Under the slogan "where creativity is nurtured", a bazaar was held last week at the home of Dalal Al-Fadul to encourage and support talented young Saudi women.
'Yalla Banat' Bazaar was organized by Saudiyat, a group of young volunteers whose goal is to present a positive image of Saudi women by highlighting their achievements and organize events, seminars and workshops that increase their self-confidence and improve their skills. "Saudiyat is the first project focusing on young Saudi women aged 15 to 35. The bazaar wants to give exposure to the work of distinguished Saudi women and help them find a market for their products and overcome the obstacles they face in their career," said Amal Al-Jibreen, one of the founding members of Saudiyat. The bazaar included fashions, perfumes, graphic design and photography and handcrafts as well as lectures on social and medical issues. Most of the participants in the bazaar created their products at home and depended on word-of-mouth to sell them.
"I taught myself and began doing things for family and friends. When I saw that they liked them I decided to expand. This is a good opportunity for me to show my work to many people," said Duaa Hariri, who was showcasing her embroidered tablecloths. Others were displaying jewelry, handbags and fashion designs. Danya Al-Saadi showed her collection of custom-designed portraits, picture bags and her specialty, 'shummagh' bags. "I studied this art in London and I began a year ago at home."
Few institutions offer art diplomas or training in Saudi Arabia, which can be a great opportunity for Saudi women not only to develop their own creative abilities but also to develop their business sense and invest in their talent.
Other displays were by Lubna Jamjoom, an interior designer specializing in three-dimensional design, and Dalal Fakeih a graphic designer. These too are relatively new fields for Saudi women, but their designs exhibit a high level of quality and creativity. The photography exhibition was a collection of black and white photographs by students at Dar Al-Hekma College, the first batch of students to take the new photography class being offered at the college. "We might expand the photography curriculum to make it a certified diploma if there is enough interest in it," said Rania Razek, the instructor. Photography is one of the less nurtured talents in Saudi women but there are a few who managed to prove themselves in the field, including Susan Baaghil who has 23 years of experience as a professional photographer working out of her two studios in Jeddah and was displaying some of her work in the Bazaar.
Many of the attendants were impressed by the jewelry work of Noorah Ismail with its mix of traditional Bedouin and modern designs. Others sat for makeup applied by Saudi makeup artists.
It took the organizers six weeks to put the bazaar together through volunteer work and the sponsorship and the support of some institutions.
"We wanted to test the community with the concept of volunteering and we are amazed at the performance of everyone," Al-Jibreen said. "We had lots of difficulties convincing people of the idea because of the age of the volunteers. Not many trusted the youth to be responsible, but we had the encouragement of Prince Abdul Majeed, the governor of the Makkah region, who is targeting this age group in his employment project. Eventually, people believed in us and supported us financially and morally," she said.
The event proved to be a success. In the first few hours of, more than 500 women had arrived, exceeding all expectations. "We will do the bazaar again, maybe annually. We want to gather the information and feedback on this bazaar first and then decide on the next step - whether it will be a new project or the same with different content, but there will definitely be a call for similar projects," Al-Jibreen said.
— Arab News Review 13 November 2003