King to open Janadriyah on Feb. 8

I went to this last year--it was a very enjoyable afternoon! But get there early in the day.  Cars were parked by the side of the road for miles before the entrance.

RIYADH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah will open the Janadriyah Festival on Feb. 8.

Abdulmohsen bin Abdulaziz Al-Tuwaijri, assistant deputy commander of the National Guard and deputy chairman of the festival's high organizing committee, confirmed in a press conference that South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will be the event’s guest of honor this year, which marks the 50th year of diplomatic relations between Seoul and Riyadh.

Al-Tuwaijri said the Janadriyah Festival has been a link among people and a vital bridge for ideas and exchange of experience. Janadriyah is not only about traditions and heritage but also about modernity. In previous festivals, there were many cultural and intellectual seminars that focused on important issues for the future. These seminars constituted a forum for different opinions.

According to Al-Tuwaijri, the festival has always been a Saudi expression of the national unity that Saudi society has been experiencing. It is also an expression of the intimate relations that connects the Kingdom with the Arab and Muslim worlds within the universal framework that all civilizations share.

Al-Tuwaijri stressed the Janadriyah Festival has maintained the heritage and traditions of society while it is also open to other cultures and human civilizations.

The festival includes traditional activities, camel races, arts and crafts exhibits, and folk dances as well as poetry readings.

Al-Tuwaijri pointed out the 27th festival would mix men’s activities with those of women as long as all are committed to traditions and laws. The concert this year is composed by Saudi women poets the late Mastora Al-Ahmedi and Najla Al-Muhiya. As far as cultural and intellectual seminars are concerned, these events draw people’s interest and attention because of the valuable topics that they address. As time went by, these seminars have managed to instill values such as accepting others’ ideas, opinions and positive criticism. Al-Tuwaijri said the attendance of a great number of intellectuals and thinkers is terrific for exchanging ideas.

Seminars for this year will touch on the most important contemporary issues that are relevant to the region in a positive spirit. Also, seminars will deal with current affairs. The main seminar will be about the vision of King Abdullah for administrative reforms and fighting corruption. There will be another seminar on Saudi-Korean relations, and another on the Arabs and regional powers.

Al-Tuwaijri mentioned some 199 seminars were held between 1405H and 1433H in addition to 166 lectures on various topics. Also some literary meetings took place in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al-Ahsa. The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities participated in these events as well.

This year, the festival will honor a number of intellectuals and thinkers from both genders. They include Saudi poet Ibrahim Khafaji, a poet with presence at Gulf and Arab levels. Al-Tuwaijri said 16 personalities from Saudi Arabia would be honored. There would be participation from different selected regions.

Al-Tuwaijri said handicrafts from Gulf Cooperation Council nations would be displayed. There will also be a children’s theater featuring six plays during the festival.

There will be a special wing for visual arts featuring 27 exhibitions. The festival has enriched the Saudi library with 300 titles.

Responding to an Arab News question about reaching the rest of the world and the value of cultural relations over the last 27 years, Al-Tuwaijri said these kinds of relations constitute a qualitative asset for the Kingdom. Janadriyah is open to all with no exception. He called on all to look at Saudi Arabia from within. He said many Muslim, Arab, and foreign intellectuals have changed their impressions of Saudi Arabia when they had the chance to interact with Saudi intellectuals, thinkers, writers, and leaders.

In the press conference, officials from the Ministry of Culture and Information said the festival this year would be transmitted live and that there would be three TV channels dedicated to the event.

Al-Tuwaijri said cultural seminars would focus on the region this year. They will analyze events in the area to form perspectives. He added there were some who reconsidered their perspective over what has been going on in the region by checking the outcomes of such events.

He emphasized Arab intellectuals are aware of what is happening. The issue is not one of emotions but stability and respect of people without resorting to violence. This is part of the Kingdom’s political discourse and that holding the festival and its continuity under these conditions is nothing but an assertion that the Saudis are believers in their unity and that they work accordingly.