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Rabat Hosts Arabic Theater Festival after Two-Year Postponement

view at the Royal Toone Theatre, a puppet theatre, in central Brussels, Belgium December 19, 2019. Picture taken December 19, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir
view at the Royal Toone Theatre, a puppet theatre, in central Brussels, Belgium December 19, 2019. Picture taken December 19, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir
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Rabat Hosts Arabic Theater Festival after Two-Year Postponement

view at the Royal Toone Theatre, a puppet theatre, in central Brussels, Belgium December 19, 2019. Picture taken December 19, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir
view at the Royal Toone Theatre, a puppet theatre, in central Brussels, Belgium December 19, 2019. Picture taken December 19, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

The 13th edition of the Arabic Theater Festival is set to kick off on Tuesday at Casablanca’s Mohammed VI Theater after a two-year hiatus caused by the pandemic.

The organizers hope this year’s edition will meet the standards of the Arabic and Moroccan theaters, as the strategies and efforts of the Arab Theater Institute in growing this sector.

According to the organizers, this year’s edition is themed “The Edition of Challenges and Triumphs”, noting that the biggest challenge that faced the festival was the pandemic, which forced a two-year postponement.

The seven-day event is organized by the Ministry of Youth, culture, and Communication, and the Arab Theater Institute under the patronage of Morocco’s King Mohammed VI.

The organizers praised their Moroccan partner, the ministry of youth, culture, and communication, and the Moroccan theater figures who “joined hands with the ministry and the institute, acknowledging the significance of this event, the Moroccan theatrical presence in the former and the current editions, and the value of the Arabic presence in the Moroccan horizon. Morocco, which is advancing in all fields, has been present since the first edition of the festival with remarkable artistic and intellectual contributions.”

They also lauded the sponsorship of the King, noting that it “crowns the efforts of this theatrical community, upscales the event, and highlights the theater’s significance, which we have to emphasize and deepen to enhance the role the theater plays in the life of our people.”

In addition, the organizers highlighted a historic accomplishment that required years of work in collaboration with the Mohammed V Theater, National Syndicate of Dramatic Arts Professionals, and a number of Moroccan theater figures.

They also shed lights on the Sheikh Sultan Al Qasimi Award for the Best Arab Theatrical Work, which debuted in 2012 during the 4th edition of the Arabic Theater Festival, praising the sponsor and vision of Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, member of the Federal Supreme Council of the UAE, and chairperson of the Arabic Theater Institute.

Since its debut, the festival adopted the “Towards a New, Innovative Theater” motto that focuses on the intellectual aspect. The program of this year’s edition features important activities including the ‘16th edition of the Arabic Theater Day’s Word’ set to be addressed by Iraqi artist Jawad al-Assadi. The festival will also honor 10 Moroccan artists who will be announced during the opening ceremony, which will represent a “Moroccan message of peace to the large Arabic world”.

The opening ceremony will also include a keynote by Ismail Abdullah, secretary-general of the Arabic Theater Institute.

The Arab Theater Institute selected a group of playwrights to make critical readings that will be presented on the night of each performance. It also organizes a special cultural program in collaboration with the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences – Ben M’sik aimed at maintaining the national ambiance of the festival, and activating the institutions interested in theater. The program includes a seminar to announce the winners at “The Arabic Competition of Theatrical Scientific Research”; a special seminar dedicated to Jawad al-Assadi; and a third seminar about the experience of writer Izzedine al-Madani in which speaks Madani himself.

The opening ceremony will also announce the winners of the “Playwright for Children” and “Playwright for Adults” contests, and the jury members in both competitions.

Among the other activities is an exhibition displaying the publications of the Arabic Theater Institute and celebrating the release of 12 books about the Moroccan theater including “Critical Studies of Moroccan Theater” by Mohammed Farah, “Critical, Theatrical Trends from Morocco” by Mohammed Nawali, “Moroccan Theater on Iraqi Journals” by Ali al-Rabi, and “Contemporary Moroccan Theater…Readings of Show, Text, and Criticism” by Abdulrahman bin Ibrahim.

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Varieties

ISS Crew Splashes Down on Earth After Medical Evacuation

FILE - This photo provided by NASA shows the Moon's shadow covering portions of Canada and the US during a total solar eclipse as seen from the International Space Station on Monday, Aug. 8, 2024. (NASA via AP, File)
FILE - This photo provided by NASA shows the Moon's shadow covering portions of Canada and the US during a total solar eclipse as seen from the International Space Station on Monday, Aug. 8, 2024. (NASA via AP, File)
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ISS Crew Splashes Down on Earth After Medical Evacuation

FILE - This photo provided by NASA shows the Moon's shadow covering portions of Canada and the US during a total solar eclipse as seen from the International Space Station on Monday, Aug. 8, 2024. (NASA via AP, File)
FILE - This photo provided by NASA shows the Moon's shadow covering portions of Canada and the US during a total solar eclipse as seen from the International Space Station on Monday, Aug. 8, 2024. (NASA via AP, File)

Four International Space Station (ISS) crewmembers splashed down in the Pacific Ocean early Thursday, video footage from NASA showed, after a medical issue prompted their mission to be cut short.

American astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov and Japan's Kimiya Yui landed off the coast of San Diego about 12:41 am (0841 GMT), marking the first-ever medical evacuation from the ISS.

Varieties

Lonely Tree in Wales Is an Instagram Star, but its Fate Is Inevitable

The Lonely Tree, often pictured submerged in water, was first planted in 2010. (Getty Images)
The Lonely Tree, often pictured submerged in water, was first planted in 2010. (Getty Images)
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Lonely Tree in Wales Is an Instagram Star, but its Fate Is Inevitable

The Lonely Tree, often pictured submerged in water, was first planted in 2010. (Getty Images)
The Lonely Tree, often pictured submerged in water, was first planted in 2010. (Getty Images)

It is one of Wales' most-loved beauty spots - but the time of the so-called Lonely Tree being an Instagram star could be slowly coming to an end.

The birch tree's striking setting at Llyn Padarn in Eryri, also known as Snowdonia, draws photographers to capture the sight through the seasons, according to BBC.

But the local authority Cyngor Gwynedd has raised the prospect of the tree, which was planted around 2010, disappearing within the next decade or so.

A lack of nutrients in the soil means birch trees have “a relatively short lifespan” in the area, typically living for around 30 years, but the fact that The Lonely Tree is sometimes submerged in water means its time could be even shorter.

Thousands of walkers and photographers make their way there each year and the tree has many social media sites dedicated to it, including one with 3,500 members on Facebook.

Marc Lock from Bangor, Gwynedd, said: “The Lonely Tree holds a special place in my heart and that of my family.”

He added: “Nestled down by the Lonely Tree, it's a perfect spot for us to sit, reflect and soak in the breath-taking scenery. We often go paddleboarding there in the summer months.”

However, Lock said the area really became his sanctuary after his wife bought him a camera for Christmas and he took up photography.

It was the place he headed to straight away, and he returns regularly at various times of the day and throughout the seasons.

“It's my go-to spot whenever I have some free time and my camera in hand,” he added. “I can't imagine what I would do if anything devastating happened to it like that at the Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian's Wall. It's simply unthinkable.”

The Sycamore Gap was a much-loved landmark beside Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland that also drew hikers and photographers from far and wide.

It was more than 100 years old and had been the scene of many proposals, with people making the trip there from around the world.

But it was cut down by vandals in September 2023, causing uproar, with thousands of people leaving tributes and posting messages about their love for the beauty spot.

Two men were jailed for four years and three months after admitting the illegal felling.

While maybe not quite as famous as the Sycamore Gap was, The Lonely Tree is every bit as special to those that hold it dear to their heart.

Varieties

Four Signs You're Self-Sabotaging Your Joy

Threat or uncertainty can reduce cognitive regulation and increase avoidance behaviors. (Indiana University)
Threat or uncertainty can reduce cognitive regulation and increase avoidance behaviors. (Indiana University)
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Four Signs You're Self-Sabotaging Your Joy

Threat or uncertainty can reduce cognitive regulation and increase avoidance behaviors. (Indiana University)
Threat or uncertainty can reduce cognitive regulation and increase avoidance behaviors. (Indiana University)

Most of us, at some point in our lives, have stood in the way of our own growth.

We make progress on a project, start to feel hopeful about a relationship, or finally get on track with a goal, and then we do something that undermines it.

We fall into a procrastination spiral, pick a fight, or simply quit; in doing so, we talk ourselves out of something that could potentially bring us happiness.

There’s a name for this kind of behavior: self-sabotage.

Dr. Mark Travers, an American psychologist with degrees from Cornell University and the University of Colorado Boulder, wrote an essay at Psychology Today about four well-studied reasons why people sabotage good things, based on research in psychology.

Avoiding blame

According to Travers, one of the most consistently researched patterns in self-sabotage comes from what psychologists call self-handicapping.

He said this is a behavior in which people create obstacles to their own success so that if they fail, they can blame external factors instead of internal ability.

A prime example comes from classic research in which researchers observed students who procrastinated studying for an important test. The ones who failed mostly attributed it to a lack of preparation rather than a lack of organization or discipline.

Self-handicapping is not simply laziness or whimsy. Rather, it is a strategy people use to protect their self-worth in situations where they might perform “poorly” or where they might be perceived as inadequate.

Fear of failure or success

People often think of the fear of failure as the main emotional driver behind self-sabotage.

But research points to the fear of success as an equal, yet less-talked-about engine of the phenomenon. Both fears can push people to undermine opportunities that are actually aligned with their long-term goals.

He said people who worry that failure will confirm their negative self-beliefs are more likely to adopt defensive avoidance tactics, like procrastination or quitting early.

Fear of success, though less widely discussed, operates in a similar fashion. What motivates this fear is the anxiety that comes with the consequences of success.

So, self-sabotaging success can be a way to stay within a comfort zone where expectations are familiar, even if that zone is unsatisfying.

Negative self-beliefs

Self-sabotage is tightly intertwined with how people view themselves. When someone doubts their worth, their ability, or their right to be happy, they may unconsciously act in ways that confirm those negative self-views.

Psychological theories help explain this.

Self-discrepancy theory proposes that people experience emotional discomfort when their actual self does not match their ideal self. This mismatch can lead to negative emotions such as shame, anxiety, or depression.

Coping with stress and anxiety

Self-sabotage often emerges in moments of high stress or emotional threat. When people feel overwhelmed, anxious, or stretched thin, their nervous systems shift into protective modes. Instead of moving forward, they retreat, avoid, or defensively withdraw.

Threat or uncertainty can reduce cognitive regulation and increase avoidance behaviors. In situations of perceived threat, even if the threat is potential success or evaluation, people can default to behaviors that feel safer, even if they undermine long-term goals.