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Qatari visual artist Hessa Kalla represented Qatar at the second edition of the Jamssa International Fine Arts Forum, held in the coastal city of Jamssa in Egypt’s Dakahlia Governorate, from July 25-29.Held under the theme A Tribute to the Sea, Colour and Light, the forum is considered the first visual arts gathering of its kind in the Nile Delta and Mediterranean coast, seeking to establish Jamssa as a cultural platform bringing together artists and creative talents from across the region and beyond.The five-day event was hosted at the Police Officers Club in Jamssa under the patronage of Dakahlia governor Major-General Tarek Marzouk, and was headed by visual arts critic Dr Khaled al-Baghdadi, with artist Iman Abu al-Gheit, president of Awan Foundation for Culture and Arts, serving as general co-ordinator.The forum attracted broad Arab and international participation, including a notable presence from Qatar by artists Mohammed al-Atiq and Kalla, alongside artists representing Egypt, the Gulf, the wider Arab world and other countries.Kalla was honoured during the event by Dakahlia Governor Marzouk in the presence of Jamssa City head Dr Amr Abdelaty, Dr al-Baghdadi and Abu al-Gheit.Speaking to reporters, Kalla expressed pride in representing Qatar at an international gathering that brings together artists from diverse cultural and artistic backgrounds. “I feel immense pride in representing Qatar at this international forum, which brings together artists from diverse cultures and creative experiences under the umbrella of art and creativity,” she said.She said that the participation offered an opportunity to showcase her artistic experience while discovering new visions and approaches that could enrich her creative practice.“Art is a universal language capable of crossing geographical and cultural borders,” Kalla said. “Such forums underscore the importance of visual dialogue among artists and allow us to exchange experiences and ideas in an atmosphere of creativity and collaboration.”She highlighted the role of art in reflecting Qatar’s cultural identity, noting that her work draws inspiration from the country’s environment, heritage and human traditions.Kalla began her artistic journey in 1980 with the Free Atelier, gradually developing from realism towards an expressive abstract style rooted in national identity.She is a member of the Souq Waqif Art Centre and the Qatari Fine Arts Society, and has participated in numerous local and international exhibitions.Commenting on the forum’s theme, Kalla described the sea as a powerful source of inspiration because of its historical and cultural symbolism, while colour and light remain fundamental elements in shaping the visual language of an artwork.Her recognition at the Jamssa forum adds to a career marked by artistic participation and honours in Qatar, the Arab world and internationally.

Late-season flooding hits villages in Egypt's Nile DeltaEgypt blames Ethiopia's 'reckless unilateral' management of its grand damEthiopia rejects charge, says regulated water releases reduced impactIOM says about 1,200 Sudanese families displacedRising Nile waters inundated homes and fields in northern Egypt over the weekend, forcing residents to move by boat and intensifying a war of words between Cairo and Addis Ababa over whether Ethiopia's giant Nile dam has worsened seasonal floods.In the Nile Delta village of Dalhamo, in Menoufia Governorate, some 50 km northwest of Cairo, men paddled wooden boats through narrow lanes where water lapped at the walls of their homes."We lost everything," said fisherman Saied Gameel, standing knee-deep in his flooded house. "The water level is extremely high, much higher this year ... before it would rise for two days and then recede."The Nile has long been affected by seasonal flooding due to monsoon rainfall in the Ethiopian Highlands that usually peaks in July and August. But this year a late-season surge has pushed north from Ethiopia, through Sudan, and into Egypt.In Sudan, the UN migration agency said floods in Bahri, Khartoum state, displaced about 1,200 families last week and destroyed homes, compounding an 18-month war that has crippled the country's response.Egypt's Water Resources and Irrigation Ministry has accused Ethiopia of "reckless unilateral" operation of its Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, saying sharp, unannounced swings in water releases after the dam's September 9 inauguration helped trigger a "man-made, late flood".It said, in a statement on October 3, that discharges jumped to about 485 million cubic metres on September 10 and as high as 780 million on September 27 before easing, straining Sudan's Roseires Dam and pushing excess water through to Egypt.Ethiopia, which sees the $5 billion dam as central to its development, rejected Cairo's claims, describing Egypt's statement as "malicious and riddled with numerous baseless claims".In a statement on October 4, its Water and Energy Ministry said regulated releases from the Blue Nile project had reduced flood impacts and that without it heavy rain "would have caused historic destruction in Sudan and Egypt".Ethiopia inaugurated the dam on September 9, with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed saying it was built "to prosper, to electrify the entire region, and to change the history of black people", insisting it was "not to harm its brothers".The dam is designed to generate 5,150 megawatts of power and hold up to 74 billion cubic metres of water in its lake.Cairo bitterly opposed the dam from the start, arguing that it violated water treaties dating back to the early part of the last century and poses an existential threat.Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said in a press conference on October 2 that authorities had anticipated higher-than-normal flows this month and warned that low-lying tracts in Menoufia and neighbouring Beheira, long encroached by informal building and farming on the river's floodplain, were at risk.Health teams were deployed to flooded areas over the weekend.Back in Dalhamo, Gameel said residents were still waiting for help."People were warned before the water rose, but there's nowhere else for anyone," he said. "When the water rises, everyone ends up staying on top of their houses."