During the festival presented by foreign and Arab thinkers and reporters, Abdulmuhsen Al-Tuweijri, assistant deputy commander of the National Guard, thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for his sponsorship and to make Al-Janadriyah one of the greatest cultural platforms.
After the celebration, the first session to be held at the hall honored the Saudi poet and personality Ebrahim Khafaji, who wrote the new lyrics of the Saudi national anthem. The session headed by Mofarreh Zreqan also featured Ahmed Al Saad, Hussein Najjar, Mohammed Abdo and Ali Faqnadesh.
Yousuf bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen, minister of social affairs and acting minister of culture and information, and Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Saleh Al-Jasser received the audience at the festival.
Dr. Abdulhussein Shaaban told Arab News that the festival still maintains its popularity and originality, thanks to King Abdullah. He said the king canceled the opera and the musical part of the event to show solidarity with the people of Syria.
He also added: “Friday is the most important day for the festival. The first session will be the Arabian culture and political changes, discussing all topics a cultured Arabia faces these days. The next session will be on the dialectical relationship between the cultured and political authority in the Arab World.”
Some critical discussions and debates are taking place in the corridors of the festival, with many visits from prominent citizens from other Arab countries such as intellectuals and journalists. Some exclusive dialogues are held during the festival between journalists from all around the world and arts and culture figures, religious scholars, media and politicians.
