JEDDAH, 4 July 2004 — Among the trickle of mostly low-profile summer activities in Jeddah, one at the new Sultan Mall on Prince Sultan Street in northern Jeddah stands out. The oddly named “Childhood Gathering” opened recently under the auspices of Princess Sara Al-Anqari, the wife of Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed.
It aims to bring together children from the Gulf states and display their creative work. Among the participants is the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States. The head of the Qatari group, Amani Al-Dosari, stressed the importance of art in education. “Drawing is an international language, and education nowadays is not just dictating information,” Al-Dosari said.
The highlight is an exhibition of children’s drawings from all over the Gulf. Over 100 works by children from the Gulf countries reflected the region’s environment, focusing on motifs like the sea, the desert, palm trees, mosques, camel and horse racing, diving, and many others.
The show is open to the public for a month on the second floor of the mall, and visitors will get the chance to vote for the best picture. The winner will be announced at the end of the event.
On opening night, there was a video presentation from the Disabled Children’s Association showing centers for disabled children around the Kingdom and their achievements. Other participants included orphans from the First Women Society in Jeddah, who presented a song and dance show.
Despite low turnout on opening night, the organizers are hoping for greater interest as word spreads.
The event will run until July 29. The daily program is from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. and features a commercial fair selling books, CDs and other items in addition to the drawing exhibition.
Also, the organizers have prepared games and competitions for the children throughout the week. On weekends visitors can have fun with clowns.
For mothers there are educational lectures every day except weekends, when there will be open discussions.
