MFTW’s first illustrated story: the Gini Fatouhah

On September 18, 2023September 19, 2023 By Stephanie NevilleLeave a comment

Mangroves from the Water (MFTW) is happy to announce the in-progress publication of our first illustrated story about the mangroves and saltmarshes, The Gini Fatouhah. The story is based on the fabled Gini Fatouh, a much-loved Emirati folk tale featured in Dr Abdulaziz Almusallam’s Al Wahri (2022, الواري).

Our aim with this story is to highlight the beauty of the mangroves and their importance to the environment. The story of a young gini provides a message of the importance of being close to nature. The story also contributes to the updating of heritage stories to celebrate the role of females and environmentalists in the UAE, all of whom are playing an important role in protecting nature.

Zahidah Zeytoun Millie authors the story and the illustrations are a result of a collaboration with the artist Géraldine Chansard. Our illustration process involves Géraldine characterising the story within Zahidah’s own water colour sketches that she has painted from a kayak among the mangroves of Umm Al Quwain. Géraldine designs the layout of the book.

We would like to thank and acknowledge the great support that MFTW research and art exhibition projects have received from the Sharjah Institute for Heritage since 2017, especially for publishing our first short story the Gini Fatouhah in 2023.

Our deep gratitude goes to the Chairman of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage, Dr Abdulaziz Almusallam, for his vision in linking art, heritage and the environment. We also acknowledge the support of the publishing director Dr Mini Abdelkader and all the staff at the Institute for their patience and continuous support for the benefit of the environment. This connection of heritage storytelling and contemporary environmental stories is an important reference point for cultural identity and popular memory, as Dr Abdulaziz writes in his introduction to the Mangroves Festival 2017 catalogue:

The mangrove tree has a lot of encompassed forms of expression in the community’s memory and it has produced values, customs, traditions, experiences and popular ethics, artistic creations and experiences of traditions, which add to the totality, the depth, and richness of heritage.

إن ارتباط شجر القرم بحياة الإماراتين قديمًا، وتفاعلهم معه، وتشكيله جزءً كبرًا من هويتهم الثقافية والاجتماعية يجعل من ضرورة المحافظة عى تراث هذه الشجرة أمرًا من الأهمية، لنر الوعي حول أهميتها وضرورة الحفاظ عليها، لمكانتها وموقعها المهم في الراث الثقافي الإماراتي والملهم في نفس الوقت، لذلك فهي تعتر عنرا أساسيًا في الموروث الثقافي والتقاليد الفلكورية للتجمعات السكانية في الدولة.

Faithfully,

Zahidah Zeytoun Millie

Founder & Curator at Mangroves from the Water (MFTW)

17 September 2023

www.zahidahart.com

www.mangrovesfromthewater.com

Mangroves from the Water Exhibition photos

On August 17, 2021August 22, 2021 By Stephanie NevilleLeave a comment

It’s with great pleasure that we are able to share these images with you from our official opening on Saturday 14 August 2021.

Thanks to the Gordon Gallery, the City of Greater Geelong, Sharjah Institute of Heritage, , the Barwon Estuary Project and Humans of Geelong for their support in realising this show.

The opening began with a Welcome to Wadawurrung Country by Elder Nikki McKenzie, supported by Norm Stanley on the didgeridoo; a ceremony we all acknowledged as befitting the themes and depth of our project and our regard for the mangrove landscape.

We were honoured that Libby Coker MP officially opened the event and we’re grateful for her important words and interest in our project.

Curator Zahidah Zeytoun Millie acknowledged the support of our partners and introduced the work of our 13 artists, all focused on raising awareness of the beauty and importance of mangroves.

To Peter Martin, thank you for presenting the opening oration so eloquently.

The afternoon gave our 50 visitors (we were restricted by Covid 19!) a fascinating range of perspectives that included a human element in addition to the multi media artwork. Choreographic artist Jacqui Dreessens performed a sensorial interpretation of mangroves in dance with video, and Richard Collopy presented a passionate talk on a traditional owner’s perspective of mangroves. Viewers were enthralled by the depth of thought and detail presented in the multi media Mangroves from the Art exhibition.

We are very grateful to everyone who came out to support us, especially during this difficult time with lockdowns. We were sad to miss a few of the artists not being able to attend – some stuck locally (Nicola Cerini and Kerrie Taylor), and some abroad (Geraldine Chansard in Belgium, Stephanie Neville in the UAE and Alexis Gambis in France).

Credit for all images goes to photographer Phil Hines. Our thanks to MC Daniel Zeytoun Millie.

Libby Coker MP, Richard Collopy, Deb Taylor, Zahidah Zeytoun Millie, Helen Martin, Enrico Santucci

Marawed Magazine focuses on the mangroves as part of Emirati Heritage

On July 6, 2021September 13, 2021 By Stephanie Neville1 Comment

marawed-32-en-low-2 Download

We are grateful to be part of this important magazine called Marawed and fortunate to be working with Dr. Abdulaziz Al Musallam, Chairman of the Sharjah Institute of Heritage and Editor-in-Chief.

Plants and trees – nature in general- is extremely important to the Emirati culture and prominent in Islamic traditions and teachings from the Holy Qu’ran.

Marawed focuses on the mangroves as part of the the UAE’s natural landscapes and elevate its importance to that of the better-known Date Palms and Ghaf trees spread across the lands.

Please do read the magazine (download the link above) for the interesting information on the local mangroves- from its medicinal uses since 4th Century BC, the botanical and biological science behind it, and the valuable contribution these mangrove trees make to the environment.

The Sharjah Institute of Heritage is a great supporter of Mangroves from the Water, and we thank them for their continued assistance and participation.