After disappointing cancellations last year, it has been confirmed that both the Nice Carnival and the Menton Lemon Festival will go ahead in February, albeit in abridged forms.
Maybe 2022 really is going to be that year, the year where things gradually begin to shift back toward normal, allowing beloved events to take place and for life to have some semblance of the way it used to be.
Tuesday’s announcements by the mayors of Nice and Menton declaring that both the Nice Carnival and Menton Lemon Festival are going ahead has brought some joy, and relief, to the masses.
Before anyone gets too overexcited, it also has been announced that both events will be held in revised ways to accommodate the health situation, though it is unclear what exactly that means at present.
Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi said on Tuesday afternoon that Carnival will take place on the scheduled dates of 11th to 27th February, but conceded that “given the health situation at the beginning of January, we will not necessarily have an edition such as in the past. We will have to show adaptation and agility, depending on the sanitary conditions of the period.”
“There will be an event-driven, reasonable, reasoned and organised policy. There will not be Carnival as you have known it before but there will be Carnival according to the constraints which will be decreed by the government. It may be that there is no parade at all,” admitted Estrosi, who optimistically followed up by saying, “But in any case, nothing would justify depriving the local economy, the people of Nice, and the people of Nice of this event.”
Mayor Estrosi now has 15 days to clarify what these adaptations will be specifically. Amongst the possibilities are limiting grandstand occupation to 5,000, holding several performances each day, holding some events at the Opera de Nice, and spreading the exhibitions out to different parts of the city to allow visitors to partake in an appropriately socially distanced way.
“Carnival has 30 million economic benefits. It is a very important financial windfall in the winter season,” said Frédéric Gintrand, Vice President of the UMIH Nice Côte d’Azur.
Jacques Joussin, who runs the Hotel Massena, told France 3 that he has 60% to 70% occupancy levels for the second half of February, including groups and tour operators from all over Europe.
“We are ready,” he told the French media station. “We want to welcome our customers in good conditions, even at a reduced level, and with the protocol we have put in place. All the hotels are playing the game on the Côte d’Azur.”
Meanwhile in Menton, Mayer Yves Juhel has said that whilst the show will still go on, it will definitely not be business as usual.
“The corsos and the gardens of lights, which are very high in attendance, are cancelled in order to avoid an excessive concentration of spectators strongly discouraged during this period of pandemic,” he said in a City of Menton press release.
The citrus exhibitions in the Bioves Garden will be on display, though, and will be accessible to all. Merchants and restaurant workers are encouraged to wear lemon yellow to show their festive spirit and solidarity.
UPDATE: It was announced late Wednesday that the other pending event, the Prom Classic, has been cancelled. The first major sporting event of the year in Nice was due to take place on 9th January. The 10km race usually sees 10,000 participants running along the Promenade des Anglais and is a highlight of the new year.
Meanwhile, the other running race which was to take place between Nice and Cap d’Ail on 30th January, the Course du Soleil, is also cancelled, it was announced on Tuesday by the organisers. Runners who are already registered will be reimbursed.
Photo of the 2019 Nice Carnival by Marc Luczak on Flickr
It has been confirmed that Belgian manager Philippe Clement will replace Niko Kovac’s as AS Monaco manager, bringing an end to days of speculation.
The club announced late Monday that Clement has signed a three-season contract with the side, which will run until June 2024. Arriving in Monaco, he brings to an end an overwhelmingly successful spell in Belgium, during which he has won three consecutive league titles as well as the Belgian Super Cup in 2021.
Like Kovac, he also has a wealth of European experience, having contested 40 matches in European competitions, including having led Club Brugge in this season’s unsuccessful Champions League campaign.
Similar to Kovac, Clement asks for intensity in the press and is a forward-thinking coach. He is also a proponent of youth development, with the average of his lineups this season at 25.8 years, slightly higher than Monaco’s average of 24.7 years.
Clement was seemingly the number one choice for Sporting Director Paul Mitchell, as Monaco moved swiftly to acquire his services after the sacking of Kovac on Saturday. By Sunday, Clement was already on the scene as he watched his new side beat Quevilly-Rouen from the stands.
Mitchell was clearly delighted with his latest appointment, saying in a club statement: “His (Clement’s) ability to combine titles with the development of youth players has made him one of the most prominent coaches in Europe in recent years.” The Englishman clearly sees Clement as the man to continue Kovac’s project, adding, “We are convinced that the solid foundations we have been building over the past 18 months, combined with Philippe’s winning experience, modern leadership and ambitious mindset, will take our sporting project to the next level.”
Clement isn’t expect to speak publicly about the appointment until a press conference on Wednesday, but he did say on Twitter: “Looking forward to starting this new adventure with AS Monaco.”
Clement will be expected to hit the ground running. His new side are four points off second place in Ligue 1, but currently sit in sixth. Any losses would therefore see Monaco lose ground in what is an incredibly tight championship, bar PSG, who are running away with the title.
Given Clement’s European experience, he will also be expected to progress in the Europa League as well as in the Coupe de France. He will take charge of his first game this Sunday at Nantes, whilst his first home game will be on 16th January against Clermont Foot.
The gruelling 2021 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race was marked by strong winds and rough seas, but it was Monaco Yacht Club registered Black Jack that took home the title with a time of just over two days and 12 hours.
It wasn’t the fastest race time the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has ever clocked, but it was good enough to awards a prize after two days of brutal conditions. With its Monaco flag, Peter Harburg’s Black Jack was the first to cross the finish line in the notoriously tough event, winning with a time of two days, 12 hours, 37 minutes and 17 seconds.
Organised by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia since 1945, and supported by the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, the 2021 version put racers through their paces with relentless seas, shifting winds and strong opposing currents.
The course, which runs for 628 nautical miles (1,163 km) is traditionally hailed as one of the world’s hardest due to choppy seas, often accompanied by severe weather. This year’s race saw 36 of the 88 competitors forced to retire.
Benoit Falletti (Rolex Australia), Peter Harburg and Mark Bradford. Photo credit: Rolex/Andrea Francolini
In the slowest time since 2004, Black Jack had been in a three-way battle down Tasmania’s east coast beating out LawConnect, who came in second, and third place SHK Scallywag 100.
“It was tough in the beginning. The first 30 hours were pretty rugged,” Black Jack skipper Mark Bradford said. “We had a tough race with both the other (supermaxis). We dropped Scallywag at the end for a bit but she came back and LawConnect was right there the whole way.”
Black Jack Sail No: 525100, Owner: Peter Harburg, Skipper: Mark Bradford, Design: Reichel/Pugh 100. Photo credit: Rolex/Andrea Francolini
Black Jack claimed line honours for the Sydney to Hobart back in 2009 under the name Alfa Romeo, finished fifth in the 2019 edition of the race, and came in a close second to Wild Oats XI in 2018, missing the top spot by a mere 28 minutes.
Owner Harburg was not on the boat this year, saying he would “let the crew do what they do best”, but greeted it at Constitution Dock in Hobart after their win.
Stakeholders have come together at a major summit in Dubai with one clear goal: to put education on the global agenda alongside issues like climate and health. We talk to Dr. Tariq Al Gurg, CEO and Vice-Chairman of Dubai Cares, the organisers of the summit.
The RewirEd summit was the first of its kind. Held from 12th to 14th December as part of Expo 2020 Dubai Knowledge and Learning Week, the high-profile event served as a platform for global education stakeholders to spark a conversation and generate new ideas on how to tackle the future of education.
“Education has been neglected, globally,” Dr. Tariq Al Gurg, CEO and Vice-Chairman of Dubai Cares, told Monaco Life. “Everything has a global agenda – climate, water, malaria, agriculture, health… The education sector doesn’t. It is fragmented with no unity, no one platform or one meeting, to set an agenda.”
The RewirEd summit was organised by Dubai Cares in partnership with Expo 2020 Dubai and in close coordination with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and delivered in partnership with global stakeholders. It saw the participation of more than 2,000 in-person attendees from 60 countries, focusing on topics around how and why education systems need to change to provide young people with better opportunities.
“Out of the trillions of dollars spent in foreign aid, only three percent is going towards global education. That is why we have one entire day dedicated to financing,” explained Dr. Al Gurg.
The other two themes on the agenda were youth, skills and the future of work, as well as innovation in education.
RewirEd 2021
Ultimately, RewirEd aims to unlock new solutions for the future of education by fostering collaborations between new and unlikely allies from across the private and public sectors, whilst bringing together existing platforms and partnerships to amplify their impact across the education ecosystem.
Participants included former UK Prime Minister and United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown, President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Sahle-Work Zewde, President of the Central African Republic Faustin-Archange Touadera, President of Botswana Mokgweetsi Masisi, President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta, Chair of the Board of Directors of Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and former President of Tanzania Jakaya Kikwete, and former President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid.
Prince Albert II of Monaco, who had just returned to the Principality after visiting the Dubai Expo, addressed participants in a recorded message, highlighting the vital role that the environmental crisis should play in education.
“We will not succeed in implementing the necessary changes if we continue to consider the environment as just one concern among others, perhaps more distant than others. We need to instill a different mindset to promote new responsibility and solidarity to involve our children in all aspects of their lives,” said the Prince.
“This work therefore needs to be done in the first few years of life at the time we discover the world with wonder and when we learn to understand our place in that world.”
There were also high-level representatives from UNESCO, UNICEF, UNHCR, the World Economic Forum (WEF), the World Food Programme (WFP), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Bank, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), and Education Cannot Wait (ECW), a global fund to transform the delivery of education in emergencies.
“At the end of the three-day summit, we had an outcome report that will be managed by the Education Commission under Gordon Brown and is aligned with the recently announced ‘Our Common Agenda’ report by the UN Secretary General,” revealed Dr. Al Gurg.
The UN report, launched on 10th November, calls for transformations to both “repair past injustices” and build capacity for a more sustainable and just future. It aims to foster a “contract” between parents, children, and educators.
“Moreover, our report will feed into the UN Summit on Transforming Education 2022 that the UN Secretary General is convening next September,” added the Dubai Cares CEO. “It will hopefully be the initial step on a path towards the first ever global education agenda.”
Adopt a School programme, Dubai Cares
So who, or what, is Dubai Cares?
Dubai Cares is the epitome of smart philanthropy. It was created by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, who believed that education is more than a human right, it is an irrevocable asset, and one of the most effective tools to break the cycle of poverty.
It was from this belief and the desire to give children, regardless of their gender, nationality, race, or religion, the opportunity to become positive contributors to society, that His Highness launched an eight-week fundraising campaign in 2007 that raised a staggering 480 million dollars, mostly from the public and private sectors and HNWIs of Dubai. He then matched that figure with 480 million dollars from his own pocket. The result was the creation of a non-profit, non-governmental organisation with a start-up capital of 960 million dollars. What the organisation has managed to achieve since then is nothing short of miraculous.
“His Highness developed Dubai Cares at a time when there were no global mechanisms or entities working towards innovation in education, providing the best solutions to children to have access to education, or receive quality education, primarily in developing countries,” explained Dr. Al Gurg. “When God gives you blessed land and money not as a person, but as a leader of your community, you have to use it to give back, sometimes to your own societies but sometimes to less fortunate societies globally.”
Dubai Cares is now positively impacting the lives of more than 20 million individuals in 60 developing countries and continues to play a vital role in helping to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) four, which aims to ensure inclusive and quality education for all in order to promote lifelong learning by the year 2030.
Adopt a School programme by Dubai Cares
But the path to success has many different routes. Dubai Cares provides basic infrastructure for learning by helping to build and renovate schools and classrooms, equipping them with the necessary materials for children and teachers.
But in the most remote locations of the world, like rural Ethiopia, this is the least of the students’ problems.
“Intestinal worms are one of the biggest issues that prevents these children from going to school,” revealed Dr. Al Gurg. “Those children with bloated stomachs that you see, the majority of cases are worms; 50 to 200 worms that vary from three to seven inches long in one child’s stomach.”
Many children drop out of school because the worms make them lethargic and unable to master key competencies.
So, in its effort to create equal access to education for all, Dubai Cares, with its local implementing partner, developed a health and hygiene programme.
“We didn’t just want to deworm the children, we needed to have a mind shift in people. Parents didn’t know about the worms in their children’s stomachs. So, working with the health ministry, the education ministry and community members, we started a door-to-door awareness programme, informing parents that their children were getting sick because they were drinking contaminated water and not washing their hands after going to the toilet.”
As part of its WASH programme, Dubai Cares provided children with hand washing facilities, gender specific latrines, and hygiene education. Dubai Cares also helped to develop the government’s capacity to provide training to teachers and community members on the importance of washing hands with soap.
Dubai Cares implemented the WASH programme in Ethiopia
“Keep in mind that 75% of rural Africa does not have latrines in schools,” said Dr. Al Gurg. “For four years, we had a deworming programme and hand washing awareness campaign – washing hands at school, washing hands at home, parents teaching their neighbours, adults teaching the community… then, the government was able to eliminate the deworming programme.”
The programme was so successful in southern Ethiopia that the government eventually rolled it out across the entire country, and school enrolment and retention rates went up.
The projects are as varied as the people that benefit from Dubai Cares, from a school meals system using organic produce by local farmers, to youth empowerment and adult literacy, to building the capacity of governments to make parents understand the importance of health check-ups and vaccination cycles for their children.
And the cross-cutting theme, says Dr. Al Gurg, is gender equality.
“In some countries like the Philippines, South Sudan, central America, Yemen, and Pakistan, girls don’t have any access to education. This is not because of faith, but rather cultural beliefs. So, we try to have a policy change in the government’s approach and a prioritisation towards girls’ education.”
Dr. Al Gurg says a vigorous monitoring and evaluation system guarantees the success of its model.
“On a weekly basis, my team visits these countries to monitor and evaluate the progress of our programs. When there is an issue, we sit with the parents, teachers, students, and education district officers, to see how we can modify the programmes, which run for three to five years on average. The final evaluation comes from a third party, so we can see what is working and what is not working, for it to become an innovation for the future.”
Top photo of Dr. Tariq Al Gurg, CEO and Vice-Chairman of Dubai Cares. All photos courtesy Dubai Cares. Video of Prince Albert published with permission of the Prince’s Palace.
The Nouveau Musée National de Monaco’s new exhibition is bringing together a selection of works collected over the past decade by recently retired Museum Director Marie-Claude Beaud.
Villa Paloma is the setting for a new exhibit, ‘Tremblings – Recent Acquisitions of the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco’, which showcases a hand-picked collection of works acquired by former Museum Director Marie-Claude Beaud, who left in April 2021.
The exhibition was the brainchild of Célia Bernasconi, Chief Curator of the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco (NMNM), and features works by 17 contemporary living artists, nine of whom are women, from 12 different countries. The common thread between the pieces is that the artists all had a similar response to the definition of “trembling thinking”.
It is summed up by French Caribbean poet Edouard Glissant, who said, “First of all, it must be said that trembling is not uncertainty, that it is not fear, that it is not what paralyses us. Trembling thinking – and to my mind, all utopia passes through this thought – is first of all the instinctive feeling that we must refuse all categories of rigid thinking and all categories of imperial thinking.
“Thought that organises itself into a system and tries to put order, its own order, into the world, is a thought against which we can raise this trembling thinking, which is the knowledge or the attempt at real knowledge of what is happening in the world today. In the Whole-World, everything trembles. The Whole-World trembles physically, geologically, mentally, spiritually, because the Whole-World is looking for this point, I would not say this station, but this utopian point where all the cultures of the world, all the imaginations of the world, can meet and hear one another without being dispersed or getting lost.”
After having directed institutions as diverse as the Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, the American Centre, the Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and the Mudam in Luxembourg, Marie-Claude Beaud developed her vision of the contemporary museum in Monaco inspired by the poetry of Édouard Glissant and his aesthetic of the Whole-World.
The collections of the NMNM have thus been enriched in a transdisciplinary and inclusive manner, and in constant dialogue with contemporary artists. While ensuring the study and preservation of works of art linked to the Monaco of the past and the modern era, the NMNM has developed a heritage that includes interesting contemporary art. Based on themes defined by taking into consideration the history of Monaco and its territory, its acquisition policy has made it possible to support and represent a great diversity of views and voices within the national collections.
Video installations, sculptures, paintings, and photographs by diverse artists Yinka Shonibare, Sylvie Blocher, Arthur Jafa, Helen Johnson, Clément Cogitore, Candice Breitz, Latifa Echakhch, Petrit Halilaj, Brice Dellsperger, Pauline Boudry, Renate Lorenz, Nan Goldin, Steve McQueen, Apostolos Georgiou, Hans Schabus, Katinka Bock and Laure Prouvost will offer visitors committed visions of the world and highlight the fragilities of society.
The exhibition will run through 15th May 2022 at the Villa Paloma.
Monaco Gin, a local distiller offering its first premium gin, has created a beverage named after the iconic Monegasque leader and environmentalist, Prince Albert I. Now this “universal gin made in Monaco” is available to the public under the name Prince Explorer Monaco Gin.
In a timely nod to Monaco’s Prince Albert I, whose life will be celebrated in 2022 on the centenary anniversary of his passing, a tribute of another kind has sprung into being.
A new gin from Monaco Gin has burst onto the market in a homage to the late Prince, named Prince Explorer after the nickname given to him during his lifetime.
“This gin is a tribute to his pronounced intellectual curiosity and enduring spirit of adventure,” says the company in describing their product.
This gin is truly a well-travelled concoction being made from elements sourced from all over the world. The first batch of the gin contains juniper from Italy, Brazilian pink peppercorns, Sichuan pepper, Mediterranean thyme and mandarin, Indian coriander, and North American elderflower, to name a few of the special ingredients that make up this unique-tasting drink.
The beverage itself is distilled in a 19th century copper alembic and is made in small batches to ensure quality. The botanicals and peppercorns are sustainably obtained from small farms with traditional harvesting methods, in keeping with the ethos of the company, as well as those of the gin’s namesake.
On the palate, the first taste has been described as fresh and slightly sweet, followed by a warm, spicy base to round it out. The company has said it took years of research to hit upon just the right note to find this “harmonious balance”, making it a “rarity in the gin universe.”
Furthermore, the company has added to its street cred by making a pledge to donate €1 for every bottle sold to the Oceanographic Institute to “promote, love and protect the oceans.”
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