Inside the Middle East
CNN’s Leone Lakhani visits the emirate of Sharjah, UAE, which plays host to one of the biggest art festivals in the Gulf
This month, ‘Inside the Middle East’ explores the growing popularity of art in the region – from museums to sculpture to comedy. Throughout the Middle East, and especially in the energy-rich Gulf nations, art is increasingly becoming a hot commodity – and an investment.
The programme travels to Qatar, a tiny nation that is quickly becoming a giant in the world of arts and culture. CNN’s Leone Lakhani meets Aisha Al Khater, the first Qatari woman to be director of the impressive Museum of Islamic Art on the waterfront of Doha.
Abu Dhabi, currently building its own branch of the Louvre, and Dubai, home to one of the region’s biggest art fairs, are both hoping to become hubs for international art lovers. The programme travels to the emirate of Sharjah, where culture and heritage have been a priority for decades. Lakhani meets Hoor al Qassemi, daughter of the emirate’s ruler and the driving force behind the Sharjah Biennale, one of the biggest art festivals in the Gulf.
On the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, Lakhani meets Natiq al Alousi, an Iraqi artist who thrived as a professional sculptor while Iraq was under the rule of Saddam Hussein. Nowadays, Al Alousi struggles to find buyers in the UAE, where, he says, the market for sculpture is much smaller.
‘Inside the Middle East’ also heads to Cairo, Egypt, the undisputed capital of humour in the Middle East, where several young Egyptian comedians explain their craft, and how the newfound freedoms have allowed them to expand on material.
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Martin Kaymer prepares to take a shot at the first hole during the first round of the 2013 Masters Tournament at Augusta Credit: Getty
Thursday 02 May at 1030 BST / 1130 CET and 1730 BST / 1830 CET Saturday 04 May at 0830 BST / 0930 CET and 2200 BST / 2300 CET Sunday 05 May at 1730 BST / 1830 CET Saturday 11 May at 1730 BST / 1830 CET Sunday 12 May at 0830 BST / 0930 CET and 2230 BST / 2330 CET Duration: 30 minutes
May’s ‘Living Golf’ catches up with some of the biggest names in the run up to the Players Championship.
The show travels to Sawgrass in Florida, home of the tournament, for a look at the iconic seventeenth hole with its island green, and host Shane O’Donoghue examines two developing golf resorts in the State, interviewing Donald Trump at his Doral project.
CNN World Sport correspondent Don Riddell chats to England’s Lee Westwood at his new Florida home. The best-placed British player at this year’s Masters explains how he thinks the move across the Atlantic will help him to claim his first Major victory. The programme also goes to Spain to see how Miguel Angel Jimenez, the oldest ever winner on the European Tour, is recovering from a skiing accident.
O’Donoghue also spends time with former world number one Martin Kaymer, for an insight into life on the road as a Tour pro.
cnn.com/livinggolf @CNNlivinggolf @DonRiddellCNN @shaneodonoghueAnthony Bourdain Parts Unknown **NEW**
‘Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown’, which launched in April on CNN International, is a new one-hour lifestyle programme which follows world-renowned chef, bestselling author and award-winning broadcaster Anthony Bourdain as he visits little-known areas of the globe, celebrating their rich cultural diversity by exploring food and dining rituals.
Known for his curiosity, candour and acerbic wit, Bourdain ignores the well-trod tourist trails and takes viewers to destinations well off the beaten path – from Myanmar and Quebec to Libya and LA’s Koreatown. On his travels he meets and eats with locals and occasionally communes with the internationally lauded chefs who call these places their home.
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An IndiGo airplane at Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi. Quest interviews the CEO of the airline in this month’s show. Credit: AFP/Getty
This month, ‘CNN Business Traveller’ is in India. With one of the fastest growing economies in the world, the country is in a moment of major transition. Host Richard Quest meets the players driving change in the region and those strategising how to benefit from the rising influx of business travellers and increase in those able to afford to fly.
Since the 2008 recession, most Indian airlines have struggled to stay afloat. However, low cost carriers like IndiGo are experiencing stellar growth. Quest visits IndiGo’s training centre with CEO Aditya Ghosh, to hear how young nimble airlines are forging ahead.
The Indian government is aware of the urgent need to improve infrastructure. Quest meets Amitabh Kant, CEO of ‘Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor’, a state-sponsored industrial development project driving the expansion of India’s rail, road and air connectivity.
Also, the CEO of Fortune Hotels shares his vision to serve the needs of the country’s growing community of business travellers. Rosie Tomkins visits the ITC Maratha hotels, where women-only floors cater to solo female travellers in India. While CNN’s Mallika Kapur samples the ultimate luxury – hotels in Maharajas’ palaces. The CEO of Taj Hotels tells Kapur about this growing high-end trend.
Quest also makes time for sightseeing – hopping on the fast train from Delhi to Agra, on a one day return rail trip to visit the Taj Mahal. And ‘CNN Business Traveller’ finds out what the travel necessities of global tennis star, Rafael Nadal are.
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