A virtual celebration hosted by Sayidaty on the occasion of the 90th Saudi National Day, including a diverse lineup of Saudi artists, has successfully recorded a million views.
The event, held on Sept. 19 on Zoom, was part of a National Day campaign launched by Sayidaty and Arrajol magazines, titled “Lamatna Saudia.” Launched on July 23 and concluding on Oct. 23, the campaign aims to highlight the achievements of Saudi Arabia and its people.
The online celebration, which lasted for more than an hour, began with the Saudi national anthem, which was presented by pianist Iman Qasti, who has represented Saudi Arabia at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Randa Al-Hamad, presenter of the Sayidaty program on Rotana channel, introduced the participants, including plastic artist Fatima Al-Nimr, who has won several international accolades; Haneen Saleh, a rising Saudi artist who masters singing in the Korean, Hindi, French and English languages apart from Arabic; Saudi chef Lulwa Al-Azza, who presented a live cooking demonstration of a recipe of Hijazi masoub (banana bread pudding) with a modern twist; and coffee artist Iman Seraj, who made a portrait of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman using coffee and other natural materials.
Siblings Rama and Muhammad Rabat sang “Ya Biladi Wasili,” which was originally sung by the late artist Abu Bakr Salem. Poet Nour Al-Walidi entranced the viewers with a poem especially written for the National Day, while calligrapher Yasser bin Mahfouz showcased his talent by sketching two Arabic phrases.
Actress and singer Al-Anoud was the youngest participant in the event.
“Lamatna Saudia” provides an opportunity for people to express their love for and pride in the Kingdom by sharing their creative works, which could be a photo of their region, painting, poetry, video, song, or even an artifact. Both Sayidaty and Arrajol will publish the contributions in their e-magazines, on their websites and social media channels. The best contributions will receive awards and certificates of appreciation signed by the magazines’ editor in chief.
