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Saudi’s Al-Sayahid Desert Retreats in High Demand during King Abdulaziz Camel Festival

Al-Sayahid Desert retreats in Saudi Arabia are experiencing a significant increase in demand during the ongoing King Abdulaziz Camel Festival. (SPA)
Al-Sayahid Desert retreats in Saudi Arabia are experiencing a significant increase in demand during the ongoing King Abdulaziz Camel Festival. (SPA)
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Saudi’s Al-Sayahid Desert Retreats in High Demand during King Abdulaziz Camel Festival

Al-Sayahid Desert retreats in Saudi Arabia are experiencing a significant increase in demand during the ongoing King Abdulaziz Camel Festival. (SPA)
Al-Sayahid Desert retreats in Saudi Arabia are experiencing a significant increase in demand during the ongoing King Abdulaziz Camel Festival. (SPA)

Tents and hotel rooms in Saudi Arabia’s Al-Sayahid area, currently hosting the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, have reached full occupancy in the past few days due to increased demand driven by the pleasant weather and enhanced charm brought by rainfall, the Saudi Press Agency said on Sunday.
The festival's diverse events and associated activities have spurred a surge in the rental of tents and mobile rooms, which are now offering services akin to those of desert resort hotels.
Habish al-Habish, a camp renter interviewed by an SPA reporter, said there has been a significant increase in tent occupancy over the weekend, exceeding 100%. He highlighted the range of accommodation options available in the festival area, from standard rooms to desert resorts offering extensive services and organizing family events tailored to the region's ambiance.
The King Abdulaziz Camel Festival is a major global event that brings together camel enthusiasts and owners, showcases the heritage of the Arabian Peninsula, and emphasizes the cultural importance of camels in the Kingdom, reflecting Saudi pride in heritage, and the special significance of camels to the Saudi culture.

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Artist Kehinde Wiley Puts Power in a New Frame with Paintings of African Leaders 

American painter Kehinde Wiley stands in front of a portrait of Sahle-Work Zewde, former president of Ethiopia during the opening of his exhibition "A Maze of Power" in Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, in Rabat, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP)
American painter Kehinde Wiley stands in front of a portrait of Sahle-Work Zewde, former president of Ethiopia during the opening of his exhibition "A Maze of Power" in Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, in Rabat, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP)
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Artist Kehinde Wiley Puts Power in a New Frame with Paintings of African Leaders 

American painter Kehinde Wiley stands in front of a portrait of Sahle-Work Zewde, former president of Ethiopia during the opening of his exhibition "A Maze of Power" in Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, in Rabat, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP)
American painter Kehinde Wiley stands in front of a portrait of Sahle-Work Zewde, former president of Ethiopia during the opening of his exhibition "A Maze of Power" in Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, in Rabat, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP)

American artist Kehinde Wiley unveiled a series of large-format portraits of African leaders in Morocco on Tuesday, building on his now famous 2018 portrait of former US President Barack Obama sitting casually amid a wild cascade of leaves and flowers.

His exhibition, entitled "A Maze of Power," opened at the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rabat, Morocco’s capital, after previously showing in Paris and Dakar, Senegal.

The artwork borrows from classical easel painting techniques, posing African leaders in a style mainly associated with European royalty and aristocracy.

"What I wanted to do was to draw ideas in, to be able to look at the depiction of power, both beautifully and problematically," Wiley said.

In one portrait, Ethiopia’s former president, Sahle-Work Zewde, stands before a window, her nation’s bustling capital stretching behind her as her hand clasps a dangling flower.

In another, Hery Rajaonarimampianina, former president of Madagascar, is depicted sitting confidently astride a horse. And Alassane Ouattara, president of Ivory Coast, is seen clenching his brow as he grips a sword in his right hand.

"I was thinking about the presidency at large as a symbol, as a seat of power," Wiley told The Associated Press at the opening of his exhibition.

"A Maze of Power" arrived in Morocco seven months after first showing at Paris’ Musée du Quai Branly — Jacques Chirac. It's part of the Moroccan museum's efforts to become a hub for African art ahead of the next year's opening of the Museum of the African Continent, across the street in Rabat.

Wiley said that after his Obama portrait, he was able to leverage his connections to gain audiences with leaders from across Africa and persuade them to sit for him.

In addition to Obama’s, the portraits also echo Wiley’s earlier works, in which young Black men appear in poses most associated with paintings of kings and generals.

Showing his would-be subjects a book full of classical paintings to draw inspiration from, Wiley said he prepares for painting by taking hundreds of photographs of each leader and then placing them in settings both real and abstract.

Although he wanted to show political power, the leaders' individual political choices were not relevant to the series, Wiley said.

Though Wiley said the role of some art can be to shed light on those affected by political decision-making, his goals were different.

"This project is more about pulling way back and having a sort of bird’s-eye view at the phenomena of the political portrait itself," he said.