Arifa Akbar joined The Independent as a reporter in October 2001, covering news ranging from the London bombings to the Pakistan earthquake and went looking for the "real life borat" in Kazakhstan. She has been the paper's arts correspondent since April 2007. Recent articles include "A Masterclass with Martin Scorsese" and "Gandhi or Gary? Why Leicester can't decide who should sit on plinth". For State of the Arts, Arifa writes about film, visual arts, books, heritage and funding.

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