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AMMAN — “Needs create inventions,” stated Azra Aksamija, professor of art, culture and technology at MIT, who is one of the curators of the exhibition “Design for a Nomadic World” organised as part of the Amman Design Week (ADW) 2017.

Held at the German Jordan University (GJU) building of downtown Amman, "Design for a Nomadic World" explores how art, architecture and design can address the various needs of refugees, while also fostering a better cross-cultural understanding and social cohesion between migrant and host communities, according to a statement by the organisers.

“Our project consists of  several projects working in parallel involving many parties including the youth at the Azraq refugee camp, students and engineers from the GJU, and academics at MIT,” Aksamija, who is also an artist, told The Jordan Times at the exhibition on Monday. 

Beginning informally as the “book of problems”, the project sought to list and understand the various issues encountered by refugees in their daily lives at the camp. 

“When we visited the camp, we realised that these people have amazing talents and have been creating astonishing inventions just to improve their daily lives,” Aksamija said.

Rasha Al Sharqawi, a GJU architecture student, noted: “For them, these are not inventions, they are just objects they created because they needed it.” She cited the example of Rawan Hussein, a 14-year-old Syrian who invented a washing machine out of two buckets to wash her family’s clothes. 

After two months spent documenting the inventions found at the camp through more than 500 photographs, the team designed the “book of problems”, which mapped the issues encountered, the inventions created as solutions, and categorised them inside a “book of inventions”. 

“Design should be used critically to tackle real issues,” Aksamija said, explaining that the title of the exhibition is a direct reference to Victor Papanek’s book “Design for the Real World” published in1971.

“His work showed that design has become too estranged with the ‘real needs’ of people, and should be more socially, politically aware of the environment,” the artist continued. 

Translating design into projects that help answer the emotional, cultural and social needs of refugees was the primary aim of the exhibition, she explained, noting that it has been a constant exchange of expertise between all parties. 

“As students and engineers, we work on a prototype that we send to the camp, and then they send it back to us with their modifications,” Sharqawi said, noting that it is a “back-and-forth process of co-creation”.

The end product of the exhibition, called the “Lightweaver”, is a collaborative piece that showcases the work of all people involved, said Aksamija, whose main research focuses on transcultural aesthetics, cultural mobility, and ways in which art and architecture can form a bridge between cultures. 

Still under development, the Lightweaver is a playful kinetic lighting machine and an educational device developed in collaboration with the artists, calligraphists, engineers and inventors from the Azraq camp. 

“The kids create the most amazing things with no resources. They have only cardboards but they have managed to create experimental devices that play with various senses and they keep coming up with new ideas,” Sharqawi said, noting that the project has also had a therapeutic impact for the refugees. 

“Some of the refugees we met were very depressed, stricken with the lack of activity and the austerity of the shelters. But, throughout the project, we have seen them transform and regain hope and a sense of meaning,” the duo concluded.

The exhibition, which was curated by Zeid Madi and Melina Philippou, was held with the support of Mohammad Yaghan, professor at the GJU's School of Architecture and the Built Environment.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Monday received the head of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute Jayenge Ha and an accompanying delegation.

Mulki stressed that Jordan's top priority from its nuclear energy programme for peaceful uses is to meet the highest standards of safety and peace, pointing out the importance of the programme in providing affordable energy to citizens, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Jayenge gave a briefing about small and medium-sized reactors and the compact micro-nuclear reactors of the SMART model designed by experts at the institute. Chairman of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission Khaled Toukan and Vice Chairman Kamal Al Araj attended the meeting.

Also on Monday, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Adel Tweisi met with Jayenge and discussed prospects of cooperation in research related to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

AMMAN — Mohammad Al Hadid, President of Jordan's National Red Crescent Society (IFRC), alongside IFRC’s executive committee members, received Crown Princess Margareta of Romania, alongside Romania’s ambassador and an accompanying delegation, the Jordanian News Agency, Petra, reported.

During the meeting, Hadid outlined IFRC's history and humanitarian activities that it carries out locally, regionally and internationally, alongside its mission that welcomed Syrian refugees ever since the crisis began in 2011. 

Crown Princess Margareta visited the Jordanian Red Crescent Hospital, where she was briefed about the hospital’s humanitarian role in helping and treating Syrian refugees through the clinics of the Kuwait Red Crescent and the Iraq Red Crescent. 

Hadid awarded the princess with the Jordan Red Crescent’s Golden Medal, which is the highest honour given by the organisation, according to Petra. 

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF), on Monday visited the Public Security Department (PSD), a Royal Court statement said.

During the visit, His Majesty met PSD Director Maj. Gen. Ahmad Faqih and discussed issues related to police work.

The King expressed his pride in the members of security and appreciation of their role in preserving the security of people and the stability of the Kingdom.

His Majesty stressed that the relationship between police and residents has to be based on respect, protecting people’s dignity and the rule of law.

As for the recent incident between security personnel and a citizen, when detectives attacked a university instructor brutally and were caught on camera, the King said it was an isolated act that does not represent the entire security personnel, vowing that the assailants will be held accountable.

His Majesty stressed that protecting national achievements is everybody’s job and violating them is not acceptable regardless of any justification or motive.

He also stressed that security bodies have to become role models in respecting the law.

The Monarch highlighted the importance of training security personnel to improve their performance.

Faqih briefed the King on the latest developments in the field of security, plans and measures to improve police services, in addition to their efforts in combating crimes.

The King also viewed a number of police activities conducted by various PSD
divisions.      

AMMAN — The State Security Court (SSC) on Monday, sentenced a man for eight years of hard labour in prison, for supporting the Daesh terrorist group and stabbing with the intent to kill his neighbour, an Iraqi host of a satire show on a German TV channel.  

According to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoting court documents, the convict tried to travel to Lebanon in January 2017 to later join Daesh, but was banned from travelling and was asked to report to the General Intelligence Department. Then he planned to kill the host of Bashir Show who “ridiculed terrorist organisations”. 

“The convict waited for the victim in front of his house, called
his name and approached him before drawing a knife and stabbing him multiple times in order to prove his allegiance to the terrorist groups”, the court documents stated. 

In a related development, the SSC on Monday reduced the sentence handed down to a woman from three years to a year and a half, after she was convicted of promoting Daesh ideologies.

Petra said the court took into consideration the extenuating circumstances as the convict is a mother of four children that need nursing and care.

AMMAN — Representatives of the project “Enhanced Support to Democratic Governance in Jordan” (EU JDID), funded by the EU and the Kingdom of Spain, held on Monday its first coordination committee meeting to discuss the advancement of the programme since its inception, and the future plans for the 2017-2018 period.

Held at the King Hussein Club in Jabal Amman, the meeting saw the attendance of Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs Musa Maaytah, EU Ambassador to Jordan Andrea Matteo Fontana, First Deputy Speaker of the Lower House Khamees Attieh, Chairman of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) Khaled Kalaldeh, European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) President Monica Frassoni and the Spanish Deputy Head of Mission Tomàs Lopez Vilariño. 

In his opening speech, EU Ambassador Fontana, who is also the co-chair of the coordination committee, said: “This project carries a great importance for both Jordan and the EU, as it is the first of its kind comprehensive programme encompassing the main components of democracy: parliament, elections, political parties and civil society with a strong focus on women and youth.”

“We have shown our support to the Kingdom’s commitment to change by doubling our funding through this programme,” he continued.

“Jordan is currently at a crucial juncture and has shown its keenness towards reform, in line with His Majesty King Abdullah’s discussion paper,” the ambassador added, referring to the Monarch’s reiterated pledge to enhance the “three pillars of a vibrant Jordanian democracy: a gradual deepening of parliamentary government, under the umbrella of [the] constitutional monarchy, underpinned by active public participation”, in his fifth discussion paper.

The first coordination committee meeting came five months after the official launch of the programme in May 2017.

“Our goal is to ensure an enhanced synergy between all parties in this project, with a focus on coherence and coordination between each component,” Fontana stated.

Launched with the aim of “supporting Jordan’s reform process towards consolidation of deep democracy and to promote inclusiveness of policy and decision-making process”, the 17.7 million-euro programme is funded by the EU and the government of Spain, and implemented by a consortium led by the ECES and the Spanish Agency for International Development (AECID), according to an EU statement.

Monica Frassoni, president of ECES, noted the importance of cohesion between all parties involved in the reform process, highlighting the “novelty of the mechanisms implemented”.

“We all seek to support strengthening the democratic governance of Jordan, which is playing its role as a key contributor to regional peace, stability and security.  Our assistance to and engagement in this country has advanced rapidly over the past few months and we intend to keep this pace,” she stressed.

The participants were briefed by Said Sanadiki, project director of EU JDID, on the advancements of the ECES-led consortium in the fields of structural coordination, the milestones achieved during the inception phase, in addition to the work plan for the 2017-2018 period. 

The AECID representative, Mercedes Cornejo Bareas, outlined the achievements made in the support to civil society organisations’ (CSO) area, including the training and financial assistance to CSOs and the learning programme targeting youth-based CSOs. 

IEC Chairman Khaled Kaladeh commended the support of the EU in helping Jordan implement the 2017 local elections, and voiced his optimism for future cooperation within the democratic governance programme.

“This programme, which gives a special focus to youth and women, is building on the successes we have achieved during the local elections, where 57 per cent of women who ran for candidacy won,” he stated.

For his part, Maaytah voiced his appreciation to the EU representatives and their support to the reform process in the Kingdom, in line with His Majesty’s vision.

AMMAN — Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury on Sunday said it was important to closely monitor the government’s performance and implementation so that “we can depend on ourselves eventually”.

The minister’s remarks were made during the opening of a three-day workshop titled “Towards Building Robust Monitoring and Evaluation Systems for Jordan’s National Plans”.

“We should reactivate the evaluation and monitoring tools of the government and to focus on the implementation side that will help us depend on ourselves, minimise spending and depend more on our own resources,” the minister told representatives and specialists from 36 governmental and non-governmental organisations.

At the same time, Fakhoury added, the monitoring and evaluation process for the national development projects will “help us measure the performance and achieve the goals that was drawn and to have an early chance to amend or redraft the goals and projects in a manner that will help us in the future development planning”.

He added that “we need to adopt such steps because it is a main component of the economic and financial national reform project”.

“It will help us in the long-run by increasing our capital and development expenditure as well as following up on the Jordan Economic Growth Plan 2018-2022.”  

The plan, the minister said recently, aims to refocus efforts on the inclusive growth agenda outlining compulsory business reforms, structural and sectoral reforms and much needed capital expenditure programmes that will be implemented by maximising Public-Private Partnerships and private investments.

“This will reflect positively on many government services by expanding the infrastructure, improving the citizens’ standard of living and introducing a variety of resources for power, water, food, as well as improving the quality of education and health and empowering and employing women and the youth,” the minister added.

Fakhoury said it was also “essential to redirect support to Jordanians and control the tax exemptions that non-Jordanians are benefiting from”.

“The challenges that have been imposed on us for the past six years are grave, including the rise of the general debt, the budget deficit and lack of financial resources for the development projects,” Fakhoury added.

In addition, Jordan’s infrastructure and financial resources are facing high pressure “due to the Syrian crisis and the fact that Jordan is a host to 1.3 million refugees who are mostly living in the local communities”.

“These challenges has formulated a boost for Jordan to move forward with its development plans in all its aspects, including turning the challenges into opportunities and improving the standard of living of Jordanians. It is a tough and challenging time for us and we want to come out of it with a Jordanian success story,” Fakhoury stressed.

He also touched on the Jordan Vision 2025, saying it was one of the most notable blueprints to be adopted because it specified “the Jordan that we want in the year 2025 because it includes major wide reforms on the work of the government and the level of development. This is while allowing a wide-range partnership and transparency, which will eventually lead to raising the citizens’ standard of living and parallelly place Jordanian response plans to hold the international community accountable and lobby for additional financial aid to the Kingdom”.

The Jordan Vision 2025 is a 10-year economic blueprint that seeks to achieve a more resilient and prosperous Jordan, focusing on inclusive growth and improving economic competitiveness, investment climate, ease of doing business, self-reliance and entrepreneurship and innovation, based on nine economic clusters.

Also addressing the gathering, EU Ambassador to Jordan Andrea Matteo Fontana stressed the importance of the workshop and its outcome.

“Monitoring and evaluation are very useful tools for ministries, departments and agencies to successfully implement activities within the framework of the government’s overall plans,” Fontana said.

He added that monitoring and evaluation need to be based on sound strategic planning that “identifies the main problems to be addressed and the best way to resolve them within the Jordanian context”.

The EU ambassador said he was hopeful the workshop would conclude with practical outcomes that would equip the participants with “up-to-date knowledge and state-of-the-art monitoring and evaluation tools”.

In addition, the ambassador added that the workshop is expected to provide the participants with the opportunity to “provide their opinions and suggestions on the best ways to build effective public sector monitoring, evaluation and delivery systems”. 

The workshop is part of a three-and-a-half year project that is designed to contribute to Jordan’s social and economic growth, through the implementation of the Jordan 2025 vision, the related Executive Development Programme  and other relevant plans by assisting the government of Jordan in establishing an effective monitoring and evaluation system to deliver the Kingdom’s future vision, plans and programmes.

The workshop, which was held at the Grand Millennium Hotel, is funded by the EU.

AMMAN — Upon entering Amman Design Week’s (ADW) Zain cultural space at Al Hussein Cultural Centre, the visitor is struck by a free flowing installation of 10,300 pieces of bamboo strips stretching over nearly 300sq.m.

This is “Dalieh”, an installation designed and built by Arini, a non-profit private study and research institution that curates and promotes studies in the fields of design, architecture and urbanism.

Along with his sister Liyan Jabi and Heba Najada, Mohammad Aljabi founded Arini in 2012 to “expand the creative realm and advance the practice of architecture and urbanism beyond its traditional definition”, according to Arini’s website.

“We wanted to bridge the gap between the huge supply of Jordanian designers coming out of universities and the lack of opportunities in the Kingdom,” Aljabi told The Jordan Times on the ADW premises in Ras Al Ain.

The trio was commissioned by ADW to create a roof-like installation providing a cover for the cultural space, to protect it from the heat in an innovative way. 

Dalieh — which means grapevine in Arabic  — is a suspended installation that was inspired by Alejandro Aravena’s piece of scrap metal exhibited in the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale, but with a much lighter twist, Aljabi explained.

“We used the theme of this year ‘Design Moves Life Moves Design’ to create a constantly moving installation. Each strip flows with the wind and the shadows they create are always changing,” he continued.

The creation, which provides a completely different picture depending on the viewer’s perspective, aims to question the “sense of spatial ambiguity” from various angles.

“If you sit under it, it will be very clear, you will be able to see the sky and the stars at night. However, if you stand on the side, you will see a kind of concrete wall of bamboo strips,” the designer noted. 

Dalieh was created in collaboration with Zawayed, a community organisation working with Palestinian refugees living in Jabal Al Natheaf in eastern Amman. 

“We believe that design is not only meant to be pretty; it can also unlock a lot of potential to generate income,” Aljabi stated, adding that Arini works with the residents of the camp to enhance their socio-economic conditions and improve the built environment they live in.

“When working with the local community who for somehave been here since the 1950s, we enter a learning experience for all of us,” he stated, noting that Arini’s projects draw on the varied backgrounds of its three founders. 

“My sister Liyan works mostly with Zawayed to trigger social change in marginalised groups while Heba, who is currently pursuing her PhD in the US, focuses on the issues of transnational relations and flows of refugees, dispossession and diaspora,” Aljabi explained. 

“Design should not limited to superficial beauty; it also involves the ethics and politics of humanitarianism, and can be used to tackle the environmental, cultural, socio-economic challenges,” he stressed.

“We chose to work with the people from Jabal Al Natheaf because this is an area that was overly understudied. The practice of design and architecture in the Arab world is still lagging behind while it could really make a change in people’s lives,” Aljabi who is also one of the founder of herskhazeen.com, an online magazine for architecture and design in the Arab world, concluded.

AMMAN — The National Campaign for Defending Students’ Rights (Thabahtoona) claimed in a statement issued on Sunday that the removal  of the word “Fail” from Tawjihi will “destroy education” as the certificate will become “worthless”.

Thabahtoona Coordinator Fakher Daas said that the new regulations for the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination scrapping the “failure/success” classification means that both qualified and unqualified students will receive certificates and even obtain a university degree.

Daas, who called the new regulations a “huge mess” told The Jordan Times that university admission  will be affected as students who failed in major subjects like Arabic, English or Physics will be eligible to enter university inside or outside Jordan, just because they hold a certificate.

He questioned the Ministry of Higher Education’s stance towards the issue and asked if there will be new criteria for university admission. 

“There is no [educational] system in the world that cancels the criteria of success and failure,” Daas claimed.

The latest regulations published in the Official Gazette described the results of the exam with phrases such as “disqualified due to insufficient school grades” for regular students who fail at school in courses they register at a certain session.

Phrases also include “disqualified due to absence” if a student was registered absent in all school courses he or she was meant to sit in for a session, “disqualified for violating exam regulations” if a student was banned from sitting for at least one session.

The regulations also insert the phrase “Tawjihi absent” if a student was absent in all courses he or she registered for at the general exam.

However, Teachers Association’s President Ibrahim Shabaneh said that providing all students with Tawjihi certificates will ensure a higher social security system as it will allow all students to start their academic or working life from the age of 18

“The student will not have to wait [until passing all subjects of Tawjihi], but will choose his path whether in university, occupational training centre or community college rather than falling to the easy enemy of depression or drugs because he failed to pass all subjects,” Shabaneh told The Jordan Times.

The Association’s president noted that the new regulations respect all students with different capabilities.

The regular students’ grades will be calculated out of 1,400 as of the current academic year for university admission purposes.

The regulations also allowed new regular students and irregular students to sit for the exam with an open number of sessions without losing their right to sit for the exam, as of the 2017/2018 scholastic year.

Despite several attempts to reach officials at the Ministry of Education to enquire about the new regulations, no answer was provided to The Jordan Times.

AMMAN — The theme of this year’s Amman Design Week triggered the imagination of five local designers to come up with a modern installation that highlights one of Jordan’s most pressing issues: the scarcity of water. 

Alongside four other designers, Ahmad Sabbagh presented an installation titled “Water Table”, consisting of a table made up of materials used in making water tanks that are placed at the top of residential buildings in addition to a screen on top of the table projecting details. 

“Our idea is to raise people’s awareness towards the water problem Jordan is facing. We did a projection on water showing a map of the water movement in Jordan based on a timeline starting from the 1950s up to the future. Visitors can therefore compare the changes in water movement across time,” he told The Jordan Times in an interview at the Hangar Exhibition in Ras Al Ain on Saturday.  

Sabbagh said the information showcased in their installation is based on researches and studies.  

“Everyone knows that water is the biggest problem the Kingdom is facing and, as designers, we might not be able to come up with solutions as we are not water experts, but we can highlight this problem,” the designer added.  

Sabbagh explained that it took them a “long time” researching and interviewing water experts. 

Sabbagh said that the water timeline screens a text showing details of the major water projects in the Kingdom, as well as agreements that affected the water movement in Jordan. 

“We wanted to use technology to introduce an entertaining new kind of presentation,” he added.  

He expressed hope that their project would later be exhibited in a museum or at a workplace in the water sector. 

Sabbagh commended the idea of Amman Design Week, noting that the event helps make design accessible for all people.

“We see all segments of society attend the event and this shows that design is for all, not just for specific groups of people because all the works on display are related to all people and their daily life,” he added.  

Regarding the hangar location of the exhibition, he said there is a “special bond” between the location and their project. 

“The hangar location is really important for us. It is located in Ras Al Ain where a river used to pass by, which is closely related to our project. This gives us a special feeling and our table was also placed in the same direction as the water used to flow from in the past,” he concluded.