Bright talents in theatre, music and films win prizes in the “Cultural Skills” competition
In a competition that is the first of its kind in the Kingdom, the Ministries of Education and Culture crowned 54 male and female students who competed for success in the “Cultural Skills” competition. With their creativity and talent, they won financial prizes estimated at five million Saudi riyals, in addition to a scholarship abroad for the first-place winners of the secondary stage.
This came in an exceptional ceremony held (Sunday) in the presence of the Minister of Education, Youssef Al-Bunyan, and the patronage of the Minister of Culture, Prince Badr Al-Farhan, and the participation of the artist Nasser Al-Qasabi and singer Abadi Al-Johar, and a number of senior officials in the cultural and educational systems, dignitaries, and parents of the winning students. The competition, which was held in its first edition at the level of schools in Saudi Arabia, found exceptional interaction and overwhelming demand from talented male and female students. As the number of participants reached 247 thousand students from the three academic levels (elementary – intermediate – secondary), 108 of them joined the training camp, and 54 of them won financial prizes; Those who won the first place in all stages and tracks received an amount of 100 thousand riyals, while the winners of the second place received an amount of 75 thousand riyals, and the winners of the third place received an amount of 50 thousand riyals.
In his speech at the ceremony, Minister of Education Yousef Al-Bunyan praised the remarkable renaissance and successive successes that the Kingdom is experiencing through the “Kingdom’s Vision 2030” and its programs, and the qualitative leaps achieved under the wise leadership, which believes in the importance of building human capabilities, and harnessing all capabilities and resources; To prepare the future generation.
Deputy Minister of Culture Hamid Fayez said in a speech on behalf of the Minister of Culture, Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud: “We stand today to witness outputs that deserve celebration and appreciation, and they are the result of joint national efforts, aimed at discovering talents that will take our culture and creativity towards promising horizons in near future”.
Heritage and culture
In the heritage track, one of the six cultural tracks included in the “Cultural Skills” competition, namely: visual arts, literature, music, short films, and theatre, historian and researcher Ali Ibrahim Al-Ghamdi presented prizes to the winners in performing folk and heritage dances from the regions of the Kingdom.
The winners of the first place in the heritage track for the primary stage, Ibtihaj al-Kabaki and the two sisters, Wahj and Lama al-Hudhali, presented the participation of the art of the Hijazi majour, in the costume of the shield from Makkah Al-Mukarramah presented by the designer of the traditional dress, Alia al-Talhi. It is characterized by a rich cultural and heritage diversity, including the students’ participation in the Majrour heritage, which is performed on special occasions, stressing that teaching girls this art aims to link the modern generation with heritage and the past.
Earth dance»
“Dance of the Earth” is the title of the story of the student Muhammad Nasim Al Ibrahim, winner of the first place in the literature track for the secondary stage, education in the eastern region. It is unjust and devoid of humanity, as each number carries human stories and tragedies that are difficult to summarize in a number.
“Reflection” is the title of the story of the first-place winner, Nour Abdel Jalil, in the course of literature for the primary stage, teaching the Hail region. Al-Awsat »that her story includes a girl’s violation of the laws, which led to her addiction to drugs, but she gets an opportunity to fix what she spoiled in herself, indicating that the symbolism of her story was the mirror, which means that a person makes himself with his own hands.
As for the ten-year-old Iyad Al-Salmi, he did not expect to win the second place in the Literature track for the short story for the primary stage, education in the Qassim region, indicating that he feels tension, enthusiasm and joy at the same time.
Celebrating art
The artist, Nasser Al-Qasabi, handed over the prizes to the winners in the theater track, and said: “We rejoice at this generation that lives in a different era that celebrates art. What we are witnessing today is a great shift in which art lives in a great homeland.” Malath Al-Otaibi, who presented a play entitled “Where is Safety”, won the center. The first in the theatrical course for the primary stage, the Riyadh Education Department, and Asinat Al-Sabah won the first place for the intermediate stage, the Tabuk Education Department, for her play “The Flower Seller”, while eight students won the first place for the secondary stage, Al-Ahsa Governorate Education, for the play which they presented under the title “The Market”.
Wateen Al-Baridi, a middle school student, won first place in the filmmaking track for her movie “Tarif Neighborhood”, in which she touched on the old life that ancestors lived in the historic Tarif neighborhood, and how homes were built and lived in without electronic devices, while the movie “The Escape” won. » Which was presented by Saeed Al-Qahtani from the middle school, for the second place.
Determination to succeed
In this competition, in which 108 male and female students took to the stage, and 54 of them won financial prizes that were announced, the Ministries of Culture and Education presented financial prizes of 10,000 riyals to the students who did not win, in a gesture of appreciation for their talents and their entry into the competition with their fellow winners, as the two ministries announced. During the ceremony, parents of students who won first place were presented with a financial prize of 50,000 riyals in appreciation of their efforts with their children and encouraging them to develop their talents, 30,000 riyals for parents of second-place winners, and 20,000 riyals for third-place winners.
He assured Asharq Al-Awsat, Nasser Al-Qahtani, a student in the elementary school, one of the participants in the course of literature with a story titled “May We Meet”, that his presence in the training camp was in itself a gain, and that he would repeat the attempt next time until he achieved winning one of the centers, and Tala appreciated Al-Maliki from the primary stage that participated in the film track, the gesture of the Ministries of Culture and Education by giving them a financial prize, renewing her hopes of obtaining victory in the next competition.
