JEDDAH, 22 April 2007 — An atmosphere of optimism prevailed at the Jeddah House of Photography when two Saudi camera buffs became heads of the group, which is part of the governmental Arts and Culture Society.
The men selected to lead the group had broken away from the organization in 2002, criticizing what they considered to be a stagnating institution which was stifling creative energy.
Saud Mahjoub became president of the organization while Abdul Aziz Ayash became vice president.
Some 40 local photographers attended a meeting last week where the new leadership was announced, and some were so optimistic that they donated funds to the group.
“It was refreshing to meet around 40 photographers from different age groups,” said Ayash. “Such huge attendance hasn’t happened here for many years.”
Mahjoub and Ayash had broken away from the Jeddah House of Photography five years ago to form their own private arts group, the Jeddah Photographer’s Group.
In an interview with Arab News in 2005 the two men blasted the official organization for being more interested in regulations and restrictions than in promoting the art form.
At the time, officials at the Jeddah House of Photography considered the breakaway move the equivalent of an artistic coup d’etat, and suspended the membership of these two men in the organization. But whatever ill will was created by the group seemed all past during the meeting last week. Photographer Khaled Khidr said that he is donating SR5,000 for the house, located in Old Jeddah.
Another member of the house, Riyadh resident Abdul Latif Al-Obeida, announced his SR1,000 donation. Such donations are small but crucial because the house suffers a funding shortage. Newly appointed president of the Saudi Arts and Culture Society Yousif Al-Othimin has made promises but nothing has actually been announced officially.
In their first official step the new officebearers called a meeting to hear from the photographers first hand ways to develop and improve the house’s ability to nurture the photography scene in Jeddah.
Mohammad Al-Malki from the photography department at Jeddah Training and Vocational Institute proposed that an appropriate place be provided at the institute to teach an accredited certificate course in photography.
“Such a thing could be the foundation for establishing an institute of photography, which would be the first in the Kingdom,” said Ayash.
It is unclear what will happen to the private Jeddah Photographer’s Group now that its two rabble-rousing founders have returned to the House of Photography as its leaders.
