2nd Saudi Design Festival takes in 35 locations around Riyadh

HRH Princess Nourah AlFaisal on stage the Design Forum highlighting the work of her company Adhlal at the opening night of Saudi Design Festival. (AN Photo by Huda Bashatah)
HRH Princess Nourah AlFaisal on stage the Design Forum highlighting the work of her company Adhlal at the opening night of Saudi Design Festival. (AN Photo by Huda Bashatah)
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Updated 13 January 2023
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2nd Saudi Design Festival takes in 35 locations around Riyadh

2nd Saudi Design Festival takes in 35 locations around Riyadh
  • 13 regions of Kingdom honored at event celebrating sector’s trailblazing work

RIYADH: The second edition of the Saudi Design Festival has opened in Riyadh showcasing the sector’s trailblazing work throughout the Kingdom.

Based at The City Hub until Jan. 23, the event will feature panel discussions, workshops, exhibitions, and mentorship sessions in collaboration with the Saudi Architecture and Design Commission.

The festival will take in 35 locations around the city including Oud Square, The Boulevard Riyadh, galleries, and three design destinations.




AlMashtal Creative Incubator showcased its curatorial partnership with Saudi Design Festival to bring its latest initiative "Brand Your Neighborhood," a design challenge aiming to innovate three of Saudi's main cities. (AN photo by Huda Bashatah)

Basma Bouzo, the festival’s director and co-founder and chief executive officer of consultancy firm &bouqu, said: “We are celebrating the collective design discoveries and journeys of local and regional visionaries, industry leaders, trailblazers, and the raw and undiscovered.

“Riyadh is our base for the festival, but in it we will honor all 13 regions of the Kingdom.”

We told the team to stop looking at benchmarking across countries. We’re going to create our own rules, we’re going to create our own structure.

Basma Bouzo, Festival director and co-founder and chief executive officer of &bouqu

A design forum running on Jan. 13 and 14 will see local and international experts discuss a range of issues relevant to the design industry such as the effects of urban landscapes on everyday living, exporting culture through design, and building for the future.




The festival will see an intensive agenda of activities at its Design Forum from Jan. 13-14, featuring the voices of leading local and international experts and specialists in the field to discuss prominent and current issues within the design industry. These include the effects of urban landscapes on everyday living, exporting culture through design, and building the future. (AN photo by Huda Bashatah)

The workshop will provide an opportunity for community members to explore sustainable design, creative entrepreneurship, and the power of typography in graphic design and communication.

The City Hub, which has hosted other major events including the Fashion Commission’s annual Fashion Futures gathering, and Misk’s Entrepreneurship Day, is itself an example of the fluidity of design.

Bouzo noted that the coronavirus pandemic had reshaped the global approach to organizing festivals and events in terms of their impact on the cities and communities where they were held.




The festival aims to not only highlight and celebrate the borderless capabilities of local and regional designers in all sectors, but also directly create a positive impact on the design economy within the Kingdom and place it on a global stage. (AN photo by Huda Bashatah)

“We really need to start celebrating communities where they exist, and where the designers can actually start seeing them instead of congregating them in one place.

“I think it definitely helps make it more accessible because we want to expand our pool of target audiences; we want the general person who doesn’t think that design impacts them to actually feel what design is like,” Bouzo added.

A virtual program of sessions will also be run along with the activation of 22 initiatives by the Architecture and Design Commission, including the King Salman Charter for Architecture and Urbanism.




The annual Saudi Design Festival (SDF) kicked off its second edition on Thursday with a colorful lineup of discussions, workshops, exhibitions, and mentorship sessions in collaboration with the Saudi Architecture and Design Commission at The City Hub in Riyadh. (AN photo by Huda Bashatah)

The commission’s Designathon program, that will take place from Feb. 2 to 4, will bring together 500 designers and specialists to solve key issues facing the design industry including social impact, health, luxury, and sustainability.

And the festival has seen the launch of a seat design competition, aimed at highlighting industrial design and its function as more than just a piece of furniture.

“Our community will continue to redefine design now, and in the future,” Bouzo said.

Formerly known as Saudi Design Week, the festival has expanded and adapted to the integration of innovative design in everyday life, the exploration of new liveable lifestyle options in the Kingdom, and the growth of the sector worldwide.

“We told the team to stop looking at benchmarking across countries. We’re going to create our own rules, we’re going to create our own structure. What works for Saudi will not work for London, it will not work for Paris. We are our own entity and will break the mold and make waves,” Bouzo added.

Organizers anticipate that next year’s festival will take in up to 70 locations around Riyadh.

 


Saudi crown prince receives written message from Chad president

Saudi crown prince receives written message from Chad president
Updated 7 sec ago
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Saudi crown prince receives written message from Chad president

Saudi crown prince receives written message from Chad president
  • Message related to bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to expand them in various fields.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a written message from Chad’s President Mahamat Idriss Deby relating to bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to expand them in various fields.
The message was received by Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji during his meeting with Chadian Ambassador to the Kingdom Hassan Saleh Algadam Aldjinedi on Thursday in Riyadh.
The two officials reviewed aspects of bilateral relations as well as issues of mutual interest, Saudi Press Agency reported.


World Expo 2030 host country to be elected Nov. 28

World Expo 2030 host country to be elected Nov. 28
Updated 2 min 42 sec ago
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World Expo 2030 host country to be elected Nov. 28

World Expo 2030 host country to be elected Nov. 28
  • Saudi Arabia’s candidature is for a World Expo in the city of Riyadh between Oct. 1, 2030 and Mar. 31, 2031 under the theme ‘The Era of Change: Together for a Foresighted Tomorrow’
  • Host country will be elected by Member States of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) during the Organization’s 173rd General Assembly Nov. 28

PARIS: Three countries are in the running to host World Expo 2030: the Republic of Korea (in Busan), Italy (in Rome) and Saudi Arabia (in Riyadh).

The host country will be elected by Member States of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) during the Organization’s 173rd General Assembly, taking place on 28 November.

• Saudi Arabia’s candidature is for a World Expo in the city of Riyadh between 1 October 2030 and 31 March 2031 under the theme “The Era of Change: Together for a Foresighted Tomorrow.”

• The Republic of Korea’s candidature is for a World Expo in the city of Busan between 1 May and 31 October 2030 under the theme “Transforming Our World, Navigating Toward a Better Future.”

• Italy’s candidature is for a World Expo in the city of Rome between 1 May and 31 October 2030 under the theme “People and Territories: Regeneration, Inclusion and Innovation.”

During the 173rd General Assembly on 28 November, following Expo progress reports, each of the three candidates will make final presentations of their Expo projects.

Eligible and present Member States of the BIE, represented by government-appointed delegates, will then vote for the World Expo 2030 host country by secret ballot using electronic voting. Each Member State has one vote.

BIE rules stipulate that in the case of more than two candidates, a candidate must gather two-third of votes cast to be elected outright.

With three countries in the running to host World Expo 2030, if no candidate gathers two-third of votes cast in the first round, the third-place candidate is eliminated and the two remaining candidates will immediately move into a second round. The host country of World Expo 2030 will then be elected by a simple majority.

World Expos, officially known as International Registered Exhibitions, are global gatherings of nations addressing universal challenges of our time. These unparalleled global events offer a journey inside a chosen theme through engaging and immersive activities.

Taking place every five years and lasting up to six months, World Expos welcome tens of millions of visitors, allow countries to build extraordinary pavilions, and transform the host city for years to come.

The most recent World Expo, Expo 2020 Dubai, took place under the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future,” and received over 24 million visits.

The next World Expo, Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai, will take place between 13 April and 13 October 2025, under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.”

For more information on the candidature process.


Lebanese beauty queens in Riyadh speak about unique nature of Arab beauty

Lebanese beauty queens Maya Aboul Hosn and Yasmina Zaytoun are pictured in Riyadh. (AN photo)
Lebanese beauty queens Maya Aboul Hosn and Yasmina Zaytoun are pictured in Riyadh. (AN photo)
Updated 15 min 59 sec ago
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Lebanese beauty queens in Riyadh speak about unique nature of Arab beauty

Lebanese beauty queens Maya Aboul Hosn and Yasmina Zaytoun are pictured in Riyadh. (AN photo)
  • Aboul Hosn will represent Lebanon at Miss Universe in El Salvador in November, competing with over 130 countries for the prestigious pageant title
  • “Because Arab women are the mix of everything: of being strong, being independent, being beautiful, being smart”: Zaytoun

RIYADH: Lebanese beauty queens Maya Aboul Hosn and Yasmina Zaytoun made a surprise visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday as guests at the “Arabian Roots and Routes” event hosted by the Lebanese Embassy in Riyadh.

Aboul Hosn shared with Arab News her first impressions while visiting Riyadh, this year’s host for World Tourism Day, for the first time.

She said: “I love this place. The thing I most love here are the people. They’re very welcoming and very helpful.”

Zaytoun returned only months after she attended the Forbes Middle East Women’s Summit in May, chaired by Princess Noura bint Faisal Al-Saud.

Zaytoun said: “In the past year I’ve visited so many cities and I fell in love with so many places, but it’s rare to find a city where there is a view of the future and culture at the same time.

“And Riyadh has the culture, the history, the future all at the same time.”

The women were spotted during Tuesday’s event, and Lebanese pride was in their eyes as they heard diplomats and ministers give speeches that focused on Lebanon’s natural, cultural, and historical treasures.

Zaytoun and Aboul Hosn became symbols of Lebanese beauty in the 2022 Miss Lebanon beauty pageant — the first to take place since 2018.

The crown of Miss Lebanon 2022 was given to Zaytoun with Aboul Hosn the first runner-up.

Aboul Hosn will represent Lebanon at Miss Universe in El Salvador in November, competing with over 130 countries for the prestigious pageant title.

Zaytoun took part in the 2022 edition of Miss Universe and will go on to compete in India, this time at Miss World, in December.

“Arab beauty, I can say, (is) fierce, strong and very ambitious,” Aboul Hosn said.

Zaytoun added: “What I would do is raise my voice more and more to show them who we really are, how strong we are, how ambitious we are.

“Because Arab women are the mix of everything: of being strong, being independent, being beautiful, being smart. And I really want to show this to the world.”

In the world of beauty pageants, Miss Universe and Miss World are the most iconic.

Aboul Hosn said: “I would advise them (models) to dream big. Embrace your uniqueness. And the most important thing is to break barriers and to create a world where there’s equality and everyone can achieve their dreams.

“I need to tell all the women in the world or the teenagers in the world that they are beautiful just the way they are.

“Just the way you look, with your imperfections in your face, in your body. Just love yourself just the way you are. And don’t let anyone change you.”

The beauty queens are from small towns and the odds were stacked against them rising to the top of their profession.

Aboul Hosn, 25, hails from the small village of Btekhnay in Mount Lebanon while Zaytoun, 21, comes from Kfarchouba in the southern region of the country.

Zaytoun is currently studying journalism while Aboul Hosn is a host of LBCI’s daily show “Morning Talk.”

Optimism in creating a bright future is synonymous with being Lebanese, the women said.

“Lebanon is a place where people are struggling, but they still find hope. They are fighting, but they’re still smiling and being happy,” said Zaytoun.

“The word resilience is the definition of being Lebanese.”

Aboul Hosn said: “Since I was a child I’ve had a very supportive family who always helped me to reach my goals, reach my dreams, and never prevented me from achieving my dreams.”

From Beirut to Riyadh, Aboul Hosn and Zaytoun are joining hands with Saudi women to showcase to the world a new Middle East — a region bursting with ambition, inspiration, and creativity.


Shoura Council glimpses the future at Uruguay forum

Shoura Council glimpses the future at Uruguay forum
Updated 41 min 36 sec ago
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Shoura Council glimpses the future at Uruguay forum

Shoura Council glimpses the future at Uruguay forum
  • The forum aims to further the use of future data and analysis in parliamentary decision making
  • It also seeks to strengthen dialogue and cooperation between parliaments around the world

RIYADH: A delegation from the Saudi Shoura Council took part in the Second World Summit of the Committees of the Future held in Montevideo, Uruguay.
The delegation included council members Ibrahim Al-Nahas, Abdullah Al-Tawi and Latifa bint Mohammad Al-Abdulkarim.
Parliamentary representatives from around the world joined experts, and representatives of international organizations and civil society groups at the summit.
The forum aims to further the use of future data and analysis in parliamentary decision making, encouraging parliaments to develop capabilities in the field of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.
It also seeks to strengthen dialogue and cooperation between parliaments around the world on possible future issues.
The summit discussed artificial intelligence, the challenges facing global governance, and sustainable development amid climate change and other global issues.
A series of public plenary sessions, seminars and workshops focused on AI and emerging technologies, and support for the implementation of the sustainable development goals.


Radio Rahim, the voice of modern-day boxing

Radio Rahim, the voice of modern-day boxing
Updated 28 September 2023
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Radio Rahim, the voice of modern-day boxing

Radio Rahim, the voice of modern-day boxing

RIYADH: Radio Rahim, known as the voice of record in modern-day boxing, is a critically acclaimed sports journalist and ringside reporter from the US who is also widely recognized in Saudi Arabia.

He has attended many boxing events in the Kingdom, reporting on some big international fights. His debut was the 2019 contest between Andy Ruiz and Anthony Joshua. He also covered the Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury fight and is set to cover the upcoming match between Tyson Fury and Francs Ngannou, which is scheduled for Oct. 28 in Riyadh.

“When I first came to the Kingdom … the thing that struck me first and foremost was how excited the fans and the citizenry were to have something like that in their backyard. Kids from 7 to 70 … were so thrilled to see superstars in the Kingdom, to see these big events on the big stages, the lights and the cameras,” Rahim said on “The Mayman Show.”

The Saudi events had inspired and fueled him, he said.

“The enthusiasm from the people is unmatched, like they’re enjoying the show, they’re enjoying the visitors … So that kind of energy and excitement and positivity all week long, not just on fight night, is something that when I return, I look forward to experiencing over and over again.”

Rahim said he had seen great progress in the development of all sports, not just boxing, in the Kingdom.

“Saudi is able to bring in other sports, the top of the line, the top competition, to the Kingdom. And on a consistent basis, we’re going to see the best of everything.”

 

 

Local people were seeing “the best of the best all the time, and I want to go over there and get some of that myself,” he said.

“Their trademark is that even the fights that can’t get made around the world, the fights that we’ve been waiting for … Saudi is able to make it happen.”

Rahim also praised the Saudi hospitality and highlighted the country’s great traditions, food, family and friendship bonds and desert activities. He even referenced his favorite restaurant: Smokey Beards in Riyadh.

“The one thing that I can always count on is hospitality from the very common man, from everybody who is there working and the people, who are just walking the streets on their own time in their own lives,” he said.

Rahim is also well known in the world of podcasts and recently launched a new season of his “Til This Day” show. In it he explores the lives of famous people, who talk about their vulnerabilities and discuss the hurdles they have had to overcome to get to where they are now.

 

 

The podcast was born during the COVID-19 pandemic and gave Rahim the opportunity to engage with the people he would typically encounter inside the ring in a different way. The weekly podcast is available on all the usual platforms and YouTube.

“I come honest, I come real,” he said. “I do what it is that I believe is organic … which comes from the spirit, comes from the heart. And I approach every interview that way and I respect the person I’m talking to, but also the situation that they’re in.”

Rahim knew from an early age that he had a passion for radio and boxing.

“I would call … radio stations and talk to the DJ just because I got an opportunity to hear my voice over the stereo,” he said.

Later, he realized how much potential there was in the sector.

“There was a passion. I had to do something that wasn’t being done, which was cover the sport of boxing, create video content out of the environment.”

That initial drive led to him covering boxing on a show called “Gym Wars,” co-hosted with the current editor-in-chief of Ring magazine, Doug Fischer.

Throughout Rahim’s career, Michael Buffer, an American announcer for combat sports, has been a source of inspiration.

“When I saw how he pursued his career and carved out that niche for himself, I thought I would follow suit, follow those footsteps and do the same,” he said.