Caracalla’s 'Jamil Buthaina' Kicks Off in Riyadh

Caracalla’s Jamil Buthaina kicked off in Riyadh on Friday. (Photo: Saudi Ministry of Culture)
Caracalla’s Jamil Buthaina kicked off in Riyadh on Friday. (Photo: Saudi Ministry of Culture)
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Caracalla’s 'Jamil Buthaina' Kicks Off in Riyadh

Caracalla’s Jamil Buthaina kicked off in Riyadh on Friday. (Photo: Saudi Ministry of Culture)
Caracalla’s Jamil Buthaina kicked off in Riyadh on Friday. (Photo: Saudi Ministry of Culture)

The performances of the musical play “Jamil Buthaina” by the Caracalla Dance Theater kicked off on Friday at the Theater of Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh.

Organized by the Saudi Ministry of Culture in cooperation with the Theater and Performing Arts Commission, the show continues for five consecutive days, with the participation of more than 300 creative performers, writers, poets and dancers.

Saudi talents have also joined the performance in major and secondary acting roles, recounting the story of “Jamil Buthaina”, along with members of the Caracalla Dance Theater, which features internationally-renowned singers and actors.

The events of the play revolve around a love story between Jamil and Buthaina in Wadi Al-Qura in AlUla, and how their story was told among people from different ages.

Directed by Ivan Caracalla, the play is a beautiful assortment of poetry, singing and dialogues that wandered the corners of that Arab era, and scenes of joy, work and heroism, as well as moments of contemplation that Jamil spent waiting to meet his beloved.



Not Quite the ‘Girl from Ipanema’, a Fur Seal’s Rare Appearance on Rio’s Famous Beach Turns Heads

A fur seal stands on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
A fur seal stands on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
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Not Quite the ‘Girl from Ipanema’, a Fur Seal’s Rare Appearance on Rio’s Famous Beach Turns Heads

A fur seal stands on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
A fur seal stands on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Short, and dark, and young, and tired, the seal on Ipanema was basking ...

The fur seal on Rio de Janeiro’s iconic beach was turning heads of locals and tourists alike Wednesday morning — though not for the same reasons as the famous "Girl from Ipanema."

The animal is often spotted along Brazil's coastline during winter and spring, but rarely is it seen this time of year, a few days before the start of the Southern Hemisphere's summer, said Suelen Santiago, a biologist who works at the company that monitors the beach.

"This year we're having atypical situations," she said.

Cordoned off by tape and flags, the young male seal became the main attraction on one of the world’s most famous beaches. Among the curious onlookers was Jordana Halpern, 29. She had never seen such a specimen and rushed to the beach when she heard it had been spotted.

"It's cool, but it’s kind of sad. It seems like it’s not doing very well," Halpern said. Almost as though hearing her, the seal moved more energetically, lifting its head and emitting a low sound. "Oh my God! It moved a lot!" Halpert said.

Santiago said they still don't know why the animal ended up in Ipanema out of season, but wasn't worried: "It's just resting. The animal is very active, so he’s only resting, and soon it’ll head back to the sea."