Posts Tagged ‘Middle East’

  • The Edgware Road Diet

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    Edgware Road, City of Westminster, London… a.k.a. Little Beirut, Little Cairo… you get the picture. I love the place. Well it’s one of my favourite places in London mainly because of the food and also because of the atmosphere. It buzzes with busses, a myriad of people (not just middle-eastern), shisha smoke billows (I love that word) from the ubiquitous Lebanese, Persian and Arabian restaurants. You occasionally get the police and ambulance noisily running through Edgware road (more often than not) and you don’t always know where they’re going, so I can’t say whether it’s the road itself that’s dangerous or maybe some adjacent area that’s the cause of the constant traffic disturbances.

    The reason I’m writing this? Because I think I need to document a certain experience I had there as well as some really cool advice given by one of the coolest guys I know in London… Mash. So anyway, I had Mint Tea and Shisha (pictured above) at a Persian restaurant called Palace something, I can’t remember but the decor was really well done and the tea and shisha was delicious!

    The place also has it’s setbacks… you can’t get too much of it. It’s an occasional stop off point, but go there often enough and it will bore the hell out of you. What it is is a great place to go out with friends, especially small groups. Big groups have a problem, or would have a problem, only if they want to smoke, most of the middle-eastern restaurants won’t allow 1 or 2 shisha’s for big groups, they’ll insist on you buying more than a few or you can’t smoke.

    The best place in London for Shawarma’s (according to Mash) is ‘Cafe Helena’, ‘Melur’ is a brilliant Indonesian restaurant. There are tons of other tid bits of info regarding food on Edgware Road, but I wasn’t taking notes at the time.

    This narrative will hopefully be extended in future :)

  • How Israeli’s are ‘Helping’ Iran

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    Everyone knows that Israel is most definitely NOT a friend of Iran in any way or form.  Given the current circumstances in the country and the media coverage around Iran and Election, in our information age, it goes without say that there would be spin from either side regarding the coverage.

    Case in point, from a social media perspective, is the website helpiranelection.com On the website it shows the man behind it all to be “Arik Fraimovich, friendly web-geek.”

    and.. here’s the guy’s personal website

    Notice… Israeli Military Consultant… You can’t tell me this doesn’t tarnish the intentions behindthe websites intent on helping the Iranian people. This also makes me question all of the media surrounding this issue. This post is not about standing behind any particular side but it is an attempt to get people to look a bit deeper and bit further than what we get force-fed over News websites and TV journalism.

    WE seem to slip back into complacency a lot when we see a lot of our friends following a trend on Twitter or wherever, and quell the urge to question the nature behind the source of all the information.

    It’s not a great place to be when people’s rights are curtailed for the benefit of the few, but the lines which are drawn are far from black and white. The shades of grey behind the so-called good intentions of some people need to be made a bit clearer. Because, unfortunately, the one’s with the worst intentions know how to play the system and the shades of grey tend to spiral more toward darkness.

    All I’m asking is that you question… question everything, don’t blindly believe.

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  • Awesome: Deconstructing the Al-Jazeera Logo

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    A close friend of mine, Mohammed Nanabhay, posted this awesome animation showing the deconstruction of the Al-Jazeera logo.

    The Al Jazeera logo is a calligraphic rendering of the arabic word Al Jazeerea (which means the “The Peninsula”).


    The animation was posted on Wikipedia.

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  • What Arab Boys do at Shopping Malls…

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    This is an interesting twist for in-store marketers… The opportunities if we only had our target markets just sitting and staring at our store displays!

    Can you imagine the statements after some official gets to see this picture? It won’t be that young men should control their hormones and get a clue… it’ll be that shop owners are no longer allowed to display mannequins in their underwear in the window.

    I guess with the current laws in place in a heavily restrictive society, you can’t expect anything else. A trend which may arise from this… Increased internet purchases of Blow-up dolls? Rise in female clothing retail stores, owners being young men ofcourse?

  • The Accolade: Saudi Arabia’s All-Girl Underground Rock Band

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    As Taboos Ease, Saudi Girl Group Dares to Rock – NY Times
    Taboo breaking takes a new form in Saudi Arabia, something that should be expected in all repressive societies. Human creativity can never be stifled.

    The have the lyrics of their first song, “Pinocchio” on their Facebook page and you can hear it on their MySpace Page.  Read below for the story behind their creation. Awesome.

    In a country where women are not allowed to drive and rarely appear in public without their faces covered, the band is very different. The prospect of female rockers clutching guitars and belting out angry lyrics about a failed relationship — the theme of “Pinocchio” — would once have been unimaginable here.

    “The upcoming generation is different from the one before,” said Dina, the Accolade’s 21-year-old guitarist and founder. “Everything is changing. Maybe in 10 years it’s going to be O.K. to have a band with live performances.”

    Dina said she first dreamed of starting a band three years ago. In September, she and her sister Dareen, 19, who plays bass, teamed up with Lamia and Amjad, the keyboardist.

    They were already iconoclasts: Dina and Dareen wear their hair teased into thick manes and have pierced eyebrows. During an interview at a Starbucks here, they wore black abayas — the flowing gown that is standard attire for women — but the gowns were open, showing their jeans and T-shirts, and their hair and faces were uncovered. Women are more apt to go uncovered in Jidda than in most other parts of the country, though it is still uncommon.

    “People always stare at us,” Dareen said, giggling. She and her sister are also avid ice skaters, another unusual habit in Saudi Arabia’s desert.

    The band gets together to practice every weekend at the sisters’ house, where their younger brother sometimes fills in on drums. In early November, Dina, who studies art at King Abdulaziz University, began writing a song based on one of her favorite paintings, “The Accolade,” by the English pre-Raphaelite painter Edmund Blair Leighton. The painting depicts a long-haired noblewoman knighting a young warrior with a sword.

    “I liked the painting because it shows a woman who is satisfied with a man,” Dina said.
    …..
    Dina held out her cellphone to show a video of the band practicing at home. It looked like a garage-band jam session anywhere in the world, with the sisters hunching over their instruments, their brother blasting away at the drums and Lamia clutching a microphone.

    “We’re looking for a drummer,” Lamia said. “Five guys have offered, but we really want the band to be all female.”

    The Accolade Facebook Page
    The Accolade MySpace page

  • Marketing in Ramadan

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    Functionally (mostly from an FMCG perspective), Marketing in Ramadan poses real business restrictions and opportunities. For example, you can’t flight certain TV ads during Ramadan, not because of content but because the space will already be booked out and it will be mostly food brands which market their stuff during this time. You have to also take into account that Muslims in general watch less TV during this time.

    In terms of actual launches of innovation in the Middle-Eastern/Muslim markets, launching a product in Ramadan doesn’t ever happen. The local marketing teams in these countries will feed this back to anyone trying to push it. Project plans for any launches in or around Ramadan are generally shifted to be either a month before or a month after Ramadan.

    Other things which need to be taken into account is that people generally work shorter days in Ramadan, also when it comes to the end of Ramadan, the festival of Eid, most people in the Middle East will be off for a week or two on holiday, very similar to what happens at Christmas time for the western world.

    Interesting stuff, eh?

    However there are brands that are increasingly starting to market themselves in Ramadan and specifically to a Muslim Audience…

    This year, Ramadan really seems to have gotten marketers in a buzz with new product launches and even, as I had mentioned before, New artwork on current products (Coke). Starbucks has also jumped on the band-wagon by introducing a range of Arabic coffees and pastries for its Middle-Eastern consumers specifically for Ramadan. The new coffee range will feature its ‘Anniversary Blend’ coffee along with the traditional ‘Arabian Mocha Timor’ blend.

    Rana Shaheen, CSR & Communications Manager, Starbucks Middle East & Egypt said:

    Starbucks is committed to provide its customers with the best it can offer during this special time of year and there is no better way to welcome the holy month but with the Traditional Arabian coffees coupled with delicious pastries – a perfect treat you can enjoy after breaking your fast.

    From Dubai City Guide, we get this glorious wonderful marketing verbiage on the range Starbucks is proposing for its Ramadan range…

    Ramadan pastries include the ‘Fig and Coconut Bar’, a delicious fruity filling of plump figs blended with a taste of exotic coconut on a shortbread base. This marvellous combination of fig jam, walnut and biscuit base, topped with a layer of coconut, is designed to perfectly complement Starbucks featured coffees and iced espresso beverages.

    Another treat includes the ‘Pistachio Delight’, a mouthwatering and delicious cake, flavoured with pistachio, creamy filling and rosewater, the perfect traditional combination for Ramadan sweets. Customers can also enjoy the ‘Date and Apricot loaf’, the home-made fruity flavor of Arabia with a hint of apricot and a twist of nuts.

    The featured coffee beverage for this month is the classic Iced Caramel Macchiato, a sweet, indulgent treat, available hot as well. Sweet and rich with caramel and featuring a pronounced espresso flavour, Caramel Macchiato delivers an indulgent sweet coffee experience. The cold versions of the beverage provide a revitalising experience for the warm summer months.

    It’s okay dudes… we like Starbucks, you don’t have to sell it to us like that… that’s just cheesy. When will Marketers Learn to talk to people and not AT people! The quote above looks like it comes directly from a product pamphlet or maybe even the PR department.
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  • Open up an Ice Cold Ramadaan Coke…

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    Coke’s new initiative to get at its consumers involves tailoring its product to hit the Muslim community in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Morocco, Tunisia, and other countries with a great many Muslims.

    Check the image above which shows Coke’s Official Ramadan Packaging. Well I guess some Muslims would definitely agree that it is pretty good to break ones fast with an Ice Cold Coke. Interesting concept. Coke’s also targeting the 21010 World cup here in SA and also Christmas, etc. Some of these activities Coke’s been doing for ages, but this is the first time I’ve heard them targeting Muslims in Ramadan.

    There’s no doubting that the opportunity is there, I just wonder how many Muslims would wise up and actually say… “WTF? I am NOT a Target Market!” Same tactics, different market. I would say that it does war m me up to the brand knowing they’re making something specifically for a Muslim kid like me, but there is definitely a piece of me that’s a bit uncomfortable being so blatantly targeted.

    In all likelihood I don’t think we’ll see the Ramadaan Coke in South Africa. The Muslim population is too small to justify the change I would guess, although there is an opportunity if they target Muslim wholesalers and retailers, we got tons of those here.

    Peace!
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  • Al Jazeera Documentary Channel Calls For Submissions

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    This is interesting for anyone in the film industry…

    The Arabic satellite Al Jazeera Documentary Channel is calling for Arabic language film submissions from young filmmakers. The Qatar-based channel hopes to purchase short documentary films that feature cultural, historical, environmental, geographic, socio-political, and youth related issues.

    Submissions should be five minutes long, and must be filmed on HDV or Digital Betacam.

    Interested parties can send their films to: Al Jazeera Documentary Channel, P.O. Box 23, 123 Television circle, Doha, Qatar.

    For more information, contact abdelwahaba@aljazeera.net.

    From Friends of Al-Jazeera

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  • Drag Racing in Dubai!

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    Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous in the land of Decadence. Crazy Cars. Must’ve been really fun.



    Compared to the Durban Drag Racing Scene where all you see is Blinged-out Toyota’s, Mini’s, VW Golf’s and Honda Civics… This is Crazy. Also this looks legitimate and professionally run, South African drag racing often involves running from the cops.

  • Al-Jazeera Cameraman Freed from Guantanamo

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    Sami Al Hajj, the Al Jazeera Camerman has been finally freed after years of detention and torture at Guantanamo Bay.

    He has been on Hunger Strike for the past 16 months protesting against being held without trial or charge since December 2001.

    Zachary Katznelson, a lawyer with the Reprieve organisation has worked with Al Hajj’s case since 2005 and has visited him 10 times since then , the last time just three weeks ago.

    “He looks like an ill man, he has problems with his kidneys, liver, blood in his urine and there are concerns that he may have cancer.”

    Katznelson said that the cameraman’s release was probably motivated by political concerns.

    “I think this is part of a larger picture between the United States and Sudan, that they are trying to bring those countries closer together,” he said.

    “Sudan, one of the primary demands they made to the United States, is if you want to normalise relations with us you have to give something back, and one of the things is the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay.”

    Martin Mubanga, a former Gitmo detainee himself, has said that Sami had refused to be broken during his time Guantanamo Bay and his stime there had strengthened his resolve against the American Authorities due to his horrible treatment and the US’s blatant tactics to gain ‘dirt’ on Al Jazeera.

    Wadah Khanfar, Al Jazeera’s MD will be in Khartoum to welcome back Sami and has criticised the Us for the tactics they used in order to spy on Al Jazeera.

    “We are concerned about the way the Americans dealt with Sami, and we are concerned about the way they could deal with others as well,” he said.

    “Sami will continue with Al Jazeera, he will continue as a professional person who has done great jobs during his work with Al Jazeera.

    “We congratulate his family and all those who knew Sami and loved Sami and worked for this moment.”

    Link


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