An artistic journey to the heart of Riyadh — a mix of story, image and melodies

Special An artistic journey to the heart of Riyadh — a mix of story, image and melodies
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Franco-Lebanese artist Zeina Abi Rached presented her celebrated novel, Le Piano Oriental, as part of Riyadh Music Week. (Supplied)
Special An artistic journey to the heart of Riyadh — a mix of story, image and melodies
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Franco-Lebanese artist Zeina Abi Rached presented her celebrated novel, Le Piano Oriental, as part of Riyadh Music Week. (Supplied)
Special An artistic journey to the heart of Riyadh — a mix of story, image and melodies
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Franco-Lebanese artist Zeina Abi Rached presented her celebrated novel, Le Piano Oriental, as part of Riyadh Music Week. (Supplied)
Special An artistic journey to the heart of Riyadh — a mix of story, image and melodies
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Franco-Lebanese artist Zeina Abi Rached presented her celebrated novel, Le Piano Oriental, as part of Riyadh Music Week. (Supplied)
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Updated 12 December 2024
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An artistic journey to the heart of Riyadh — a mix of story, image and melodies

An artistic journey to the heart of Riyadh — a mix of story, image and melodies
  • Event held in collaboration with the French Embassy in Saudi Arabia and the Alliance Française de Riyad, saw the Fenaa Alawwal Center vibrate to the rhythm of notes and words
  • Zeina Abi Rached shared an emotionally rich story, combining narration, illustration and melodies performed by composer and pianist Stephan Tsapis

RIYADH: Franco-Lebanese artist Zeina Abi Rached presented her celebrated novel, “Le Piano Oriental,” as part of Riyadh Music Week.

The event on Dec. 9, held in collaboration with the French Embassy in Saudi Arabia and the Alliance Française de Riyad, saw the Fenaa Alawwal Center vibrate to the rhythm of notes and words.

The artist captivated the audience by weaving a link between past and present. Inspired by the legacy of her great-grandfather, the inventor of the oriental piano, she shared an emotionally rich story, combining narration, illustration and melodies performed by composer and pianist Stephan Tsapis.

Abi Rached told Arab News: “For ‘Oriental Piano,’ the main character is my great-grandfather Abdallah, who became Abdallah Camandja, but whose name was Abdallah Chahine. I didn’t know him, but I’ve heard a lot about him. Throughout my childhood, I was told: ‘This is Camandja’s piano’ so there was something of a myth surrounding (it). The mention of his name and his piano was surrounded by an aura of mystery.”

Tsapis created the album “Mataroa” as a showcase for the spoken word, in particular, the voice of his own father recounting the forced exile of Greeks due to civil war. With “Le Tsapis Volant,” the aim was to blend the distinctive sound of the oriental piano with female voices of diverse origins.

Abi Rached told Arab News: “I always read comics as a child. I remember there were comic books in my family’s library, and they were very common.”

“I felt a very strong urge to write and draw in the early 2000s, when I was 19 or 20, at the time of the reconstruction of Beirut, the city as I had known it up to then, i.e. a city at war, which was in the process of altering and changing. I felt the need to keep a record of this change. That’s how writing and drawing came into my life,” she added.

“In general, the characters in my comic strips are family members or friends. I gathered stories from all of them, from neighbors, family ... from all the people around me at the time.”

During the evening, Abi Rached not only honored the memory of her grandfather, but also reminded everyone of the importance of art as a means of expression and connection, uniting generations through the magic of stories and melodies.

She said: “Art, and especially comics, has served me well, for example, when talking about difficult things, such as the memory of war. It’s a way of synthesizing everything. The message can be very powerful and can be without words, and a picture can sometimes express it much better than a long speech. That’s how you provoke a sensation, an emotion. And it’s probably thanks to this that we can better understand and appropriate certain notions that are not obvious.”

Abi Rached immersed the audience in a magical atmosphere, where black and white images evoked her childhood in Lebanon. Every word, every illustration opened a window on a vibrant past, where memories mingled with the dreams of a country in search of rebirth.

The duality between black and white and the bright colors of the country was palpable, illustrating a poignant contrast between the beauty of memories and the reality of a country under reconstruction. In leaving Lebanon, Abi Rached not only left behind a place, but also a part of her identity.

Her story resonated with those who have had to move away from their native land, but also with the hope of a better future. Through her talent, she shone a light on forgotten stories, paying tribute to a Lebanon that lives on in the hearts of its natives.


Arab, EU diplomats arrive in Riyadh for meeting on Syria

Arab, EU diplomats arrive in Riyadh for meeting on Syria
Updated 6 sec ago
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Arab, EU diplomats arrive in Riyadh for meeting on Syria

Arab, EU diplomats arrive in Riyadh for meeting on Syria

RIYADH: An expanded ministerial meeting on Syria is hosted by Saudi Arabia on Sunday in the capital Riyadh as world powers push for stability after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.


KSrelief continues humanitarian outreach in Syria, Yemen

KSrelief continues humanitarian outreach in Syria, Yemen
Updated 12 January 2025
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KSrelief continues humanitarian outreach in Syria, Yemen

KSrelief continues humanitarian outreach in Syria, Yemen

RYADH: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) continues with its humanitarian activities in Syria and Yemen with the distribution of food supplies, health kits and prosthetic services.

In the town of Beit Yashout, Jabla District of Syria’s Latakia Governorate, 499 families each received boxes containing a bag of flour as well as personal care kits on Saturday, state news agency SPA reported.

In Jindires of Aleppo Governorate, KSrelief distributed 1,476 food boxes and 1,476 health kits while in Talbiseh of Homs Governorate the aid agency on Thursday handed out to 86 families food parcels, each containing a 10-kilogram bag of flour, along with winter kits and personal care kits on Thursday.

This initiative is part of the Kingdom’s continuous humanitarian efforts, through KSrelief, to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people during various crises and hardships, SPA reported.

Meanwhile in Yemen, the Project for Operating Artificial Limbs and Rehabilitation Center in Taiz provided medical services to 434 beneficiaries who lost their limbs in December last year.

The center, being supported by KSrelief, delivered 1,613 services including the delivery, measurement and maintenance of prosthetic limbs, as well as physical therapy and specialized consultations.


UAE, Syria foreign ministers arrive in Riyadh

UAE, Syria foreign ministers arrive in Riyadh
Updated 11 January 2025
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UAE, Syria foreign ministers arrive in Riyadh

UAE, Syria foreign ministers arrive in Riyadh
  • Welcomed at King Khalid International Airport by Saudi Deputy FM Waleed Al-Khuraiji

RIYADH: Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the UAE deputy prime minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, arrived in Riyadh on Saturday, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

He was welcomed at King Khalid International Airport by Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji.

Sheikh Abdullah is in the Kingdom to attend an expanded ministerial meeting on Syria to be hosted by Saudi Arabia on Sunday, SPA added.

New Syrian foreign minister Asaad Al-Shaibani also arrived in Riyadh on Saturday evening to participate in the ministerial meeting.

He was also welcomed at King Khalid International Airport by Al-Khuraiji.


Saudi Arabia condemns attack on Chad’s presidential palace

Saudi Arabia condemns attack on Chad’s presidential palace
Updated 11 January 2025
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Saudi Arabia condemns attack on Chad’s presidential palace

Saudi Arabia condemns attack on Chad’s presidential palace
  • The attack, which occurred on Wednesday, involved gunmen attempting to storm the palace

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Saturday strongly condemned the recent attack on the presidential palace in N’Djamena, Chad, which left 19 people dead, including a soldier guarding the complex, and injured others.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement reaffirming Saudi Arabia’s steadfast support for Chad’s security and stability, while rejecting any actions that threaten the country’s peace, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

In its statement, the Ministry extended heartfelt condolences to the family of the fallen soldier and to the government and people of Chad. The Kingdom also wished a swift recovery for those injured in the assault.

The attack, which occurred on Wednesday, involved gunmen reportedly linked to Boko Haram attempting to storm the presidential palace, prompting a fierce battle.

The Chadian government confirmed that 18 attackers from a 24-member commando unit were killed in the fighting, alongside one security personnel. Tanks were deployed to secure the area.


GCC secretary general receives New Zealand’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia

GCC secretary general receives New Zealand’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia
Updated 11 January 2025
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GCC secretary general receives New Zealand’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia

GCC secretary general receives New Zealand’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia
  • Al-Budaiwi congratulated Kingston on his appointment as New Zealand’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, wishing him success in his duties

RIYADH: Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Jasem Al-Budaiwi recently received New Zealand’s Ambassador to the Kingdom Charles Kingston at the General Secretariat’s headquarters in Riyadh.

Al-Budaiwi congratulated Kingston on his appointment as New Zealand’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, wishing him success in his duties, the General Secretariat wrote in a report.

During the meeting, they also discussed a number of topics of mutual interest, notably the progress of negotiations for the free trade agreement between the GCC countries and updates on the joint action plan between the two sides. They also exchanged views on several regional and international issues.​