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AlUla Arts Festival to be Held in January with Diverse Artistic Programs

AlUla Arts Festival will hold its fifth edition from January 16 to February 14, 2026. SPA
AlUla Arts Festival will hold its fifth edition from January 16 to February 14, 2026. SPA
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AlUla Arts Festival to be Held in January with Diverse Artistic Programs

AlUla Arts Festival will hold its fifth edition from January 16 to February 14, 2026. SPA
AlUla Arts Festival will hold its fifth edition from January 16 to February 14, 2026. SPA

AlUla Arts Festival will launch its fifth edition on January 16, 2026, transforming Saudi Arabia's historic AlUla Oasis into a vibrant platform for contemporary art, design, and culture.

The edition, which lasts until February 14, is described as the festival’s broadest and most diverse to date, featuring art exhibitions, performances, and immersive experiences that enrich the region’s cultural and artistic landscape.

This year’s edition marks the return of Desert X AlUla in its fourth edition, alongside a global exhibition presented for the first time as part of the pre-opening program for the anticipated contemporary art museum in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou.

The festival offers its most extensive design program to date through Design Space AlUla, hosting the AlUla Design Exhibition and events featuring Saudi and international designers. A public cultural program will run in parallel, including live performances, immersive shows, and interactive educational activities.

Desert X AlUla 2026 returns from January 16 to February 28 with a new selection of artwork inspired by the theme “Space Without Measure,” drawn from the writings of Gibran Khalil Gibran. The installations act as luminous points, mapping an expansive realm of imagination that explores the interplay between art and nature.

“Arduna” Exhibition, which will be held from January 15 to April 15, features a curated selection of more than 80 artworks by artists from the Kingdom, the region, and around the world.

The exhibition highlights the relationship between humanity and nature and forms part of the preparatory program for the forthcoming Contemporary Art Museum in AlUla, presented in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou and the French Agency for AlUla Development (AFALULA).

During the festival, AlJadidah Arts District transforms into a dynamic creative hub, showcasing new artwork along Incense Road. The program also includes performances by the AlUla Music Hub and an exhibition by Saudi artist Sara Abdu at the Athr Gallery.

Meanwhile, Madrasat Addeera offers visitors direct interaction with artisans and demonstrations of how traditional crafts are being revitalized with a contemporary approach.

Moreover, Cinema AlJadidah will screen a selection of documentary and short films focused on art, while Design Space AlUla highlights the governorate’s growing role as a global creative hub through the AlUla Design Exhibition, along with works produced under its residency programs and the AlUla Design Award.

Villa Hegra will host a photography exhibition, featuring rare images from the early 20th century, alongside a contemporary visual show capturing desert scenes through the lens of Saudi filmmaker Saad Tahaitah.

AlUla will present “Vertige” in partnership with the Chaillot theater in France, with performers from AlUla's community.

In addition, art initiatives held in collaboration with the British Council will include “Reflections,” a fashion exhibition inspired by AlUla’s heritage.

At the nearby “Daimumah” site, visitors can enjoy an experience that blends art with nature through public-art workshops, planting sessions, and traditional-arts classes, offering a space that highlights the bond between people and place and the cultural identity of AlUla.

The AlUla Arts Festival 2026 offers an integrated artistic and cultural experience in one of the world’s notable natural and heritage destinations, further cementing AlUla’s position as an international platform for arts and creativity.

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Culture

Latin American, Caribbean Women Top Nobel Literature Buzz

A statue of Alfred Nobel in Stockholm, Sweden, on October 5, 2026. Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP
A statue of Alfred Nobel in Stockholm, Sweden, on October 5, 2026. Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP
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Latin American, Caribbean Women Top Nobel Literature Buzz

A statue of Alfred Nobel in Stockholm, Sweden, on October 5, 2026. Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP
A statue of Alfred Nobel in Stockholm, Sweden, on October 5, 2026. Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP

This year's Nobel literature prize could go to a Latin American or Caribbean woman when it is awarded on Thursday amid efforts to diversify an award that has most often gone to male, European authors, literary critics say.

There is no public shortlist for the Nobel, and since the nominees and the jury deliberations remain sealed for 50 years, Stockholm's literary circles engage in frantic guessing ahead of the announcement.

Antiguan-American author Jamaica Kincaid, 77, whose work explores Caribbean culture, family and identity as well as colonialism and race, has often been mentioned in Nobel speculation, as has China's Can Xue, whose avant-garde experimental writing has been compared to that of Franz Kafka.

The suspense will end at 1:00 pm (1100 GMT) Thursday when the 18-member Swedish Academy reveals its pick.

A 2018 sex assault scandal left the Academy in tatters and more than half of its 18 members were replaced.

Since then, every other literature laureate has been a woman -- making it likely that this year's nod could go to a woman, after last year's prize for Hungary's Laszlo Krasznahorkai.

Punters are this year putting their money on Can Xue and Mexico's Cristina Rivera Garza, as well as Spanish author Enrique Vila-Matas, Australia's Gerald Murnane, his Aboriginal compatriot Alexis Wright and American author Thomas Pynchon.

"It's about time for Jamaica Kincaid to get it," Victor Malm, culture critic at Swedish daily Expressen, told AFP.

"She has been mentioned for a long time," agreed Bjorn Wiman, culture editor at Sweden's largest daily Dagens Nyheter.

- Women under-represented -

Kincaid's 1990 novel "Lucy" is an autobiographical tale of an embittered young girl who travels from the West Indies to the United States to work as an au pair.

"It's exactly the kind of book where it's enough to read three lines to say: 'OK, we're talking about a Nobel laureate here'," Wiman said.

Giving her the nod could also be interpreted as a political choice, given her fierce criticism of US President Donald Trump, analysts say.

The Swedish Academy has long been criticized for the over-representation of Western male authors since the prize was first awarded in 1901.

There are only 18 women among the 122 laureates. Very few have worked in Asian or Middle Eastern languages. No African languages are represented.

The Academy insists however that its only consideration is the quality of a writer's work.

But unlike the Nobel prizes in medicine, physics and chemistry, there is no groundbreaking research on which to base speculation for the literature prize, Wiman said.

"In physics or chemistry, you can say that one discovery was more important than others", in terms of the impact it has had on mankind, he said.

"But when it comes to literature, it's different. There are easily 50 to 100 authors who could win the Nobel literature prize."

"That's why it's so interesting to follow the geographic distribution, the gender distribution, the kind of mark they want to make with the choice of laureate and so on," he said.

- 'Dark and violent' writing -

So what about the literature?

Lina Kalmteg, literary critic for Swedish public broadcaster SR, said it was time for a Spanish-language author from Latin America.

"In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about the 'Latin American literary miracle', this new generation that came after the male authors devoted to magical realism, like Gabriel Garcia Marquez," she told AFP.

"In this new wave, it's women who are taking the lead, with writing often tinged with feminism, but also often quite dark and violent, punctuated by surreal touches," she noted.

Argentine author Samanta Schweblin, 48, would be an interesting and surprising choice in this category, she said.

"But she is surely still too young," she added.

Literature laureates are honored for their body of work, not a single publication.

The last writer from South America to be honored was Peru's Mario Vargas Llosa in 2010.

Several new names getting Nobel buzz the past few years are Germany's Jenny Erpenbeck, who won the 2024 International Booker Prize for the novel "Kairos", and Duong Thu Huong, one of Vietnam's most popular writers whose first books in the late 1980s were bestsellers before they were banned. Her books are mainly published outside Vietnam.

Culture

KSGAAL Signs MoU with Jordan Academy of Arabic

KSGAAL Signs MoU with Jordan Academy of Arabic
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KSGAAL Signs MoU with Jordan Academy of Arabic

KSGAAL Signs MoU with Jordan Academy of Arabic

As part of its fifth annual international conference, themed "Arabic Language and Culture: Intersections and Dimensions," King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language (KSGAAL) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Jordan Academy of Arabic.

The agreement aims to foster cooperation in serving the Arabic language and its associated disciplines. It also establishes a framework for joint action to facilitate the exchange of expertise and integration of capabilities between the two academies.

KSGAAL was represented at the signing by its Secretary-General Dr. Abdullah bin Saleh Al-Washmi, while the Jordan Academy of Arabic was represented by its President Dr. Mohammad Adnan Al-Bakhit. The MoU was signed remotely.

The agreement outlines areas of cooperation, including research, studies, and scholarly projects related to the Arabic language and its sciences. It also covers the publication, translation, and printing of studies and the implementation of specialized training programs in linguistic sciences, SPA reported.

The MoU also covers the administration of the "Hamza" academic Arabic proficiency test for non-native speakers and the development of digital dictionaries and linguistic corpora. These resources will be made accessible through the "SIWAR" Linguistic Lexicon platform and the "FALAK" Linguistic Corpus platform. The two academies will also exchange linguistic and cultural data.

The memorandum provides for World Arabic Language Day celebrations and the organization of exhibitions, linguistic competitions, events, academic programs, seminars, training courses, and panel discussions. These activities aim to serve the Arabic language and enhance its presence, along with other areas agreed upon by both parties.

Culture

Prince Mohammed bin Salman Center Promotes Arabic Calligraphy Through Specialized Training

These initiatives support the center's efforts to develop the skills of practitioners and enthusiasts - SPA
These initiatives support the center's efforts to develop the skills of practitioners and enthusiasts - SPA
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Prince Mohammed bin Salman Center Promotes Arabic Calligraphy Through Specialized Training

These initiatives support the center's efforts to develop the skills of practitioners and enthusiasts - SPA
These initiatives support the center's efforts to develop the skills of practitioners and enthusiasts - SPA

The Prince Mohammed bin Salman Global Center for Arabic Calligraphy is conducting a series of specialized training programs and courses in Arabic calligraphy during the last quarter of 2026 across Madinah, Riyadh, and Dammam.

These initiatives support the center's efforts to develop the skills of practitioners and enthusiasts while promoting the art form as a key component of the Kingdom's cultural identity, SPA reported.

The programs support practitioners of all nationalities and contribute to the preservation of Arabic calligraphy by passing on its knowledge and skills to future generations.