An imaginary child character named Swayyer is to be the mascot of this year's Janadriya festival. Swayyer's picture will be on t-shirts and other memorabilia to be distributed at the festival. The inventor of the character, Dr. Iqbal Al-Arfaj, the chairwoman of the Women's Culture and Heritage Committee, said Swayyer aims “to deepen the love of the festival in the hearts of children.” She said that she tested the character on the children of her relatives “who loved it.” She said that the attachment to the character “means their attachment to Al-Janadriya” and the country's heritage. Swayyer will appear in kiosks at the festival. It will also appear on 50,000 balloons, shirts, hats, cups and key chains, she said. Al-Arfaj said “the idea of Swayyer was born because of the King's support for women”. The phrase “Al-Janadriya is the best gift for home” will be the slogan of the festival and is to be written and signed by Swayyer in Arabic and English. Swayyer's clothes will reflect the traditional wear of most of the Kingdom's regions. Al-Arfaj said that the artist Ahmad Al-Maglouth was responsible for drawing the character. She expects the character to become more famous than other characters at the festival. But Swayyer is not going to be alone. Al-Arfaj said another character, Swayyer's brother Swaileh, will appear at next year's festival, so those who are not able to get memorabilia of Swayyer this year can look forward to having Swaileh's image next year. The two will welcome guests to the event. Al-Arfaj said this year's festival will be different from the past because it will honor women intellectuals and women of letters from the Gulf region. In addition, the women's operetta Shams Al-Saudiya (Saudi Sun) will be introduced for the first time. The Shams Al-Saudiya operetta, which is also Al-Arfaj's idea, is written by Sami Al-Jamaan, composed by Ahmad Al-Fahd and directed by Ahmad Al-Dakheel. It is divided into a number of parts. “The first part will be about King Abdul Aziz and his sons and the love people have for them and Crown Prince Sultan's safe return to the Kingdom. The second will be about the Gulf States and the strong relations between them. The third will be on the Kingdom's regions and the guests of Saudi Arabia and the fourth will be about the country's women.” Also at the festival this year is a traditional French show as France is this year's guest of honor. Women from the Gulf States will also participate with a show for each country. Another new feature of Janadriya this year, she added, is that personalities from the Gulf countries will be honored. “The selection of these figures was carried out by various embassies,” she said. Princesses will be among those honored. The festival will also include activities for children like the Smart Janadriya program, which involves a child writing a story in which he or she becomes the main character.
