JEDDAH — Along with the numerous cultural activities including folk plays, art and photography and traditional food that the “Ramdanana Kida” festival offers in Jeddah's historic Balad District, there is a wonderful handicrafts corner. Women artisans from almost all parts of the Makkah region are participating in the festival to display their skills. The exhibition, called Barea Corner, opened its doors last week to visitors keen to view the handicraft and entrepreneurial skills of Saudi women in the region. Ali Mohammed Saleh, general supervisor of the corner, said handicrafts and products displayed at the productive families show, which are meant to give an idea to visitors about the handicraft products of these families. He added that it is also meant to encourage these families and artisans to showcase the heritage of the region. He said: “Handicrafts have become scarce, so it's good to preserve these crafts by passing it on to coming generations, that's a great thing.” He noted that women dominate some areas of crafts. Fatimah Hamzah, who is participating in Barea Corner, was able to transform her passion for the sea into paintings, which were displayed at the festival. Hamzah had long wished to showcase her artistic talents before a wider audience and she now got that opportunity at Ramdanana Kida (Our Ramadan was like this). “It is a great opportunity for me and for other artists to show our skills in front of so much visitors who throng the festival area in Balad every night. I am really glad to display my fine art and hope visitors like my work,” she said. "The women were excited and has high expectations." Hamzah thinks the festival is a very positive influence because it gives the women something tangible to work toward, boosting production and offering a real financial return. It also paved the way for new opportunities in the future. During his visit to Barea corner, Mohammed A. Al-Amri, SCTA executive manager for Makkah region, said the festival aimed to highlight craftsmanship to keep these traditions alive. “The festival is an opportunity for craftspeople to meet and demonstrate their skills, while highlighting the importance of the preservation of these skills to Saudi society,” he said.
