“Some people wouldn’t talk to me and other people were absolutely shocked that I would do it. When Christopher Knight wrote that article I felt very pressured and for three days I decided not to do it. I was so depressed and then I said, ‘Wait a minute, I can’t let that kind of [critique] stop me from being part of a historic moment.’”
-Lita Albuquerque, artist, speaking with Artnet News about her decision to participate in Desert X AlUla. 14 art structures were put in place including Albuquerque’s NAJMA which “could be the first time in over 1,000 years that a figurative female sculpture has been displayed in Saudi Arabia.” [artnet.com]
“Presented in elegant boxes—a pearlescent, ivory lacquered wooden keepsake with shiny gold hinges; a dusty pink heart inscribed with Arabic script—like the finest chocolate, the dates make great gifts…Among Bateel’s fans is Oprah Winfrey, who included the olive green wood box of plain dates in her 2019 list of favorite things.”
“While we always try to reinvent ourselves, anticipate key trends, identify the ‘Next Big Thing’ and never sleep on our laurels… it’s only logical for MBC Group to be an integral part of the amazing ‘New Saudi’…MBC Group will become — in gradual stages, over the coming five years — a cornerstone in Riyadh’s new creative zone for art, media and entertainment.”
-Marc Antoine d’Halluin, chief executive of MBC Group, in a note to employees announcing that the largest broadcaster in the MENA region signed an agreement to set up new headquarters in Riyadh and will begin operations from Saudi Arabia’s capital within five years. [thenational.ae]
“I was destroyed, but what happened is I got the awareness to understand that we as human beings, with all our arrogance and technology, are nothing in front of nature… I thanked nature for the sights I was witnessing and, at a certain point, I said to it: ‘Do as you want with me — clean my mind, clean my body, clean my thoughts. I have only one mission and that is to see myself with my family again.’ That was indeed my goal.”
–Max Calderan, Dubai-based Italian explorer, discussing his trek on foot across the Rub Al-Khali (Empty Quarter), the largest continuous sand desert on earth. His 1,100 km trek took a new West to East route through the heart of the Empty Quarter. [arabnews.com]
“Aramco has demonstrated the full power of the Saudi market…[W]e believe the Saudi market will continue to be a strong and vibrant market for IP0s in 2020.”
-Mohammed Ali Yasin, chief strategy officer at Al Dhabi Capital Ltd in Abu Dhabi. [reuters.com]
“Our goal with the newly launched Samsung Innovation Campus is to equip our youth with the skills that are essential for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Our education initiative reflects our vision to enable young adults and boost local talents in the Kingdom by providing top-quality training that ensures their readiness for the future.”
-Y. J. Kim, President of Samsung Electronics in Saudi Arabia, on the launch of the Samsung Innovation Campus in partnership with MiSK Academy. The academy aims to help young adults in the Kingdom gain skills that are useful for their academic and professional careers in the technology-driven job market. [saudigazette.com]
“We’re seeing the dialogues right now coming upon AI ethics, on data, and on cyber resilience. We’re trying to steer the conversation between those that are pro-consumer, pro-privacy, those that are pro-big tech, and how they can come to a middle ground.”
-Abdullah Alswaha, Saudi Arabia Minister of Communications and Information Technology, discussing Saudi Arabia’s G20 presidency and interest in steering the global conversation on technology policies and standards in an interview with CGTN while attending the recent World Economic Forum. [cgtn.com]
“Saudi Arabia is one of the fastest growing ecosystems in the region. With the government clearly identifying innovation and entrepreneurship as one of their key focuses in line with Vision 2030, many new initiatives have been launched in 2018 and 2019. Usually, these initiatives take time to come to fruition, but we have already seen their impact on the ecosystem in the country and Mena region,”
–Philip Bahoshy, CEO of UAE-based data platform Magniit, discussing his company’s “2019 Saudi Arabia Venture Capital Snapshot” report. [wamda.com]
“If there was one thing I had to say about my recent trip to Al Ula in Saudi Arabia, is that it’s a place of extraordinary natural beauty, cultural heritage and kind hearted people. I learned firsthand that is a place of awe-inspiring beauty, a landscape of cliffs and canyons featuring ancient petroglyphs and rock art. It feels like another planet. There’s no light pollution, so you can see pretty much every single star in the sky. There is no traffic, so the air is fresh, there are no skyscrapers, so your views are totally unobstructed.”
-Yousra Zaki, journalist and web features editor of Gulf News, in a story highlighting her recent visit to Al Ula in Saudi Arabia. [gulfnews.com]
“It is important that we do not exaggerate projections related to future decreases in oil demand due to events in China…OPEC and OPEC+ member countries will discuss market conditions (in March) and, if required, all options to ensure continued market balance.”
–UAE Minister of Energy Suhail al-Mazrouei, in comments echoing Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members that urge caution against “gloomy expectations” regarding the possible impact of the spread of the coronavirus on the global economy and oil demand. [nytimes.com]
