Sultan Mall on Thursday saw the inauguration of the “Golden Hands” exhibition by Prince Abdullah Bin Turki Al-Saud, in an event organized by Muhammed Bin Abdullah Al-Amri, Executive Manager of the Tourism Development Department in Makkah. Attended by more than a thousand visitors, the exhibition proved to be a hit partly because the Haj vacations allowed many people to contribute. “The exhibition involved 40 Saudi families looking to develop their skills and gave them the opportunity to benefit monetarily from their talents,” remarked Prince Abdullah. These families were given resources and training and were then able to showcase the end result via products they made themselves. Al-Amri remarked that Prince Abdullah was greatly impressed by the exhibition of ‘productive families' and that this kind of contribution was why the government was seeking to increase the number of establishments that teach and provide training to Saudi families on how to conduct their own business. He noted that there is also cooperation between the General Authority for Tourism and Antiques and Saudi Post to promote all handmade products online. “We have had several agreements with the Saudi Post aiming to promote and advertise these products via a free telephone service,” he explained. “We will contact each family, take their relevant details and a list of the products they have made and record it on our service.” Al-Amri also announced that the General Authority for Tourism and Antiques will establish separate outlets around the Kingdom to showcase the families' products and sell them there. He added that this endeavor - the offer of traditional, home-made products - can succeed in attracting a larger number of tourists. “We are asking these families to produce certain types of traditional products that will depict Saudi heritage and promote our culture,” he explained. The concept has attracted the attention of a number of charities and training institutions that have provided financial and educational support. Saudi Gazette spoke with the participants - comprising of a number of talented Saudi women - and asked them about their experience and how they hope to benefit from their newfound skills. “I started designing abayas for myself since I was skilled in sewing work ever since I was at University, so my neighbors advised me to benefit from this skill and start designing abayas for them,” remarked Umm Ghalib, a 32-year-old Saudi woman. “I am participating at this exhibition for the first time, since I never even knew about it!” One divorced woman who preferred to remain anonymous told Saudi Gazette that she was participating in this exhibition without telling her ex-husband, who would have refused to let her attend. “My ex-husband does not give either me or my daughters any money, so that has encouraged us to earn our living by benefiting from the skills that every woman has,” she stated. “I know it is costly for me to pay 1,000 or 2,000 Saudi riyals to rent a stall in the exhibition, but you cannot imagine how much we gain from it.” Products showcased at the exhibition included textiles, henna, crocheted goods, popular food items, embroidered creations, antique show pieces, arranged flower pieces, home accessories, incense, perfumes, abayas and even home-made cosmetics.
