Guinness names Saudi girl Ritaj Al-Hazmi, 12, youngest book series author

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Ritaj Al-Hazmi’s father insisted that she take some courses. After completing several courses, she rewrote the whole draft. (Supplied)
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Ritaj Al-Hazmi
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Updated 17 May 2021
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Guinness names Saudi girl Ritaj Al-Hazmi, 12, youngest book series author

  • Ritaj Al-Hazmi has already had three novels published and there are two more in the pipeline

MAKKAH: Ritaj Al-Hazmi, 12, has won the title of the “Youngest Writer of a Novel Series” in the world with the Guinness World Records after publishing two novels.

She published her third novel this year and is currently working on two others.

Al-Hazmi grew up reading fiction and fantasy and was inspired to be a published writer in 2016 after her father took her to a bookstore and wanted to see her books on the shelves along with big names.

She was motivated to write for her age group as she said that most of the books were targeted at those either older or younger than herself.




Ritaj Al-Hazmi

“From the day I set my eyes on reading, I’ve discovered what I wanted to be when I was a bit older. I wanted to connect myself to the world by reading, writing, sharing ideas, insights and opinions,” she said.

The young novelist wanted her first book to be fiction. “I knew that I wanted my book to have an idea to help the readers run toward their dreams without giving up. I always believed that my writing would help persuade them to do just that.”

After finishing the draft of her first book, she sent it to an editor who told her that it needed to be a lot more detailed than she had first thought. Giving up was not an option for her as she had already finished her first draft.

Her father insisted that she take some courses to learn about this genre and how to master it. After completing serval courses, she rewrote the whole draft.

“The courses were from Writing Mastery by Jessica Brody. I started to write what I learned about — from hooking the readers, to fiction structure, to great ingredients for fiction writing, to methods such as the Save the Cat method (STC),” she said.

HIGHLIGHTS

● After finishing the draft of her first book, she sent it to an editor who told her that it needed to be a lot more detailed than she had first thought. Giving up was not an option for her as she had already finished her first draft.

● Find a publishing house that was willing to publish Al-Hazmi’s book at her age was a challenge — until she signed a contract with a publishing house in January 2020.

Al-Hazmi completed her first book, “Treasure of the Lost Sea,” at the end of 2018, sent it to the editor and began writing her second novel, “Portal of the Hidden World.” Both her books were published in 2019.

“I was able to attend Riyadh International Book Fair and signed my first book there. At that time, I was interviewed by one of the well-known TV channels, MBC, and talked about my writing journey,” she said.

Find a publishing house that was willing to publish Al-Hazmi’s book at her age was a challenge — until she signed a contract with a publishing house in January 2020.

During the same year, she also planned her third book of the series. “Since I read some blogs on the future, I guessed it would be a good topic for my main characters to look through. Because most of the series talked about magic powers, I knew some change would be good considering the main characters would be trying something new.”

Al-Hazmi usually plans the title of the book before writing it, however, that changed several times thoughout the writing process until she finally decided to name it based on the theme “Beyond the Future World.”

While writing her third book of the series — as her parents looked for new courses for her— Al-Hazmi decided to hold her own workshop. She began working on the presentation slides, planning the content, points of discussion and, most importantly, how she could deliver the knowledge to those who were coming to learn.

“After I got ready and introduced the workshop, I was amazed to see all those children coming to learn. Throughout my workshop, I learned a lot of things,” she said. “One of the most important things to do after learning is teaching others what you know, remembering what you have learned, and why you decided to do so.”

“Beyond the Future World” has had a significant impact on Al-Hazmi, she said, noting that she had a “very memorable” journey with the book.

“My message for everyone — especially those my age — dream big, do it now, don’t wait till later. Ideas come and go, so do opportunities,” she said.


Fantasia Barrino-Taylor flaunts Monot in New York

Updated 28 April 2024
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Fantasia Barrino-Taylor flaunts Monot in New York

DUBAI: Helmed by Lebanese designer Eli Mizrahi, New York-based label Monot  dressed US actress Fantasia Barrino-Taylor for a red carpet appearance at the 2024 Time100 Gala.

Barrino-Taylor showed off a custom look by the label, which featured head-to-toe sequins and wrist cuffs that flared dramatically to cover her hands. The backless number was figure hugging and Barrino-Taylor complemented the outfit with a black, sequined head wrap.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Fantasia Taylor (@fantasia)

Mizrahi is no stranger to star power and made headlines in 2020 when he enlisted the likes of British supermodel Kate Moss, Italian star Mariacarla Boscono, British model Jourdan Dunn, US celebrity Amber Valletta and China’s Xiao Wen to star in a Monot campaign shot in Saudi Arabia.

The label has garnered a legion of celebrity fans, with US Olympian Simone Biles, model Kendall Jenner, Brazilian influencer Camila Coelho and US model Emily Ratajkowski donning Monot looks in the past. 

Fantasia Barrino-Taylor also made headlines when she attended the Astra Film Awards in Los Angeles in January in a mandarin orange gown by Saudi designer Yousef Akbar. (Getty Images)

“The Color Purple” star Barrino-Taylor also made headlines when she attended the Astra Film Awards in Los Angeles in January in a mandarin orange gown by Saudi designer Yousef Akbar. 

Barrino, who is also a singer, most recently starred as protagonist Celie in “The Color Purple,” a musical period drama film directed by Blitz Bazawule. The film’s screenplay is based on the stage musical of the same name, which in turn is based on the 1982 novel by Alice Walker. It is the second film adaptation of the novel, following the 1985 film directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Spielberg and Quincy Jones. 

The movie tells the story of Celie, who is torn apart from her sister and her children and faces many hardships in life, including an abusive husband. With support from a sultry singer named Shug Avery, as well as her stand-her-ground stepdaughter, Celie ultimately finds strength.

Barrino showed off Akbar’s gown at an event in Los Angeles and paired it with chunky gold jewelry and slicked back hair. 


Jordanian Crown Prince marks Princess Rajwa’s 30th birthday

Updated 28 April 2024
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Jordanian Crown Prince marks Princess Rajwa’s 30th birthday

DUBAI: Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II took to social media to wish his Saudi-born wife Princess Rajwa Al-Hussein on her 30th birthday as a new official portrait of the princess was unveiled.

"May God continue to bless and nurture the bond between us. Happy Birthday Rajwa," the Crown Prince wrote on Instagram, sharing a brand new photo of the couple.

The Jordanian royal family also shared a new official portrait of Princess Rajwa to celebrate her birthday. Set against a blue background, the portrait shows the princess in a matching blue outfit from French label Rabanne.

The Jordanian royal family also shared a new official portrait of Princess Rajwa to celebrate her birthday. (Twitter)

Earlier this month, it was announced that the royal couple, who married last year in June, are now expecting their first baby.

The news of the pregnancy was announced by the Jordanian royal family in a statement.

“The Royal Hashemite Court is pleased to announce that their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II and Princess Rajwa Al Hussein are expecting their first baby this summer,” it read.


Muse to perform in Abu Dhabi this year

Updated 28 April 2024
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Muse to perform in Abu Dhabi this year

DUBAI: British rock veterans Muse are headed to Abu Dhabi for the second time as they get ready to perform at the 2024 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after-party concert series.

Running from Dec. 5 - 8, Muse is the first the band to be announced as part of the concert series. Access to all concerts is exclusive for Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix ticket holders.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by AbuDhabiGP (@abudhabigp)

“Catch the Grammy Award winning rock icons electrifying the stage at @etihadpark this December at the #F1Finale Yasalam After-Race Concerts,” read a social media post on the official Instagram account of Abu Dhabu Grand Prix.

A date has not yet been announced for the concert.

This is the second time the “Starlight” rockers are performing as part of the concert series, having made their debut in the UAE capital in 2013.


Music ‘haven of freedom’ Tangiers hosts global jazz festival

Updated 28 April 2024
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Music ‘haven of freedom’ Tangiers hosts global jazz festival

  • This year’s Jazz Day will be held over four days starting on Saturday, during which talks and open-air performances will be held in Tangiers

TANGIERS, Morocco: The Moroccan city of Tangiers, which has a long history as a haven of inspiration for American jazz musicians, will host UNESCO’s International Jazz Day for the first time on Tuesday.
Over the last century, jazz greats such as Randy Weston, Idrees Sulieman and Max Roach all crossed the Atlantic to play and record music in the North African port city, perched on the edge of the Strait of Gibraltar.
“The city has had a fascinating power of attraction on a wave of intellectuals and musicians,” Philippe Lorin, the founder of an annual Tangiers jazz festival, told AFP.
“It’s not for nothing that a writer once said there was always a cruise liner in New York preparing to sail for Tangiers.”
This year’s Jazz Day will be held over four days starting on Saturday, during which talks and open-air performances will be held in Tangiers.
The festivities will culminate in an “All-Star Global Concert” on Tuesday led by jazz icon Herbie Hancock, also featuring bassists Marcus Miller and Richard Bona, as well as guitarist Romero Lubambo.
The city’s cosmopolitan artistic reputation stems from its location between Africa and Europe as well as its history, having been administered by several colonial powers from 1923 to 1956, the year Morocco gained independence.
This melting pot of influences prompted visits from international writers and poets, notably from the Beat Generation movement, as well as African American musicians seeking to find “their African roots,” Moroccan historian Farid Bahri told AFP.
Lorin said that Tangiers “was a haven of freedom — just like jazz music.”

A pivotal moment in the city’s musical history came in 1959, when Tangiers jazz promoter Jacques Muyal — then just a teenager — recorded a session with trumpeter Idrees Sulieman, pianist Oscar Dennard, bassist Jamil Nasser and drummer Buster Smith at the Radio Tanger International studio.
The recording gained renown in jazz circles decades before its distribution as “The 4 American Jazzmen In Tangier” album in 2017.
Bahri, the author of “Tangiers, a world history of Morocco,” said “the presence of American musicians in Tangiers was also linked to a very active American diplomacy.”
Famous US pianist Randy Weston settled in Tangiers for five years after visiting 14 African countries in 1967 during a tour organized by the US State Department.
The Brooklynite virtuoso would play a key role in building the musical reputation of the city, to which he dedicated his 1973 album “Tanjah.”
“Randy was an exceptional, kind and respectful man,” said Abdellah El Gourd, a 77-year-old Moroccan legend of gnawa music, a centuries-old style played with a three-stringed lute and steel castanets, rooted in West African rituals and Sufi traditions.
“He gave a lot to the city and its musicians,” added the friend and collaborator of Weston, who died in 2018.

Together, El Gourd and Weston blurred the lines of their respective genres, creating the beginnings of jazz-gnawa fusion, which remains a key part of Tangiers’ musical legacy.
“The language barrier was never a problem because our communication was through (musical) scales,” El Gourd recalled in a rehearsal room lined with old photos and memorabilia from the years he toured with Weston and jazz saxophonist Archie Shepp.
“Our language was music.”
The two men’s collaborative work would years later yield the acclaimed 1992 album “The Splendid Master Gnawa Musicians of Morocco.”
Two years after settling in the city, Weston opened the African Rhythms jazz club, above the iconic Cinema Mauritania in downtown Tangiers.
“We used to rehearse there,” El Gourd recalled. “Randy would invite his musician friends. It was a beautiful time.”
With El Gourd’s help, Weston launched Tangiers’ first-ever jazz festival in 1972, featuring big names such as drummer Max Roach, flautist Hubert Laws, double-bassist Ahmed Abdul-Malik, and saxophonist Dexter Gordon.
“It was quite a unique experience, because it was the first time we played in front of such a large audience,” said El Gourd, who was then used to small crowds for gnawa performances.
Weston and El Gourd’s festival was only held once.
But three decades later it inspired Lorin to create the Tanjazz festival, which is held in the port city every September.


Guerlain’s Ann-Caroline Prazan on mixing cultures, Mideast inspiration 

Updated 27 April 2024
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Guerlain’s Ann-Caroline Prazan on mixing cultures, Mideast inspiration 

DUBAI: Ann-Caroline Prazan, the director of art, culture, and heritage at French luxury beauty brand Guerlain, shared her affection for the Middle East and shed light on why she is so keen to mesh together cultures when creating new products.

“The Guerlain family is totally in love with the region. I am in love with this region because it is like a paradise,” she told Arab News. “People here love fragrances and they are such experts. When Guerlain creates a fragrance for the Middle East, it is always with a French touch.”

Prazan and Diala Makki at the Dubai event. (Supplied)

For Prazan, who joined the Guerlain team in 2000, understanding the brand’s story has been pivotal, motivating her to craft fragrances over her 24-year tenure, prioritizing longevity over trends.

“It is important to understand the past to create a future,” Prazan said. “You know, a house is like a big tree. You need to know the roots to create the leaves and to create new flowers. Without roots, you cannot do anything if you do not understand the brand.”

“Innovation is our obsession,” she added. “Guerlain created the first lipsticks, the first lip liners, the first modern perfume, the first moisturizing Nivea cream was by Guerlain.”

Guerlain has collaborated with regional creatives before. (Supplied)

Her regional knowledge shapes Guerlain’s tailored fragrances for its customers.

“You have the best perfumers here, local perfumers. What was interesting is to mix the roots with the leaves to mix different cultures. And for me, when you mix different cultures, when you mix traditions and modernity, you can create beautiful products,” she explained.

Guerlain has collaborated with regional creatives before. In 2023, the brand worked with Lebanese artist Nadine Kanso to design a fragrance bottle for the label, making her the first Arab designer to collaborate with the LVMH-owned perfume and beauty house.

The Parfumerie D’Art collection features the Bee Bottle by Baqué Molinié. (Supplied)

She designed 30 limited edition bee-inspired bottles, decorated with 1,720 crystals, with Arabic calligraphy that read “Love.”

At an event in Dubai last week, the label chose to work with contemporary Tunisian artist Nja Mahdaoui, who showcased his abstract Arabic calligraphy with engraved Cherry Oud bottles serving as place cards for the invitees.

Balqees performed at the DUbai event. (Supplied)

The brand also created a number of bottles, showcased at the event in Dubai, that celebrate Arab design elements.

The Parfumerie D’Art collection features the Bee Bottle by Baqué Molinié. Unveiled to mark Eid Al-Fitr this year, the bottle features hand-placed mother-of-pearl beads and moonstones, designed by the Parisian atelier as a tribute to the “wonders of Arab architectural art,” according to a released statement.