How Malika Favre’s Arab News cover image of a woman driving made its mark in Saudi Arabia

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French artist Malika Favre
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Updated 29 August 2022
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How Malika Favre’s Arab News cover image of a woman driving made its mark in Saudi Arabia

  • An image that wrapped the special Arab News edition of June 24, 2018, took off as a popular symbol of the historic day
  • The French artist, whose mother is Algerian, is known for her minimal style and popular New Yorker covers

JEDDAH/RIYADH: An image by French artist Malika Favre, marking the day that women were allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia for the first time, has been formally recognised with a slew of awards after it became something of a cultural sensation.
The picture, commissioned to cover the special “Start Your Engines” edition of Arab News in June last year, took off as a popular symbol of that historic moment. It was downloaded as mobile wallpapers, replicated on hats, painted on a wall mural in Riyadh and, to celebrate its one-year anniversary, Arab News is giving away bumper stickers with it in today’s print edition.


It wasn’t just the masses that embraced the image. It went on to become the success story of the newspaper awards season, clinching seven design gongs, including the Society for News Design’s Award of Excellence for cover story illustration.
“For Arab News to be recognized on a global scale with so many awards is a great honor,” said Simon Khalil, global creative director at Arab News. “This highlights just how important this moment in history was for women across the Kingdom. We hope Malika’s work and our cover will empower women across the whole region.”
Favre, whose mother is Algerian, is an illustrator for The New Yorker, New York Times, Vanity Fair and Penguin Books. She’s known for her minimal style, with designs that are easily linked back to her through her use of vibrant colors and positive/negative spacing.
“As a champion of women for years through her unique creative style, Malika Favre was the obvious choice for our cover, and her illustration brilliantly captures the significance of this moment on the day Saudi Arabia changed forever,” said Khalil.
Favre’s illustration is of a Saudi woman in her headscarf, with her hands on a steering wheel reflected in her sunglasses (in the animated online version, her hands and the wheel move). “A story within a story,” the artist described it.
The artwork has resonated with a lot of people, to the extent that even those who were not Arab News readers at the time shared it and downloaded it in droves. Favre thinks that’s because it is about “empowering women and looking forward to the changes to come.”
Favre is a firm believer in celebrating even the smallest milestones in life. “The cover holds a very positive message, and I think this is what resonated with people out there, and especially the women of Saudi Arabia,” she said from her base in London.
Favre was not expecting Saudi Arabia’s reaction to the cover. “It is always an amazing feeling when an illustration starts having a life of its own.”
One Saudi female artist was especially moved by the cover. For a Panorama Mall contest in which she participated, Noha Al-Johar recreated Favre’s design as mural on the wall of the mall’s parking lot.
Al-Johar told Arab News that she went into the competition blindly, but then saw Favre’s illustration and knew what she had to do. For three days she replicated the design faithfully, right down to the street details in the oversized sunglasses.
When Favre came across a photo of the homage painted by Al-Johar, she shared it on her social media accounts. Al-Johar was very humbled by the attention. “I want to thank her,” she said. “She’s the definition of a visionary.”
Favre expressed delight at how her illustration has been received. “As an artist, getting awarded for a piece is very fulfilling,” she said.
“This cover was very important for me on a personal level as a woman, and I was really happy to see the image being shared, emulated and celebrated by other artists.”

From the archives: More about artist Malika Favre and her Arab News cover illustration


Saudi king, crown prince extend condolences to Indian president after air crash

Rescue officials carry a victim’s body at the site where Air India flight 171 crashed in a residential area near the airport.
Updated 1 min ago
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Saudi king, crown prince extend condolences to Indian president after air crash

  • The Air India passenger plane bound for London with more than 240 people on board crashed and exploded after takeoff and there was only one survivor

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman extended their condolences to Indian President Droupadi Murmu after a plane crashed after takeoff in India’s northwestern city of Ahmedabad on Thursday.

The Air India passenger plane bound for London with more than 240 people on board crashed and exploded after takeoff and only one person survived, officials said.

Black smoke billowed from the site where the plane crashed into a medical college hostel and burst into flames near the airport in Ahmedabad, a city of more than 5 million and the capital of Gujarat.

In separate cables, the king and crown prince extended their condolences to Murmu, the families of the deceased, and to the Indian people. They also wished the injured a speedy recovery.

The Kingdom’s Foreign Ministry also expressed its condolences to India after the incident.


Arab storytelling tradition makes region ideal for filmmaking: Katara executive

Updated 12 June 2025
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Arab storytelling tradition makes region ideal for filmmaking: Katara executive

  • Demand for premium Arabic content that resonates with a global audience is the main driver for production company
  • Authenticity requires cultural integrity — such as maintaining dialect, accents and costumes

Riyadh: The Arab world’s roots in detailed storytelling means that the region is well suited to making movies, according to Hussein Fakhri, chief commercial officer and executive producer for Katara Studios, and the latest guest on The Mayman Show.

Founded in 2018, the Doha-based production powerhouse is behind regionally iconic projects such as the fantasy short film “The Lost Chapter of Kelileh & Demneh” and the ceremonies for the 2022 FIFA Arab Cup.

“Storytelling, I think, is in our DNA, as Arabs generally, right? We come from a long line of storytellers; it is really part of who we are,” Fakhri said. “For me, the sort of career advancement was very much evolutionary, organic, as I come from an advertising and marketing background.” 

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Before entering the world of filmmaking and immersive storytelling, Hussein started out in Dublin, Ireland, pioneering digital advertising in a market far from his cultural roots. Hussein left the marketing agency life and now leads Katara’s mission to produce bold, meaningful stories that resonate with a global audience with an unapologetically Arab perspective.

“I had my own advertising agency, and we had so much work that I had to found a film production company to be able to shoot our TV commercials,” Fakhri said. “I would hire filmmakers, and we started doing short films, more brand films and documentaries, and that just sort of evolved. I just love the craft, although I’m not a filmmaker myself, but I just love the business of it.” 

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Part of the work was instrumental in what eventually evolved into Katara Studios, founded by a group of talented filmmakers, he said. “Watching them work and watching the kind of stuff that they do — just the love for it grew, to be honest.” 

The need for premium Arabic content that resonates with a global audience is the main driver for what Katara does creatively, he said.

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“We have a huge audience. We have 500 million Arabic speakers. And we have very little premium content for them. There was a gap there that was spotted and an opportunity to be able to create premium content for this primary audience.” 

The demand for premium Arabic content and the interest in Arabic culture made for a great recipe for success, he said.

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“We also have a lot of people around the world that are very interested in our culture, are very interested in our part of the world. And I don’t think we’ve given them enough content to engage with us, and that’s what we are trying to do, ultimately.”  

With a culture as rich and layered as the Arab world’s, authenticity is not simply a goal — it is a responsibility for Katara Studios projects, he said, as they aim to bring stories to life with depth, accuracy, and heart, even when they are infused with other styles of filmmaking. 

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Katara Studios is producing a fantasy Bedouin Western, and according to Fakhri, a balance for this genre experimentation and cultural authenticity is critical to telling a good story and being innovative without losing its Arab essence.

Asked how Bedouin storytelling could be showcased with this approach to experimental filmmaking, Fakhri said: “You know, I’m so glad you brought up that word because authenticity is the foundation for everything that we try to do. Genuinely, it has to be authentic. Because if it is not authentic — if you’re trying to please an audience just by throwing stuff in there — it shows every time.”

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Authenticity required cultural integrity — such as maintaining dialect, accents, costumes and other small and important details in the presentation — and this would then reflect very positively to the film, he said.

“You get every element of it right; it really comes through in the final product. So, we’re very careful to try to be as authentic as possible. And I think we’ve done that with this project,” Fakhri said.

 

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Rare kidney operation performed at King Faisal Specialist Hospital

KFSHRC-Riyadh performs ESG on a patient who had previously undergone a kidney transplant. (SPA)
Updated 12 June 2025
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Rare kidney operation performed at King Faisal Specialist Hospital

  • Precise medication management needed for surgery
  • No stomach incisions, with suture done via the mouth

RIYADH: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh recently performed a rare Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty on a patient who had previously undergone a kidney transplant.

In a statement, KFSHRC said the operation was considered “the first of its kind in the region.”

It required “meticulous management of immunosuppressive medications and the prevention of any complications that could jeopardize the transplanted organ.

“This procedure marks a significant advancement in providing safe treatment solutions for transplant recipients, to improve their graft survival and quality of life.”

The ESG procedure differs from surgical sleeve gastrectomy in that it requires no abdominal incisions, which is important for transplant patients.

Instead, it uses an endoscope inserted through the mouth to suture the stomach internally, effectively reducing its volume and enabling the patient to lose weight and improve overall health.

The procedure was performed by a multidisciplinary team of experts led by Dr. Ehab Abufarhaneh, consultant in adult transplant gastroenterology and hepatology.

Abufarhaneh told Arab News: “Performing endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty on a kidney transplant patient is exceptionally rare and complex due to the need to protect the transplanted organ while carefully managing immunosuppressive therapy.”

“This procedure provides a safe therapeutic option for transplant recipients, addressing a critical medical challenge and helping preserve graft function through a minimally invasive approach tailored to their condition,” Abufarhaneh added.

The team included gastroenterologists, various transplant surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nursing staff.

In the statement, the hospital said it was “adopting innovative techniques tailored to the unique needs of transplant patients and developing treatment protocols that address post-transplant challenges.”

The facility “reinforces its position as a regional referral hub for cases beyond the scope of conventional treatment pathways,” and as a leading healthcare provider in the region.

It was fulfilling its vision of being the optimal choice for patients supported by an integrated ecosystem of education, research, and clinical excellence that aligns with Saudi Vision 2030, the hospital stated.

The hospital has been ranked by Brand Financing 2025 as first in the Middle East and North Africa, and 15th globally on the list of the world’s top 250 Academic Medical Centers for the third consecutive year.

Additionally, it was included in the World’s Best Smart Hospitals list for 2025 by Newsweek magazine.


Hadiyah launches program to promote cultural and humanitarian engagement with pilgrims

Updated 12 June 2025
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Hadiyah launches program to promote cultural and humanitarian engagement with pilgrims

RIYADH: The Hajj and Mutamer’s Gift Charitable Association (Hadiyah), based in Makkah, has launched the “Let Them Witness the Benefits” to offer enriching experiences to pilgrims after completion of the Hajj rituals, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The program aims to build bridges of cultural and humanitarian engagement between pilgrims and Saudi society by hosting pilgrims in Saudi homes, where they experience traditional hospitality and learn about the Kingdom’s values, customs and traditions, fostering a sense of closeness and belonging.

The chairman of Hadiyah, Hatem Al-Marzouki, said that the program is one of several initiatives designed to create a lasting positive effect after Hajj by strengthening cultural and humanitarian ties between pilgrims and Saudi society.

“Hadiyah’s services go beyond hospitality, offering a comprehensive and unforgettable experience that reflects the human values of the Saudi people,” he said.

Al-Marzouki said the program is part of an integrated system of high-quality initiatives aligned with the aspirations of Saudi leadership.

According to SPA, these initiatives aim to enhance the pilgrims’ experience and strengthen the Kingdom’s image as a global center for serving and caring for pilgrims, culturally and humanely.


420,070 workers served during Hajj 2025: Saudi statistics authority 

Updated 12 June 2025
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420,070 workers served during Hajj 2025: Saudi statistics authority 

  • Over 1.6m pilgrims undertook Hajj, according to General Authority for Statistics

RIYADH: A total of 420,070 workers from the public and private sectors, including security services, worked to serve 1,673,230 pilgrims during this year’s Hajj, the General Authority for Statistics has reported.

Of the number, 92 percent were male and 8 percent female, GASTAT said in its Hajj Statistics Publication carried by the Saudi Press Agency recently.

The publication said there were 34,540 male and female volunteers at the holy sites, contributing a total of 2,134,398 volunteer hours during the Hajj season.

Elderly, infirm and disabled pilgrims are given assistance in moving around the holy sites. (SPA)

It also stated that 314,337 male and female pilgrims from eight countries benefited from the Makkah Route Initiative this year, representing 20.9 percent of all pilgrims.

This initiative, launched during the 2017 Hajj season, aims to streamline travel procedures for pilgrims.

GASTAT announced earlier that of this year’s 1,673,230 registered pilgrims, 1,506,576 arrived from abroad through various entry points. There were 166,654 citizens and residents who performed Hajj this year.

This year there were 877,841 male and 795,389 female pilgrims, the authority stated.

GASTAT said the statistics are based on records provided by the Ministry of Interior.

Workers spend a lot of effort to keep facilities in the holy sites clean and safe. (SPA)