Next week, over 250 of the most talented women from Saudi Arabia and the Arab region will descend on Princess Nourah Bint Abdul Rahman University for the “Ana Arabia” fair, showcasing the designs and creative works. Organized by the Kingdom’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA) initiative and led by his excellency Turki bin Abdulmohsen Al AlSheikh as part of Riyadh Season 2019, “Ana Arabia” has is described as the “creative expression of art and design in the Middle East,” focused on the power, vision, and achievements of Arab woman “in cultural growth and evolution.”
Designed specifically to pay “homage to traditional crafts with a modern age touch,” the six-day event has a prize pool of SR700,000 (over 185,000 USD). According to Saudi Gazette, the event received over 4,000 applicants “from the first day onwards,” demonstrating the need for such a platform in the Kingdom. Speaking to the news site about the event, CEO of the Authority Faisal Bafart underlined the importance of the exhibition, explaining that it “would be a major economic support for the innovators in the fields of fashion and design, innovation and entrepreneurship,” and that efforts being focused on the event have been “great and elaborate.”
Not only will the event provide a much-needed platform for female designers in Saudi Arabia and beyond to showcase their talent and get a chance to be rewarded for their creativity, it has a charitable objective at its core as well. Proceeds from ticket sales for the event will go to three charities: Wajib, an organization that cares for families of martyrs on duty; Tarawuf, which is the Orphans Care Society in Hafr Al-Batin region, and Joud Women Charity Society.
