage with the arts that we develop the skills essential to grappling with 21st century problems.
The problem is, of course, that saying you want to be a writer, or an artist, or a comic book illustrator, or a musician when you grow up doesn’t always meet with the most supportive responses. As parents we want our children to be safe and secure, which are two words not usually associated with life in the arts. On the other hand, if people always played it safe, the silk roads would never have developed – or Ms Marvel.
A comic-book heroine may not represent the same level of achievement as establishing a global trade route, or curing cancer, that’s true. But then again, maybe the super-powers of Ms Marvel might inspire some young girl to think that even if she can’t defeat bad guys, she can still ace her chemistry exams – or decide that when she grows up, she’s going to be anything she wants to be.
Deborah Lindsay Williams is a professor of literature at NYU Abu Dhabi
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic
Power: 375bhp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh332,800
On sale: now
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Roger Federer's 2018 record
Australian Open Champion
Rotterdam Champion
Indian Wells Runner-up
Miami Second round
Stuttgart Champion
Halle Runner-up
Wimbledon Quarter-finals
Cincinnati Runner-up
US Open Fourth round
Shanghai Semi-finals
Basel Champion
Paris Masters Semi-finals
Fixtures (all in UAE time)
Friday
Everton v Burnley 11pm
Saturday
Bournemouth v Tottenham Hotspur 3.30pm
West Ham United v Southampton 6pm
Wolves v Fulham 6pm
Cardiff City v Crystal Palace 8.30pm
Newcastle United v Liverpool 10.45pm
Sunday
Chelsea v Watford 5pm
Huddersfield v Manchester United 5pm
Arsenal v Brighton 7.30pm
Monday
Manchester City v Leicester City 11pm
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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The specs: 2019 Subaru Forester
Price, base: Dh105,900 (Premium); Dh115,900 (Sport)
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 182hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 239Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.1L / 100km (estimated)
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Company%20Profile
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
Director: Paul Weitz
Stars: Kevin Hart
3/5 stars
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
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Company%20profile
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Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
Glossary of a stock market revolution
Reddit
A discussion website
Redditor
The users of Reddit
Robinhood
A smartphone app for buying and selling shares
Short seller
Selling a stock today in the belief its price will fall in the future
Short squeeze
Traders forced to buy a stock they are shorting
Naked short
An illegal practice
Abu Dhabi card
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 2,400m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 2,200m
6pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 1,400m
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 1,400m
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
The National selections:
5pm: Valcartier
5.30pm: AF Taraha
6pm: Dhafra
6.30pm: Maqam
7pm: AF Mekhbat
7.30pm: Ezz Al Rawasi
Sunday:
GP3 race: 12:10pm
Formula 2 race: 1:35pm
Formula 1 race: 5:10pm
Performance: Guns N' Roses
'Nightmare Alley'
Director:Guillermo del Toro
Stars:Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara
Rating: 3/5