Ithra celebrates and reflects on a busy and award-winning 2021

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, also known as Ithra, presented more than 7,000 programs and initiatives in art, knowledge, culture, creativity and society this year, and welcomed more than 500,000 local and international visitors, the organization said.

In addition, about 4,000 male and female volunteers participated in the center’s local, regional and international events and activities, contributing 13,000 hours of work.

Ithra won five local and international awards in the past 12 months, including the National Award for Voluntary Work within the private sector, and the Path of Large and Emerging Cultural Institutions of the Private Sector award. It also bagged the MarCom award, a prestigious honor in recognition of great work in the field of marketing and communication, despite competition from 6,000 institutions worldwide.

In addition the center obtained accreditation as the first voluntary organization to implement the Saudi Standard for Volunteering, introduced by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, as it provides services and support to people with disabilities.

Ithra also launched a Digital Wellbeing Program during 2021 that aims to raise awareness and influence society to adopt healthy digital practices.

The center participated in the Saudi pavilion at the 74th Cannes Film Festival and announced the production of two new films: “The Fugitive,” by renowned Egyptian screenwriter and producer Mohammed Hefzy, and “The Valley Road,” by award-winning Saudi director Khaled Fahd. They are scheduled for release in 2023.

This year also included the fourth edition of the Tanween creativity season. Under the slogan “Shaping Creativity,” it featured creators, innovators, and prominent local and international experts who delivered 30 lectures, 20 professional courses, seven workshops and four experiments in a variety of creative fields.

In a first, Ithra also organized the Moment of Tanween, which gave more than 4,600 visitors the chance to produce group artworks using their smartphones to control the flight of 300 drones.

The center celebrated the launch of the second edition of Sharqiyah Innovate, which focused on the Eastern Region as the primary destination for creativity in the Kingdom. More than 100 entities and 150 teachers participated in the event.

In early December, during the first Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, Ithra revealed the winning artwork in the fourth edition of the Ithra Art Prize: “E Pluribus Unum — Modern Rock” by Nadia Kaabi-Linke, which explores the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic through its effects on the global aviation industry.

Meanwhile 484 visitors attended the Learning Without Borders conference, which included workshops, and discussions presented by 40 speakers from around the world.