Saudi Theater Commission Praises Third Qemam International Festival for Mountain Performance Arts

CEO of the Theater and Performing Arts Commission Sultan Al-Bazie praised the efforts of participants. SPA
CEO of the Theater and Performing Arts Commission Sultan Al-Bazie praised the efforts of participants. SPA
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Saudi Theater Commission Praises Third Qemam International Festival for Mountain Performance Arts

CEO of the Theater and Performing Arts Commission Sultan Al-Bazie praised the efforts of participants. SPA
CEO of the Theater and Performing Arts Commission Sultan Al-Bazie praised the efforts of participants. SPA

Saudi Arabia’s Theater and Performing Arts Commission concluded the activities of the 3rd edition of the Qemam International Festival for Mountain Performance Arts, which were held from January 20 to 27 in eight archaeological sites in the Aseer region.
The festival witnessed numerous activities and events which portray the performance arts in mountainous regions in the Kingdom and the world, and shed light on their history through cultural seminars and enriching workshops to introduce the local community and tourists to the ancient mountain performance arts locally and internationally, and their effect on different cultures.
CEO of the Theater and Performing Arts Commission Sultan Al-Bazie praised the efforts of participants from inside and outside the Kingdom in making this important cultural event a success, saying the festival became better this year by allowing its guests to watch shows in several locations.
On the concluding day, a carnival march was held on Prince Sultan Road in Khamis Mushait, with the participation of 20 Saudi bands and 25 international bands, during which they performed 40 forms of mountainous arts while wearing the costumes of each type.
Forty-five Saudi and international performance groups participated in the daily activities of the festival in eight heritage villages.
The festival activities showcased the authentic heritage of local and international mountain performance arts to the local community and tourists, supported creating job opportunities for Saudi local talents from the region, and increased the popularity of Saudi performance arts locally and internationally.
The festival reflected the Theater and Performing Arts Commission's interest to promote international cultural exchange as one of the goals of the national strategy for culture, based on the Saudi Vision 2030.



Pharrell Advocates for Reviving Arts Competitions for 2028 Olympics at Louis Vuitton Event 

Pharrell Williams upon arrival at the Louis Vuitton Foundation on the eve of Paris Olympics opening ceremony, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)
Pharrell Williams upon arrival at the Louis Vuitton Foundation on the eve of Paris Olympics opening ceremony, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)
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Pharrell Advocates for Reviving Arts Competitions for 2028 Olympics at Louis Vuitton Event 

Pharrell Williams upon arrival at the Louis Vuitton Foundation on the eve of Paris Olympics opening ceremony, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)
Pharrell Williams upon arrival at the Louis Vuitton Foundation on the eve of Paris Olympics opening ceremony, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)

If given the chance, Pharrell Williams would reintroduce arts competition into the Olympics, reviving a tradition that's been missing for nearly 80 years.

Williams is aiming to reinstate arts competitions back on the world's biggest sports stage, starting with raising awareness through his star-studded Louis Vuitton event Thursday in Paris. He passionately shared his goal to see the tradition revived by the Olympics in 2028 the night before the Games’ opening ceremony.

“We get to remind people that at one point, the Olympics actually had the arts as a section that ran all these competitions,” Williams before the event. “Sculpture, architecture, visual arts. The idea we get to put the arts back in. ... Why not take this moment to bring awareness?”

Art competitions first came into fruition at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm with medals awarded in five categories: architecture, literature, music, painting and sculpture. However, the International Olympic Committee ended the competitions in the 1948 games. An attempt to bring it back was denied four years later.

Williams, the musician-turned-designer, hosted the ritzy A-list event at the Louis Vuitton Foundation building. Attendees included popular figures such as LeBron James, Steven Spielberg, Mick Jagger, Zendaya, Anna Wintour, Charlize Theron, Serena Williams, Rosalía, Snoop Dogg, Queen Latifah and Zac Efron.

Williams called the inside of the event like an “indoor carnival.” He curated a select group of world-renowned artists including KAWS, Daniel Arsham and Derek Fordjour to design interactive art installations.

Some of the sports represented at the event included archery, tennis, basketball and equestrianism along with carnival games. “The game will begin on the inside tonight,” he said.

Through donations, Williams said he wanted the event to support Olympic hopefuls as well as 36 athletes across 11 different countries who are competing on the Refugee Olympic Team this year.

“We get to raise money for the other athletes who don't have the means to get the gear or proper training equipment,” said Williams, who added that he spoke about creating music for the games with Thomas Bach, the president of the IOC.

The famed producer said he recorded a track called “Triumph is Cosmos.”

“This is like the victory lap around the solar system,” he said.