Fifth Chukker Vol 2 Issue 16

ISSUE 16

Adventures in Luxury

Biohacking

What can we learn?

Doha:

A feast for the senses

Amadou Gallo Fall

Changing lives with basketball

fifthchukker.com fifthchukkermagazine.com

Nigerian Indigenous Energy Group with speciality and services that span international trading of crude oil & oil products, oil refining, offshore oilfield support services, gas development & power generation.

Making Investment Strides Across the energy value chain with investment in Power, Upstream and Downstream oil & gas development, Agriculture & Property Development.

Experienced and Versatile Team AMG E&P’s efficient workforce has transformed the company into one of the major energy service providers within the African oil & gas sector.

Experience comfort, convenience, intuitive service, exquisite cuisine and a memorable stay.

Unrivaled proximity to both the local and international airport terminals, perfect for corporate and leisure travelers.

LIVE LIKE A LEGEND Quits Aviation Service Free ZoneMurtala Muhammed International Airport Ikeja Lagos Nigeria. www.legendhotellagosairport.curiocollection.com +234 (0) 1 904 4111 | LegendHotel.Reservation@hilton.com

Contents ISSUE 16

8

EDITOR’S LETTER Yasemen Kaner-White

LAST SEASON AT FIFTH CHUKKER 11 CHARITY SHIELD

Argentine and South African professionals run the pandemic gauntlet to sustain the Charity Shield’s international allure.

13 CHILDREN’S DAY Ecstatic local pupils savour a foretaste experience of their new mega primary school 15 THE AFRICAN PATRONS’ CUP Debutante patrons jostled for two illustrious cups

BUSINESS PROFILE 16 THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS Despite the pall of the pandemic, life is smelling of roses in perfume land.

ADVENTURES IN FASHION

64 THE ENVIRONMENT THAT BUILT VIRGIL ABLOH (1980 - 2021).

69 ANIT FOLAKE Jewel of the desert.

TRAVEL 30 T HERE’S SO MUCH TO SEE IN MAURITIUS Mauritius is known as the Switzerland of the Indian Ocean.

38 DOHA: A FEAST FOR THE SENSES Doha positively delights with aesthetic pleasures.

44 ESCAPE TO THE COTSWOLDS The magical, otherworldly realm of the Cotswolds.

50 N ORTHERN IRELAND IS A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

SPECIAL FEATURE

25 PATRICIA FIELD IN PROFILE Patricia Field is often referred to as one of the industry’s greatest visionaries.

72 COULD COVID SAVE OUR LIVES?

57 VINTAGE FASHION The most ethical and sustainable way to shop.

63 BONHAMS The latest highlights from Bonhams are on every art lover’s wish list.

ART IN FOCUS

77 ANTONY GORMLEY For Gormley, creating such a memorable, public piece of art was the fulfilment of many years’ work.

ADVENTURES IN SPORT 84 A MADOU GALLO FALL In an exclusive interview Amadou Gallo Fall, President of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), tells Yasemen Kaner-White how he started to play basketball.

88 P LAY, LEARN, RISE. On the 20th anniversary of the establishment of Amadou Gallo Fall’s iconic SEED Academy, Fifth Chukker Magazine drops in on the Senegal campus.

HEALTH FEATURE 94 BIOHACKING What is it and what can we learn from it?

ADVENTURES IN TECHNOLOGY 100 ARTIFICIAL INTELLEGENCE AI, becoming more and more complex.

CUISINE SCENE 104 SOUTH AFRICAN FOOD The various communities that live in South Africa are reflected in the eclectic local cuisine.

109 BOUNTIFUL FOOD OF THE BALTICS Emphasis is on local produce, freshness, seasonality and preserving.

115 FOOD PRESERVATION The power of food preservation and fighting food waste.

119 BOOKSHELF Round up of the latest to read and watch.

121 GO WHERE THE ACTION IS No matter what month it is, somewhere around the world there is an event not to be missed, here are a few to tempt you to travel…

123 WHO’S READING FIFTH CHUKKER

EDITOR’S LETTER

It has been a gloomy period during covid times, yet there is light at the end of the tunnel and perhaps even some positive spins have come from it, which we explore in our covid feature. One of the changes is that the world is becoming more digitalised, which is scary but also perhaps progressive, our special feature on AI digs deep into the topic. Staycations have globally been on the rise, which for me personally has meant I have had an increased appreciation of my home country and neighbouring countries to boot. One of the places I discovered last year was Northern Ireland, and to date it is one of my most memorable trips, for the reasons I tell you in my travel feature, another trend has been escapes to the countryside and our feature navigating the best finds in the quaint Cotswold region is documented within. Travel internationally is already, thankfully, easier and so we can start to look to broaden our holiday horizons, both our Doha destination article and South Africa foodie feature will whet your appetite. My Mauritius feature is a nostalgic look at one of my best trips shortly before lockdown, one which I recalled with joy many times when confined to England. We have discovered ways to preserve food when things were tough and shortages were a reality for some, our food preservation piece will give you ways to use your food sensibly and sustainably in everyday cooking. The Baltics is a region where eating seasonally and preserving vitamin packed ingredients from summer to winter is standard, read my article detailing some of the ‘must eats’ when visiting. Talking of sustainability, our vintage clothes feature, highlights how

“Staycations have globally been on the rise, which for me personally has meant I have had an increased appreciation of my home country”

reviving clothes is on trend. We have all become more health conscious and biohacking or making the best of your health and looking at a diverse range of treatments from ‘natural’ to ‘alternatives’ are discussed in the health feature. Some things didn’t change however and a spritz of perfume still perked us up even when things seemed doomed, our perfume feature looks at the power of perfume from business to personal use.

We all watched Netflix a lot more and one of the most popular series was Emily in Paris, which Patricia Field, whom we have a profile feature on within, being the lady behind the wonderous wardrobe of the main protagonist – which the series is most noted for. A tribute to fashion designer Virgil Abloh, who sadly passed last year celebrates a fashion icon worth talking about.

Art takes many forms and sculpture is one of them, arguably one of the most internationally acclaimed sculptors is Antony Gormley whom you can read about within. Things at Fifth Chukker didn’t halt, you can keep up to date by reading the Last Season at Fifth Chukker pages. Last but certainly not least, we delve into how the game of basketball has improved lives and economies, particularly in the continent of Africa with our special feature reported from Senegal and an exclusive interview with a pioneer and the man who has graced this editions’ cover – Amadou Gallo Fall.

YASEMEN KANER-WHITE Editor yasemen@parmuto.com

Editor - YASEMEN KANER-WHITE Editorial Team - FRANCESCO FIORILLA, YUSUF SAAB, BILLY ZACS, FRANCISCA MILLWARD Contributors - YASEMEN KANER-WHITE, BEN WEST, JOE BARTLETT, LILBY SKAZ, DAVID NICHOLSON, LISA GERALD-SHARP, ANJI CONNELL, FRANCISCA MILLWARD, LYNN CARRAT, ADAM TAYLOR, ALICE BEVER Photography - Contributors credited Design - TONI BARRINGTON, THE MAGAZINE PRODUCTION COMPANY www.magazineproduction.com

8

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

9

LAST SEASON AT FIFTH CHUKKER

THE CHARITY SHIELD Argentine and South African professionals run the pandemic gauntlet to sustain the Charity Shield’s international allure

Amid Unrelenting eruptions of Covid-19 that emasculated sporting activities around the world, Fifth Chukker was able to leverage its traditional May/June window to host the Access bank UNICEF Charity shield, the first Nigerian polo tournament of 2021. The Club’s leading tournament, featuring some of the the sport’s top players from around the world was played over two thrilling weeks, delivering its usual fast-paced and breath-taking polo to a rapturous crowd of passionate spectators including the guest of honour and new Emir of Zazzau HRH. Alhaji Nuhu Bamali.

Eighteen teams vied for the tournament’s four prizes in the high, medium, intermediate and low goal categories all of which produced fiercely contested results. In the charity shield final Fifth Chukker gained immediate momentum from the start with a 5-goal handicap advantage against Jos Malcomines and effectively managed their lead, never trailing, to ultimately win 12-18. In the medium goal Access Bank cup final 5th Chukker ll defeated Team Sublime/60 Yard just as Lagos A-Plus and Intershelter teams emerged the proud champions of the UNICEF Cup and the Usman Dantata Cup respectively.

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

11

LAST SEASON AT FIFTH CHUKKER

At closing day presentation ceremonies Access bank Managing Director Herbert Wigwe dropped the annual cheque of N10m to UNICEF stating: “Access Bank’s sponsorship is a reflection of our commitment to supporting UNICEF towards its projects for orphans and vulnerable children. We have been working in Kaduna, in collaboration with Fifth Chukker and UNICEF to elevate the quality of lives of these children in dire need.”

Prizes were handed out to the winners, runners-up and exceptional performances by HRH The Emir of Zazzau, HH the Magajin Garin Sokoto and HE Senator Ahmed Makarfi. The Comptroller General of Immigration Alhaji Ahmed Bandede also presented The Patron of the Year award to Murtala Laushe of Jos Malcomines.

Away from the feverish action on the pitch, players and resort guests had the pleasure of boosting their physical and mental well being through yoga sessions curated by Argentine fitness queen Sophia Catherena Carrara. And there was very much less care about the inevitable cramp and grit and humidity because rejuvenating spa treatment of deep-cleansing scrubs, massages and moisturisation was freely available. For cultural experience enchanted visiting ladies could have been falling over themselves for a touch of the Henna body art which is very popular in Northern Nigeria.

North Africa’s contribution came in the form of a sultry performance at the gala night by one of Morocco’s most acclaimed belly dancers.

Through the generous sponsorship of Access bank since 2009, the charity shield’s full-throttle polo and lifestyle staple of high - octane games, children’s day extravaganza, art exhibitions, lavish food experience bazaars and cultural pageants ensure its status as a premium red calendar date. Nonetheless, this consistent delivery of epic sporting moments, panache and lifestyle is all for the sole purpose of helping struggling children, families and communities attain better life outcomes.

12

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

LAST SEASON AT FIFTH CHUKKER

CHILDREN’S DAY Ecstatic local pupils savour a foretaste experience of their new mega primary school in a children’s day surprise

It was a unique and sentimental milestone when the 2021 children’s day diverged from the playground to the classroom as pupils and teachers of Maraban-jos primary school descended on their new mega school campus for a symbolic mock opening session with the Wife of the Governor of Kaduna state Hajia Ummi el Ruffai.

Speaking to newsmen, Fifth Chukker founder Adamu Atta who curated the event recounted: “About 15 years ago I was approached by the school to help them build a fence to stem the nuisance of increasing encroachment and insecurity.

When I went to inspect the school I decided to adopt it as part of our social responsibility to the community.We then created a partnership with Access Bank and UNICEF and immediately mobilized to not only fence the premises but go further and address the immediate infrastructural needs of the school. So we went on to refurbish the classrooms, provide furniture, build new computer laboratory and toilet facilities.

To ensure that the curriculum is adequately imparted we also sponsored the headmaster and teaching staff to several capacity development clinics.”

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

13

LAST SEASON AT FIFTH CHUKKER

The comprehensive upgrade inevitably attracted many more pupils from far and near to the school swelling the population from 500 to 7000 in no time. By 2019 when we visited again we discovered that even the upgraded facilities had become grossly inadequate so we decided to build a brand new school for up to 12,000 pupils.”

Now we are in the process of developing an e-learning platform so pupils can be instructed by their teachers remotely and not miss out on anything the physical class is conditioned to offer.” The Kaduna state Education commissioner

Dr, Shehu Othman Mohammed commented: “We proudly commend Atta for this monstrous project and for its implication for the educational and social outcomes in the communities around here.”

Wife of the state governor Ummi el Rufai gushed: “This is a wake-upcall project which portends great future for Kaduna state if it could be emulated to certain degree in every local government area.”

The traditional ruler of Maraban - Jos also presented Atta with the community’s highest award to round off the event.

THE GIRL-CHILD ASCENDANCY The pictures here show there are clearly many more girls than boys in the Maraban - Jos primary school, busting long-held axiom by sociologists and educationists that culture and religion were the major factors for the low enrolment of girls in Northern Nigeria primary schools.

Perhaps more clinical research is needed to determine if the Fifth Chukker model of “maximum standard” ultimately makes schooling much more attractive for the girl-child and her family.

The future certainly looks brighter in the Maraban - Jos community and surrounds where the girls will hopefully further their education, join the labour force and go on to contribute to nation-building by making profound impact in such stress areas as poverty reduction, family health and nutrition, as well as lower fertility and infant mortality rates.

14

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

LAST SEASON AT FIFTH CHUKKER

THE AFRICAN PATRONS’ CUP

The Pandemic pours cold water on Fifth Chukker’s breast cancer awareness programme but the show continued on the turf as debutante patrons jostled for two illustrious cups The 2021 African Patrons’ Cup squeaked though the Covid-19 pandemic to maintain its traditional date in October, the world breast cancer awareness month. Its been a decade now that Fifth Chukker has aligned this most masculine of equestrian sports with the breast cancer awareness campaign in Northern Nigeria and infused it with the added piquancy only such a high profile platform can muster as one of its several corporate social responsibility missions with a strong focus to give back to the communities.

Traditionally pre Patrons cup action Fifth Chukker is usually awash in pink as breast cancer awareness activities get underway.

Medical doctors and health professionals take the hundreds of women in attendance though the spectrum of a typical breast cancer course. Inspirational speakers help the women overcome the barriers of fear, cost and misinformation surrounding breast cancer diagnosis and treatment while several cases of breast cancer cures and recoveries are emotionally shared by survivors. The women also get to access complimentary free breast screening as well as clinical and financial support in instances that required further medical examination and intervention.

Back to the Patrons’ cup which is very popular with professional players from Argentina, South Africa and Europe because it affords them the two-in-one

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

opportunity to also take in the Kaduna International Polo which holds one week on from the Patrons’ Cup. After one week of top flight polo from October 13 to 17, hosts Fifth Chukker edged out debutantes Dokaji on goals difference both teams having won all their games in a round-robin shootout with two other experienced sides Trappco Ranch and Haske and Williams.

Triumphant Fifth Chukker captain Atiku Abubakar declared: “All the matches were tough because every one of the teams came here with the preparation and determination to win the cup, so we are very excited for ourselves and our supporters that we came through for them as well”.

Dokaji patron and serving senator Haliru Dokaji extolled the never-say-die spirit of his team. “As debutantes I consider my team the real winners because its not easy for new team to go through an international like the African Patrons’ Cup unbeaten and finish second overall best.”

The battle for the tournament’s second most coveted prize the General Hassan Cup, played in everlasting memory of the late chairman of the Nigerian Polo Association,was decided in a nail-biting cliff-hanger. Golden Alchemy needed a sudden death goal to prevail over fellow Kano City rivals Golden Ranch who had crawled back from a 4 - 1 deficit to tie the game 5 - 5 in the last chukker.

15

POLO PEOPLE

Sweet Smell of Success The

Lisa Gerard-Sharp

Despite the pall of the pandemic, life is smelling of roses in perfume land. Sales are booming. Even when the world was falling apart, it seemed that a whiff of jasmine or musk could boost our mood - and boost the perfume houses’ billion-dollar balance sheets.

Maison Godet interior © Maison Godet

16

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

Virtually all the top fashion brands have jumped on the fragrance bandwagon, either selling their own perfumes or licencing sales to a conglomerate. The sweetest-smelling brands range from Burberry and Bulgari to Gucci and Givenchy, Dior and Chanel. Celebrities are dabbling as “noses,” with perfumes launched by the likes of Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Beyonce.

David Beckham swiftly got into the act with Aromatic Greens, a perfume evoking the English countryside. Going even Greener, Billy Eilish has produced a vegan perfume. Creativity and sustainability are the buzzwords, even for celebrities.

The old divide in perfumery used to be between the big brands and the niche players but these distinctions are now blurred. Typically, the niche perfumery maintains its identity while benefiting from global marketing, know-how and investment. What’s more, famous designers often entrust their fragrances to houses with perfumery heritage or licence their fragrances to another global brand.

Despite these turbulent times, the fragrance market is proving resilient. Perfume boasts high profit margins, especially at the premium end, in a booming market worth over $40 billion USD. At Chanel, fragrance and beauty represent over a third of its total $10.1 billion in annual revenues. For Estée Lauder, another iconic heritage brand, fragrance represents sales of just under $2 billion annually. The house owns such brands as Jo Malone but also sells designer fragrances under licence from brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Donna Karan and Ermenegildo Zegna.

Perfume has come a long way since Emperor Nero spritzed his guests with rosewater two thousand years ago. The perfume trail winds from Ancient Egypt to Ancient Greece and Rome.

Cleopatra used perfume to seduce Mark Antony, with scented rose-petals leading to bed. In villas in Ancient Rome, fountains flowed with rosewater. The Ancient Greeks concocted rose,

Old postcard Grasse © OT Grasse Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

17

BUSINESS PROFILE

mint and cinnamon scents in Athenian perfume shops and dabbled in animal-based ingredients, musk and ambergris, for the first time. In the royal court of France, Louis XIV demanded a fresh fragrance for every day of the year. Since then, perfumery has been a French-scented affair with `modern’ perfumery linked to both Paris and Provence.

Then along came Coco Chanel and Christian Dior, and the rest is history in a bottle.

Fragrance often follows the fashion industry. As in fashion, the fragrance heritage brands ooze the sweet smell of success.

Chanel N°5, launched by Coco Chanel in Cannes in 1921, is still the world’s best-selling fragrance. Based on the couturier’s brief to make a perfume that “smells like a woman,” the result is a clean-linen scent steeped in roses and jasmine. Chanel opted for a modern, abstract fragrance, going against the fashion for dominant notes. This classic “less is more” perfume was beloved by Marilyn Monroe, who declared it was all she ever wore in bed.

Dior is another iconic name, even if the house is now part of LVMH, the world’s largest luxury goods conglomerate.

“Make me a perfume that smells like love” was Christian Dior’s command, which resulted in the legendary Miss Dior in 1947.

Model Cara Delevingne in Dior at Dior Millefiori Popup 2021 © Dior

Dior perfumed candles & floral inspiration © Dior

18

Fifth Chukker Mgazine | Issue 16

Mr Dior

Old postcard flowerpicking Grasse © OT Grasse

Old postcards flower-picking Grasse © OT Grasse.

Dior recently restored the founder’s Provencal home and created a research centre in Grasse, the world capital of perfumery. Dior’s former home is flanked by jasmine, lilies of the valley, lavender and rose centifolia, the hundred-petalled rose, Dior’s favourite flower. François Demachy, then Dior’s celebrated “nose,” drew inspiration from the spot to create La Colle Noire, a spicy, woody, musky, rose-based fragrance: “The Grasse Rose is unique, spicy, powerful, not overly sweet, with all the raw, sun-drenched beauty of this region.” Fittingly, the local growers’ crops of jasmine and roses are (once again) destined for Dior. Given that perfume profits account for over half Dior’s revenue, heritage-chasing is a smart business move.

Even so, what we are really buying into is rose-tinted dreams of the good life, not perfumed lavender beds.

Across the Atlantic, Estée Lauder has proved to be an American heritage brand with staying power. Best-known as a skincare pioneer, Estée Lauder was blessed with a `nose’ for fragrance, and her fame was assured with the launch of Youth-Dew in 1953. This blend of rose,

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

jasmine, vetiver and patchouli transformed the company into multimillion-dollar business. Until the 1950s, most women reserved fragrance for a special occasion but female entrepreneurs, such as Estée Lauder herself, wanted women to buy their own perfume and not wait for a birthday treat from her husband.

Current bestsellers include heritage classics such as Dior’s J’Adore, an opulent floral, as well as Chanel No.5 and Coco Mademoiselle, a blend of jasmine, rose and vanilla. Acqua di Parma, rich in Sicilian citrus, has represented “Italy, bottled” since 1916. More contemporary are Gucci’s funky florals, from Gucci Guilty to Bloom

by Gucci, an enchanted garden created by renowned nose Alberto Morillas. Jo Malone’s unisex concoctions are also in demand, notably Wood Sage & Sea Salt, a masculine, earthy cologne. Playing up the popularity of unisex fragrances, Hermes created Un Jardin Sur Le Nil, a fruity-floral fragrance combining mango and lotus.

Popular men’s fragrances number Chanel’s woody blockbuster Bleu de Chanel and Armani’s refreshing Acqua di Gio. For sheer masculinity, Tuscan Leather by Tom

Jasmine-picking 19th-century Grasse © Grasse tourisme

Vintage Cologne flasks © MIP

19

BUSINESS PROFILE

Traditional perfume-making © OT Grasse

Maison Godet perfumes © Maison Godet

19th century perfume-making © Musées de Grasse & C. Barbiero

20

BUSINESS PROFILE

Gallimard perfumed rose petals ©Parfumerie Galimard

Gallimard perfume-making © Lisa Gerard-Sharp

Ford evokes old libraries and leather, with base notes of amber and suede - thankfully not smelling of old shoes.

After a period in the doldrums, Provence’s perfume industry is coming up roses. Grasse, recognised as the world perfume capital, won Unesco World Heritage status for its perfumemaking culture in 2018. Its status is boosted by an International Perfume Museum that reveals such secrets as how cocaine and opium can end up in big fragrances. Still today, Grasse flowers with the seasons, from mimosa in January to violets in February, orange blossom in April, roses in May. The local perfumeries, such as Gallimard, let you craft your own scent and leave with your personal flacon of perfume.

Maison Godet, set in the heart of perfume country, stays true to its Provencal roots and uses Grasse flower-growers of jasmine, tuberose and rose centifolia. In 1925 the fragrance house created Folie Bleue, a bestseller bought by famous artists, including Matisse and Bonnard. Nose Sonia Godet, the fourth generation of the dynasty, recreated the perfumes using her great-grandfather’s original formulas. These starry perfumes, along with new creations, are sold in retro hand-blown bottles made by a master glassmaker. Yet Sonia is equally passionate about hand-crafting perfumes for Hollywood stars. Ultimately, the perfumes

Gallimard Enfleurage perfume process © Galimard

play on seduction, much like Sonia herself: “Dab on scent wherever you wish to be kissed,” Sonia smiles. You will probably leave, smelling heavenly, with your flacon of mood-changing perfume and a half-smile on your face.

Are we mistaken to romanticise the independent, niche, artisanal brands? Cynics suspect that the big brands spend more on marketing than on making the perfume itself. Perfumes are often promoted by brand ambassadors, with Charlize Theron, the face of Dior perfume, shimmying like a golden goddess, or Keira Knightley embodying a gamine Coco Chanel for Chanel. Not that bold storytelling campaigns are new. Calvin Klein became a force to be reckoned with when he launched Obsession, a smouldering oriental fusion matched by a vision of entangled, naked bodies. It was a trailblazing approach that paved the way for copycat marketing. Yet the perfume house moved with the times, with the launch of Ck One in 1994 chiming with a shift to cleaner, unisex fragrances. Since then, the company has notched up billion-dollar sales on this signature scent alone.

Today, perfume is about the bigger picture, with sustainability and identity prized over pretty packaging. There is a shift towards natural, sustainable fragrances and perfume as self-expression. Millennials also want more gender-neutral, citrussy scents while, according to

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

BUSINESS PROFILE

BUSINESS PROFILE

Provencal Lavender fields for perfume © MIP Grasse World Perfume capital panorama © Thierry Mouchet

Picking perfume flowers Grasse © Alain Issock

top perfumer Guy Delforge, many of us “want to know the artisan making the perfume.” The main brands are increasingly conscious of sustainability, recycling, responsible sourcing and transparency over ingredients, along with moves to greater diversity and equity.

Charges of greenwashing persist but the fragrance industry is slowly delivering on sustainability, particularly premium and niche brands. Estée Lauder is proud of its policy to “reduce, reuse and recycle - and look for opportunities to share best practices.” The company has achieved zero industrial waste-to-landfill for all global manufacturing sites and has pledged to reduce petroleum plastic in packaging by 50 percent by 2030. In Australia, Estée Lauder sources sandalwood from an aboriginalcontrolled non-profit foundation. In Madagascar, the world’s main source of vanilla, the company operates responsible sourcing, tracing the supply and helping small farmers. In Indonesia, the brand works with palm oil farmers to produce sustainable palm oil, free from deforestation.

The same semi-enlightened spirit applies to philanthropy, with most big brands either creating charitable foundations or setting targets across the board. For instance, Fondation Chanel has pledged to improving women’s welfare, including supporting healthcare projects in Francophone Africa and combatting violence against women in Morocco and Tunisia. Chanel also helps sponsor Black Ambition, Pharrell Williams’ non-profit initiative designed to

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

support Black start-ups and close the opportunity and wealth gap experienced by Black entrepreneurs.

Even if the perfume business can do philanthropy, sustainability remains a long-term challenge.

Fragrances offer an invitation to dream of faraway lands but their precious ingredients must be cherished.

Oud, a threatened species of agar wood, is a costly ingredient worth around $6 billion, and is more valuable than gold. Likewise, the demand for pricey yet comforting vanilla is unstoppable, even if too much vanilla makes you smell like a cupcake.

As for jasmine, according to perfumer Sonia Godet: “It takes between 600 to 700 kilos of flowers to produce just a kilo of essence.”

Ultimately, the mystique of perfume means that marketing can sometimes trump ethical concerns.

Visionary perfumer Frédéric Malle focuses on the fragrance alone, eliminating “everything superfluous or simply decorative” – the big launch and brand ambassadors. For most of us, perfume is a small luxury, a treat that lifts our spirits in dark times. As it’s an industry that causes less harm than many others, we can still revel in perfume’s wonder to waft us away. Perfumes can exert a narcotic power, with opium creating a mesmerising note that enriches Oriental compositions. Nose Alberto Morillas trusts in our scent bank of memories: “We all have a library of scents, associated with people, places, magical memories, adventures and food. The nose never rests.” Nor does perfumery.

21

Make the world an offer it can’t refuse More Information: 01-2802506 premiumcard@accessbankplc.com

24

PRIVATE BANK

ADVENTURES IN FASHION

“IT’S IMPORTANT TO HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOUR IN THE WAY YOU DRESS”

PATRICIA FIELD IN PROFILE Lynn Carratt

Awarding Costume Designer and Fashion Designer Patricia Field is often referred to as one of the industry’s greatest visionaries, with an illustrations career that has spanned more than five decades Patricia, who turns 80 next month, is credited with inventing the modern-day leggings in the 1970s, but it was her stint as the Costume Designer on celebrated romantic-comedy-drama Sex and the City that brought her to public

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

prominence in the late 1990s.

As the tale goes, Sarah Jessica Parker first met New York native Patricia on the set of box office flop Miami Rhapsody in 1995.

The actress was so enamoured with Patricia’s designs that they became firm friends and when Sarah, 56, won the lead role as fashionista Carrie Bradshaw in SATC, rock chick Patricia became her first port of call to create Carrie’s iconic wardrobe.

25

ADVENTURES IN FASHION

Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada

26

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

ADVENTURES IN FASHION

During her tenure on Sex and the City, the popular HBO show arguably became the most fashionable show in television history, and Patricia managed to single handedly change the way women dressed on both sides of the Atlantic. Reminiscing about her time on the show, Patricia admitted: “Sex and the City put me out there worldwide, that was a great thing. I can walk anywhere in the world and people tell me they love what I did.”

For her work on the much-loved series, the legendary designer also won a Primetime Emmy Award and four Costume Designers Guild awards, sending her career into the stratosphere. Patricia went on to gain Oscar and BAFTA nominations for her work on

the 2006 cult film The Devil Wears Prada, starring Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt.

She was also responsible for Betty Suarez’s (America Ferrera) colourful wardrobe in the hit TV show Ugly Betty from 2006 to 2010. Furthermore, she styled and dressed the entire cast for four whole seasons.

Patricia also admitted that Betty’s infamous glasses, which went on to become a bona fide fashion trend, belonged to her.

She said: “Betty’s glasses - those were actually mine. I was wearing them that day and took them off and told America to put them on. She loved them, and the glasses actually set the tone for the whole series: colourful, vibrant.”

Credit Patricia Field Instagram

America Ferrera, Ugly Betty Credit ABC

Sex and the City Credit HBO Anne Hathaway, The Devil Wears Prada

During her time on Ugly Betty Patricia also returned to the big screen as Costume Designer for the two Sex and the City film spin-offs and when Ugly Betty ended in 2010 Patricia confessed. “I enjoyed it; it was great.

I was satisfied with it, it’s over.” “Actually, I’m trying to ease up a little on that every day go-to-work thing with movies and TV shows. So, I’m happy it’s created a little time for me to not be crazy. Because I was pretty crazy; I was doing Sex and the City, Ugly Betty, and every other thing.”

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

27

ADVENTURES IN FASHION

Images: Emily in Paris, Lily Collins, Credit Netflix

In 2015, Patricia teamed up with her old friend and Sex and the City creator Darren Star to become the Costume Consultant on his latest TV hit Younger starring Sutton Foster and Hilary Duff. In it, 40-year-old divorcée Liza Miller (Sutton Foster) pretends to be 26, so she can work as an assistant in publishing and chaos ensues.

In 2020 Patricia again teamed up with Darren [Star] on his new Netflix comedy-drama Emily in Paris starring actress Lily Collins as an ambitious twenty-something marketing executive from Chicago who unexpectedly landed her dream job in Paris.

The show became one of the mostwatched shows of 2020 - with an impressive 58 million people tuning in and was quickly commissioned for a second season with Patricia’s fashion styles becoming a major focal point of the show.

28

The second series aired in December 2021 and Patricia described the style she had created for Emily as “optimism and individuality”.

She said, “Emily doesn’t follow trends.

If I could ascribe a trend to Emily, it would be the above, plus colourful and accessorised.”

Unfortunately, though for Patricia because of her commitment to her role as Costume Consultant on Emily in Paris she had to turn down the new Sex and the City reboot And, Just Like That, because of a scheduling conflict.

In turn, she recommended her former SATC costume assistant and close friend Molly Rogers. Patricia said: Molly had her ‘hands full’ working on the new series. “It was a new concept that the cast were older, which I would’ve never gone for. Why they want to look old, I have no idea, but I would’ve never allowed it.”

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

ADVENTURES IN FASHION

Images: Patricia Field, Credit Shutterstock

Away from dressing some of the most famous names in the world of TV and Film, Patricia was a legendary retailer in New York. She ran her eponymous (originally called Pants Pub) boutique in the Big Apple for 50 years. It began life in 1966 in its famed location on E 8th Street in Greenwich Village and ended life on the famous Bowery. It was a downtown institution frequented by celebrities, stylists, emerging designers, artists, and performers alike.

Patricia closed the eclectic store in 2016 to focus on a new concept, the ARTFASHION gallery. A fashion space that comprises entirely of original madeto-order, hand-crafted pieces by a select group of artists that she personally curates.

The in-demand designer is also a huge charity advocate and in 2009 she was awarded the amfAR Award of Courage (Honouring with Pride) for her dedication to DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

Fighting AIDS), an AIDS service organisation that help improve the lives of people living with HIV. Last year Patricia, who recently designed her new must-have Seymoure glove collection donated her favourite costume - the famous tutu that Sarah Jessica Parker wore in the SATC’s opening credits and two other iconic SATC outfits to Housing Works’ annual Fashion auction, which advocates and provides services for people affected by homelessness and HIV/AIDS. Patricia, who comes from Armenian and Greek heritage also donates to the charities COAF (Children’s of Armenia Fund) and The Lower Eastside Girls Club. Her support also extends to many LGBT+ organisations.

Despite turning 80 this year, Patricia shows no signs of slowing down. She is currently finishing a book entitled “Pat in the City” which discusses her signature boutique and the quirky characters including artists like Keith Haring who hung out there. It’s being

written with bestselling author Rebecca Paley and will be released later this year.

A documentary about her colourful life by filmmaker Michael Selditch is also in the works. Her goal for 2022 is to fulfil a lifelong dream of creating a musical.

And if there is one piece of advice that Patricia could give us all about fashion it is “Have a bit of a sense of humour in the way you dress, I think it’s very important.”

29

ADVENTURES IN FASHION

30

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

There’s so much to see in

MAURITIUS Yasemen Kaner-White

Mauritius is known as the Switzerland of the Indian Ocean. It is located off the eastern coast of Africa and is part of the Mascarene Islands, the capital is Port Louis. The colourful mix of nationalities who live there include Indian, Chinese, Creole and French, which can be seen in the cuisine and culture.

Mauritius

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

31

ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL

Grand Baie

One of my last trips just before lockdown, my memories of Mauritius offered a dreamy retreat when we were confined to our homes. An island bursting to the seams with culture, idyllic lush green landscape, an air of serenity and blindingly beautiful beaches. Here are my insider tips on what to see, where to stay, what to eat and what to buy to take home inspired by my short visit to the island, thankfully leaving me much more to see when I return!

WHAT TO SEE

Central Market The central market is a lot of fun to walk around, both as an insight into local culture, seeing the locals perched on a stool in the sun to drink alouda, a milky drink with basil seeds to cool down, and to see what locals buy; the most surprising of which was a wine paste for 60p per bottle, which is to be diluted into ‘wine’. There are many artisan items from woven baskets to straw hats and then there are the spices, incense and of course, rum. There are plenty of street food stalls too where you can buy local favourites including dhal puri, samosas (try the local fusion with tuna in the mix) and gateaux piment.

Central Market

Mauritian snacks

Woven basket from Central Market

Gateaux Piments

32

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL

Grand Baie

Grand Baie

Chateau de Labourdonnais

Port Louis Citadel

The beaches You are spoilt for choice when it comes to beautiful beaches in Mauritius, all of which are free and open to the public. There are quite a few to choose from but here are some suggestions: Grand Baie is stunning but bustling with boats and fisherman, perhaps a little busy for a swim but perfect for watersports enthusiasts, those wanting to dine by the sea and anyone who likes to party with clubs and boat parties a plenty. It was here that I saw fishermen standing in the sea descaling fish on a table, also in the sea, then parcelling up to sell you can’t get fresher than that. Trou aux Biches is popular with families with young children as the water tends to be shallow. Flic en Flac is gorgeous; 8km of sandy beach to walk along, locals and tourists alike love it. Le Morne is a 4km stretch of white sand with Le Morne Mountain as its backdrop, known as one of the best beaches, it is a ‘must see’.

Château de Labourdonnais This colonial house was owned by Christian Wiehe, an influential man of the nineteenth century in Mauritius. The Wiehe family moved into the house in 1859 and it is known as one of the most beautiful colonial houses on the island. The Italian neo-classical architecture is striking as are the grounds housing stunning flamboyant trees, sweet smelling honeysuckle trees and orchards. Experience the ‘tasting bar’ where you can try their rum and pâte de fruits.

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

33

ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL

Boats in Mauritius

National Botanical Garden of Mauritius Home to 85 types of palm trees, from bottle palms, royal palms to the talipot palm, as well as a spice garden and fragrant flowers. The garden started as a vegetable garden in the 1720’s when the island was still a French colony, it was created

by Governor Mahe de Labourdonnais but has since expanded into a stunning attraction.

Hindu Temple It would be a shame not to visit a brightly coloured Hindu temple when in Mauritius.

I visited the Grand Bassin where I saw locals offering gifts such as bananas to the Monkey God, and received a blessing myself, a fabulous experience.

La Citadelle Standing proudly at the top of a hill in Port Louis, La Citadelle has overlooked the Mauritian capital for nearly two centuries. The construction of Citadel Fort began on 11th November 1830 and ended 10 years later on 4th November 1840.

The historical fort is the last representative of the four main strongholds built by the English after their arrival on the island. It is worth visiting for the view alone.

34

Hindu temple in Savanne

Church in the Pamplemousses District

Curepipe

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL

WHAT TO EAT AND DRINK

Mapou, Grand Baie

Bol renversé - upside down bowl This Chinese-Mauritian dish is prepared in a bowl, first a fried egg is placed in the bottom, followed by stir fried chicken and vegetables cooked in soy sauce, layered with rice. The bowl is turned upside down so the egg is on top and served with garlicky water and chilli sauce.

Dhal puri - flatbread Boiled split peas once cooled are crushed into a powder and formed into ‘dough’ balls. The balls are rolled out until paperthin and cooked for literally seconds on the tawa (flat pan). Inside you’d put butterbean curry chutney and chillies, then they are wrapped up and served.

Boulettes - dumplings The local vegetable called chou chou is mixed with pork, chicken or dried shrimp and stuffed into dumplings which are steamed. It’s served with red-hot piment crazer (chilli sauce), broth and sliced spring onion.

Octopus Vindaye Succulent octopus cooked in a curry with mustard, turmeric, garlic and chilli and garnished with crunchy onions pickled in vinegar.

Mine Frite (fried noodles) A Chinese/Mauritian fusion of fried noodles with egg, chicken or prawns and beansprouts.

Gateaux piment - chilli fritters A yummy street food snack made from split peas soaked overnight, then crushed with chillies and coriander, rolled into small balls and deep fried until golden brown. The crunchy balls are also tasty sandwiched in bread or in a tomato, onion and chilli salad or even in a curry sauce.

Biryani

Bonne Marmite restaurant, Port Louis

Mine Frit (fried noodles)

Bonne Marmite Restaurant, Valle Pitot

Mauritian cari - curry The popular curry is masala , either chicken, fish or seafood, the main ingredients are cumin, coriander, chillies and turmeric. Curries are served with a roti (flatbread), rice and wedges of lime, mango or achar (vegetable pickles).

Mauritian expression “in old pans you cook the best curries” reminds us that there is wisdom to learn from our elders!

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

35

ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL

Maradiva at sunset

WHAT TO BUY AND BRING HOME

A one-stop-shop at the Central Market is a great place to snap up items to take home to remind you of your Mauritius moments. I bought a few handmade items from the Central Market, including bowls that were made from coconut halves lined with inlaid pearl, woven baskets with a net to keep the flies off your fruit or buns made by ladies who are members of the Women’s Association, as well as seasonings and spices.

There are hats, clothes, jewellery, watches, shoes, dried food goods (check you can take them home)!

As well as a plethora of objet d’art. A few of my companions did barter for their shopping but the prices were so reasonable and particularly when you see the craftsman making something, whatever you get is still a steal. If you like rum the island has a good variety, with prices ranging from 50p to £200 per bottle!

36

Luxury Suite Pool

Maradiva Teppanyaki counter

WHERE TO STAY

Maradiva Villas Resort & Spa I stayed in a luxury Suite Pool Villa, lined with Hermès wall paper and amenities, where I woke up in the morning and went barefoot literally a few minutes from my villa, straight to the beach - it doesn’t get much better than that. Maradiva is secluded, secure and stunning. Located in the Wolmar region, on the western coast of the island, it is renowned for the sunset – which I saw, cocktail in hand, from the

resorts’ jetty. Perfectly situated it is an hour from the airport and 30 minutes to the capital. Aside from the daily swims a skip and a hop from the sunny sanctuary of my villa, highlights included the cooking class using fresh local fish and seasonings, a spa treatment based on Ayurveda, a live cooking show followed by a delicious Japanese meal, an authentic Indian meal and a stroll around their gallery which features work from a changing rota of resident artists.

If the island was not so enticing, I’d have quite happily not left the resort.

Aerial shot of Maradiva Resort

Art Gallery

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL

West Bay skyline

DOHA Doha: A Feast for the Senses. Doha positively delights with aesthetic pleasures. It’s time for the world to turn its eyes to Doha The city is so much more than a stopover - it is now “a destination”.

Anji Connell

38

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL

MIA Cafe at MIA Park

“Don’t judge a book by its cover” suggests that appearances are often misleading, that we shouldn’t judge the value of something by its outward appearance alone. Doha is a city that at first glance appears “glitzy,” but look more closely, and you will discover tantalising glimpses of a city inspired by ancient Islamic design and culture. Doha is a city of contrasts. From the bustling souqs selling everything from spices to camels to the timeless sights such as the ancient dhows sailing across the gulf backdropped by the spectacular futuristic skyline.

Only 100 years ago, Doha was a small, low-rise settlement of largely nomadic people that is now one of the world’s wealthiest countries, drawing in the biggest names in architecture and the international art world.

Richard Serra’s “East-West-West-East”

QATARI VERNACULAR.

Qatar was radically reshaped by growth and development after the discovery of the Dukhan oil field in 1937. However, it is now witnessing the birth of a distinguished and unique Arab architecture focusing on innovatively preserving its identity. Great examples of this are I. M. Pei’s Museum of Islamic Art [MIA], and Jean Nouvel’s National Museum of Qatar [NoMQ]. There is no building more emblematic of modern Doha than this extraordinary building. The new Msheireb Downtown District is the “world’s first sustainable downtown regeneration project where contemporary architecture and technology blends with a local aesthetic.

Souq Wafiq

Jean Nouvel’s National Museum

Souq Wafiq

FIFA 2022 WORLD CUP.

The energy-rich emirate has spent more than US$200b in readiness for the tournament. It is the first world cup to be held in the Middle East and the first to be held in winter. Qatari summers can reach more than 42 degrees C. In winter, the temperature can still be over 25 degrees C. To counter this, the World Cup stadiums will have giant air conditioning systems pumping cold air to keep the players and fans cool.

With eight stadiums, thirty-two teams, a million fans, and a month-long footballing entertainment it promises to be quite an event and one of the most lavish ever!

Nobu at Four Seasons Hotel

Image Credit: Anji Connell www.anjiconnellinteriordesign.com @anjiconnell_acidplus And Courtesy Images

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

39

ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL

National Museum of Qatar

THE ART.

Doha is an art oasis amid a desert, where all art forms happily coexist.

An impressive lineup of immersive, informal, and interactive public art installations created by leading international artists has turned the city landscape into “a vast outdoor art museum experience.” And amazingly, in this pristine city, street art has grown into an exciting alternative movement of artistic expression. Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani is the chairperson of Qatar Museums, the umbrella organisation for the city’s art and culture, and the powerhouse behind Doha’s bid to become ‘the art Mecca of the Middle East’.

And indeed, Qatar’s place in the art world will be loudly heralded in 2022. Doha has been named as a UNESCO City of Design, Design Miami is launching in the city in addition to the nation’s first private

40

members arts club, the CP Club with fourteen individual townhouses, each designed by the likes of Diane von Furstenberg, Ralph Lauren, and India Mahdavi. The Culture Pass Club [CP Club] will host special events - and members will have priority access to renting the homes during the World Cup. DOHA HIGHLIGHTS.

Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC): Japanese architect Arata Isozaki took inspiration from the concept of the ‘Sidra Tree,’ considered a beacon of wisdom and solace in the desert and a haven for poets and scholars who gathered beneath its branches to share knowledge. The facade resembles two intertwined trees reaching up to support the exterior canopy.

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL

Jean Nouvel’s Doha Tower

The Zaha Hadid Al Janoub Stadium The Quatar National Convention Centre

The Aspire Tower

Jean Nouvel’s Doha Tower

IM Pei’s Museum of Islamic Art (MIA)

Khalifa International Stadium

Al Riwaq Art Space: This state-of-the-art venue hosts ambitious exhibitions showcasing the work of leading local and international contemporary artists and designers.

Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art: The museum offers an Arab perspective on contemporary art. It is the only collection of Arab modern and contemporary art in the World.

The Fire Station: The former 1950’s fire station is now a contemporary art space nurturing emerging talent through its artist in residence programme.

M7: This newly minted fashion innovation hub houses a gallery, exhibition space, café, and Qatar’s first concept store, Studio 7 where Asma Derouiche has deftly curated this celebration of Arab craftsmanship.

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

41

ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL

National Museum of Qatar Gift Shop

Wafiq Boutique Hotels

Studio 7 at M7

Richard Serra’s 7: This monumental sculpture of seven 78 feet high steel plates arranged in a heptagonal or seven-sided shape celebrates the spiritual-scientific significance in Islamic culture of the number 7.

The Miraculous Journey by Damien Hirst: This is a series of fourteen monumental bronze sculptures chronicling the gestation of a foetus inside a uterus, from conception to birth, ending with a statue of a 14-metre tall anatomically correct baby boy.

Qatar National Library: The Rem Koolhaus building with its stunning diamond shaped facade.

Katara Village: The new cultural hub is an immaculate ultra-chic take on an ancient walled city. Don’t miss the Greek-style open-air amphitheater, the Katara Masjid Mosque, and minaret designed by world-renowned Turkish architect, Zainab Fadil Oglu, which is next to the traditional Arabian pigeon houses.

The Corniche: This crescent-shaped promenade along the water’s edge has a splendid 7k boardwalk with spectacular views of the Gulf and Doha’s shimmering skyline. Taking it all in on the deck of a dhow as the sun is setting will leave you with a memory to savour.

Souq Waqif: Spend a day here strolling through the souqs vibrant labyrinth of enchanting courtyards, cafés, and spice-scented alleyways where you can buy almost everything from gold and traditional Qatari garments to spices, camels, and falcons!

42

Ghandi’s Three Monkeys Subodh Gupta

Boho Social Katara Cultural Village

The Desert: No visit to Qatar would be complete without a visit to the desert. Experience an exhilarating desert safari over the dunes to Khor Al Adaid, the Inland Sea accessible only by 4x4 vehicles, where you can try camel riding, sand boarding, or hit them on a quad bike, ATV, or dune buggy. Try paragliding or take a helicopter tour for a bird’s eye view.

Head to Zakreet in the Ras ABrouq Nature Reserve in a 4X4 for the ultimate road trip. A barren desert landscape of blinding white sand and astonishing limestone rock formations, with jutting overhangs that have been carved over time by the winds carrying desert sand. They look like giant mushrooms. Here too, you’ll see Richard Serra’s staggering desert installation “East-West/ West-East.

Four 14 metre steel plates are spread over 1 kilometre in perfect alignment. Impressive at any time but even more incredible and evocative at sunrise or sunset. Continue to Khor Al Adaid where the turquoise blue water of the Gulf licks the golden-hued dunes it’s breathtakingly beautiful.

Al-Shahaniya Camel Racing Track: Offers a chance to see some of the best groomed and most expensive camels on the planet. Some are worth as much as one million Qatari riyals [$3.3m]. Incredibly they are ridden by robotic jockeys remotely controlled by camel herders who closely monitor who’s in the lead via walkie-talkie.

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL

Mondrian Doha 12 Chairs Caviar Bar

The Mondrian Doha

The Miraculous Journey - Damien Hirst

National Museum of Qatar

THE EATS.

Doha’s dining scene is made for indulgence without guilt or caution.

The usual heavyweight suspects, Ducasse, Puck, Nobu, Jean-Georges, Guy, and Gordon, are all boldly here. Highlights include the world’s largest Nobu’s fabulous rooftop for sipping cocktails with fabulous views over the gulf and West Bay. MIA Park Cafe - the best view in Doha. IDAM at MIA.

Parisa

The Mandarin Oriental Doha In complete contrast, the David Collins Studio-designed hotel highlights Qatari heritage with its sophisticated, elegant design.

It has one of the city’s best rooftop spots for sunsets.

Waqif Boutique Hotels Nestled in the heart of the historic Souq Waqif Souq is a collection of 9 historic buildings featuring intricate décor and architecture.

THE SLEEP.

And for a lucky few, The Culture Pass Club.

The Mondrian Doha This Falcon-shaped hotel is a visual feast of gleaming whimsical opulence mixed with a mix of traditional Middle Eastern motifs from the famed Dutch designer Marcel Wanders. Expect the unexpected.

Boho Social

CP Club

Souq Wafiq

The Banyan Tree Doha at La Cigale Mushaireb Designed by the legendary Parisian designer Jacques Garcia this is an elegant urban sanctuary with rooms overlooking the crystal clear waters of the Arabian Gulf, the verdant garden, or Doha’s old city.

Vertigo, the 28th-floor bar, has a 360-degree view of the corniche and the city.

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

43

POLO PEOPLE

ESCAPE TO THE

COTSWOLDS As soon as you set foot in the magical, otherworldly realm of the Cotswolds, it’s almost certain you’ll fall under its spell…

Bibury Village

Ancient Jurassic limestone is used in the local architecture to create warm, honey-stoned villages preserved in time, with idyllic houses and breath-taking rolling countryside surroundings providing a bucolic escape from everyday life.

Littered with stately manor houses, regal castles and stunning gardens, there’s an abundance of photogenic and fascinating sites to visit. Or, if you’re more into rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous, then tucked away in mansions surrounded by acres of private land you’ll find A-list celebrities from Kate Moss to David Beckham residing amongst UK royalty, Prince Charles and Princess Anne. Meanwhile, Brit-pop royalty Alex James and TV

44

journalist Jeremy Clarkson have settled down as born-again farmers, whose wares are available to buy in rustic local shops.

Majestic but mellow, progressive without being arrogant, the Cotswolds has always offered a unique English charm that’s the perfect antidote to the stresses of everyday life. A charm that is never timelier than right now, in our current state of historical flux. Stretched across 6 counties and a huge swathe of Southern England, with its’ norther-most part just 90 minutes from London, it’s no wonder that more and more city dwellers are flocking to the Cotswolds to realise their countryside dream in its vibrant, sustainable communities.

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL

PLACES to stay Burton-on-the-Water

The Cotswolds’ dazzling array of accommodation includes distinctive, luxury hotels, stylish country pubs and grand manor houses like nowhere else.

Set in sprawling grounds with 26 different gardens over 12 acres, Grade II listed Whatley Manor in Malmesbury boasts 23 stylish rooms, a luxurious spa, and private cinema. The fine dining experience courtesy of Michelin-starred chef Niall Keating is also not to be missed.

Wild Rabbit, Kingham

The romantic Barnsley House, a stones’ throw away from picturesque Bibury (said to be the prettiest village in England) offers 18 elegant rooms, beautifully renovated interiors, a standout spa and impressive grounds designed by Rosemary Verey that provide organic ingredients to its kitchen.

Just outside the photogenic village of Broadway, The Fish Hotel is the biggest of the Farncombe Estate’s trio of fantastic hotels.

This collection of honey-stone buildings on Fish Hill offers 67 stylish bedrooms, a farmhouse sleeping 13, and The Lodge with a light-filled restaurant, huge bar and games room. On the estate you can have a go at clay-pigeon shooting, archery and riding a Segway.

Or brace the great outdoors and walk to nearby Broadway Tower, the Cotswolds highest castle designed by Capability Brown, for panoramic views of the rolling Cotswolds countryside.

Soho Farmhouse, Chipping Norton Outside Terrace, Wild Rabbit

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

45

ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL

At Southdrop Manor Estate, Thyme began in 2009 as a cooking school and has been a slowly unfolding labour of love for it’s owner Caryn Hibberts since then. Now with a rentable manor house, standalone rooms and The Ox Barn added as well as a spa, shop, florist and spacious terrace, the mood is South of France when the weather permits. Interiors are beautifully furnished in modern rustic style, with marble bathrooms and crackling fireplaces.

For a more traditional but none-less impressive option, The Lygon Arms is a 16th century coaching inn nestled in the middle of Broadway high street. With classic, sumptuous interiors in the main house and more modern aesthetic in the courtyard suites, there’s a real focus here on embracing the lazy countryside life; from valet parking on arrival to afternoon tea and papers by the fire.

Fish Hotel Whatley Manor Spa

Lygon Arms, Broadway

Owned by Lady Carol Bamford of the JCB construction company, The Wild Rabbit is an upmarket 18th century stone pub which boasts not only 13 rustic-chic rooms onsite but 9 beautifully manicured cottages in the surrounding village of Kingham.

Truly the essence of the Cotswolds at its premium.

Broadway Tower

46

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL

PLACES to visit Central to the Cotswolds luxe lifestyle, Daylesford Estate and organic farm is the original outpost of Lady Carole Bamford’s luxurious empire. Attracting day-trippers from London as well as vacationers from far and wide, this is not just a working farm but a lifestyle. On offer there’s a gorgeous café and restaurant offering wholesome deliciousness, a food hall packed with organic treats to take home, high-grade shopping including homeware, plants and even fashion, and the Bamford Wellness Spa – a sensory haven. There are also 6 guest cottages for those who want to prolong the indulgence.

For animal lovers, Cotswolds Wildlife Park just outside the popular village of Burford is 160 acres of parkland filled with white rhinos, leopards, lions, zebras and giraffes. It also boasts an impressive garden with a huge diversity of plants and a tropical greenhouse.

Walk in the footsteps of royalty at the impressive Sudeley Castle in Winchcombe, once home to Katherine Parr the only surviving wife of Henry VIII, with other noble guests including Elizabeth I and Charles I. The castle was restored in the 19th century and with beautiful gardens surrounding it, plus a full programme of events, it has enough to keep you fascinated for hours.

Offering a unique splash of luxury with fascinating history, Blenheim Palace was designed by Sir John Vanburgh in the 18th century and construction overseen

by Sarah Chruchill, the first Duchess.

It is the birthplace and ancestoral home of Sir Winston Churchill, and a designated World Heritage Site that draws thousands each year to marvel at its grounds and collections.

In early September it hosts Salon Prive, one of the UK’s most prestigious automotive events. Here you’ll find classic automobiles showcased alongside the latest supercars, fine dining and a luxury retail village.

The Cotswolds outpost of the hugely popular Soho House group, Soho farmhouse is a next-generation hideaway that’s a mix of members club, hotel and American ranch. Though entry is restricted to members and their guests, once inside there’s enough on offer to impress even the most urban of visitors, including a beautiful homeware shop, Cowshed spa, indooroutdoor swimming pool, gym and cinema, as well as several restaurants including Japanese fusion at Pen Yen. There’s a mint-coloured bicycle for each guest to get you around the ample grounds, as well as a cocktail-serving milk float making the rounds. In short, a Disneyland for privileged grownups.

Daylesford Farm Shop, Kingham

Blenheim Place (Credit - Tom Hartley Jnr)

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

Soho Farmhouse Pool & Spa

47

ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL

PLACES to eat The Feathered Nest, Nether Westcote Tucked away in the picture perfect village of Nether Westcote lies a chic Country Inn with arguably the best views in the Cotswolds. The creative menu from Michelin starred Chef Matt Weedon has a devoted following, with offerings such as Chateaubriand, Orkney Scallops all made from fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. The expansive wine list is best enjoyed on the spacious terrace in summer or, by the roaring open fire in winter. www.thefeatherednestinn.co.uk Ox Barne at Thyme, Southdrop Manor Estate Chef Charlie Hibbert came from Quo Vadis, one of the best restaurants in London, back to his Cotswolds roots to head up the team cooking in this beautiful stone barn renovation, where all original features remain. An open kitchen, plus ingredients sourced from chef’s own garden make this a treat not to be missed. www.thyme.co.uk The Chequers, Churchill A firm favourite with cotswolds’ locals in the know, with Jeremy Clarkson a regular visitor this grown-up gastropub has rustic French charm mixed with down-town New York cool.

Famous for its cheddar souffle and impressive list of locally brewed ales, the food options are plentiful and the atmosphere inviting. www.countrycreatures.com/the-chequers Double Red Duke, Clanfield Perhaps the Cotswold’s newest noteable venture, born out of lockdown creativity, this honey hued 16th century building showcases photogenic interiors and an equally impressive menu, with steak from Hawksmoor’s Richard Turner as the specialty. www.countrycreatures.com/double-red-duke Pen Yen, Great Tew For a welcome antidote to the Cotswolds’ ubiquitous pub fare, the excellent Japanese grill Pen Yen at Soho Farmhouse relies on locally sourced ingredients for it’s innovative dishes and offers some serious people watching of the club’s rich and stylish members. www.sohohouse.com/houses/soho-farmhouse

Lobster at The Feathered Nest

EVENTS CALENDAR 2022 March 15-18: The Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse April 14-October 2: Giffords Circus, various locations April 27-May 2: Cheltenham Jazz Festival May 5-8: RHS Malvern Spring Festival May 30-August 2: Longborough Opera Festival June 4: Summer Classic Car & Bike Festival, Three Counties Showground June 15-17: Royal International Air Tattoo, RAF Fairford July 2-3: The Cotswolds Show and Food Festival, Cirencester Park July 8-16: Cheltenham Music Festival August 4-7: Wilderness Festival, Charlbury August 26-28: The Big Feastival, Kingham September 1-4: Salon Prive, Blenheim Palace September 15-18: Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials October 7-16: Cheltenham Literature Festival December 26: Heythrop Boxing Day Hunt, Chipping Norton

48

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL

50

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL

NORTHERN IRELAND

IS A BREATH OF FRESH AIR Yasemen Kaner-White

It’s a shame that it took Covid to make me look more locally for a holiday, but I’m certainly glad it did. I loved, with a capital L, Northern Ireland. Just an hour and a half from England by plane, I entered a totally different place, with a unique identity, bursting with adventures that lay ahead. The people were so genuinely welcoming, proud of their culture and ready to give heartfelt recommendations on where to go, eat and drink. The landscape is sublime, from craggy coastal paths, rugged mountains to beautiful beaches. There are natural wonders such as the Giants Causeway and ancient pubs to drink in; it’s such an eclectic mix. Talking about Northern Ireland and not mentioning the food, would be

Bushmills Whiskey

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

Titanic Belfast

a sin. Expect freshly caught local oysters, creamy local fish chowders, famous Irish beef and an array of bread with so many varieties it will make your mind boggle and your taste buds come to life.

In terms of possible itineraries, it depends on what you enjoy doing, but there is hiking, cycling and boating for the adventurous, bread making classes for the culinary curious and for those that love a night out – the pub crawls in NI take some beating. I wanted to fit in as many counties as possible but decided it’s quality not quantity, so explored some in full, leaving the rest for when I return - and I’m already planning my return. Here are some ideas of what to see, do and eat when in Northern Ireland…

Carlingford Lough - Fishing for Oysters & Mussels,

Belfast

51

ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL

Titanic Belfast

Titanic Belfast

Titanic Belfast Titanic Hotel Belfast

The Merchant Hotel Waterfront Hall

BELFAST Having collected the rental car from Belfast airport, we drove to nearby Titanic Quarter, one of the world’s largest urban-waterfront regeneration projects. Immediately the towering shard shaped buildings made a dramatic appearance against the skyline.

As it was morning, I kicked off with a traditional Ulster fry in the Titanic Hotel Belfast. Consisting of fried bacon, sausages, mushrooms, tomato, black and white pudding, eggs, fried soda bread and potato farls – it was more like a hearty brunch. The hotel itself is iconic, situated in the Harland & Wolff Headquarters building; once the nerve centre of the largest shipyard in the world. It was here that the famous Titanic was drawn up, designed and constructed on the adjoining slipways. A visit to the enormous Titanic Belfast museum was a must. The museum, shaped like the bows of a ship at 4 floors and 9 galleries, recounts the tales of the famed ocean liner from its inception, construction, the staff onboard, the passengers, right through to its tragic sinking end. If you thought you knew all about it, you’ll be in for an illuminating treat. Next we drove to the Queen’s Quarter to check in to beautiful boutique hotel ‘The Harrison Chambers Of Distinction’, the imposing Victorian façade with leopard print curtains visible through the windows set the scene of this quirky hotel. Inside, each of the individually designed rooms have been named after prominent creatives who have links with Belfast, from singer

52

Belfast City Centre

Ruby Murray to writer CS Lewis. It’s a great launch pad to explore nearby Botanical Gardens, Queen’s University of Belfast and the Ulster Museum. The museum is the largest museum in Northern Ireland and houses collections of fine art, applied art, archaeology, ethnography, local history and even zoology. We took a short taxi ride to the city centre for lunch at Havana Bank Sq, which was delicious – a cauliflower & coconut soup with dense local wheaten bread. After an afternoon looking at the shops we had a luxurious tasting menu dinner at very grand ‘The Merchant Hotel’.

The gold embellishment, cherub statues and chandeliers complimented the menu

with my favourite course being the local smoked salmon, salt baked golden beetroot, elderflower, local langoustines, young vegetables and tender herbs. The restaurant is ideally located in the Cathedral Quarter, the oldest part of the city and a drink in the oldest Belfast building dated 1780; ‘The Dirty Onion’ with live music finished the night off nicely. The next morning, after breakfast in bed served by the fabulous hotel owner Melanie and her resident French Bulldog Blue, we drove to Tracey’s Farmhouse Kitchen for a breadmaking class.

Breakfast in bed at The Harrison Chambers of Distinction

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL

Ulster Folk Museum,Cultra

Local fish chowder

COUNTY DOWN Under the guidance of Tracey, in her very own kitchen, we learnt to make potato farls, soda bread farls and wheaten bread. I also learnt that the word ‘farl’, means a quarter, which makes sense as a farl is literally a quarter of a round of bread. It was great fun and a highlight was lunch afterwards where we ate our very own freshly made bread with tomatoes from her garden, eggs from her hens and a slice of her tasty dried fruit bannock cake for afters, highly recommend. From Tracey’s we drove past the neighbouring islands, with cows grazing on the green pastures, fields of sweet corn, the pretty Strangford Loch and on to Holywood, voted the best place to live in Northern Ireland by the Sunday Times. Though it was closed when we went; Holywood is home to the Ulster Folk Museum that showcases over 500 original artefacts, including recovered Titanic objects. We checked in to the Culloden Hotel which was once the official palace for the Bishops of Down and has spectacular views over the Belfast Lough. Their ‘Vespers Restaurant’ is known to be one of the finest in Northern Ireland, though we ate in their pub and enjoyed Irish scampi and Irish smoked seafood chowder, Irish beef steak, Irish beef burger in a lovely baked buttermilk roll, with a slice of Irish cheddar and Irish bacon to boot – so very local ingredients! After dinner we strolled into Holywood along the coastal path with eye-wateringly beautiful sea views.

The Culloden Estate & Spa

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

Cultra walk to Holywood Yasemen bread making at Tracey’s Farmhouse Kitchen

The Culloden Estate & Spa

The Culloden Estate & Spa

53

ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL

COUNTY ANTRIM Luckily I visited when the Balmoral Show was on, Northern Ireland’s largest agrifood event, taking place at Balmoral Park, Lisburn. There’s an array of trade stands, livestock competitions including adorable childrens’ animal handling competitions, classes, as well as a wide range of family attractions, but for me the highlight was the sheer amount of food stalls. I saw a ‘panda pudding’ which is a roll of black pudding and white pudding combined, award winning Ballylisk cheese, produced in the lush green fields of Ballylisk in County Armagh and met a South African pro rugby player who moved to Ireland and started a biltong company using the exquisite local beef. Driving along the awe-inspiring Antrim coast, we stopped off at the gorgeous Glenoe Waterfall where locals were braving the nippy water to take a swim in the woodland spot.

Wanting to have a seaside walk, we headed to Blackhead Path and walked alongside the waves to the top of a slope to the lighthouse, it was one of the nicest walks that I can remember. Dinner was an interesting pink coloured pasty (a local tradition) and chips from the fish & chips takeaway and straight on to our home for the night; Ballygally Castle Hotel. The next morning it was a joy to fling open the bedroom windows and look straight out over the sea. The stunning 17th Century Castle, reputed to have a resident ghost, also has a ‘Game of Thrones’ themed afternoon tea in tribute to the series that was filmed nearby. The last destination on the list for this trip was Derry, and so we set off along the coastal route. If I hadn’t already seen The Giant’s Causeway, I would have swung by and taken in the natural wonder of the mysterious 40,000 mostly hexagonal

Ballygally Castle Game of Thrones afternoon tea

Ballygally Castle

Giants Causeway

basalt columns descending gently into the sea, but I had seen them as a child, so drove on to Derry. The perk of driving of course is the freedom to explore en route.

First was a stop off at the cute village of Cushendun the Cornish appearance of it was in fact deliberate, to please the Baron’s Penzance-born wife, Maud. Next we took a detour to Torr Head to look out over the closest point between Ireland and Scotland.

Needing a coffee we parked up in the 17th century town Ballycastle meaning ‘town of County Antrim the castle’ and couldn’t resist buying two local food specialities; yellow man candy a kind of hardened honey comb and a bag of dried dulse. I had to get my hands on a ‘fifteens’ from a bakery, and it was delicious.

The traybake is so called as it comprises of 15 of each ingredient - digestive biscuit, marshmallows, glace cherries, condensed milk and desiccated coconut.

Blackhead Path

Blackhead Lighthouse & Gobbins View

54

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL

Derry-Londonderry

Shipquay Hotel

River Foyle

Guild Hall

DERRY

Good cycling tour with Far & Wild

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

As soon as our feet touched the ground in Derry, we mounted a bike for a food cycle tour with ‘Far & Wild’. Lorcan our tour guide took us across the elegant snaking curves of the ‘Peace Bridge’, so called as it was designed to symbolically connect the unionist and nationalist areas. We parked up our bikes at Pyke & Pommes, a dinky fresh fish taco street food vendor who also have a restaurant, and ate them looking over the River Foyle. Then back on the bikes into the town centre past the oldest pub dated 1684 called Silver Street, past Supermacs, the Irish equivalent of McDonalds who pride themselves on supporting local producers and ended up having a coffee in swanky café ‘Nine hostages café’. We checked into the Shipquay Hotel which couldn’t be better located in the centre of town and within walking distance to everything, including our dinner destination – ‘Browns In Town’.

The roasted local Greencastle cod, with prawns, red curry sauce, peppers and pak choi dish was delicious, as was the selection of Irish cheese which we opted for instead of pud. After a sound sleep, we headed to the meeting point for the City Walking Tour which gave a great base to understand the past troubles in Ireland as well as highlight the issues in present day, for example he pointed out a painted pavement curb, which he described as a silent barrier between a protestant and catholic area. I also found out that in 1613-1618 the English built the walls around the city, called Derry, still also

known as London Derry because London businessmen built the wall – to date a contentious topic. Before our last lunch in Northern Ireland this trip, we shopped for artisanal gifts in the cute Craft Village, took in some historical knowledge at the Museum of Free Derry, looked at the Guildhall then enjoyed a local duck dish with a fresh, crisp local cider made in Amanagh county, the apple capital of Ireland and one for the list to visit next time.

For more information and inspiration, visit: www.discovernorthernireland.com

55

FIFTH CHUKKER POLO & COUNTRY CLUB

Experience the

MAGIC Luxury Accommodation

●

Fine Dining

Polo. Live it. Love it. www.fifthchukker.com

●

info@fifthchukker.com

KM2, Kaduna to Jos Road, after Maraban-Jos, Kaduna, Nigeria

●

Events

SPLENDOUR

IN THE GRASS

Francisca Millward Stylist: Isabella Peerutin Photographer: Jamie Cohen

57

ADVENTURES IN FASHION

Blouse and skirt - vintage YSL, glasses - vintage Gucci

With the planets’ temperatures on the rise, consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their spending. Vintage fashion is not only the most ethical and sustainable way to shop but it also gives you better control over your personal expression. By wearing vintage clothing you are more likely to be wearing something unique. This fashion editorial is a tribute to our authentic selves, the selves that care about preserving our breathtaking planet whilst dazzling in timeless vintage pieces.

The fashion industry is currently acting with no conscience and its production methods act as though natural resources are everlasting, unfortunately, this is not the case.

Apart from this wicked consumption of finite resources to produce textile, the industry

58

is also massively contributing to water pollution as well as greenhouse gas emissions.

The production of clothing is not where these wasteful practices end, furthermore most clothing end up in landfills, statistics show that on average, families in the western world discard about 30 kilograms of clothing each year. A brief explanation of current clothing market practices leaves the conscious consumer in complete despair and we find it hard to feel positive about the ecosystem’s ability to maintain and preserve a habitat that is livable for humans in the future.

However, there are alternative practices, and this brings me to the circular economy model. The circular economy model is a viable alternative to our current linear economy model, which makes use of a take-

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

ADVENTURES IN FASHION

Shoes - vintage Gucci

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

make-waste system. It aims to reduce waste by recovering resources at the end of a product’s life and channeling it back into the market and in doing so it reduces pressure on the environment.

The pandemic, as well as a growing awareness of climate change, has made people increasingly aware of their environmental impact. For this article, we look at how vintage fashion could be a step away from the current linear economy we have found ourselves in. Over the past two years, we have seen a tremendous spike in the vintage market. There has been significant growth in online marketplaces like The RealReal, an online and brick-and-mortar marketplace for authenticated luxury consignment, along with Rebag and Vestiaire Collective, to name a few. The shift in the way young people shop is promising and inspires optimism about the future.

However, as exciting as this is for the circular economy and the businesses that are facilitating this market, it has thrown a curveball at major fashion houses and forced

59

ADVENTURES IN FASHION

them to either jump on the bandwagon or get left behind. Thankfully many fashion houses have noticed this trend and have started to collaborate with marketplace sites. Gucci, Stella McCartney, and Burberry have all partnered up with The RealReal, which has allowed them to sell their own used or archived goods on the site.

Ralph Lauren has also collaborated with Depop to get a grip of the resale market. We hope to see more brands follow in the future!

If the vintage market can continue to grow at the rate that it has over the past two years, we hope that this will translate into a decreased demand for new clothing forcing production to slow down. This will not only dramatically reduce the pressure that fast fashion has put on the environment but can also be seen as an opportunity for fashion houses and collectors alike. It is well known that scarcity adds value to an item and so vintage garments are marketed in such a way that allows sellers to increase their profit margin. It is important to note the difference between second-hand and vintage, an item is considered vintage when it is produced at a particular time of quality. A garment made 25 years ago, that is still in good condition, is hard to come by and as a result, can be sold as a luxury item. Creative directors of major fashion houses should not see this rise in the vintage market as a threat but rather as a market with great potential, possibly curating fashion shows using garments from their archives. For

Dress - vintage Dolce and Gabbana, glasses - vintage Gucci, shoes - vintage Gucci

60

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

ADVENTURES IN FASHION

Women Cooking for a Celebration

Louis Vuitton’s Spring 2021 collection, Virgil Abloh showed looks and pieces from previous collections, to encourage fashionistas to adopt a collectors mentality.

Celebrities are also paving the way for this new luxury market and have been stepping out in breathtaking vintage pieces. Kate Moss turned heads way back in 2003 when she arrived at a New York fashion week dinner, in a pale-yellow dress, by 1950s French couturier Jean Dessè. Kim Kardashian is also well known for her love of vintage fashion and stunned us all when she stepped out in an Azzedine Alaïa cheetah-print bodysuit in 2019, so rare that it was valued at about $10,000. Vintage fashion is not only easier on the conscience of the consumer, but it is also a more exciting way to shop, there is a certain thrill of finding the perfect vintage piece, that the shopper will never experience when buying new clothes. Dressing in vintage fashion also gives us a greater opportunity to be unique whilst broadening the possibility for individuals to accurately express themselves through fashion. We are only at the beginning of what looks to be one glorious vintage Gucci step in the right direction.

Dress - unknown vintage

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

61

ADVENTURES IN FASHION

Jacket - Vintage Chanel, Suit - Vintage Isaac Mizrahi, Shoes: Vintage Gucci, Brooch: Vintage Chanel

62

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

ART IN FOCUS

BONHAMS

Highlights from the upcoming Bonhams Modern and Contemporary Art sale

Clara Etso Ugbodaga-Ngu (1921-1996) Dancers Clara Etso Ugbodaga-Ngu is an iconic figure in Nigerian art history.

An influential artist and educator, she played a substantial role in the structural advancement of the art scene in the postcolonial modernist period around independence in 1960 (Okeke-Agulu). Born in Kano, Ugbodaga-Ngu taught art in mission schools in the north before receiving a scholarship from the colonial administration to study art at Chelsea School of Art and train as a teacher at London Institute of Education. On her return to Nigeria she began work as an art teacher with the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, Zaria (NCAST) and became the first Nigerian teacher - and furthermore the first female teacher - in the department. This appointment was hugely significant as it placed an African woman in one of the key art institutions of the time.

Benedict Chukwukadibia Enwonwu M.B.E (1917-1994) Aye Mama at 80 Better known as Ben Enwonwu, was a Nigerian painter and sculptor.

Arguably the most influential African artist of the 20th century, his pioneering career opened the way for the postcolonial proliferation and increased visibility of modern African art. He was one of the first African artists to win critical acclaim, having exhibited in august exhibition spaces in Europe and the United States and listed in international directories of contemporary art. Since 1950, Enwonwu was celebrated as “Africa’s Greatest Artist” by the international media and his fame was used to enlist support for Black Nationalists movement all over the world. The Enwonwu crater on the planet Mercury is named in his honour.

Giles Peppiatt, Bonhams Director of Modern and Contemporary African Art, commented: “Bonhams has been in the forefront of African art sales since 2009, and has pioneered the market for African Art globally. The department holds a number of world records for African artists. This has most notably included Ben Enwonwu’s Tutu which we sold for £1,205,000 in 2018, setting a new world record for the artist, and becoming the most valuable Nigerian painting sold at auction.

As the current market leaders for African Art, we look forward to building upon our successes further in 2022.”

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

63

ADVENTURES IN FASHION

THE

ENVIRONMENT

THAT BUILT

Virgil Abloh (1980 - 2021) Zanenhlanhla Sithole

The work of Ghanaian - American multidisciplinary creative Virgil Abloh was always a blend of experiences and perspectives; he never created in isolation. For Virgil, life was collaboration.

The designers’ street influences were always very clearly defined; which is why most will conclude that his biggest sources of inspiration were the hip–hop and skateboarding cultures.

However, it was Abloh’s university training in the built environment that familiarised him with his greatest influences: British interior designer Ben Kelly and Dutch architect Remment ‘Rem’ Koolhaas.

Born in 1980 in Rockford, Illinois, USA to Ghanaian immigrants; Abloh began to satiate his curiosity by doing research into skateboarding, rock n’ roll, and hip-hop culture as a teenager.

In 1998 Virgil began his career as a DJ using the stage name ‘Flat White’ and performed at festivals, as well as fashion and hip-hop parties. Although being more right-brained than left-brained, Virgil took the analytical route in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Wisconsin - Madison.

He obtained the qualification in 2002 and went on to study architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology. It was also around this time that he became an eternal muse to Kanye West who was immediately enamoured by Abloh’s special ability to create

64

using a wide range of mediums. Virgil became Kanyes’ personal creative director and was responsible for designing the rappers’ tour merchandise, album covers, and set design.

Virgil once spoke about feeling as though he is a “perpetual kid at school”. That awareness of the sacredness of the continuous pursuit of knowledge led him to intern at the Italian luxury fashion house Fendi. Together with Kanye, he earned $500 per month while learning the basics of fashion design. His first fashion line Pyrex Vision was launched in 2012; a small collection of t-shirts, hoodies, basketball shorts, socks, and flannel shirts decorated with collegiate lettering and Renaissance art. Perhaps the most lethal weapon in Abloh’s arsenal was his business savvy – the ability to create a desire for high-priced, low-quality clothing that mostly sold out in a matter of minutes. Pyrex Vision’s flannel shirts became infamous when it was discovered that the designer was simply printing his logo onto old Ralph Lauren shirts and controversially charging $550.

He then partnered with Matthew Williams and Heron Preston to form a lifestyle collective called Been Trill. 2013 saw him bring streetwear to the luxury market when he launched Off-White; a sensation that continues to cause mayhem with every collection and collaboration in the upscale streetwear market.

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

ADVENTURES IN FASHION

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

65

ADVENTURES IN FASHION

The appeal of Virgil Abloh was his unique ability to create work that allowed for the convergence of art, commerce as well as mass culture. Arguably, his strongest effort at this was his 2017 collaboration with sportswear brand Nike titled: The Ten. There he deconstructed ten of the brand’s signature sneakers. In 2018 he became one of the very few pioneers who also got to walk the path that they created when he succeeded British fashion designer Kim Jones; to become the first black artistic director of menswear at French luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton.

Two symbols are synonymous with Off-White; quotation marks and slanted, barricade tape stripes. The stripes were born from a creative connection Virgil felt to Ben Kelly.

More specifically, the stripes pay homage to Kelly’s most famous work; The Haçienda nightclub in Manchester, England. The popular venue has columns covered in barricade tape stripes for aesthetic and safety purposes. The Haçienda is an important landmark because of the role it played in modern British history and most significantly, the role it played in the regeneration of Manchester. A space that “was designed so it could always change with the times and the needs of whatever was happening”. Much like Off -White, a brand that regenerated streetwear by introducing it to the highest levels of luxury fashion. And just as The Haçienda played an important role in modern British history, OffWhite has played an immense role in shifting perspectives about fashion that is influenced by Black culture. Via Off -White sales, Abloh proved that streetwear is more than capable of satisfying the needs of the boardroom.

Virgil often lauded his training in architecture for teaching him the invaluable skill of “designing into a brief”; something he applied to every project he worked on. His course work whilst studying architecture also introduced him to his greatest idol: Rem Koolhaas. Abloh was most fascinated by Koolhaass’ awareness of various socio-political environments globally which influenced his work. Off -White responds to and encourages discussions about the politics of the times.

The brand’s trademark of embellishing garments from T-shirts to evening gowns with words and phrases inside quotation marks is not just decorative. The often sarcastic words and

Credit: Anji Connell

66

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

ADVENTURES IN FASHION

phrases such as “for walking” printed on boots; is also a commentary on the capitalist society that we live in.

Rem’s work often pushes architecture into broader cultural realms; while delicately accessing the cultural zeitgeist.

Similar to most of Virgil’s collections under Off -White, most notably his Spring 2018 collection of 40 looks in tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales, and her sartorial legacy. The collection was shown just after the 20th anniversary of her death. Virgil’s choice in muse couldn’t have been more socio-politically aware during a time when fashion was looking to present itself as more meaningful than just clothes for

superficial purposes. Princess Diana is the most culturally aware and sensitive fashion icon of our time. The Princess of the people would wear colourful, informal clothes when visiting children in hospital; and would carefully select gowns that carried diplomatic messages for official state visits.

Virgil Abloh met his untimely death in November 2021, aged 41; following a private battle with a rare form of cancer known as cardiac angiosarcoma. Virgil believed that “we all sharpen each other”.

Having been inspired by a community of creators himself, his greatest legacy will be inspiring a broad spectrum of communities within the creative space.

Credit: Anji Connell

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

67

Anit Folake jewel of the desert

Timeless Style, Timeless Grace, Timeless Veil

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

69

Exotic

Chic Elegant 70

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

With several decades of years in the fashion industry creating bespoke designs for first ladies, fashion icons, celebrities, and with features in major fashion shows and magazines including Vogue, why a veil collection?

I have always loved veils and this collection has taken a couple of years of careful planning and is a dream come true to finally unveil the collection.

I have always done bridal veils in the past but some of my clients started to request bespoke veils to match their outfits - that’s how the desire to create this collection came about.

Tell us about the Jewel of the Desert Veil Collection Pleasing to the eyes and soft to the touch, the veils in the ‘Jewel of The Desert’ Collection are arrestingly presented in different colors. They are made with scrupulous attention to detail and finished in bold, original, and visionary styles that find elegant expression in a unique blend of sophisticated and exotic influences that include floral patterns, embroidery, ribbons and stitched pillars.

Is it easy creating bespoke designs?

The process of coming up with a dead gorgeous design is adding tentative six and a problematic fall and coming up with a solid ten. It’s a lot of inspiration and a measure of perspiration.

Caress Grace

What Inspires You? For me, inspiration comes from everywhere: it can come from my God-given instinct, imagination, nature, fabrics, culture, art, music.

What do you love most about veils?

I love how versatile they are, I believe there are veils for every occasion.

How would you describe your personal style?

Classic. As John Keats said “A thing of beauty is a joy forever”.

I love beautiful things.

What advice would you give to aspiring fashion designers?

I will definitely advise them to have a passion for the job.

The fashion industry is one that requires energy, a business plan, dedication, focus and vision. They need to get training in order to learn the skills required for the art and science of fashion.

Though it appears glamorous, what goes on behind the scenes is hard work, serious pressure, and grueling long hours.

And if they are especially talented, be aware of the vultures in the industry. The Glamour comes only after that.

Luxury Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

71

SPECIAL FEATURE

COULD

COVID COVID SAVE OUR LIVES? Alice Venessa Bever

In the first six months of the pandemic, the phrase “getting back to normal” was repeated ad infinitum as we clung to the hope that things would soon return to the way they were before.

Currently we are redefining what we know as “normal”.

We have entered a new era: living with Covid-19. What have these two years taught us? For starters: resilience, persistence, connection, adaptability. And if we have learned to trust one thing, it is that life will change. And from these changes the knowledge, experiences, behaviours and tendencies we have picked up might actually help us build a better future.

STAYING HEALTHY

Perhaps an obvious solution, we have continued washing our hands or using hand sanitiser - a precaution which has helped lower the frequency of common colds and respiratory infections. Also, a recent study showed that increased handwashing by hospital staff has led to a sustained increase in hygiene practices during patient care.

72

Another positive habit formed during Covid-19 was our approach to exercise. Working from home has allowed us more time and flexibility. Activities like hula hooping and roller skating made a huge comeback, classes like Yoga with Adriene and PopSugar and subscription services like Pelaton and Obe Fitness are just some of the ways we have found to keep fit.

WE HAVE EACH OTHER

One thing is fairly certain: since the onset of the pandemic, we pay more attention to the people in our lives and savour the time we have together in a more substantial way.

In an interview with NPR, Alyssa Casey, a federal government researcher said “You just have more time to think about what you really want.” Like many, Casey’s decision to put family at the centre of her life and move closer to her family was sparked by life during Covid.

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

SPECIAL FEATURE

Casey was just one of the many people who decided to change their location in exchange for renewed investment in relationships and enjoying life. Alex Mumford and Buffy Cracknell made an even more extreme decision by moving off grid to the Isle of Rum, Scotland. Alex said to the BBC “During lockdown we were stuck in the Bristol flat thinking we should be doing more than that… If it doesn’t work we’ll do something else, we have each other.”

Aside from checking in with friends and family members near and far during the first lockdown, Covid has meant redefining our relationships in a search for genuine connection. The pandemic has made us more discerning in our personal lives and though some relationships have ended, a recent German study showed that our connection with our children, work colleagues and neighbours have shown improvement.

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

73

SPECIAL FEATURE

Families saw the greatest revolution during Covid.

In the Guardian article “’What do we do with our finite life?’: how Covid reframed our relationship with ourselves.” Nick Tebbey, executive officer of Relationships Australia states that “the pandemic reset the importance of just being able to spend time with your children.” Affirming this, the CEO of the Australian Childhood Foundation, Dr Joe Tucci, says “the pandemic has reminded us that time together can be a sanctuary.” Parents were forced to juggle many hats, and in spite of the challenge, increased family time provided parents an invaluable insight into their child’s life, a deeper understanding of their relationship.

The pandemic also brought people together.

The New York Times reported on Emma Hastil and Daniel Kind of Rockaway Beach, NJ whose budding relationship quickly accelerated as they ended up spending quarantine together. Not only did this solidify their connection but they turned their lockdown hobbies into a new company, Locus of Occult.

THINK CREATIVELY

Hastil and Kind are not the only people to turn pandemic passions into a career. Jolie De Feis, inspired by a book she read during lockdown, decided to start Hotline Skin, a website for skincare accessibility and education.

For those who have stayed in their fields, there has been a reassessment of values in how they want to do their jobs. Many people have a renewed sense of purpose and a fresh style of working which has allowed more work-life balance. We have found that we actually can teach, learn, present, without having to be in the same room with someone.

“If there’s opportunities for companies and businesses to think creatively about different work weeks…for families, it’ll benefit everybody,” says Mr Tucci. People want to be flexible in how they

74

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

SPECIAL FEATURE

work and they now know that a hybrid model is possible. Working from home has also allowed people to pursue further learning and certificates for free or at a low cost, allowing people upskill and obtain certificates.

This remote trend has also led to an increased environmental sensitivity. The environmental magazine Edie states that a trend to watch for 2022 will be moving towards even more sustainable workspaces.

A NATURAL INCLINATION

Professor Glenn Geher in Psychology Today writes that “Humans are naturally biophilic, having a natural inclination toward the natural world (see Wilson, 1984).

For so many of us, the pandemic has unleashed this beautiful facet of the human experience.” Especially after seeing the effects of improved wildlife and air quality during the global lockdown of 2020.

Another pandemic trend to continue in 2022 will be “backyarding”. TurfMutt Foundation, an environmental education programme, says that “Homeowners spent lots of time, money and effort…improving their backyards so they could work, cook, exercise and even vacation outdoors.”

A RENEWED SENSE OF CONSCIENTIOUSNESS

While people have had to be flexible, patient and aware of safety, they are still planning trips while they “continue to prioritise and demand flexibility,” says Brett Keller, CEO of Priceline. Today some of the most searched travel words are “all-inclusive” and “last-minute”.The world of travel has swiftly responded with increased hygiene, safety and client-centeredness with improved standards in all types of accommodation. Another outcome of the pandemic is the return of the travel agent. Travel agencies are becoming more attractive to consumers looking for guidance in creating genuine experiences with support in the “complexities of form-filling,” writes Karen Warren of World Wide Writer.

A positive outcome of having complicated restrictions is people spending more time exploring their respective countries, most often by car. Washington Post states that “autos have become like second homes for some travellers, a safe place where they can travel.”People also have a renewed sense of conscientiousness, aware about the significance of travel. According to Victoria Simmons, a senior vice president for travel at the marketing agency BVK, they “will expect much more meaning out of the trips they do take.”

DISRUPTION IS A POINT OF POTENTIAL GROWTH

Covid-19 has allowed us an opportunity to take stock of how these years have shaped our world and most importantly, ourselves. “Every disruption is a point of potential growth,” says associate professor Terry Bowles of the University of Melbourne. Yes, life during Covid-19 has been all but smooth, yet in this rollercoaster there is also possibility of positive change.

The writer Arundhati Roy stated, “Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew.” I’m inclined to agree with her.

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

75

Introducing a new revolutionary POC SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibody Test The constant necessity for vaccines and booster jabs are are on everyone’s lips. So far however, there are no clear figures or general recommendations in terms of analysis for what is needed to protect you from catching or becoming ill from Covid-19.

However, it is clear that the amount of SarsCoV-2 antibodies in the blood shows whether there is still protection against the coronavirus in your blood. Most Antibody tests focus only on whether SarsCoV-2 antibodies are produced, but not on the quantity. Therefore, this result is not suitable for a statement on whether a revaccination is necessary or not.

The PremaLab AntibodyTest, within15 minutes allows one reliable accurate analysis of neutralizing antibodies against SARS. Moreover, PremaLab machines can be used to analyze 33 different tests including Antigen, Tumor Markers, Hormones, Fertility, Diabetes, Inflammation, Cardiac and others.

Imported and distributed by: United Kingdom: SICANIA LABS LTD, 160 Kemp House, City Road, London EC1V 2NX, United Kingdom. VAT: GB348686154 | EORI: GB072588878000 | Tel: +44 (0) 203 239 9444 | Email: sales@sicanialabs.com Registered EU branch (ITALY): SICANIA LABS LTD, Via Illirico 6/A, 20133 Milano (MI), Italy. P.IVA: IT12181390969 | EORI: IT12181390969 | Tel: +390282954915 | Email: europe@sicanialabs.com

ADVENTURES IN ART

Antony Gormley David Nicholson

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

When you first set eyes on Sir Antony Gormley’s most famous work, the giant Angel of the North sculpture set on a hill in the Northeast of England, you struggle to make sense of it.

Angel of the North, Antony Gormley.

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

77

ADVENTURES IN ART

Another Place, Antony Gormley

So vast that, if set on its side, it would be higher than the Statue of Liberty, with a ‘wingspan’ wider than a Boeing 747. It is England’s largest ever work of art.

Yet it looks like a regular human being, with wings.

Every year, 33 million people take stock of this 200-tonne icon of iron, forged in a local factory and built on a disused coal mine. Drivers along the A1, one of Britain’s busiest motorways, get its full force, soaring above them as they head north. Train passengers are treated to its splendid sight as they speed along.

For Gormley, creating such a memorable, public piece of art was the fulfilment of many years’ work.

Born in London to a wealthy Irish-German couple, the youngest of seven children, he showed early promise at Ampleforth, a Catholic boarding school in Yorkshire where he learnt carpentry and painted a mural after winning the school art prize. “That was a huge reinforcement. To make something that was part of the fabric of the building,” he remembers.

At Cambridge University, he studied archaeology, anthropology and history of art at Trinity College, where he painted several further murals, this time for money commissioned by nightclubs, private parties and college balls. Flush with cash but determined not to sell out and get a proper job, Gormley fled to India and Sri Lanka to meditate, smoke dope and study Buddhism.

On his return, despite his parents’ opposition, he enrolled at art school in London - first at Central, then Goldsmiths and finally at the Slade. As the

78

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

ADVENTURES IN ART

Event Horizon Angel of the North

Event Horizon

Another Place Antony Gormley at work in his studio

Another Place

1980s dawned, he was offered a show by Nick Serota at his Whitechapel Gallery. Here, Gormley’s focus on his own body took shape: his work ‘Three Ways’ were casts of him rolled into a ball, bent over, and lying down.

Serota and Gormley were well-matched. The gallery owner wanted to attract crowds and startle them with original, challenging work. The sculptor wanted to explore his creative impulses rather than be forced into a commercial corner. “Antony was self-consciously trying to make work that addressed issues he felt the public would wish to be engaged in, rather than appealing to a collector or the marketplace,” said Serota. “He was much more interested in showing in public galleries than in commercial galleries.”

For a few years, in the 1980s, this purity of purpose threatened to derail Gormley’s career, as he ran low on money and commissions. It was only when he invited visitors to his studio to form heads out of clay and give them features, that ‘Field’ - a collection of tens of thousands of heads - took shape.

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

79

ADVENTURES IN ART

A sculpture for The Derry City Walls by Antony Gormley. The sculpture represents the divisions from the civil war in Northern Ireland locally referred to as “The Troubles.” What I find interesting about this sculpture is the division is not between the people, but within the people themselves (May, 2021).

Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash

This overwhelming, astonishing work won Gormley the UK’s premier art award The Turner Prize in 1994 and cemented his reputation.

Spurred by the popular reaction to Field, he cast 100 iron versions of his own body in ‘Another Place’ (1997) and set them across three kilometres of beach in the Northwest of England. Like Angel of the North, this work shakes viewers’ preconceptions.

The sculptures look human.

Could there really be 100 naked men standing in the water at sunset? To find out, you have to get closer. But the tide is coming in and the water is freezing.

Did one of them move?

‘Event Horizon’ takes the same idea and transplants it onto the top of high buildings, in London (2007) and New York (2010).

This time, we’re still unsure whether the figures are real or fabricated. We’re also alarmed, in a new, chilling and dreadful way.

Is the person we see at the edge of the building about to jump?

I saw some of these figures in London and, like many others, my first reaction was to call the police, or a mental health helpline. It was only after a few minutes studying the figure that I became convinced it wasn’t a real person. In New York City, the police department stood ready to calm passers-by.

This close attention is exactly what Gormley wants.

80

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

ADVENTURES IN ART

Field, Antony Gormley

How many artists can provoke that kind of emotional response? You feel a certain terror and sympathy, you feel compelled to act, then you look more closely and begin to appreciate the artistry that went into the work and the theatrical skill of placing it in this exact position.

Although he is a more than a decade older the Young British Artists (YBAs), with their shock tactics of pickled sharks (Damien Hirst), unmade beds (Tracey Emin) and casts of their own heads (Marc Quinn), they share a confessional style of art, laying bare their own lives and - frequently their own bodies. Yet Gormley is less

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

gimmicky than any of them, certainly less commercially driven than Hirst, more emotionally stable than Emin and less prone to stunts than Quinn, with his pop-up sculptures or his gold-plated figure of Kate Moss.

By contrast, Sir Antony Gormley is more of an establishment figure, one of only a handful of knighted contemporary British artists, alongside Peter Blake and Anish Kapoor. While his work startles the viewer, it never provokes nausea or revulsion. The Royal Academy welcomed him to its membership in 2003, feeling that 30 years of reliably mainstream work

guaranteed that he wouldn’t embarrass the institution.

Ever since his great flowering period in the 1990s and 2000s, Gormley has been busier than ever, with large studios in London and the North of England exporting works currently on show in Florida, Hong Kong, Singapore, Norway and Germany, where he is feted as one of the world’s greatest sculptors, still at the height of his powers at the age of 72.

Like the Angel of the North, Gormley stands far above his contemporaries, an artist for the ages.

81

Amadou Gallo Fall In an exclusive interview Amadou Gallo Fall, President of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), tells Yasemen Kaner-White how he started to play basketball and how it has led him to be in the position to use the game as a vehicle to foster raw talent and give the youth of today opportunities that they may not have had, as well as grow economies in the continent of Africa and beyond.

Amadou Gallo Fall (middle) at the Teams Shirt Presentation before the inaugral Basketball League Africa Championship in Kigali, Rwanda, May 2021.

YKW: The first question I’d love to kick off with is what does it mean to you being the President of the Basketball Africa League (BAL)?

AGF: I think it’s really perhaps what it means to have the blessing to fulfil and continue to honour what turned out to reveal itself as almost like a lifelong mission, so just even being appointed as NBA Africa, MD and moving to South Africa in 2010, to open the office at the time, I think I was posed a somewhat similar question, and I said the job kind of encapsulated all my passions, so it’s almost like a dream job.

I’m passionate about Africa, particularly about youth development, obviously passionate about basketball, and I have a chance to contribute and hopefully have an impact on them all. The BAL is a culmination of many decades of work on the continent that the NBA and many other people have carried on to grow the game, and most importantly, use it as a conduit to empower youth. Spending 10 years in Johannesburg, having launched NBA in Africa and taken many steps in the development of basketball and also the NBA across the continent. This league now kind of almost completes the pathway. So the president of this league is a tremendous honour and something that I am super excited about moving forward to, after a very successful inaugural season to launch season two of the BAL. YKW: How, in terms of business, does the Basketball African League compare to other sports leagues, in your opinion?

AGF: Well we are in our second season and we are very committed to growing this league into one of the best professional basketball leagues in the world and one of the best professional sports leagues. So, you know, we really don’t want to get into any comparisons, I think we like our chances and focus on what we do best and really having the benefit of the NBA world-class expertise, in terms of the best professional sports league, when it comes to operating and commercialising a sport, this is

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

a leverage for us. This is an enabler and also the partnership between NBA and FIFA to grow this league gave us a chance to really do something special here.”

YKW: What are some of the key milestones of the Basketball Africa League during the inaugural season?

AGF: First, being able to start off on May 16th 2021 and having all 12 teams in a bubble environment, in Kigali, obviously, we had to operate in the midst of a global pandemic, I think, just our number one priority was to make sure we conduct our season with the health and safety of everybody as our top priorities and we were able to achieve this with a safe tournament and everybody went home safe. Zamalek winning as the first team to win the historic first season of BAL is always going to remain something of importance in our books. Our games being carried in 215 countries and in 15 languages and to have the global audience for a first year product is something that was very encouraging, we had some big personalities attending for the first season such as President Macron showing the convening power of sports and basketball and being part of this historic event on a personal level was very gratifying.

This is something that is very personal to me in terms of continuing to not just grow basketball, but provide opportunities through sports to young people, because that’s the chance I had, and this is really one of the key drivers. It’s about how do you continue to create pathways for young people to journey into success. I think this league gives us an opportunity to build an industry in basketball and really contribute to, and anchor, the robust sports business industry in Africa. I think sports as an industry should be noted by decision makers and stakeholders because, I’m not saying sport solves all the problems of the world but when you think of sport, as we think about it, and you think about the basketball league, as a place where all the creative industries come together, to create the same product

85

COVER FEATURE

Amadou Gallo Fall presents the Basketball Africa League Championship Trophy to the Captain of Zamalek of Egypt after they beat US Monastir of Tunisia in the finals game at the Kigali Arena, Rwanda, May 2021.

that fans of all ages can enjoy. This industry is going to create jobs, boost tourism, spur on infrastructure development because more countries are interested in building arenas, because these arenas can be used for multiple purposes, in areas that speak to youth, you know, that young people are interested in and also in areas that are in Africa. There is a clear advantage when it comes to music and fashion, and sports. The opportunity to bring people together around our league is what is super exciting. I think that’s the number one milestone and also our endeavour that we want to push forward.

YKW: It’s creating communities really, in many ways and then the next question is, what are the plans for the new BAL season and for the league as a whole?

AGF: Well, just in terms of second season, we’ve had a lot of very strong achievements in the initial season such as sheer visibility and gaining a global audience, there is awareness of us. Now, it’s about really starting the work of expanding the footprint and I think in

86

season two, that’s the number one priority, instead of playing all the games on one site, we’re going to be playing in different countries which is what we initially envisaged, which will allow more fans to see the product but obviously, we had to pause the first season because of covid. Now we will be playing in three, I think that’s a big step from year one. We’re launching in Dakar on the 15th of March, then we’re going to Cairo from April 9th to April 19th and then we take the top eight teams to Kigali for the finals and that will be from May 21st to May 28th. So that’s, I think, a big change and really to experience different cultures and showcase different African cities. In terms of compositions of the teams, we have seven new teams in the league and four new countries that are participating. Again, it’s really about growing the footprint touching as many geographies and people as possible.

From an engagement standpoint, we have a world class roster of partners that are coming back and we are going to add more to the roster. From a basketball standpoint, we’re going to continue to attract global talent and talent from all across Africa in the diaspora, because of the initial first season and how successful it was. So I expect that the competition is going to be even harder and better. So we have positioned ourselves for long term success both in terms of where we are heading from a partnership

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

COVER FEATURE

It is the sports industry in Africa that you need to continue to build momentum for and then we all benefit, it is that saying ‘rising tides lift all boats’. standpoint, from an exposure standpoint, and from a truly basketball standpoint with new teams and new countries added and a growing talent base.

YKW: Thank you, and the next question is probably more on a personal level and it’s how did you first get into basketball?

Why basketball over anything else?

AGF: Growing up in Africa, we all kick a ball first and start playing football, because basketball is perceived as a big city sport, because generally, that’s where the courts are. So I didn’t have the opportunity to get a lot of practice in earlier on. It was really by the time I was going into my teens, that is when I started because I was taller than most of my friends and people would suggest it and I thought ‘hey, you know, maybe I should try this out’. But mainly, I think what precipitated everything was my older brother Mamadou who was studying in France at the time and he brought me a basketball because he was being stopped in the streets by people in basketball asking him to come and play – he is even taller than me. So once I have the ball, and I had access to a court at the high school I started going to, I’d practice shooting. I’d climb the fence to continue practicing out of class but the watchman would see me and chase me out. I always wonder, you know, why would you have a court but not allow young people to use it and I think maybe this is one of the things that drives me to want to make the game accessible to young people at an early age. I wonder sometimes what if I had started playing at age six, seven or eight - what type of player would I have become.

YKW: I think you’ve done pretty well!

AGF: Yeah, no, exactly, I made the most out of the opportunity but I started late, but still I’m saying I have no regrets, these things happen as it was supposed to happen, I think it gave me maybe that drive and passion about making sure younger generations don’t have those same barriers. So that’s the big part of how I got into the game, almost by chance. I then got a full scholarship to go to the US and play the game and that is really what opened up everything. It was a chance encounter, a Peace Corps volunteer, Kevin Lineberger, met me and went back to DC and spoke with a coach at the University of Columbia, who then sent me full scholarship letter without even me seeing me play! and that was only because he was told that I’m six foot eight and I could jump out of the building. I thought how many young people across the continent who are perhaps even bigger than I am but were never seen or discovered, so to speak, similar to Hakeem Olajuwon or Dikembe Mutombo, you wonder would have happened to two of the best players of the game not just from Africa, but around the world who are both in the Hall of Fame, who could have probably been and fish on Tanji Beach missed, if also they didn’t getCrabs chances.

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

YKW: So with a little bit of luck, I think that’s how it is in a lot of careers, isn’t it - a bit of luck and hard work as well AGF: Exactly, and I think it’s the right place at the right times, but now we have had that, we want to become more intentional about creating a path. We are intentionally making the sport accessible, finding ways to build courts, train coaches, study the sport and grow it. We partner likeminded people and entities and are building a foundation so the talent emerges naturally. When you start becoming more intentional, you see the massive talent pool on the continent. You see what’s happening is the number of players from the continent are going into the NBA and this is only going to continue to grow”.

YKW: What do you think needs to be put in place to further grow the game of basketball across the African continent in particular, are there are any specific things you’re planning to do or do you feel like everything’s going smooth and you’re going in the right direction?

AGF: I think we need to continue to build capacity, we are only scratching the surface, yes we had a successful launch of our inaugural season, there’s talent everywhere but we have to make sure that the structures are in place both from an administrative standpoint and also from a technical expertise standpoint. You have players but you have to have coaches who are highly trained in skill development, we have to have very strong administrators of the sport and this is where our partnership with FIFA is going to come into play, because we’re going to work together to build capacities with the national federations.

We want to professionalise the entire system and attract the private sector into these leagues because ultimately, that’s what is going to be the key differentiator. Most of the clubs right now are social clubs or sponsored by corporate entities, so not really entities that are run as professional sports organisations, so we know that there’s a long way to go.

The initial interest and support we have received is very encouraging, it is about capacity building and that’s where our biggest focus is on and off the court. Then you have to be able to sustain the effort and initiative and all that comes at a cost. So how do you make sure that you get the right partners that are interested in growing this sport and building an industry, we need to get it to a point where there is tremendous value created by all parties involved.

First, you want to make sure that players from the continent see this league as a primary option. Obviously, they can go to the NBA but there’s a very small percentage of players that go to the NBA, so ultimately we want to continue to create big events.

I think our initial season last year showed that it is possible to do events of world class standard. It is the sports industry in Africa that you need to continue to build momentum for and then we all benefit, it is that saying ‘rising tides lift all boats’. For me, I look at that saying certainly relating to basketball, because as the basketball continues to flourish, all the local leagues in the different countries are going to get much better because it’s a Champions League, you better win your local league in order to qualify. So I see teams in a particular country, getting more focused on how they improve, how they are structured for a chance to win or participate. As with football and other sports in Africa, they are stronger when they organise events of global stature which means more partners of import are involved with the continent and the pool of partnerships gets bigger. As we improve our ability to stage big events and give value to partners, we know they are going to be interested in basketball as well.

87

COVER FEATURE

Amadou Gallo Fall with SEED Academy Girls who were first admitted to the programme in 2014, a decade after the boys.

88

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

COVER FEATURE

Play, Learn, Rise.

On the 20th anniversary of the establishment of Amadou Gallo Fall’s iconic SEED Academy, Fifth Chukker Magazine drops in on the Senegal campus.

Lilby Skaz The Sports for Education and Economic Development (SEED) Academy is located within the government-owned National Centre of Physical and Sporting Education (CNEPS) in Theis, a regional capital and the third largest town in Senegal with a large student population diffused in the city’s university, polytechnic and several other institutions.The SEED academy students do easily stand out, distinguishable by their gangling frames after all basketball is at the core of its curriculum, a sport it repurposed with academic tutoring and dynamic life skills lessons to develop, inspire, empower and equip young people with the acquirement they need to succeed in life.

The SEED academy was established in 2002 by Amadou Gallo Fall, the former college basketball star, vice president of the US National Basketball Association and now President of NBA affiliate Basketball Africa League, who rightfully considers himself the quintessential manifestation of the intersectionality of basketball, education and upward mobility from very humble beginnings. “ If I could do this for you, you too can put yourself in the position to do something for others”, Fall would routinely exhort his students.

As the first basketball student-athlete academy in Africa SEED admits 20 boys and 20 girls (since 2014) aged 14-18 every year from across Senegal. They get full scholarships to live, train and work towards achieving their goal of graduating from high school and matriculating to university, or securing a quality job upon leaving the programme. Many of the graduates leverage their athletic talents and secure university scholarships at some of the top institutions around the world. The boys board on campus while the girls are accommodated in town, just moving into a newly refurbished white stucco duplex a week before we showed up.

To commemorate SEED’s 20th anniversary we dropped in on the academy for an interactive jaunt. Our first contact was of course the General Manager Mr. Pene el Kabir, an ex basketball professional who had been mentored by Fall whilst playing in France and later headhunted for the job in October 2021. Kabir’s every other sentence tended to finish with “Amadou Fall is just an amazing guy,” a gospel espoused by his fellow crew members. He was joined by the communications manager Ms Fatou Konare and the technical director Mr. Ousmane Faye as they ran us through the essence of the SEED Project, its vision for the future - complete with futuristic architectural renditions - and its primary components: The SEED Academy Boys, The SEED Academy Girls, SEED Rise, SEED Elite etc.

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

At the auditorium Mr. Moustapha Mbow, Amadou Fall’s roommate for two years at the University of Dakar before he took off to Tunisia in pursuit of his basketball/academic dream just finished his basketball clinic tutorial where the case study for his power pep talk to the students was the grit of the Nigerian basketball team. Papa Malick Rachied also stepped in for his Life skills lessons, another cornerstone of the curriculum. Around the campus we also interacted with senior academy coach Joe da Silva, Ibrahim Ndiaye, the assistant operations manager and Adama Ciss, the assistant accountant. The trio are some of the illustrious alumni who have come back to work for the academy.

In the restaurant we noticed a group of English-speaking students and it turned out Daniel, Liberty, Ezeikiel and Mabil were Nigerian, Zimbabwean and South Sudanese in the NBA Africa Academy, the elite student-athlete development programme for high school boys from across the continent. Launched in 2017, the academy’s daily programming include tuition, English language classes, high performance basketball training, grade monitoring, college placement support and undergraduate opportunities in the U.S., Africa, Europe and Canada. “We feel really privileged and grateful to be part of this programme as we couldn’t wish for a better pathway to achieving our ambition,” said Nigeria’s Liberty, spinning a wide grin that modulated his arresting 6’ 8” frame.

Back at the gym, the late afternoon slot belonged to SEED Rise, an after-school youth development programme for 1050 boys and girls aged 5 - 12. Rise offers basketball clinics, academic coaching and life skills lessons. Each pupil’s primary goal is to stay on track to be promoted to the next grade in school and, ultimately, to graduate high school and matriculate to university.

Abdulkarim Gueye, the principal instructor and his assistant Khouredia Diop were already rallying the children for the commencement of their regimen when Mamphatu Kone hurriedly ushered her three children into the gym just in time. “You can imagine how hectic it can get juggling multiple chores and obligations” She said, throwing up her hands almost apologetically. Late-coming is a no-no at SEED. The SEED Project is funded privately by Fall who was challenged from the onset to promote strategic and accountable philanthropy in building a new model of giving back that enhances and compliments conventional charity. By leveraging his Global network of friends, affluent individuals, grant-making foundations and socially responsible corporations, he was able to create a sustainable partnership across public, private and social

89

COVER FEATURE

Above: Pupils of SEED Rise, an after-school youth development programme for boys and girls aged 5 - 12. Below: SEED Academy students in a tutorial class.

sectors to fund his NGO to the level of hundreds of thousands of dollars every year.

After twenty years SEED weighs in with a stellar record of accomplishments across the board. 92% of its graduates have either matriculated to university or secured a job upon leaving the programme. Since 2006, academy students have earned more than $10m in scholarship funding to attend high schools and universities in Africa, Europe and the United States.

The academy has also produced 2 NBA players including former New York Knicks center Mouhamed Saer Sene, and another 6 graduates in NBA affiliated leagues and 60 U.S. college basketball student-athletes.

More than 32 graduates play professional basketball in 16 different countries while 352 coaches from West Africa have also received training in SEED’s life skills and basketball curriculum. Notably, several hundred alumni currently working or studying in 16 countries provide career services and job placement support for SEED graduates around the world.

“We are very proud of all the guys making the best of opportunities for themselves and their schools, and having a bright outlook on what’s really important, and that’s earning their degree,” Amadou said.

“The most important thing is that they continue to inspire young people across the continent, not just at the academy, not just in Senegal.

It’s Nigeria and Cameroon and across Africa.”

All of this success certainly comes back to the leadership philosophy of Amadou who sets the SEED vision, values and ideology around the humble basketball. Elements of the game are tooled for practical real life resonance. For instance (1): The Dribble interprets as Personal Commitment of not losing the ball in basketball; outside it is executed as a personal commitment to becoming a model citizen. (2): The pass construes as collective commitment of sharing the ball with partners;

90

outside basketball it equates to being useful to your community. And (3): The almighty shot certainly connotes self-confidence in basketball; outside of the court it correlates to expressing yourself with clarity and speaking with confidence.

The list goes on and the methodology has been inculcated to the level of a creed which Aminat and Isha, the first two students we encountered on our visit, instinctively and gleefully recited to us like a druidic incantation.

In the next decade the SEED Academy would have moved to its swanky new permanent site and its offshoots well rooted in many more countries beyond Gambia, Gabon, the US. and Rwanda as of today. Amadou Gallo Fall most likely will still be the godfather of African basketball and the SEED Project with its ever increasing faculties would have become Africa’s first multinational NGO conglomerate.

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

HEALTH IN FOCUS

What is it and what can we learn from it?

Yasemen Kaner-White

92

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

HEALTH IN FOCUS

{bi o hack ing} l

l

l

{noun} plural noun biohackings Biohacking could be called do-it-yourself biology.

A trend also known as garage biology or amateur genetic engineering.

The idea of biohacking is that people feel able to follow their curiosity and really get to the bottom of something they want to understand.

A buzzword that unites the hi-tech, wellness, anti-ageing and science communities; at its most basic, it means doing things to your body or mind to help them function better.

Biohacking is optimising the environment inside and outside of your body. It is about controlling your biology to be the best possible version of yourself.

The food we eat, the music we listen to, the things we read and the people we spend time with, all shape us. Biohacking is recognising the impact of what we consume, so we can carefully curate it for our own benefit.

The more research I’ve done into biohacking and talking with key experts, I realised I’ve been biohacking all along. Being someone who is intuition led, I give in to monthly hormonal cravings of iron rich food like dark chocolate, knowing it’s good for me too. It doesn’t mean I don’t think about a bag of triple chocolate cookies. However, from research I know a few squares of quality dark chocolate delivers the needed iron and serotonin and preferable to refined sugar and carbs from cookies, causing blood sugar spikes and potential weight gain.

Therefore, I combine intuition with knowledge.

No man is an island, and expert advice is beneficial, including medical, technological, nootropic supplementation, personal training, scientific, and naturopathic - the important thing is a holistic approach. Listening to it all and acting on what makes sense to you.

When I spoke with Tim Gray, the UK’s leading biohacker and founder of the Health Optimisation Summit, he summed it up nicely, “as a biohacker we have a tool belt with all the information on it”. A visual way of saying diverse knowledge is power to arm us.

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

93

HEALTH IN FOCUS

Tim embarked on biohacking or as he prefers to call it, health optimisation when he was sick and tired, literally, of recurring UTI’s. After many doctor visits and courses of antibiotics, he wanted to solve the root of the problem which his doctor was unable to. He did this by tracking symptoms and researching, he also saw a functional practitioner who revealed the pain was due to a gut imbalance and oxalates found in some foods. So, in other words biohacking is delving into the cause of a problem and addressing it naturally, instead of automatically just traditionally medicating it and masking the problem. A simple example is if you have a headache, have a few glasses of water before a pain killer, you could just be dehydrated.

As Tim explained “it’s a systems thinking approach to optimising your health, so if you have pelvic pain issues, don’t go straight to doctor, figure out why you have pelvic pain, maybe try yoga”. The crux is to be diagnostic, so if you have bad sleep, wear a sleep tracker which would tell you how much deep sleep you are having. Tracking takes away guess work and easy knee jerk prescriptions, the data gives you or a host of practitioners something to work with.

TWO BOOKS TO READ IN THE WORLD OF BIOHACKING ‘Hacking Planet Earth’ Thomas M. Kostigen For decades scientists and environmentalists have spoken of the effects of global warming.

We are now past the tipping point. As floods, storms, and extreme temperatures become our daily reality.

Thomas went to the frontlines of geoengineering projects that scientists, entrepreneurs, engineers, and other visionaries around the world are developing to solve the problems associated with global warming. “My book is based in rigorous science and all the methodologies that are in it are backed by serious scientists who have certain solutions,” Thomas said.

‘Fast This Way: Burn Fat, Heal Inflammation and Eat Like the HighPerforming Human You Were Meant to be’ Dave Asprey For more than a decade, the Bulletproof founder Dave Asprey has shared his unique point of view and expertise to help fans become the best versions of themselves. From living longer to getting smarter, maximising performance to practising mindfulness, Dave’s followers look to him for his take on the most effective techniques to become healthier and more powerful than most doctors think is possible.

In Fast This Way, Dave asks readers to forget everything they think they know about the ancient practice and takes them on a journey through cutting-edge science to examine the ways novice fasters and Intermittent Fasting loyalists can up-end their relationship with food and upgrade their fasting game beyond calorie restriction.

94

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

HEALTH IN FOCUS

Stress is a huge factor and starting point for a number of illnesses. A form of biohacking can be as simple as a walk in nature or meditation or listing three things you are grateful for each day. Another stress reliever is give someone you love a hug, your body will release oxytocin, the hormone that helps you relax and can lower blood pressure. Biohacking isn’t just fixing a problem it is also preventing them day to day, through diet for example. David Asprey aka the ‘father of biohacking’ invented the bulletproof coffee; a beverage of coffee, butter, and brain octane oil, the benefits include a shaper brain, happier outlook and better physical performance. He promotes devices that restrict blood flow which speed up muscle growth, glasses that block out blue light that can stress your brain and promotes intermittent fasting and cold showers, the latter two of which have been promoted historically of course. Some biohacks are transhumanist for example a chip placed under your skin to collect data or even pay for your shopping, which understandably for many is a step too far. In essence, biohacking is listening to your body and treating it using the widely accessible sources of information, devices and practitioners. If you don’t have any ailments, keep yourself at your premium by keeping informed.

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

95

HEALTH GLOBAL LIFESTYLE MEGATREND The world is smaller, faster and more connected. And we are better informed than ever before. The way we live, work and play is in constant flux.

Trends come and go …

B

ut one development is here to stay: our preoccupation with health. Indeed this has grown into a megatrend. We now consider good health synonymous with quality of life. Achieving and maintaining wellbeing and vigour is simply part of the world’s lifestyle. We’re all attracted by the idea of preventing ill-health, down-ageing, the slow culture, digital health … It all adds up to a growing international movement towards greater health awareness and a willingness to take personal responsibility for maintaining holistic health. This means devoting time to optimising our potential, and that includes in our leisure time.

And that’s where IQcure® comes in.

IQcure® is a franchise pioneer with a unique health concept based on prevention and regeneration. It is a tried and tested brand based on the knowledge of an experienced Healthness Group boasting over 40 years’

experience and more than 2,500 projects worldwide.

Revive your portfolio with a holistic franchise model that provides a valuable and sustainable approach to the rapidly growing market of health conscious consumers.

We all know that unhelpful dietary habits, insufficient exercise and frequent overload lead to lifestyle diseases that are preventable. That doesn’t mean we know how to change things for the better, so it helps to have a highlyskilled, IQcure-trained, team on hand to help break these cycles and change habits sustainably.

IQcure® focuses on the fact that people need peace, quiet and a relaxing environment; interpersonal relationships; resilience for any crises ahead; inner strength to help them deal with private and professional issues; and, of course, mindfulness … because to be fully healthy we need the ability to rediscover the here and now; to understand our needs and live authentically.

What Sets IQcure® Apart?

IQcure® support their guests sustainably and holistically – in every phase of life. A stay at an IQcure® resort focuses on prevention and regeneration – based on the all-important IQcure® health concept: a groundbreaking combination of diagnostics; conventional and complementary treatments; innovative and bespoke nutrition programmes; sophisticated exercise concepts with instructors, coaches and physiotherapists. Perfect for a medically supervised time out at a luxury resort.

Staying healthy and fit into old age and actively improving your lifestyle are the core messages of the IQcure® philosophy.

A Strategy for Holistic Health.

Constantly busy, stressed and overworked, we can fail to pay attention to our physical and emotional wellbeing.

Sleep disorders, digestive problems, back issues, migraines, overweight and obesity are just some of the resulting lifestyle disorders. The demand for treating these complaints is here to stay and will undoubtedly increase in the future.

IQcure® supports people in re-establishing and maintaining harmony between themselves, their own needs and the world around them. The IQcure® strategy

for helping us achieve sustainable health for mind, body and soul is based on innovative diagnostics, holistic treatments, healthy nutrition, guided exercise and high performance management.

Naturally, you’ll find IQcure® resorts in settings that boast a harmonious atmosphere, pristine environment and breathtaking natural scenery – perfect for downtime devoted to resting, resetting and regenerating.

IQcure® leads the way in project and strategy development and operational organisation, as well as adopting responsibility for sales to international target markets in the hospitality industry.

Furthermore, through network partners and an academy, IQcure® is pioneering HR education and training. If you’d like to be part of this forward looking approach to health why not contact us? www.iqcure.com

Our diagnostic and therapeutic devices are unique in the world and were developed to help our guests achieve greater wellbeing and a better quality of life.

NUTRITION & METABOLISM

STRESS MANAGEMENT & DIGITAL DETOX

HEALTH. SO PRECIOUS. IQcure® is the beating heart of health and wellbeing: The IQcure® health programme combines scientifically monitored, state-of-theart preventive, regenerative and energetic medicine with healthy eating and sleeping, detox programmes, weight loss, holistic antiageing concepts, fitness for body and mind, and much more.

During a consultation at the beginning of your stay, you and your physician devise a personalised programme aimed at improving either your performance or your health. Exclusive diagnostic and therapeutic methods activate the body’s energy, while a fine-tuned diet and exercise programme and stunning natural setting contribute to your holistic rest and regeneration.

SKIN IMPROVEMENT & ANTI-AGEING

DETOXIFICATION & PURIFICATION BUILDING ENERGY & INCREASING PERFORMANCE

WOMEN’S HEALTH

PAIN-FREE MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM HEART, CIRCULATION & BLOOD VESSELS

IQcure® rests on scientific findings and was developed in cooperation with medical experts.

MEN’S HEALTH

ADVENTURES IN TECHNOLOGY

100

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

ADVENTURES IN TECHNOLOGY

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Ben West

The first time I was processed by a machine at passport control rather than by some jaded bloke looking me up and down suspiciously, it seemed a marvel.

A machine that could assess whether my face matched the photo in my passport seemed terribly sophisticated.

However, I’ve just walked through passport control at Dubai Airport, and the machine didn’t even look at my passport. After five seconds my name came up on the screen, and I was let through.

This is just one of thousands of examples of artificial intelligence, or AI, becoming more and more complex.

The pace of advancement is so fast now, we hardly bat an eyelid when we encounter a new incredible technological breakthrough. AI will certainly continue to change our lives profoundly in the next few decades.

So, what exactly is AI? Science fiction may paint it as robots with human-like characteristics, but in the real world AI can encompass anything from Google’s search algorithms to organising our personal and business calendars.

Apple’s virtual assistant SIRI and Amazon’s Alexa are AI, as are delivery robots, voice recognition and recommendation engines that suggest

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

products you might like based on what you have bought in the past.

Further examples of AI applications include responding to simple customerservice queries, generating 3D models of the world from satellite imagery, or coordinating with other intelligent systems to carry out tasks like booking a hotel at a suitable time and location.

The impressive tasks carried out by this technology multiplies each day.

AI systems demonstrate behaviours associated with human intelligence, which could include learning, reasoning, planning, problem-solving, perception, manipulation, knowledge representation, motion, social intelligence and creativity.

To learn, the AI system is fed large amounts of data, which it then uses to learn how to carry out a specific task, such as translating text or recognise a face.

As our understanding of AI advances, it is gradually moving from ‘narrow’ or ‘weak’ AI, where it is designed to perform a narrow task, such as internet searches or driving a car, to ‘strong’ or ‘general’ AI, where an intelligent agent is able to understand or learn any intellectual task that a human can, the eventual aim being to create intelligent machines that are indistinguishable from the human mind.

101

ADVENTURES IN TECHNOLOGY

Narrow AI systems can only learn or be taught how to do defined tasks, while general AI has the type of adaptable intellect found in humans, a flexible form of intelligence that is capable of learning how to carry out very different tasks.

These could be anything from creating spreadsheets to flower arranging or cutting hair.

While narrow AI may outperform humans at whatever the specific task is, such as solving equations or manufacturing a component, general AI would outperform humans at nearly every cognitive task. This kind of AI is typically seen in films and does not exist as yet.

Estimates on how long before we get to that level of sophistication vary from a few years to centuries.

When modern AI research began in the mid-1950s, it was thought that we’d master general AI quite quickly. Indeed, AI pioneer Herbert A. Simon wrote in 1965: “machines will be capable, within twenty years, of doing any work a man can do.” Such conjecture triggered a spate of wild sci-fi novel and film creations from the likes of Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick. However, by the 1990s it was becoming apparent that the AI journey was going to take much longer than first thought.

However, the field is definitely advancing. For example, in 2017, one study that conducted intelligence tests on publicly available narrow AI such as SIRI and Google AI found that they reached an IQ value of around 47, which corresponds approximately to a six-year-old child. An

102

average adult has an IQ of about 100.

Tests carried out just three years before found that programmes like SIRI reached a maximum IQ value of 27.

Breakthroughs have been mounting up relentlessly, whether they’re computer systems beating chess grandmasters, or the best players on US quiz show Jeopardy!.

Roll on to 2020 and AI research laboratory OpenAI developed Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3 (GPT-3), which uses deep learning (ie machine learning) to produce human-like text.

Although it is generally not considered to be an example of general AI, also it is too advanced to be seen simply as a narrow AI system.

The quality of the text it generates can be so high that it can be difficult to determine whether or not it was written by a human. In one regard, this is very encouraging, but in another, it is a cause for concern, as it has the capability of spreading misinformation, creating fraudulent academic essays, phishing, abusing governmental and legal processes and other dangerous behaviours.

However, further testing found that many sentences generated weren’t of a particularly high standard at all, that there’s still a long way to go for a machine to compete fully with a human.

More generally, AI opens up potential for numerous threats. For example, the technology is close to being able to replicate a person’s voice perfectly, and create photo-realistic images.

It may cause profound disruption, as the

inevitable conclusion is that we will no longer be able to trust video or audio footage as genuine. Facial recognition may increasingly be used for surveillance by some territories to the point that privacy is all but completely lost.

There are fears that AI will take away many jobs in the workforce. The more routine and repetitive, the more at risk a job of being swallowed up by AI. But with AI abilities improving so much, before long all jobs could be threatened, whether lorry drivers, journalists, lawyers or surgeons.

There is disagreement over how much of a threat AI is to human existence.

SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk believes that AI is a “fundamental risk to the existence of human civilisation,” while physicist Stephen Hawking warned that if AI got too advanced, it would quickly greatly outstrip human capabilities and could pose an existential threat to the human race. However, a number of prominent people working in the field of AI disagree that there’s such a threat.

AI certainly does open up many questions for the future. Will our employment vanish, or enough new work be created? Would it be advantageous for there to be no jobs and where instead everyone enjoys a life of leisure and machine-produced wealth? If we create super-intelligent machines, will we control them or will they control us? What will it mean to be human in the age of sophisticated artificial intelligence?

Whatever the answers, we’re certainly entering interesting times!

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

ADVENTURES IN TECHNOLOGY

THE METAVERSE One huge buzzword of late is the Metaverse, an online virtual world that incorporates 3D holographic avatars, video, augmented reality, virtual reality and other forms of communication.

Ultimately it will offer a hyper-real alternative world to coexist in, with participants playing, working and staying connected with friends through such things as conferences, live events and virtual travel trips.

The metaverse is enabled, populated by and supported by AI. It was first coined in 1992 in Neal Stephenson’s sci-fi novel Snow Crash and companies such as Microsoft and Meta (formerly Facebook), Minecraft and Fortnite have wholeheartedly embraced it.

As well as creating an augmented reality for playing online games, with users wearing virtual reality headsets, it can add another dimension to such activities as socialising and business meetings.

However, it has been criticised for such things as creating an arena for encouraging grooming and harassment, especially as it is not yet suitably regulated.

As it increasingly takes hold, society is less and less considering the virtual world to be fake, but instead is a new state of human existence.

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

103

South African

Food The various communities that live in South Africa are reflected in the eclectic local cuisine. Here is a list of the ‘must try’ foods to eat when in South Africa. Enjoy!

Bobotie - Considered the national dish, fruity curried mince with an egg custard topping Braai - South African for BBQ - synonymous with their culture Biltong - Cured dried raw meat Boerewors - Sausages Pap - Mielie-meal, similar to polenta, crumbly harder version; Krummelpap Chakalaka - Spicy vegetables Bunny Chow - A bread loaf filled with meat curry Vetkoek - Fried dough bread filled with beef mince Koeksister - Doughnuts soaked in lemony syrup Springbok & Kudu - Interestingly even though indigenous, when the health benefits came to light - prices went up - now pricer than lamb and beef!

Snoek - Popular fish - hard to find elsewhere, so get it while you can!

Rooibus - Caffeine free tea, grown locally Buchu - Leaves are used to make a tea Num Num - Carissa Macrocarpa - Natal Plum Sour Fig - Often used to make a conserve Wine - If you drink alcohol, this is one of the best countries to sample local wines Amasi - Popular fermented milk drink Mrs Balls Peach Chutney - In every SA household, the ‘to go to’ condiment

Vetkoek

Mutton Curry Bunny Chow

Biltong

Koeksister

South Africa’s Top

Restaurants GAUTENG The Blockman

MPUMALANGA Oliver’s

The Head Chef & Owner, Vassilios Holiasmenos, has taken a new approach for the Blockman with a menu that celebrates all aspects of the animals used. The middlemen are cut out, and The Blockman focus’ on the process of breaking down and aging all the meat, using the whole animal in celebration of its flavors and textures.

At Oliver’s restaurant, we pride ourselves on cooking with only the freshest ingredients, with as many as possible being locally sourced – some even from our own vegetable garden!

Choose delicious mouth-watering dishes from our seasonal a-la-carte menu which are complemented with a selection of fine South African wines found in our well-stocked wine cellar!

Our popular signature Apple Strudel and Pork Belly dishes remain as we have many return guests for these.

This together with our professional, personalised and friendly service, in a relaxed country atmosphere provide the perfect dining experience. We are a family-friendly restaurant with our smaller guests catered for with a dedicated kiddies menu and outdoor play area. For us, food is our passion and our overriding philosophy aligns with that of Virgina Wolf’s, ‘That one cannot think well, love well or sleep well if one has not dined well.’ This philosophy is carried through to the ‘fun dining experience’ of raclette and fondue that we offer guests, which is hosted in our private wine cellar.

bookings@blockman.co.za www.blockman.co.za Les Créatifs

Les Créatifs Restaurant is the first of its kind in South Africa where fine dining meets a world-class wine list, cocktails, visual art, outstanding décor, interior design and ceramic art in an exclusive dining space.

www.lescreatifs.co.za WESTERN CAPE Kloof Street House

At the foot of Cape Town’s vibrant Kloof Street, risen from a fairy-lit garden, lies a dining oasis. Set in a magnificent Victorian house, Kloof Street House is an experience as enigmatic as it is intimate. Our grand old dame is more than just a restaurant, it is a collection of interesting rooms and spaces, each bursting with a character of its own. The venue is everything for every occasion – live jazz over Sunday lunch, romantic candle lit dinners in our dining rooms or cocktails under the trees in our garden. Our delicious meals, cozy ambiance and friendly staff will make you feel right at home.

www.kloofstreethouse.co.za

The Greenhouse at the Cellars-Hohenor Guests may choose from three special locations – the main dining section, with stunning views of our historical garden with its Camphor trees; the ‘breakfast room’; and the terrace overlooking the garden. Executive Chef, Tronette Dippenaar has created a classic menu with a focus on firm favourites, including some of Liz McGrath’s personal recipes.

From traditional Cape Malay bobotie, Crispy Tempura Prawns, and Charred Springbok tataki, the menu has something for everyone, with a special lightness to dishes such as her signature Boland Cheese Soufflé with Cheesy Gin Sauce.

www.greenhouserestaurant.co.za

Les Créatifs

The Chef’s Ta ble

www.olivers.co.za

Orange Restaurant Orange is situated in a perfectly serene spot on the premises of Loerie’s Call Guest House in Nelspruit. The restaurant has received more than 12 awards for excellence and being overall outstanding. We have a breathtaking view of the city from a vantage point atop a hill. The city lights at night coupled with the warm atmosphere inside or the starlit outside tables makes for the ideal romantic setting.

www.eatatorange.co.za

KWA-ZULU NATAL Platinum Belt Restaurant & Lounge The Platinum belt restaurants offer an exclusive contemporary fine dining experience in the heart of Umhlanga, KZN. The restaurant takes on a modern style with a wide variety of cocktails and bar selections. Its atmosphere appeals to every kind of patron – single diners, couples, families, and business people, making it a great space for individuals to connect over a beautifully presented meal and drink.

www.instagram.com/platinumbelt_restaurant

Pont de Val Restaurant

Kloof Street House

Ginger, The Restaurant

The Chefs’ Table Restaurant The Chefs’ Table has earned its place as one of the more sophisticated dining experiences in Durban, while remaining contemporary and approachable. Beautifully designed, with luxurious detail The Chefs’ Table offers gracious hospitality, located in the heart of the Umhlanga village. Executive Head Chef Mathew Armbruster presents a modern, seasonal menu inspired by the best fresh, seasonal ingredients that Kwa-Zulu Natal has to offer. The open plan kitchen is at the heart of the restaurant, allowing diners to watch the chefs at work and feel the connection to the food and the beautifully plated dishes being prepared.

A world class wine cellar, stocked with unique, vintage wines from South Africa, as well as a selection of International wines, specifically French and New Zealand wines, rank among the noteworthy highlights of the restaurants wine programme, headed by manager of the programme, George Dzubinsky.

www.thechefstable.co.za EASTERN CAPE Ginger, The Restaurant

Ginger the Restaurant is situated right on the beachfront of Port Elizabeth. The friendly city atmosphere carries across into our restaurant, where good food, great service and a luxurious setting combine to create a memorable and gratifying dining experience.

www.ginger-restaurant.co.za

NORTHERN CAPE The Hussar Grill Kimberley The Hussar Grill first opened its legendary brass doors in 1964 and today, after over 55 years of excellence, it is regarded as one of South Africa’s premier grill rooms. Having garnered a loyal following over the years, they are known for their award-winning speciality steaks and wine selection, superb service and warm ambience.

www.hussargrill.co.za

Die Blou Nartjie Gastehuis en Restaurant A family friendly restaurant that stock the best of wines in South Africa. The restaurant boasts of the best lamb dishes in the world.

www.nartjie.co.za/restaurant NORTH WEST Silver Orange Bistro

Silver Orange Bistro is a unique restaurant set in Hartbeespoort on a lush green citrus orchard called Altyd Mooi which has been in the family since 1978. Over the years this farm has transformed into a perfect location to create something I have been passionate about from a young age and my passion and desire has led me to where the restaurant stands today. Silver Orange Bistro was established in 2004, with strong European influences and African flair, each dish is carefully created.

www.silverorangebistro.co.za/restaurant-home-2 Vista’s Restaurant at The Feather Hill

Muse Restaurant Muse prides itself on making everything they serve in house from pasta, sauces, bread and cakes. We strive to leave a green footprint as far as possible. Using local, seasonal and sustainable produce. Muse, which opened in November 2015 is owned and run by married couple Allan and Simone Bezuidenhout. Muse offers Nouvelle cuisine which means the aim is on serving the best and freshest ingredients available with emphasis on presentation.

www.muserestaurant.co.za

Vista’s at The Feather Hill, is a reference to the spectacular views of Potchefstroom that can be seen from the top of the hill.

The view from Vista’s restaurant is mirrored in its food – their chefs have created a menu that almost seems too beautiful to eat, yet is too delicious not to. With Vista’s, you can enjoy a well-planned dinner with carefully chosen ingredients that will blow you away. They change their menu seasonally to keep up with the latest trends and to use produce that is in season.

www.thefeatherhill.co.za/restaurant LIMPOPO Saskias Restaurant

FREE STATE De Oude Kraal Country De Oude Kraal restaurant is in the original farmhouse with four meter high ceilings and wooden floors built in 1885 by a German missionary named Saltzmann, and added to by Judge A.J. Smit (Marie’s grandfather). The separate dining rooms have open fireplaces and original antique furniture, some dating back to the early 1900’s. As you walk through the old house you get to admire Gerhard and Marie’s stunning art collection, collected over the years.

Five Course Gourmet Dinner - Served each evening.

Booking is essential. The five-course meal has become our principal meal for dinner at our Main House restaurant, where the daily menu variations include a diversity of the season’s best foods. Marie-Louise and her team’s philosophy is that food must be prepared and presented with love.

www.deoudekraal.com

Recline amid modern versions of traditional paintings by Rembrandt while indulging in the Executive chef’s fusions of traditional dishes with a contemporary twist. Every item on their menu is a work of exquisite culinary art and is spectacularly mouth-watering.Their extensive knowledge of food and wine pairing will astound even the most accomplished foodies and make for some interesting dinner conversation.

www.fusionboutiquehotel.co.za The Kitchen @ Khaya Ndlovu

Overlooking the magnificent Klein Drakensberg Mountains is an alfresco dining area, serviced daily from a farm-style kitchen. Their dining area comfortably seats up to 30 guests in a COVID compliant, fresh-air environment and all dietary requirements can be accommodated.

www.khayandlovu.co.za/restaurant

Pont De Val Restaurant A relaxed yet classy escape from the rush of city life with drinks lounges and dining areas enjoying spectacular views of the Vaal River.

www.pontdeval.co.za/restaurant Oliver’s Muse Restaurant

Left to right: Oliver’s, Muse Restaurant, The Orange, The Chef’s Table, Kloof Street House The Orange

The Chefs’ Table

Kloof Street House

A HILLTOP OASIS Four Seasons Hotel the Westcliff, an iconic hideaway in Johannesburg, offers a unique experience for the leisure and business traveller alike.

Nestled within eight acres of landscaped gardens and courtyards cascading down a hillside, our urban resort is an invitation to create your unfiltered Johannesburg story. www.fourseasons.com/johannesburg

CUISINE SCENE

Bountiful Food OF THE BALTICS Yasemen Kaner-White

Having travelled extensively throughout the Baltics which encompasses Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, it is clear emphasis is on local produce, freshness, seasonality and preserving.

Summer brings a bounty of berries for example cloudberry used in both sweet dishes and savoury such as a sauce with local venison, and punchy sea buckthorn often drunk as a tea. The berries are foraged and preserved in preparation for winter enabling locals to retain the vital vitamins needed for the long cold season. Winter welcomes hearty meals, heavy with meat, grains and potatoes to keep people fuelled and strong. Hunting is common from

wild boar to deer; I was even offered bear in a restaurant in Estonia – a first for me. Dining outside in beautiful natural surroundings is common whether by a lake or in a forest among birch trees, it’s always invigorating eating al fresco and the Baltics have so many stunning natural spots to sit and take it all in. As well as homely style cooking, the sheer array of high-end fine dining and innovative, beautifully presented plates of food using delectable natural indigenous produce, is very impressive and a joy to experience. Below is a breakdown of each country highlighting their famed dishes as well as favoured ingredients.

Valmiera Restaurant, Latvia Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

109

CUISINE SCENE

Smoked fish

110

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

CUISINE SCENE

LATVIA DRINKS

DISHES

Pure and healthy birch juice is made in spring, gathered from the birch trees’ sap, it is drunk fresh to detoxify the body.

The juice can also be fermented with various spices and made carbonated.

Grey peas with bacon, this is the national dish. Latvians love the ancient peas known as grey peas, in fact in 2015, Latvian large grey peas were entered into the register of protected geographical indications for national products of the EU. It is a hearty, wholesome dish, packed with protein from the meat and peas and found all over Latvia.

Soured milk beverages such as kefir and soured milk are drunk often for health and pleasure.

INGREDIENTS

Rye Bread, this very dark bread is the life and soul of Latvia’s cuisine. Made with dark rye and flavoured with caraway seeds it is often served with local hemp butter.

Hemp Butter, he seeds are ground up until they turn dark to which butter and salt can be added.

Smoked meat, to preserve longevity of the meat and also to add a rich flavour, most meat is smoked in Latvia. Served at buffets, in sandwiches, cooked with eggs, added to soups, or served with sauerkraut, root vegetables, peas or beans, smoked meat often features.

Another smoked delicacy is smoked fish, whether Baltic Sea sprat one of Latvia’s main exports, lamprey, bream, flounder or salmon.

As well as smoked, they dry fish too, for example perch and mackerel. Sometimes smoked fish is incorporated into meals or eaten as a snack alone.

Smoked meat

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

Potatoes, herring, cottage cheese, boiled potatoes with cottage cheese, lightly salted herring, soured cream, onions and greens is widely eaten as a light lunch.

SWEETS

Smoked fish Jams and preserves at a Christmas market

Sweet dumplings are popular in East Latvia in the region of Latgale; sweet cottage cheese pierogi which are made of yeast dough, baked, and then warmed up in melted butter or cream, locally known as ‘guļbešņīki’, ‘buļbu bļīni’ or ‘kļockas’.

Sweet bread soup is a combination of rye bread, dried apples, raisons, plums, cranberries and cinnamon, sweetened with sugar and served topped with whipped cream.

FOODIE FACT

Aglona Bread Museum

A longstanding belief by locals if that bread falls to the ground, they should blow on it to clean it and then kiss it!

FOOD MUSEUM TO VISIT

Aglona Bread Museum in Latgale is definitely worth a visit and I especially enjoyed tasting the tempting warm bread before joining in a traditional local dance with the hosts dressed in Latgalian costume.

The museum celebrates Latvia’s traditional rye bread and showcases hundreds of tools and other objects related to the processing of grain and baking bread, such as flails, baker’s peels, and kneading troughs.

Riga (the capital)Central Market

111

CUISINE SCENE

LITHUANIA DISHES

DRINK

Cepelinai is a very typical Lithuanian dish, heavy to eat but absolutely delicious, essentially a potato dumpling stuffed with meat, mushrooms or cheese curd. They say the best Cepelinai is in August, when the potatoes are fresh.

Mead is known as the oldest alcoholic beverage in the world. It is made with water and honey, as well as a touch of bee pollen, it is a fermented drink.

Šaltibarščiai is a cold pink coloured soup made with beetroot and kefir (fermented yogurt) and topped with fresh dill.

Kepta duona. Photo credit Andrius Aleksandravičius

Kasha refers to a ‘porridge’ which is savoury and made from grains such as buckwheat, and either milk or water.

It can be infused with local herbs and often served as a side dish, though some eat it as breakfast too.

Fried bread, or kepta duona, is dark rye bread that’s been fried, seasoned with garlic and salt, and served with a thick cheese sauce.

Šakotis. Copyright Rasa Linkaitė

Kibinai are pies made by the Kariate people, an ethnically Turkic group who have resided in Lithuania for centuries.

The pastry crust can have a variety of fillings from meat, vegetables, cheese curd to jam.

SWEET

Raguolis is a traditional Lithuanian cake which is a hollow ring covered in ‘spines’ created from dripping batter as the cake is turned around and around on a spitlike cooker.

FOOD MUSEUM

At the Beekeeping Museum you’ll find out why Lithuanian bees are the happiest in the world and why fresh cucumber and honey is considered the oldest Lithuanian dessert. At the museum’s display of beehives and beekeeping tools, discover how bees were protected from honey-loving bears, learn about ancient bee deities, and see the nectar-rich plants that are the primary source of honey.

You can also try different kinds of local honey, make your own beeswax candle, or enjoy a honey aromatherapy session.

Kugelis is a heavy ‘lasagna’ type meal with meat and is served with lingonberry jam, bacon, or sour cream.

Kugelis. Copyright Beatos virtuve

112

Beekeeping Museum. Credit Ričardas Anusauskas

Košė. Copyright Dovilė Jakštaitė

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

CUISINE SCENE

Lithuanian Cepelinai. Copyright Andrius Aleksandravičius

Mead. Copyright Andrius Aleksandravičius

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

Kibinai. Photo credit Kybynlar (Trakai)

Šaltibarščiai. Photo credit Nerijus Paluckas

113

CUISINE SCENE

Sprat Sandwich. Credit Aron Urb

ESTONIA INGREDIENT

SWEET

Nordic blueberries have a particularly intense, sweet flavour well suited for healthy desserts.

Kohuke are little cubes of cottage cheese covered in various flavours of chocolate.

Sprats are one of the favoured local fish and often eaten in a sandwich.

DRINK

The pretty pink dessert called mannavaht was often served in schools, as it was an easier way to make children eat porridge due to its captivating pink colour from cranberry juice which is added to sugar and semolina.

Kali is a kind of low-alcohol root beer which is very popular.

FOOD MUSEUM

Honey in Estonia is excellent, most likely because Estonia has a unique Nordic climate combined with pollen and nectar rich flora.

Berries_Karl Ander Adami

Honey cake is a deliciously multilayered cake infused with honey.

Unlike conventional wine, Estonian wines are made from berries, with blackcurrants being a common favourite. Estonian wine goes particularly well with desserts.

DISH

Visit the Estonian Dairy Museum and make delicious butter and enjoy it on a self-baked piece of traditional Estonian barley bread or learn to make soft Estonian cumin cheese instead. However, if you love sweets, you can also learn to make a glazed curd snack or ice cream.

Meat jelly – sült is prepared by boiling down animal bones, then to the broth chunks of meat and slices of vegetables are added, when left to cool completely it forms a jelly.

Rosolje or mixed beetroot salad, became a staple of Estonian cuisine whilst under USSR rule.

Estonian ground meat patties or hakklihakotlet are made from equal amounts of beef, pork, and sometimes veal with eggs, breadcrumbs, chopped onions, and some water, then formed into patties and fried.

Rye Bread. Credit Aron Urb

Credit Renee Altrov

114

Seabuckthorn juice

Beekeeping in the city on the roof of Tallinn University

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

CUISINE SCENE

THE

POWER Of Food Preservation and Fighting Food Waste Joe Bartlett

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

115

CUISINE SCENE

Simply put, to preserve food is to prevent waste and to prolong its use. Throughout history people have found numerous ways to give their food longevity, with some of the oldest methods including drying, salting, smoking, pickling and fermenting.

Refrigeration though thought of as modern, was possible in the olden days by means of a simple sack enclosing the food which would have been hung outside or kept in a cool cave or stream. There are accounts of ‘bog butter’ which are pats of butter found buried in bogs in Ireland from as long ago as the first century AD. The butter was found in wooden kegs and thought to have been in the bogs to preserve it, a natural refrigeration due to the peat bog having a low temperature, low oxygen and highly acidic environment which produces perfect preservative properties. In fact, if you wanted, you could eat the butter now, though it isn’t recommended! Another example of a foodstuff lasting centuries is honey; the natural process of bees making honey reduces its water content, so that nothing, not even yeast can survive long enough within it to go rancid.

As long as honey is kept in a sealed container, it can stay edible forever, which explains why honey that has been found in dry Egyptian tombs is deemed edible today. Modern times brought in freezers as well as better containers to prevent spoilage for example tin cans, vacuum packed foods and of course chemicals and pasteurisation.

It is very popular now with experimental home cooks and health enthusiasts, to practice the age-old preservation method of fermentation. Fermented food and drink breed bacteria that have a potential probiotic quality – in other

116

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

CUISINE SCENE

THREE TOP CHEF TIPS FOR USING YOUR LEFTOVERS BE CREATIVE

Sometimes you need to think outside the box, instead of plain old porridge, why not chop up that questionable apple in a pan, add cinnamon, nutmeg and maple syrup or honey, cook down into a quick ‘compote’ and top your porridge with that, sprinkle over some seeds such as pumpkin seeds and you have a highly nutritious breakfast from an apple you may have thrown away and a couple of cupboard ingredients.

ALWAYS HAVE CONDIMENTS IN THE LARDER

Chilli powder, apple cider vinegar and rice vinegar, flavoured oils, herbs, chipotle chilli flakes, soy sauce, ginger and Tobasco help you make a few leftover ingredients shine.

For example a couple of eggs, potato and maybe any leftover cheese, with the addition of any of the above seasonings will become a tasty light lunch, from one dimensional and boring to brilliant. A tin of tuna and lettuce leaves will be transformed into a tasty salad, with a flavoured oil, apple cider vinegar and chipotle chilli flakes.

COOK AND REFRESH

If you’ve got leftover green vegetables for example green beans, mangetout or broccoli which are about to go off, cook them, then put them in cold water to refresh them and they will last another three days in the fridge or you can freeze them and they will last a few months. You should never let lemons, fresh herbs or ginger go off either. Zest or slice the lemons and freeze, put the fresh herbs in plastic bags and freeze and with the ginger either grate or blend into a puree and freeze. To save room, make sure the bags and their contents are pressed flat before freezing.

words, healthy bacteria. These bacteria may help restore the balance of bacteria in your gut, support digestive health and get rid of any digestive problems. From sourdough to kimchi and Sauerkraut to drinks such as kefir and kombucha, the options are bountiful and with a little patience, easy to make.

Whilst people prefer perfectly formed fruit and veg, they are becoming aware that it doesn’t necessarily mean they will taste better. Companies are cashing in on this from spending less buying up ‘ugly’ misshapen produce such as wonky carrots and discoloured tomatoes and using them to create profitable products, a win-win. The company snaps up produce cheaper but also their CSR (corporate social responsibility) is great as they save and repurpose produce that may have otherwise been discarded. Food production businesses are also wising up to using their leftovers to make other resources, for example an increasing amount of food waste is being sent to be composted, so it’s put back into the soil or to anaerobic digestion facilities where it is broken down and converted into gases, creating a source of renewable energy.

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

117

CUISINE SCENE

SOME INITIATIVES AROUND THE WORLD TO PREVENT FOOD WASTAGE

’Too Good To Go’ is a social impact company driving a movement against food waste. Their app is the world’s largest B2C marketplace for surplus food. The app connects users with businesses that have surplus food, so that this food can be enjoyed instead of wasted. Users get delicious meals at a great price, businesses reach new customers and recover sunk costs, and the planet has less wasted food to deal with - it’s a win-win-win.

SILO restaurant in London, is a restaurant designed from back to front, always with the bin in mind. The production of waste has been eliminated by simply choosing to trade directly with farmers, using reusable delivery vessels and choosing local ingredients that themselves generate no waste. Any remaining scraps of food is then composted…

Closing the loop.

In January 2022 California enacted the largest mandatory residential food waste recycling programme in the US. Designed to dramatically cut down on organic waste in landfills and reduce the state’s methane emissions. *Peru is one of the top ten fruit exporters in the world, ‘Save Foods’ treatment drives down waste and prolongs freshness. Using its proprietary eco products, ‘Save Foods’ cuts waste by protecting fresh produce from decay and microbial contamination. In 2021 alone, ‘Save Foods’ prevented millions of fruits and vegetables from going to waste.

British school ‘The King’s School’ in Gloucester, is the first in the country to pioneer a brand new initiative to save waste food from landfill. With the guidance of environmental enterprise, ‘Surplus to Purpose’, in 26th of January 2022, all the school meals including snacks from the tuck shop and café were produced with food destined to go to waste; with the school saving 335 kilograms of food from landfill in just one day.

118

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

BOOKSHELF

YOUR

BOOKSHELF Klara and the Sun

by Kazuo Ishiguro This was by far my favourite novel of 2021.

The novel is categorised as Science Fiction but in a time when artificial intelligence is advancing at such an exponential rate, the idea of children having AI friends does not seem too far from our current reality. Ishiguro’s decision to tell the story through the eyes of Artificial Intelligence opens up a world of narrative opportunity. “People often felt the need to prepare a side of themselves to display to passers-by – as they might in a store window – and that such a display needn’t be taken so seriously once the moment had passed.”

More than anything, the novel explores what it means to be human from the perspective of a non-human, and leaves you looking at the world with new eyes.

Beloved

by Toni Morrison Morrison’s storytelling is ethereal, her control of narrative pace is excellent, and her dogged persistence in imbuing every page with just the right amount of each of the powerful overarching themes is admirable. The book explores the effects of both slavery and motherhood on the characters’ perceptions of their own individuality, as well as the impact of slavery and femininity upon the male characters’ perceptions of their individuality and masculinity. If that last sentence seems a bit roundabout and confused, it’s because that’s the way Morrison approaches these themes, and to amazing effect. I could not put it down from the moment I opened it. A “must read before you die” kind of novel.

Why We Sleep

by Dr Matthew Walker “Scientists have discovered a revolutionary new treatment that makes you live longer. It enhances your memory, makes you more attractive. It keeps you slim and lowers food cravings. It protects you from cancer and dementia. It wards off colds and flu. It lowers your risk of heart attacks and stroke, not to mention diabetes. You’ll even feel happier, less depressed, and less anxious. Are you interested?”

As deliberately tacky as this falsified American-style drug advert for sleep is, it pretty well captures the benefits of a good night’s sleep. Over 300-odd short pages, Matthew Walker outlines in terrifying detail the unbelievable breadth and depth of health conditions that are at best compounded, and at worst caused by missing out on your full 8 hours of sleep. Not only does Why We Sleep illuminate the myriad ways you’re slowly shortening your own life by skipping out on sleep, but he also provides a seriously interesting blueprint for individual, educational, organisational, governmental, and societal change when it comes to the global epidemic that is poor sleep.

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

Let me tell you what I mean

by Joan Didion “Let me tell you what I mean” is a collection of 12 essays written between the late 60s and the year 2000. Each essay will leave you wanting more. Joan was well ahead of her time and this book reminds us of this, a glimpse into the past through the eyes of a true visionary. With topics ranging from the personal life of Martha Stewert, the newspapers, and why Didion writes. This casual collection of essays is the perfect book to fill the gaps in our day to life, instead of reaching for your phone reach for a bite-size bit of insight.

I recommend this book not only as a final act of appreciation to Didion but as a favour to yourself.

119

BOOKSHELF

PODCAST REVIEWS Anthropocene Reviewed: Anthropocene Reviewed is a series by John Green in which he picks two anthropological topics per episode and reviews them on a 5-star scale.

Greens narrative style and broad general knowledge make for the perfect combination of educational entertainment. No single episode focus’s purely on the topic at hand and you always leave an episode feeling better for it.

I would recommend listening to the entire series but if you don’t see the chance, “Haleys comet and Cholera” is a powerful episode among many.

Specifically with “Hayleys comet and Cholera” I find that John Green pulls us out of ourselves and forces us to confront how limited and tiny our daily perspective really is. His creative decision to measure time in “Haley’s comet” cycles puts the precious brevity of a human lifetime into perspective and the decision to follow up with a review of the Cholera epidemic is profound.

Upstream: Imagine you’re standing by a river. Suddenly, you see a drowning person floating past. You jump in and pull them out. As you catch your breath, you notice that the river is filled with hundreds of drowning people, all calling for help. You pull as many people as you can from the water, but they keep coming. After a few minutes, you stop and think: “I need to head upstream to work out why these people keep falling in.”

Upstream takes an in-depth look at the root causes of social issues in our society and provides us with simple ways out. From the climate crisis to inflation, to the massive increase in mental health problems in the developed world, Upstream provides us with problems and solutions.

FILMS If you are wanting to relax but books and podcasts seem a bit out of reach for the time being, here’s a list of movies to help you unwind:

The French Dispatch - Wes Anderson (2021) Described by many as a “love letter to journalism” Anderson’s latest film is everything you’d expect, stellar cast, scintillating dialogue and sound design, and of course incredible attention to detail from costume design to cinematography.

The Dig - Simon Stone (2021) Starring Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes, Stone beautifully retells the story of amateur excavator/ archaeologist Basil Brown, hired to dig up the huge mounds on Edith Pretty’s property in Suffolk.

Don’t look up - Adam Mckay (2021) The film features a star-studded cast and was bound to catch our attention. McKay forces us to confront the severe reality of the unfolding climate crisis using his trademark sharp satire, and a metaphorical meteor. “Don’t Look Up” will force you to think hard, and will doubtlessly promote a change in the way we do things.

Petite Maman - Celine Scaimma (2021) Following the story of the ordinary life of an eight-year-old, spanning over a few weeks, Scaimma elaborates on the undertone of never quite feeling like an adult.

120

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

GLOBAL EVENTS

WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND THE WORLD: The happenings of 2020 are not fully behind us yet, but we have come a long way since the first announcement of restrictions was set in place due to covid 19.

If all continues to run smoothly life as we once knew it with all its gatherings and festivities will be back on track. Here are some events to look forward to in 2022.

CULTURAL 21 APRIL TILL OCTOBER Floriade Expo, the World’s Fair of horticultural shows The exhibition takes place once a decade, and the 2022 show will be the seventh one of its kind. Expect to be awe-inspired by an assortment of all things green from plants to new and innovative green technologies. Guests will be left feeling inspired by what they’ll get to see, smell and taste at this living laboratory.

23 APRIL TO 27 NOVEMBER The Venice Biennale The 59th edition of this art biennial is back after being delayed a year due to the pandemic. And due to this is jam-packed with artists bound to make you step back.

This year the Venice Biennale is being curated by Cecilia Alemani.

16 JUNE TO 19 JUNE Miami Art Basel The Art Basel is the leading global platform for connecting artists, galleries, and collectors. The American art Basel showcases works from established modern and contemporary artists, as well as emerging artists.

MIAMI ART BASEL 16 JUNE TO 19 JUNE

SPORT 21 NOVEMBER TO 18 DECEMBER FIFA World Cup The biggest football event in the world is happening in Qatar this year. Qatar has gone all out in its preparations as hosts this year, even building an entirely new city, Lusial, to host the final game.

If this sporting event is anything like its predecessors, we can expect entertainment beyond soccer matches, from big opening

THE VENICE BIENNALE 23 APRIL TO 27 NOVEMBER

ceremonies to celebratory finals, and high spirits throughout the host country for the duration of the World Cup.

7 AUGUST Omey Races After being canceled due to covid for the past two years it is said to return this year.

Races take place twice a day when the tide drops and a plane is exposed, Omey beach at Claddaghduff in Connemara is an idyllic race track.

FLORIADE EXPO 21 APRIL TILL OCTOBER

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

121

GLOBAL EVENTS

OKTOBERFEST 17 SEPTEMBER

ENTERTAINMENT

LA TOMATINA 31 AUGUST

31 AUGUST

27 JUNE Wimbledon Championships The Wimbledon Championships is said to be the oldest and most prestigious tennis event in the world. It’s an exciting time for players and spectators alike. Book your tickets soon and join in the fun with some strawberries and a glass of bubbles.

2 JUNE NBA Finals Undoubtedly the most anticipated basketball game of the American Basketball season and the last few years of NBA basketball have taught us never to assume we know anything going into the season. Whether you are sitting on the sidelines as an avid basketball fan or just joining in for some fun this is an experience that’s bound to evoke an adrenaline rush.

La Tomatina La Tomatina is a tomato throwing festival that dates back all the way to 1945 and takes place in Beñol, Spain. The festival was canceled due to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. But is set to return this year with a bang. Whether you want to be involved in the action and bathe in the gazpacho or stand on the sidelines this is an event worth catching a glimpse of.

17 SEPTEMBER Oktoberfest (Munich, Germany) Oktoberfest usually takes place over roughly 18 days in Munich, Germany.

Though celebrated internationally it is best to experience this folk festival in Munich with six million others that have decided to flock together for the festival which includes music, food, parades, and beer. Oktoberfest was another event canceled over the past 2 years and we’re sure it will be making its return this year with a bang.

BURNING MAN 28 AUGUST TO 5 SEPTEMBER

122

28 AUGUST TO 5 SEPTEMBER Burning Man Burning man takes place in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. People from all over the world come to build Black Rock City. The arts festival, spanning over 1 week, allows burners to leave all societal expectations behind them as they enter the gates. Money is left behind as well as participants make use of the barter system. Expect to see awe-inspiring sculptures be burnt to the ground in ceremonies to acknowledge that all things must perish to make way for the new and to practice non-attachment.

There’s a theme camp for every type of person. No one is too old or young to live in Black Rock City.

7 TO 12 NOVEMBER World Food Championships The largest competition in food sports.

Competitors of the highest caliber come from all over the world to flaunt their culinary skills in hopes of winning the ultimate acknowledgment in the food scene as well as a hefty cash prize.

“Nowhere in the culinary landscape is the spirit of culinary passion, product integration, and foodie engagement more alive than at the World Food Championships”.

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

HRH The Emir Zazzau

Look who’s reading Fifth Chukker...

São Paulo

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

123

Fifth Chukker magazine showcases the luxury lifestyle associated with the international polo set, providing a fantastic unique opportunity for brands to connect with this elite world.

124

Fifth Chukker Magazine | Issue 16

With an ever-growing distribution network reaching 5*hotels, global polo clubs, private jets and corporate lounges to name a few, the Fifth Chukker Magazine community reaches more than 500,000 readers.

For further information on how to promote your brand and become part of the Fifth Chukker story please contact us directly on info@fifthchukker.com

The Fifth Chukker Magazine reaches more than 500,000 readers and has a prominent and increasing online following via the Fifth Chukker Website, Facebook and Instagram pages.