Features

The Island of Missing Trees
Elif Shafak
UK: Viking/Penguin Random House, 2021
Pp. 354

In her latest novel, “The Island of Missing Trees”, Elif Shafak skilfully intertwines some of the burning issues of our time — immigration, exile, hate crimes, war, climate change, and humans’ relationship to nature, with the fall-out from the Cyprus conflict. Two touching, long-lasting love stories contrast sharply with gruesome instances of hate-fuelled violence that reached a peak in Cyprus in 1974. 

Far from being a dry, chronological account, the novel centres on the human impact — how the conflict changed the course of people’s lives, reworked their feelings and memories. Shafak’s narrative hovers over the boundary between realistic fiction and fantasy, incorporating legends alongside credible events, for, in her words, “legends are there to tell us what history has forgotten”. (p. 1) 

Shafak’s writing has always targeted social boundaries, stereotypes, prejudice and preconceptions, but “The Island of Missing Trees” goes further than ever before — questioning the boundaries between not only humans, in this case, Greek and Turkish Cypriots, but between humans and the plant world. Part of the story is told by a fig tree and tree-related metaphors permeate the narrative. As Shafak’s vibrant descriptions of Cyprus’s natural beauty and human behaviour show, “There are many things that a border… cannot prevent from crossing.” (p. 3)

“The Island of the Missing Trees” tells the love story of two young people who share a humanist and scientific outlook: Kostas, a Christian Greek Cypriot, who becomes an evolutionary ecologist and botanist, and Defne, a Muslim Turkish Cypriot, who becomes an archaeologist. Their chosen professions are not random but point to major themes in the novel. They fall in love in their teens but keep it secret, knowing that their families will not approve of their crossing the ethnic and religious divide. “You don’t fall in love in the midst of a civil war, when you are hemmed in by carnage and by hatred on all sides. You run away as fast as your legs can carry your fears… And yet there they were, the two of them.” (p. 168)

As the conflict intensifies, Kostas’s mother sends him to live with his uncle in England; he doesn’t see Defne for 25 years. Finally reuniting and settling in Britain, they try to shield their daughter, whom they name Ada, which means island in Turkish, by not telling her about their past lives, their families and how they were torn apart by the conflict. Still, grief from the past haunts them and is unwittingly passed on to Ada. As the novel opens, Ada is sixteen and troubled by the missing links in her background. “So many times in the past she had suspected that she carried within a sadness that was not quite her own.” (p. 18)

The unfolding of the plot shows that trauma cannot be hidden or put aside; it is passed down, however unintentionally, and must be dealt with in order for people to lead happy, rewarding lives. The same goes for family ties and the past.

A female fig tree, taken by Kostas from Cyprus to Britain, has her own poignant voice. In her dedicated chapters, she relates the experience of exile in both its tragic and comic dimensions. Indeed, the tree symbolises the immigrant as she explains that despite all of Kostas’s care, she would need seven years to bear fruits again. “Because that is what migrations and relocations do to us: when you leave home for unknown shores, you don’t simply carry on as before; a part of you dies inside so that another part can start all over again.” (p. 55)

Trees also indicate the health and viability of a society or country. When Kostas returned to Cyprus to search for Defne, “He was saddened to see that this part of the island was not the verdant paradise he remembered… The absence of trees was a powerful rebuke to the mistakes of the past.” (p. 198)

The author’s Turkish origins make her choice of subject matter particularly significant. She doesn’t take sides in the conflict but sides with love and peace as opposed to hate and war. The emphasis on the plant world and giving the fig tree a voice is not random but integral to the novel’s message of learning from nature and respecting all living things: “Even trees of different species show solidarity with one another regardless of their differences, which is more than you can say for so many humans.” (p. 100)

Shafak’s novels are always well-written, but this one is exceptionally so, rich in fascinating details about human history and nature, reflections on grief, justice and guilt, and an intriguing storyline that is hard to anticipate. It is a novel with international dimensions, comparing the victims of the Cyprus conflict to those of Pinochet’s dictatorship in Chile, of the Spanish civil war, and of massacres in Yugoslavia, Cambodia, Rwanda and Iraq. “The Island of the Missing Trees” is available at Books@cafe.

PARIS — Two years ago, a previously unknown virus plunged humanity into an unprecedented global crisis that has transformed our daily lives — and significantly expanded scientific knowledge.

In the air

In the early months of the pandemic, the prevailing scientific advice was that frequent handwashing would help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Health authorities urged people not to touch their faces with soiled hands and shared techniques on how to apply soap, while in many countries hand sanitisers became ubiquitous.

But as the pandemic wore on and scientists were able to study real world examples of how the virus spread — at a choir practice, in a bus or across a restaurant — a consensus emerged that this disease was largely transmitted through the air.

The virus travels in clouds of particles that we emit when we breathe and especially when we speak, shout or sing.

In a closed and poorly ventilated room, these aerosols can float and drift in the air for a long time, greatly increasing the risk of infection.

But the importance of good ventilation to disperse these contaminated clouds — like clearing cigarette smoke — is not always well understood by the general public.

“There was a communication error: we scientists were not clear enough about ventilation,” said Arnaud Fontanet, of France’s Scientific Council, a body that guides government policy.

“When scientists talk about protective measures, we have to make it clear to people that ventilation is a part of it,” he told AFP.

Flip-flop on face coverings

As a direct result of the awareness of aerosol transmission, the discourse on masks has radically changed in two years.

Initially, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and many governments insisted that masks should only be used by caregivers, patients and their close relatives and not by the general public.

But many supporters of generalised mask wearing saw that as a way to conserve limited supplies and prevent a shortage for caregivers.

By spring 2020, there was an abrupt policy change and the mask became an essential tool in the fight against the pandemic, becoming mandatory in some places.

As more contagious variants have emerged, people have been advised to ditch their simpler fabric masks in favour of the super filtration of surgical masks.

And with the surge of the extremely contagious Omicron variant, many scientists are now advising people to wear even more protective masks like the FFP2 or N95 when in crowded indoor spaces.

Vaccines: 

A game changer

The coronavirus has claimed millions of lives around the world since it first emerged two years ago, but that toll would have been far higher if it had not been for vaccines developed in record time.

Against all expectations, the pandemic showed that it is possible to design new vaccines against an unprecedented disease, and then start administering them worldwide in less than a year.

In the past, that process typically took 10 times longer.

Just over a year after the start of the global vaccination campaign, around half of the planet’s population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the University of Oxford’s website Our World in Data.

However, the vaccine rollout has confirmed fears that protection against the virus would be mired in inequalities between rich and poor countries.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wants 70 per cent of the world’s population to be vaccinated by July and has called for an end to vaccine hoarding by richer nations. 

“If we end inequity, we end the pandemic,” he said in his New Year message.

...but no magic bullet

Vaccines have been hugely effective at protecting against serious forms of COVID-19. 

But they have been less effective at stopping the pandemic because they do not prevent people from spreading the virus. 

Their overall effectiveness also decreases over time, while they have been shown to generate a weaker antibody response against the latest variants — Omicron and previously Delta — than against the historical strain of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

Although there is mounting evidence that Omicron is milder than previous variants, rich countries have scrambled to accelerate booster campaigns to restore protection against infection.

This has heightened fears that rich countries will continue to monopolise vaccine doses, even as the virus spreads in poorer nations where people have less access to protection.

It is also not yet clear how long the effects of booster shots will last, and experts have warned that relying on them can only be a short-term strategy.

The WHO’s top Covid pandemic expert Maria Van Kerkhove stressed that vaccines must reach vulnerable people around the world, while public health measures like testing, isolation and masks will remain crucial.

“Vaccines AND, not Vaccines ONLY will end the #COVID19 pandemic. No one solution is enough,” she tweeted.

LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK — The Grammy music awards and the renowned Sundance film festival fell victim Wednesday to Omicron's relentless march, as the variant's surge gathered pace in Europe.

Citing "uncertainty" surrounding the new coronavirus variant, the Recording Academy indefinitely postponed the music awards, while Sundance organisers said the festival would go virtual with infection numbers reaching new highs.

The heavily mutated Omicron variant, the most transmissible to date, accounted for around 95 per cent of US cases in the week ending January 1.

According to the latest CDC figures cases stateside are running at nearly 500,000 a day, with new hospitalisations rising.

And in the UK, official data shows one in 15 people in England were infected with the virus in 2021's final week.

But Prime Minister Boris Johnson said travel curbs beefed up last month to contain the new strain were now ineffective, and his government scrapped the need for visitors to have pre-departure tests and quarantine on arrival until testing negative.

Italy's government, meanwhile, said Wednesday it would make vaccination against COVID-19 compulsory from February 15 for everyone over the age of 50 — nearly half of its population — in its bid to battle surging infections.

The new decree obliges people over 50 who do not work to get vaccinated, and those who do work to obtain a vaccine pass — which effectively covers all over-50s.

France on Wednesday set a record for new Covid cases over a 24-hour period, according to the latest official figures, with more than 332,000 additional infections recorded.

It was the first time that French cases breached 300,000, smashing the previous record established on Tuesday when 271,686 new Covid cases were recorded.

The government is currently debating replacing the current health pass — which contains proof of vaccination, a negative test or recent recovery — with a "vaccine pass" for which only people with full vaccination qualify.

President Emmanuel Macron has warned the government would squeeze those who continued to refuse Covid shots.

"As for the non-vaccinated, I really want to piss them off," he said. Around five million people in France remain unvaccinated.

Hong Kong bans flights

The Omicron outbreaks spiralling across Europe and the United States prompted Hong Kong to ban flights from eight nations as part of strict new virus curbs.

Flights from Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Britain and the United States will be banned for the next two weeks.

Like mainland China, Hong Kong has maintained some of the world's harshest controls — including weeks-long quarantine periods, targeted lockdowns and mass testing.

China has stuck to a rigid approach of stamping out Covid cases when they appear, with tight border restrictions and targeted lockdowns, since COVID-19 first emerged in the country in 2019.

But with less than a month to go until the Beijing Winter Olympics, a series of small outbreaks across the country has put the strategy under pressure.

The struggle to square health measures with major sporting events also hit Australia, where controversy is mushrooming after the country cancelled the entry visa of tennis World No. 1 Novak Djokovic over a paperwork snag.

Djokovic, an outspoken vaccine sceptic, had received a Covid jab exemption in order to play at this month's tournament in Melbourne, sparking fury among Australians.

But when the Serb landed, state officials refused his visa application for failing to meet strict entry requirements.

While Omicron has spread rapidly worldwide and triggered containment measures, rates of deaths and hospitalisations have been lower across the world.

Numbers of new deaths have remained largely flat, likely due in part to vaccine availability.

The Omicron variant is also milder than previous variants, raising hopes the virus could be evolving into a relatively benign seasonal illness.

Yet the World Health Organisation in Europe sounded an ominous note of caution this week, warning the soaring infection rates could have the opposite effect.

By Marion Douet
Agence France-Presse

KIGALI — Congolese chef Dieuveil Malonga learned his craft in Europe’s top restaurants, but says he owes his success to grandmothers across Africa, who passed on the gastronomic secrets that underpin his celebrated Afro-fusion cuisine.

“I travel [to] different countries... to learn from the grandmothers. Then I get these old recipes and I bring it to my laboratory here and we try with my chefs to give it something of a modern touch,” he said.

The 30-year-old from Congo-Brazzaville has visited 38 of Africa’s 54 countries, bringing back fermentation and other techniques, as well as ingredients that add texture and flavour to the dishes served at his restaurant in Rwanda’s capital Kigali.

The treasures sourced during his trips are everywhere in Meza Malonga (“Malonga’s Table” in Kiswahili).

Bins holding tiny chilli peppers from the Ivory Coast, pebe nuts from Cameroon and dried mbinzo caterpillars from the Congo fill an entire wall of the establishment.

Food experts have largely ignored the continent’s culinary heritage, with not a single Michelin-starred restaurant to be found on the continent.

But that may soon change, thanks to the efforts of chefs like Malonga, who co-founded Chefs in Africa — a website devoted to promoting the region’s rising stars.

“Something... is happening in Africa, and people are getting interested in knowing more about African cuisine,” he said in an interview with AFP at his restaurant, minutes before the dinner rush kicked off.

He stressed the diversity of African food, citing the example of Nigeria, where one can choose from more than 20 dishes on any given day.

‘I like to eat’

Malonga was born near Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, where, despite losing his parents at a young age, he enjoyed “a very happy childhood” within a tight-knit community, according to his website.

At 13, he moved to Germany and lived with a pastor’s family, later joining a renowned cooking school in Muenster.

It was a perfect fit.

“I like to eat, I eat all the time,” he said, bursting into laughter.

“I [come] from a family that likes and celebrates food.”

After graduating, he trained at some of Germany’s top restaurants, including the triple Michelin-starred Aqua in Wolfsburg, before moving to France to work at the InterContinental hotel in Marseille.

Despite his success, he said he could not shake off the feeling that something was “missing”.

So he headed back to Africa and embarked on a two-year odyssey across the continent.

There he found “the key” to his new life, he said.

After falling in love with Rwanda — a fertile, hilly country with a gentle climate — he opened Meza Malonga in 2020.

Here, he says he revels in foraging for ingredients and meeting the people who grow the aromatic herbs and edible flowers used in his dishes.

The restaurant is not cheap — an average meal including drinks costs around $150 (130 euros) per person — but his customers are happy to pay for an experience that marries traditional African ingredients with modern techniques.

On the day AFP visited, the 10-course menu included sweet potato-marinated tuna, shrimp with powdered cassava and, for dessert, a coffee foam dusted with crushed peanuts.

His clientele includes locals, expatriates and tourists, who line up for a meal that looks as good as it tastes — with chefs using tweezers to meticulously arrange each dish.

Diner Laura Tomini said the experience made her feel like she was “in business class”.

Next generation

Although Africa-born chefs like Pierre Thiam have made a splash on the global food scene, popularising Afro-fusion in the West, Malonga wants to raise the continent’s own gastronomic profile.

By 2023, he hopes to “create something big” by opening a new restaurant in the rural northern region of Musanze, at the foot of the Virunga Mountain range and its famous gorillas.

He wants the second incarnation of Meza Malonga to serve as a training ground for the next generation of Africa’s top chefs.

In Kigali, the soft-spoken Malonga works with 10 young cooks, mainly Rwandan but also Burundian, Ugandan and Tanzanian, who praise his openness to their ideas and his willingness to let them shine.

In Musanze, he says he plans to recruit and train many more chefs — with the goal of transforming the continent’s gastronomic reputation.

LAS VEGAS — A finger-nibbling plush cat and a cooling fan for the ever-present anti-COVID mask: the CES tech show in Las Vegas on Monday offered a glimpse of the offerings at this year’s meet-up.

CES, one of the world’s largest trade fairs, is pushing ahead with an in-person edition after being online-only last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are timely — and quirky — products that will be pitched at the Wednesday to Friday convention:

Cooling masks

Entrepreneur Eric Fouchard got tired of feeling hot and stuffy under his anti-COVID mask, so he came up with a tiny ventilation system that can be mounted under a face covering.

The fan is held in place with a magnet assembly and is powered by a small rechargeable battery held in a strap that passes over the back of a user’s neck.

“The first way to use it is when you are on a plane or a train,” he told AFP. “The second one is when you are working and you need to remove the mist on your glasses.”

“The filtration of the mask stays the same,” Fouchard, a Frenchman, said of his Aeronest system. 

‘Sweet biting’

The Japanese phrase “amagami” translates roughly to “sweet biting” in English.

“We find it very comfortable and we want to bring it to the world,” Japanese entrepreneur Shunsuke Aoki said.

He transformed that impulse into a small, battery-powered plush creature that nibbles gently on your finger.

Aoki said young dogs or cats will harmlessly do the same thing, which is a source of comfort for people — noting that he likes to let the device nibble his finger while driving.

“In a COVID situation, with people staying home every day, it gives you very good comfort,” he added.

Who’s driving?

Who will be behind the wheel of the race cars scheduled to hit the track at CES? No one.

“It’s completely self-driven. There’s software that tells the car what to do,” said Paul Mitchell, president and CEO of Energy Systems Network, the organisers of the Indy Autonomous Challenge racing competition.

“It takes the information from the sensors and it tells the car whether to turn, whether to brake, accelerate or overtake another vehicle,” he added.

Autonomous cars will race on Friday on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway at speeds of up to nearly 260 kilometres per hour.

The exercise is not just for fun: Mitchell said the competition tests autonomous tech at high speeds so that, one day, cars can operate themselves on highways.

“Race cars and racing in general is a great platform to push the technology to the absolute edge,” he added.

Mask for more than COVID

The white plastic shell of these masks covers the nose and mouth — and looks like something out of Star Wars. 

But their inventors say they can stop pollution, bacteria and even COVID. 

Connected to a belt-worn device, it contains an “active” filter capable of destroying fine particles and pathogens or pollutants. 

“It’s a fantastic tool to fight the COVID crisis,” said Franck Glaizal, co-founder of Airxom. 

“Traditional masks are not 100 per cent airtight, air passes through the sides. Our mask is completely airtight”, said Trong Dai Nguyen, an engineer with the company. 

The current model is due to be released in a few months, for about $340.

“If you change [surgical] masks every four hours, after three years it is more expensive than our mask,” he added.

Known as the Pajero Sport in some markets, the Mitsubishi Montero Sport  —  as it is known in the Middle East and elsewhere  —  is a tough and capable mid-size SUV, that effectively supplants “our” more familiar Pajero as the Japanese manufacturer’s flagship SUV. With rumours of a larger, more luxurious upcoming Nissan Patrol-based successor largely dispelled for now, since long-running Pajero’s discontinuation last year, the Montero Sport is expected to continue as Mitsubishi’s largest SUV for the foreseeable future, but whether it proves as popular locally and regionally, remains to be seen.

Well-equipped, spacious, comfortable and thoroughly effective off-road, the Montero Sport is only just smaller than the late great Pajero and for most intents and purposes, capably covers similar ground. And while it may share body-on-frame construction and a front-engine, rear-drive architectural orientation, the Montero Sport is not in fact a derivative of the departed Pajero. Rather, it is built on a shortened and modified platform shared with Mitsubishi’s similarly popular L200 pick-up truck, and competes with similarly rugged truck-based SUVs like the Nissan Xterra, Toyota Fortuner and Ford Everest, where available.

Design departure

Similar in many ways, the Montero Sport’s design, however, radically differs from the Pajero’s upright, squared-off and generous glasshouse design and more classically proportioned stance. Instead, the Montero Sport reflects Mitsubishi’s modern sharp, wedged and expressively surfaced design language. Most closely resembling its L200 donor, the Montero Sport features a thick side crease and muscular wheel-arches. Rugged and jutting in design and demeanour, the shorter Montero Sport features a longer wheelbase and more pronounced bonnet and front overhang, but nevertheless achieves a similar sense of visual rear “weight” and forward momentum.

Imposing in it presence with its high bonnet line, slim squinting headlight and huge deep-set running lights, the Montero Sport’ rising waistline, slim, heavily chromed three-slat grille and large, lower intake framed by C-shaped chrome accents, all emphasise both its height and breadth. At the rear, a descending roofline, tapered tailgate and tall slim lights draw attention to the vertical plane. Positioned longitudinally under its tall clamshell bonnet, the Montero Sport is meanwhile powered by a naturally-aspirated 3-litre V6 engine and smooth-shifting 8-speed automatic gearbox combo for Middle East markets.

Consistently capable

Producing 215BHP at 6,000rpm and 210lb/ft torque at 4,000rpm, the Montero Sport gains an additional three gears over the Pajero, with the broader ratio range serving to well-leverage its output for performance, refinement and efficiency. Estimated to cross the 0-100km/h acceleration benchmark in approximately 10-seconds, the near two-tonne Montero Sport is meanwhile capable of achieving a 182km/h top speed. Progressive in delivery and smooth in operation, the Montero Sport moves with reasonably brisk confidence in town and the open road, but its high cabin refinement and insulation levels perhaps blunt performance perceptions.

Most efficient when driving the rear wheels in normal conditions, the Montero Sport is a confident performer that delivers consistently. If not outright fast, it, however, never feels lacking, whether setting off from standstill, overtaking in mid-range or reaching for its rev limit. Capable of engaging while on the move, the Montero Sport’s 4H driving mode delivers improved road-holding and traction for both on-road and off-road conditions. Driving with a 60 per cent rear bias, 4H mode provides improved grip, but still allows much of the balanced driving feel and agility of a rear-driver.

Effortlessly effective

An effective off-roader that proved effortless through desert dunes in regular four-wheel-drive mode during test drive, the Montero Sport features a locking centre differential when additional traction is needed, and low gear ratios for high power driving at a crawling pace when needed for even more demanding circumstances. Sitting high with 218mm ground clearance, the Montero Sport delivers generous 600mm water fording ability, and 30° approach, 23.1° ramp and 24.2° departure angles. Meanwhile, a drive mode selector optimises wheel slip, transmission, braking and engine torque for various surfaces and conditions. 

Built on a rugged truck-derived body-on-frame and rear live-axle platform, the Montero Sport is a more sophisticated ride that trades its L200 relation’s commercial vehicle style rear leaf spring suspension for coil springs, and benefits from a single body unit for enhanced rigidity, rather than a separate pick-up cab and bed set-up. As a result, it is a more comfortable and settled ride with improved handling. Refined on road, it also well insulates occupants from bumps, lumps and imperfections with its forgiving suspension and tyres, and is smooth, relaxed and stable on motorways.

Committed comfort

A comfortable and high riding SUV, the Montero Sport turns tidily in and leans slightly through corners, but is, nevertheless, committed and reassuring throughout. Tidily turning in, if not outright sporty, the Montero Sport’s weight distribution provides for balance through corners. Meanwhile, its steering is accurate but light and set-up for comfort rather than edgy feel and feedback. A spacious seven seat SUV with plenty of passenger and luggage space, the Montero Sport’s high-set bonnet can, however, make it feel like an even bigger and wider vehicle when manoeuvring in tight confines.

That said, and despite the high bonnet, the Montero Sport is more manoeuvrable than it feels, with a comparatively narrow body and tight 11.2-metre turning circle, while parking sensors and around view camera provide additional driver confidence in such circumstances. Pleasant, user-friendly and well-appointed with good quality materials, the Montero Sport is a well-equipped vehicle with plenty of modcon, infotainment and safety features, including a two sensor automatic tailgate, seven airbags and driver assistance systems such as rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, lane change assistance and a forward collision mitigation system.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 3-litre, in-line V6-cylinders 

Bore x stroke: 87.6 x 82.9mm

Compression ratio: 9.5:1

Valve-train: 24-valve, variable valve timing, SOHC

Gearbox: 8-speed automatic, four-wheel-drive

Drive-train: Locking centre differential, low gear transfer case

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 215 (218) [160] @6,000rpm

Specific power: 71.7BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 108BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 210 (285) @4,000rpm

Specific torque: 95Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 143.5Nm/tonne

0-100km/h: under 10-seconds (estimate)

Top speed: 182km/h

Fuel capacity: 70-litres

Wheelbase: 2,800mm

Track, F/R: 1,520/1,515mm

Overhangs, F/R: 900/1,125mm

Ground clearance: 218mm

Wading depth: 700mm

Approach/ramp/departure angles: 30°/23.1°/24.2°

Tilt angle: 45 per cent

Kerb weight: 1,985kg

Gross vehicle weight: 2,670kg

Seating capacity: 7

Steering: Power assisted rack and pinion

Turning radius: 11.2-metres

Suspension, F/R: Double wishbone/3-link, coil springs, anti-roll bars

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs 320mm/ventilated discs

Brake callipers, F/R: 2-piston/1-piston

Tyres: 265/60R18

ALEPPO, Syria — The ancient bathhouses of Syria’s second city Aleppo are filling up again, not because of a revived fad, but due to power cuts that have made hot showers a luxury.

We mainly rely on electricity to heat water at home, but the electricity is cut off most of the time,” said Mohammed Hariri from a crowded bathhouse where he had waited half an hour for his turn.

“Here, we take all the time we need showering,” the 31-year-old told AFP.

With their marble steam rooms, hexagonal fountains and distinctive domes, Aleppo’s bathhouses have for centuries served as a social hub where men come together to wash, listen to music and even eat.

But shortages of water, fuel and electricity across war-torn Syria have also turned them into a refuge for those looking for a long, warm bath during the cold winter.

In Hammam Al Qawwas, one of more than 50 traditional bathhouses in Aleppo’s Old City, diesel fuel and firewood are used to power furnaces providing hot water and steam.

Under its arched dome, men swaddled in towels sit in one of many side rooms, some singing traditional Arabic tunes as they scoop up hot water from stone basins.

In an adjoining area, masseurs use soap and loofahs to scrub clean clients lying flat on the marble floor, as restrictions against the coronavirus pandemic seem a world away.

Brisk business 

Hariri said he used to visit Aleppo’s bathhouses with his father and uncles as a child.

Now, he comes with his son — not to continue a tradition, but because the water at home is not enough for his family of five.

“At home you have to shower in five minutes, but at the bathhouse you can stay for five hours,” he said.

Many of the structures were severely damaged during several rounds of battles between regime forces and rebels.

Only around 10 have reopened since Aleppo returned to full government control in 2016, according to AFP correspondents.

Sitting at the reception room inside Hammam Al Qawwas, Ammar Radwan fielded calls from clients looking to book an appointment.

The 33-year-old who inherited the 14th-century bathhouse from his grandfather said he never thought business would bounce back.

“We reopened the hammam in 2017, after the battles in Aleppo ended, but we never expected to see such a turnout,” he told AFP while updating a client register.

Among the bathhouse’s regular customers is Jalal al-Helou, a 53-year-old father of three.

“I go to the bathhouse at least once a month for a good clean,” he told AFP from inside a washing room, a towel covering his wet body.

‘Necessity’ 

Like most of Aleppo’s residents, Helou usually has to make do with cold or lukewarm water at home.

Round-the-clock power cuts have reached 20 hours a day this year due to severe diesel fuel shortages.

Helou said he has sometimes had to resort to firewood instead of the electric water heater so his family can bathe.

“Our priority is to provide [hot water] for the children,” he said.

The situation is the same for fellow bathhouse patron Nader Mashlah.

“The last time I took a proper bath was two weeks ago,” the 58-year-old said after a scrub-down at the hammam.

At home, “priority goes to the children, and if there is some hot water left, my bath is quick and unsatisfying,” he added.

A government employee and father of six, Mashlah said he could afford few comforts in his own home.

But in the bathhouse, he was relaxing and smoking shisha across from a large fountain as other clients walked by.

“In the past, going to the bathhouse was mainly for entertainment,” he said in between puffs.

“Today, it has become a necessity at least once or twice a month.”

By Dr Mona Choueiry
paediatrician

Is too much screen time causing weight gain in your household? According to recent studies, watching television or being on a device for more than one and a half hoursdaily is a risk factor for obesity.

Link between media and nutrition

Television and social media viewers are exposed to advertising for high-calorie foods, so they become more likely to snack or overeat while watching screen media. Celebrity endorsement of sugary drinks and nutrient-poor foods through massive campaigns, are highly popular and influence the behaviour of teenagers.

Watching videos of people eating has become popular on social media platforms, which in turn affects the eating behaviour of viewers and their food choices.

Children who have a television in their bedrooms are less likely to engage in active play and are morelikely to have disrupted sleep patterns, which canlead to obesity.

Children get distracted by television or what they are watching on their devices and can eat their wayfrom one show or programme to the other, leading to over-eating.

Screen exposure prevents children from face-to-face communication with friends and parents. Thus, parentsare encouraged to develop screen-free zones aroundthe dining table and to enforce rules against babysitters using television, digital media or apps around kids.

Impact of food advertising

Formation of food preferences develops in the firsttwo years of life. Food advertisements directly affect children’s food preferences and unhealthy food adsare more common than ads for healthy ones. Ads marketing foods rich in sugar and fat and large portion sizes and ads using toy tie-ins with major children’s motion pictures target young people. Children exposed to persuasive ads can develop a craving for unhealthyfoods they have never tasted.

Consistent exposure to such ads leads to unhealthy,lifelong food preferences associated with obesity andits consequences. Although food preferences can be unlearned, they are often very difficult to reverse.Reducing sugar and salt intake early on can setpreferences for later on in life.

Recommended screen time by age group

0 - 18 months: No screen time. babies need real world interactions to learn and grow

18 - 24 months: High-quality programming co-watched with parents, interactive discussions,maximum one hour per day

2 - 5 years: 1 hour or less per day. Media should beplayed outside mealtime

Older than 5 years: Maximum 2 hours per day

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine