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Riyadh to Launch First Cultural ‘Fenaa’ to Bring Thinkers, Creatives Together

Buildings are seen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 18, 2017. Picture taken December 18, 2017. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser
Buildings are seen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 18, 2017. Picture taken December 18, 2017. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser
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Riyadh to Launch First Cultural ‘Fenaa’ to Bring Thinkers, Creatives Together

Buildings are seen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 18, 2017. Picture taken December 18, 2017. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser
Buildings are seen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 18, 2017. Picture taken December 18, 2017. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser

Riyadh is set to open the first inclusive cultural yard on Thursday. Planned by the Ministry of Culture, the center will serve as a vital knowledge space that incubates thinkers, creators, and talents. It also features exhibitions, sculptures, and large areas to host cultural and artistic events and transform the creative talents into promising opportunities for unusual ideas and artworks.

Named “Fenaa Alawwal”, the new center will present an exploration destination and a space for cultural dialogue and exchange aimed at building a diverse community of thinkers and creators, as part of the national strategy to empower culture and turn it into a lifestyle, and create opportunities for global, cultural exchange.

The construction works at the Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh, have turned the first commercial bank in the kingdom (built in 1988) into an artistic and cultural destination for creators from all fields.

The site’s white, cylindrical columns are covered with local, Saudi decorations, while its exterior yard became a stage for artworks and sculptures, topped by a six-piece, permanent collection specially designed for “Fenaa Alawwal”, reflecting the level of creativity and sophistication of many local and international artists.

The site is also characterized with open, flexible corners that will host cultural and artistic events and activities, in addition to a library that provides a wide collection of books and publications in all fields.

The Ministry of Culture released a video that tells the story of the building, which was transformed from a historic, commercial center into a cultural, artistic destination under the sponsorship of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC), as part of the Vision 2030’s national transformation program.

The “Fenaa Alawwal” bets on leading the “Third Place” experience in Saudi Arabia by providing an exploration destination, a cultural hub, a platform for knowledge exchange, and a communication bridge that connects art to its pioneers and generations.

Artist Elham Dawsari said that the “Third Place” concept we see in spaces like “Fenaa Alawwal” is crucial because it links artists, interested audiences, officials, and community members in a spontaneous, simple way that encourages and motivates the artist to connect with the community and exchange thought and creative production.

For her part, Artist Miaad al-Akili welcomed the launch of “Fenaa Alawwal”, which gathers creative and artistic works, hoping the new center to be the first of many cultural centers across the kingdom.

Akili said cultural centers play a major role in developing the local landscape, especially when based on innovation, and nurturing the connection of artists with the different generations. She also believes that such centers represent a major, cultural base for a new journey of Saudi arts, and a different generation supported by these exceptional initiatives.

Artist Ali al-Sharif called for incorporating artistic interests such as sculpting and Al Sadu into education, and to start taking care of the talented students in early stages to ensure that the results meet the requirements of the creative phase that Saudi Arabia is living nowadays.

Sharif urged for building a database that features creators and innovators, allows to communicate with them and support their projects.

He added that art has moral and financial values, and the inherited works emphasize a style that helps communities preserve their heritage and creative works throughout history.

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Varieties

As Baboons Become Bolder, Cape Town Battles for Solutions

A group of baboons move through the main shopping street of Simon's Town outside of Cape Town on October 31, 2024. (AFP)
A group of baboons move through the main shopping street of Simon's Town outside of Cape Town on October 31, 2024. (AFP)
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As Baboons Become Bolder, Cape Town Battles for Solutions

A group of baboons move through the main shopping street of Simon's Town outside of Cape Town on October 31, 2024. (AFP)
A group of baboons move through the main shopping street of Simon's Town outside of Cape Town on October 31, 2024. (AFP)

On a sunny afternoon in Cape Town's seaside village of Simon's Town, three young chacma baboons cause a commotion, clambering on roofs, jumping between buildings and swinging on the gutters.

Enchanted tourists stop to photograph the troop crossing the road. Locals are less impressed: it's a daily scene in the charming village nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and Table Mountain National Park.

About 500 chacma baboons -- among the largest monkey species and weighing up to 40 kilos (88 pounds) -- roam the peninsula south of Cape Town, says the South African National Biodiversity Institute.

And as human development pushes up the mountain into their natural habitat, the animals are increasingly entering plush properties to forage in gardens and take the pickings from the bins. Some manage to sneak into houses where they can wreak havoc.

Many locals are fond of the creatures, giving them pet names and following their daily adventures on social media.

But others are increasingly frustrated.

"They've become so bold now. They're more domesticated than they should be," said Duncan Low, 60, who runs an ice cream shop.

The intruders have even started raiding kitchens and grabbing food from plates in restaurants. "They're on a sugar and fast-food rush," Low said.

In 2021, the city put down a notorious alpha-male monkey who had terrorized residents with more than 40 raids for food in rubbish bins, from lawns and porches, sometimes entering homes while people were inside.

- Monkey management -

Tension between humans and baboons is "the highest it's ever been", said ecologist Justin O'Riain, who directs the Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa at the University of Cape Town.

A baboon on the edge of a wild and an urban area is "the most difficult animal in the world to manage", O'Riain said.

"They are strong, they can climb... and they can learn from each other: there's no landscape that they can't conquer."

As human settlement of the Cape has expanded, the baboons have been "pushed higher and higher up the mountain" where foraging conditions are harder, O'Riain added.

The lush gardens that people have built, with fruit trees and swimming pools, are tempting attractions.

The City of Cape Town, in partnership with park authorities, has for years run a program to manage the marauding monkeys that relies on teams of baboon monitors.

They employ a primarily non-lethal approach, O'Riain said.

However, some techniques, such as firing paintball guns to keep troops away or culling a particularly problematic animal, have come under fire.

Amid an increasingly emotional outcry, vociferous campaigner Baboon Matters announced court action against the city and parks authorities in May for failing to implement what it considers more acceptable control measures, such as baboon-proof fencing and bins.

Facing criticism and funding limits, the authorities said the baboon management program would be wound down by the end of the year as they investigate other "more sustainable urban solutions".

It will however remain in place through December -- a particularly busy month for tourists -- but with fewer rangers, it said.

"We're going to lose our first line of defense," O'Riain said, with more baboons already entering urban areas often at risk to their lives.

- Deaths highest in 10 years -

Thirty-three baboons were known to have died between July 2023 and June 2024, the highest number in 10 years, city authorities say.

Nearly half the deaths were caused by human factors, including shooting with pellet guns, collisions with vehicles and dog attacks.

Coexistence with baboons should come with "a degree of human compliance", starting with managing food waste, conservation activist Lynda Silk, head of the Cape Peninsula Civil Conservation group, said.

"We don't need to be in competition with our natural resources: there can be ways that we can manage our lifestyles to minimize the negative impacts," she said.

For O'Riain, the only viable solution to the baboon battle is to erect fencing in certain areas that is made up of electric wiring and underground mesh to prevent the animals from digging underneath.

A prototype installed 11 years ago had shown great success, with almost no animals entering the area, he said. A 2023 report already suggested where the fencing should be placed.

"Baboons can come and forage right up to the edge of the fence and no one will disturb them," said O'Riain.

"It's a completely peaceful interaction, a win-win for people and for baboons."