Youths having to grow up ‘too quickly’ amid climate fears: Thunberg
Engaging in discussions about art during Ramadhan holds significant value on multiple fronts. Firstly, it enriches cultural understanding and appreciation by offering glimpses into diverse histories, perspectives, and creative expressions. Secondly, art serves as a catalyst for spiritual reflection, fostering deep emotional connections and prompting contemplation, which aligns with the heightened spirituality experienced during Ramadhan.
But days before the holy month, Dana and Lyne Kawadari were on a quick visit to Oman, showcasing a Ramadhan Pop Up in collaboration with Bait Muzna.
Their collection from their venture, The Tableware, Dubai, could be displayed on tables, and can be showcased as art pieces on walls, or arranged strategically in rooms as part of interior decoration.
“We have items made of wood, ceramic, and metal. Each piece comes from different locations,” Dana said. “It is a whole mood.”
“We have table linens too - some of them handmade in Syria. We try to support women artisans who have talent and who just need to be discovered and launched to the world. We are always on the lookout for someone who has something nice to offer,” she explained. The artefacts bring in the culture by depicting architecture, calligraphy, art, and so on.
She explained how during Ramadhan, people come together for Iftar - a moment of gratitude and joy. Tableware embodies anything related to Arab identity, said Lyne Kawadari. “We are really proud to say that we continue to strive to work on our Arab identity and show the world that there is so much talent in the GCC and the Middle East. So as we contemplate and pray, it is also nice to showcase creativity.”
This is how Lynne defines Arab identity: “I think it comes from Arab generosity. That is because generosity leads our lives. Everything we do has a purpose, and we hope this purpose echoes to the world.”
According to her, this identity is defined by beauty, enjoying little things, and, most importantly, family time because everything in Arab culture surrounds the idea of spending time together. “This is why we like to produce items, curate products that bring families together. So plates, napkins - all things that people would use all the time are on our list,” she noted.
Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg said on Monday that young people like her have had to grow up “too quickly” to resolve a climate crisis caused by previous generations.
Denouncing inaction by politicians on climate change, Thunberg made her remarks just days ahead of the fifth anniversary of a global youth climate protest that drew over a million participants.
On Monday, she sat on the steps of Sweden’s parliament, blocking the main entrance in a protest with around 10 other youth activists, holding a banner reading “Climate Justice Now”.
“We are way too many young people who have had to grow up in the climate movement and who have had to grow up way too quickly, to take the responsibility to try to clean up after the older generations,” Thunberg said.
“The Swedish government as well as all other governments in the world are not treating the climate crisis like a crisis at all.”
“They are still letting shortterm economic profits be prioritised over human lives and the planet,” she said, adding that she and her fellow activists “feel a bit like broken records, we have been repeating the same message over and over again”.
News agency TT reported that politicians were still able to enter parliament through side entrances.
When Thunberg started sitting outside the Swedish parliament in August 2018 with her “School Strike for the Climate” sign, she was an anonymous teenager in a world she saw as dying in silence.
Five years later, Thunberg’s “Fridays for Future” movement and its subsequent global marches had had a global impact, politi-* cal science researcher Joost de Moor said in October.
“It has raised awareness for the issue,” he said.
It has also “contributed to the increased legitimacy of pro-climate policy-making, which has in turn made it easier for willing politicians to act on the issue”, he said, citing as an example Frans Timmermans, the former EU climate commissioner responsible for the Green Deal currently being debated in the bloc.
Despite this, and “as Greta Thunberg has said herself many times... climate policy making continues to fall far behind what climate scientists say is necessary”, de Moor said. A report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) on Monday warned of “catastrophic” consequences if Europe failed to take urgent action to adapt to risks posed by climate change.