My Stories Tell the Story of Every Saudi Woman: Elham Dawsari, Saudi Artist and Writer
New Age Islam News Bureau
09 August 2022
• Qatar’s Diplomat Lolwah Al Khater Slams World for
Supporting Israel’s ‘State Sponsored Terrorism’
• Women in Pink Campaign Pledges to Raise Awareness on
Breast Cancer across the Gulf
• Visa and Al Rajhi Bank Push To Empower Female
Entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia
• Women to Teach Fourth Grade Elementary Students in
Private and Foreign Schools In Saudi
• Abu Dhabi Hindu Temple Gives 10,000 Handmade Rakhis
to Workers, Residents
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/saudi-elham-dawsari-artist/d/127680
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My Stories Tell the Story of Every Saudi Woman: Elham
Dawsari, Saudi Artist and Writer
Subabat, women who serve
coffee at all-female events, have become the subject of Dawsari’s most popular
work. (Supplied)
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Nada Alturki
August 08, 2022
RIYADH: As interdisciplinary Saudi artist and writer
Elham Dawsari sits with an iced Spanish latte in hand, a sweet combat to the
heat outside, she recalls one of her first sketches: a younger version of
herself sits on the front stoop of her house watching barefoot boys her age
play around in the grass, free of social decorum. She holds a walkman in hand,
her own personal bubble at the press of a button.
“I drew that because I wanted to not only answer
questions, but to articulate the questions first: What is this about spaces?
About women? About gender?” she told Arab News.
As she was simultaneously the subject of the sketch
and the background to the playing boys, she made a visceral connection to the
space around her and where women fit into it.
Subliminally, she bagan to make the forgotten women
the center of her work.
Dawsari works to explore a pre-Internet Riyadh in the
1980s and 1990s through centering middle- and lower-class women, investigating
how it influenced their behavior and how they were shaped by the spaces around
them.
“I think this is my way of coming to terms with a lot
of things that happened in my life, including the stories of women because I
still carried questions for the longest time, trying to understand it,” she
said.
While Saudi culture has been slowly loosening its
control on the societal expectations of women, some find it is still difficult
to think critically of the past.
She has found that artistic pursuits are a more
palatable way to honestly pursue without the societal backlash.
“Art is a way for me to clash, but indirectly,”
Dawsari said.
Subabat, women who serve coffee and desserts at
all-female events, have become the subject of her most popular work.
The figures evoked mystery and curiosity for viewers,
which is what inspired the pursuit, she said.
While she grew up in the US until high school, she
still went to Saudi weddings and recalls seeing her first Subabat at an early
age.
“Around 12-years-old, I began associating Subabat with
muted beauty,” she wrote in her essay, titled “Documenting Subabat: A Tribute
to Sisterhood.”
While they had a certain status and prestige at
weddings, their presence was evidently invisible to the attendees. Their job
was to serve and never chat.
“Classism was apparent, but they still looked similar
to the grandmothers (at the weddings), the way they dress. Eventually 25 years
later, I learned through research that they took that style from the women they
worked for,” Dawsari said.
That contrast stuck with her and her determination to
document these women and their process, despite their prominent evasion,
culminated in her photo series, essays, and docu short under the title “Subabat.”
While the notions of lamenting and nostalgia are
prominent in many Saudi artworks, she chose to stray away from them.
“What joy does that give to anybody?” she thought.
Instead of highlighting the problems of the current age, she decided to uplift
the stories of the past.
In her artwork “Nfah,” Dawsari has created a series of
five miniature sculptures showcasing how women utilized their time at home. In
the secluded nature of their lives, either in their own home or in someone
else’s, they sculpted who they are and searched for open spaces.
The work, most recently showcased at Jax Arts Festival
in Riyadh, aims to analyze the relationship between urban landscaping and
specific behavior of 1990s Saudi households.
The two sculptures that showed the voluptuous
houseworking women, one cleaning the yard and the other squatting as she does
laundry, reflect how they maintained their physical strength in rural Saudi
Arabia.
Dawsari told Arab News that she hoped to start a
conversation where she, and her audience, can look at these anchors as more
than just houseworkers and parents, “to rewire ourselves and really think about
all the other things that were in their lives, and the heavy burden of
responsibility that society imposed on them.”
She wanted her work to represent the women, and help
view them in the simplest of forms: as humans. The work hopes to appreciate
where they are now and “hopefully have them more included” in our fast-paced
and youth-focused lives, she said.
The sculptures are a personal embodiment of memories
and people, designed on a smaller scale to physically and emotionally pull the
viewer in.
“‘Nfah’ is more of these collective stories of people
that I get to listen to, that I get to share, that fall into the essence of the
artwork … it’s about breaking these barriers through these women,” she said.
Dawsari explores the theme of urban landscaping by
tracing women’s movement inside these traditional households. In her work, she
often wonders what these box-like spaces are meant to protect us from.
“It’s more like an emotional kind of fort you are in
that protects you, another barrier in this society… Why is it so revolting? Why
is it so depressing?” she said.
She connects the effects of these spaces we have built
and how we impose ourselves on our architecture in return. What would happen to
the next generation when they live in this so-called “utopian” home of their
ancestors?
“How did it affect those women who, today, are also
living in a different renaissance?” she questioned.
In a time where hustling and striving for the future
defines our daily lives, it is easy to disconnect with our seniors who might
not be running at the same pace.
“Everybody who came and interacted was affected, which
means that we share the same story despite our differences,” said Dawsari.
Everyone has a similar memory of a mother figure
applying lemon juice on their knees or making the afternoon coffee.
An Indian onlooker came to Dawsari once expressing how
her work reminded her of her aunts and her family. The universality of her work
is what speaks to the audience.
“Every passing day, we are losing stories that are
undocumented…the thing is (to create more of a) habit, have people interact
with more and more artworks about this generation,” added Dawsari.
Source: Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2138676/saudi-arabia
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Qatar’s Diplomat Lolwah Al Khater Slams World For
Supporting Israel’s ‘State Sponsored Terrorism’
Lolwah Al Khater
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Hazar Kilani
August 8, 2022
Qatar’s Assistant Foreign Minister Lolwah Al Khater
took to Twitter to shame what appeared to be western nations for their
unconditional support for Israel, despite its mounting war crimes against
indigenous Palestinians.
“Next time you come to preach us about HUMAN RIGHTS
& saving Muslim women remember this! Remember how you kept providing your
unconditional political/ military/media support to this state sponsored
terrorism 4 decades. This is why you NO longer have CREDIBILITY,” a furious
tweet by the Qatari official read, though she did not direct the statement at
any one country or group.
The tweet came just hours after a ceasefire brought to
an end a brutal three-day Israeli offensive in the Gaza strip that claimed the
lives of more than 40 Palestinians, including at least 15 children.
An estimated 350 Palestinian civilians have also been
wounded.
In response, the US State Department stated on
Saturday that it strongly supports Israel’s right to defend itself, and urged
all parties to avoid further escalation. A similar statement was also issued by
the United Kingdom, triggering outrage worldwide.
The assistant foreign minister is known for her strong
stance in support for Palestinians
In December,
Al Khater called on world leaders to take action in halting
the illegal Israeli occupation as part of the New Year resolutions for 2022.
“2021 World leaders -rightly-battled to preserve
Afghan Women rights. Will they put 10% of that effort for Palestinian women and
children after 70 years of: ethnic cleansing, killing, crippling and arbitrary
detention, using prohibited weapons, targeting journalists,” said Al Khater in
a series of tweets.
The Qatari official shared a video of the Head of the
Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem Archbishop Atallah Hanna, in which he
reminded the international Christian community that “celebrating Christmas without
paying attention to Palestine would be meaningless”.
Along with the video, Al Khater added poetic phrases
by renowned Lebanese poet Rachid Salim El Khoury, widely known as the “village
poet”, in which he expressed the importance of “brotherly love” in the region.
“Only our brotherly love will rise in the East.. if
you mention the Messenger of God in kindness, convey the greetings of the
poetic villager to him,” read the verses shared by Al Khater.
The senior Qatari official went on to take aim at the
illegal demolition of Palestinian residences, with recent videos showing
Israeli forces holding unarmed home owners at gunpoint while they watched on
helplessly as their houses were demolished.
“Choose the right answer, Israeli 70 years [of]
occupation is: violating women/human Rights? The last colonial apartheid system
on earth? Yet, NO women rights/boycott heroic calls coz: it’s above intentional
law before they demolish/kill they don’t say Allah Akbar so it’s [okay],” said
Al Khater, commenting on the videos.
Brutal Gaza offensive
A ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Egypt to terminate
Israel’s latest assault in the Gaza Strip, which killed dozens of Palestinians,
was declared late on Sunday.
Following rigorous talks between Egypt, Israel, and
Gaza’s governing body, Hamas, a “comprehensive and reciprocal ceasefire” to end
the devastating Israeli bombardment on the besieged city went into effect at
11:30 p.m.
In response to the current developments in Gaza,
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Dr. Majed Al-Ansari stated that the Gulf
state’s participation was “was pivotal to ensure the reduction of tension and
the arrival of a ceasefire.”
“The intensive Qatari contacts helped us identify the
reality of the situation in Gaza…our diplomacy depends on dialogue and bringing
parties together, and it has achieved success on several fronts,” Dr. Al-Ansari
told Al Jazeera in a televised interview.
The official noted that the Palestinian file “is one
of the most important files that Qatari diplomacy is working on.”
Palestinians have identified a pattern of attacks on
Gaza in the run-up to the Israeli election season, in an attempt to acquire
credibility among far-right citizens.
Source: Doha News
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Women in Pink campaign pledges to raise awareness on
breast cancer across the Gulf
August 9, 2022
HEALTHCARE
Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Novartis, ranked among
the world’s top pharmaceutical companies, today announced the roll out of its
new Women in Pink campaign which aims to raise awareness on Breast Cancer for a
better quality of life for women across the Gulf region.
The campaign forms part of Novartis’ ongoing
commitment to raise awareness and create solutions across the continuum of
breast cancer care, and it encourages women across the region to become
change-makers in their own health. It will also empower women by providing them
with the right information to make the best choices for their treatment plan
through partnerships with the Emirates Oncology Society and non-profit
organisation, Friends of Cancer Patients
.
“According to the World Health Organisation, breast
cancer is the most common malignancy in all GCC Countries, with the incidence
rate highest in Bahrain (46.4), followed by Kuwait (44.3), Qatar (35.5), the
UAE (19.2), Oman (14.4) and Saudi Arabia (12.9). That’s why it is vital that we
work together to improve public health education and awareness around
prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of breast cancer through
initiatives such as the Women in Pink campaign,” says Professor Humaid Al
Shamsi, President of the Emirates Oncology Society.
“Breast cancer rates across the GCC are comparatively
low when examined against other industrialised countries. However, the disease
still affects a significant proportion of the population, particularly women,”
adds Dr. Sawsan Al Madhi, Director-General for Friends of Cancer Patients.
“That’s why we believe that deep and broad change is needed in our approach to
breast cancer in the Gulf, beginning with early screening and continuing with
an ongoing commitment to improve and extend the lives of cancer patients.
Through this campaign, we are empowering patients, before they become patients,
to take control of their health by becoming their own advocates and inspire
others to do the same.”
Around one third of cancers are preventable through
simple changes in lifestyle, genetic testing of high-risk groups, and
vaccination. The Women in Pink campaign was created to encourage women to get
early cancer screenings, regular check-ups and mammograms as patients who
receive an early diagnosis, and whose cancer is still localized, have a
significantly higher survival rate. Additionally, the campaign aims to raise
awareness of metastatic breast cancer symptoms so patients can identify them in
themselves and others and to ensure that patients with metastatic breast cancer
can gain access to enhanced and innovative treatment solutions.
“We need to improve the outcome of patients being
treated for cancer, and nothing impacts cancer survival rates more than
screening and early detection. By engaging with stakeholders at all levels,
from patients to healthcare practitioners, we want to create a society in which
early and frequent screening becomes accessible and simple and patients are
able to receive treatment at the right time for the best outcome,” says Al
Shamsi.
As part of the new campaign, Novartis will collaborate
with different stakeholders and thought leaders to drive discussions on
prevention, early intervention, and care management to improve patient
outcomes, enhance quality of life, and optimise longevity for patients.
“At Novartis, we’re on a mission to transform the
lives of patients and connect people and communities to better quality care. As
we continue to develop innovative therapies to fight cancer and address the
unmet needs of cancer patients, we are also committed to ensuring that they
have the knowledge, tools, and support needed to manage the disease and live
healthier lives,” adds Joy Khoury, Head of Communications and Patient Advocacy,
Novartis Gulf.
About Novartis
Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend
people’s lives. As a leading global medicines company, we use innovative
science and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas
of great medical need. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank
among the world’s top companies investing in research and development. Novartis
products reach nearly 800 million people globally and we are finding innovative
ways to expand access to our latest treatments. About 109,000 people of more
than 140 nationalities work at Novartis around the world. Find out more at
https://www.novartis.com.
Source: Zawya
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Visa and Al Rajhi Bank push to empower female
entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia
09 August, 2022
Digital payments giant Visa and Saudi Islamic bank Al
Rajhi Bank are pushing to empower women in Saudi Arabia by offering financial
support to female entrepreneurs.
In an interview with Al Arabiya English, Visa’s
Regional General Manager for the GCC Cluster (including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain
and Oman), Ali Bailoun weighed in on what the initiative has accomplished so
far since it was launched in the Kingdom for the first time at the end of June.
Bailoun said the initiative was launched to “support
the Saudi government’s ongoing efforts to economically elevate women
entrepreneurs across the country,” in partnership Al Rajhi Bank.
“The ‘She’s Next’ initiative offers female business
owners in the Kingdom a unique opportunity to apply for one of five $10,000
grants and receive a year of coaching from IFundWomen, as well as networking
and mentoring opportunities to build, fund and grow their ventures,” Bailoun
said.
According to Visa’s 2022 survey on women
entrepreneurs, 82 percent of women surveyed in the Kingdom said their current
business venture was their first, indicating their growing confidence in the
government’s efforts to empower women and foster a more inclusive business
environment.
“Visa is committed to fostering an environment that
enables all women to thrive and challenge the status quo. And with the launch
of ‘She’s Next’ in Saudi Arabia, we want to address the disproportionate
barriers faced by women entrepreneurs and provide them with the right learning
opportunities, how to set better goals for their businesses’ profitability, how
to develop stronger strategies, and how to survive the lingering effects of
COVID-19,” he added.
Female business owners across Saudi Arabia can join
‘She’s Next’ and apply for funding and access peer networks and educational
resources that help address the challenges revealed in a recent Visa study of
women entrepreneurs.
Saudi female entrepreneurs who took part in Visa’s
survey said that they mainly struggled to find the right tools and platforms
that support business development and management, to create a good team of
employees, and to stand out against the competition.
“Bringing ‘She’s Next’ program to Saudi Arabia builds
on Visa’s commitment to digitally enable 50 million small businesses around the
world to kickstart recovery from the COVID 19 pandemic,” he said.
Visa’s ‘Where You Shop Matters’ campaign in Saudi
Arabia has encouraged consumers to support local businesses while helping SMBs
to go digital to benefit from the surge in ecommerce while enhancing business
efficiency.
Since 2020, Visa has invested more than $2.2 million
globally in over 200 grants and coaching for female small and medium business
(SMB) owners through the initiative, including in Canada, India, the US, and
Ireland.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Women to teach fourth grade elementary students in
private and foreign schools in Saudi
August 8, 2022
JEDDAH — The Ministry of Education has instructed that
women have to be assigned as teachers in the fourth grade of elementary schools
in the private and foreign education sector in the Jeddah governorate,
effective from the next academic year of 1444 AH.
The ministry’s directive came in an urgent circular
sent to the Department of Education in Jeddah.
Speaking to Okaz/Saudi Gazette, informed sources at
the ministry said that this decision is applicable to private and foreign
schools in the Jeddah governorate only. “This directive is implementing in the
Jeddah governorate on an experimental basis, and this may be applicable to all
regions of the Kingdom later,” the sources said.
The ministry clarified in the circular that this
decision vis-a-vis grade four comes in tandem with the success achieved after
application of assigning the teaching of students from the first to third
grades of elementary level of the private and foreign girls’ schools to female
teachers. “The ministry also desires to continue creating stimulating
environments for teaching and learning as well as to support investment in the
private general education sector,” it was stated in the circular.
It was noteworthy that the Ministry of Education
announced in the beginning of the school academic year in September 2019 before
the outbreak of coronavirus that women would be teaching boys up to the third
grade of elementary public schools for the first time in the Kingdom.
The ministry had said that hiring female teachers is
part of an initiative that falls under the Early Childhood Schools Project,
which incorporates a special program to better facilitate elementary school
students’ transition to their next phase of schooling.
The project was implemented after conducting several
scientific and behavioral studies to determine the most efficient methods of
early education, the ministry said. The studies found that female teachers
bring benefits to education. According to the ministry, one major benefit of
the program is the presence of female teachers in classrooms eases
communication between teachers and parents.
Source: Zawya
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Abu Dhabi Hindu temple gives 10,000 handmade rakhis to
workers, residents
by Ashwani Kumar
8 Aug 2022
The BAPS Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi has marked the
occasion of Raksha Bandhan (bond of protection), a traditional Hindu festival
celebrating the bond between sisters and brothers in a unique way.
The women’s wing of the BAPS Hindu Mandir made more
than 10,000 rakhis, a sacred thread that a sister tie on her brother’s wrist as
a symbol of love and protection.
During a special prayer led by Pujya Swami
Brahmaviharidas, the head of the BAPS Hindu Mandir, rakhis were offered to more
than 4,000 blue-collar expat workers in attendance, who came in different
batches and belonged to companies across the country. Most of the workers
living alone and away from their families were overcome with joy to receive
handmade rakhis.
“This is a great occasion. I was earlier thinking that
yet another year has passed without being home for Raksha Bandhan and other
festivals. This is a great initiative by the temple,” said a worker.
Ram, another worker, noted: “I feel like I am back
home with my family. We are grateful to the Swamis and Mandir for inviting us
to celebrate Rakshabandhan together with so many brothers and sisters.”
The 150-strong women’s wing was at work for more than
a month, collating data of devotees who have visited the temple. Each woman
volunteer then reached out to 40 devotees and ensured personal delivery of
rakhis.
“We have made these with our own hands. It’s a symbol
of love and affection. Most of the people, especially workers, have their loved
ones staying back home. So, following the instructions of Swami Brahmaviharidas
we made these rakhis.
"We are a mix of students, homemakers and working
professionals who made use of our spare time to procure materials, decorate,
outreach, network and so on to make this occasion a special one,” said a senior
volunteer.
On the occasion, a video message of His Holiness
Mahant Swami Maharaj, who is in India, was shown where he prayed for harmony
and fraternity.
Later, devotees participated in an auspicious brick
laying ceremony called ‘Shila Sthaapan.’ They carried a brick, and singing
hymns, placed it on the five-metre-high plinth, above the foundation of the new
temple. More than 100 volunteers helped orchestrate the flow, while managing
logistics, preparing food, and providing small traditional memorabilia.
Swami Brahmaviharidas noted: “The atmosphere is one of
great love, equality, and divinity. These thousands of rakhis have been
handmade with love by the women devotees of the UAE, to gift each worker
symbolising blessings for brothers. Even this Mandir will be handmade with
love. Hence, in a place of great piety we pray that may God guide and guard
this beautiful nation, its leadership, and all those who call it their home.”
Ashok Kotecha, BAPS Hindu Mandir, chairman,
underlined: “There is a feeling of belonging which cannot be justified in
words. This thread symbolises mutual respect and togetherness. I am truly proud
to serve these brothers who work tirelessly to help build marvelous projects,
such as this beautiful upcoming mandir.”
Source: Khaleej Times
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