SAUDI ARABIA : Villa Hegra: The first joint Saudi-French cultural hub expands its offerings

  • Scriptwriting and tableware programs mark the next phase for the Saudi-French institution in AlUla
  • Artists, filmmakers and designers turn cross-border collaboration into new forms of creative expression

Villa Hegra, the first joint Saudi-French cultural institution, has expanded its programming in 2026 with new residencies in scriptwriting and tableware design.

Villa Hegra was officially launched in October 2025 in AlUla and was inaugurated by Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al-Saud, minister of culture, governor of the Royal Commission for AlUla, and chairman of the Villa Hegra Foundation.

Born from the long-standing relationship between Saudi Arabia and France, Villa Hegra is an institution dedicated to intercultural cooperation, located in AlUla.

Designed as an open platform for creativity, education and exchange, it supports contemporary creation across visual arts, design, film and the performing arts, while fostering dialogue between the AlUla community and international audiences.

Two announcements in 2026 highlight that momentum, showing how Villa Hegra is moving from its October 2025 launch into tangible progress through expanded residency programs.

In May 2026, Villa Hegra and Film AlUla — working with Afalula (the French Agency for AlUla’s development) — announced a scriptwriting residency, delivered with Le Groupe Ouest and LIM² | Less is More, to support early-stage feature development through sessions in Brittany and AlUla.

It includes two tracks; an international cycle for eight filmmakers and a national cycle for eight Saudi and MENA-based filmmakers.

In June 2026, Villa Hegra announced its first tableware-design residency (June 8-July 17) in Champignelles, Burgundy, developed with Campus Mana and supported by the Culinary Arts Commission of the Saudi Ministry of Culture.

Six Saudi female designers, selected through an open call that closed May 10, will create Villa Hegra’s first tableware collection through hands-on workshops and exchanges with local artisans across textiles, woodwork, ceramics and metalwork.

A product of the strategic partnership between RCU and the Afalula, the initiative is aligned with Saudi Vision 2030.

It aims to harmonize AlUla’s cultural heritage with its global aspirations, positioning the region as a hub for arts, culture and sustainable tourism.

Feriel Fodil, CEO of Villa Hegra, described the institution’s distinctive position within the global network of cultural villas.

“Villa Hegra is quite unique in the network of cultural villas in the world. It’s the first Saudi-French cultural institution in the Kingdom, born from the friendship between the two countries,” she told Arab News during the launch in 2025.

She emphasized that the villa was designed to serve local, regional and international audiences through its diverse programs. These include creative workshops for children and teenagers, artist residencies jointly led by Saudi and French artists, and collaborations with French institutions such as the Philharmonie de Paris.

Fodil traced the origins of Villa Hegra to a 2018 intergovernmental agreement between Saudi Arabia and France, aimed at developing AlUla as a major cultural and tourist hub.

“Another agreement in 2021 laid the foundation for this new villa, positioning it as part of a major global villa network,” she said, referring to its alignment with other prestigious French cultural villas such as Villa Medici in Italy and Villa Kujoyama in Japan.

The governance structure of Villa Hegra reflects a balanced collaboration between Saudi Arabia and France.

Fodil said: “The villa is unique because it’s a space of co-direction and co-creation between Saudi Arabia and France. The goal is to ensure that there is a partnership between the two countries, enhancing what’s best in France and enhancing the dialogue between Saudi Arabia and France.”

She said that this partnership was evident in the villa’s curatorial direction, which was jointly overseen by Saudi and French curators.

Together, they guided artist residencies and programs that blend the cultural strengths of both countries. For example, Fodil said: “We have a Saudi artist, Badr Ali, working with USM to produce artwork, and a French artist, Paul Emilieu Marchesseau, working with local artisans from AlUla to produce the furniture for the villa.”

In addition, the villa’s partnership with the Philharmonie de Paris will bring music workshops to children in AlUla, reflecting its commitment to nurturing local talent. “This dialogue is part of the DNA of the villa,” Fodil said.

Saudi artist Badr Ali, who contributed to Villa Hegra’s design, told Arab News, “As a painter, my practice has always been within intimate spaces — gallery walls, where you are told not to touch the work or cross the line.”

Ali said that when invited to be part of Villa Hegra, “it brought me into a completely different realm, transforming my work into functional art that’s part of daily life.”

He added that his work for Villa Hegra included interactive pieces that allowed people to sit on them, store their belongings, and use them in daily life.

Ali also spoke about his collaboration with USM, a Swiss brand known for its modular furniture systems. “I visited factories in Switzerland to see how the materials were made and how they could be adapted into furniture and public spaces.”

His experience, Ali said, gave him insight into how functional art could blend practicality with creativity.

Ali further reflected on the significance of this shift in the Saudi art scene.

He said that functional art was still new in Saudi Arabia, but was gaining traction as people moved away from viewing art as a “precious object” to something that is interactive and useful.

“It’s a welcome change, especially in Saudi Arabia, where functional art is still new. It adds a layer of creativity and practicality to the arts scene,” he said.

Villa Hegra not only seeks to enhance the cultural landscape of AlUla but also aims to establish itself as a landmark in the international arts scene.

Fodil explained that the villa embodied both local and global ambitions. “The villa is positioned with global ambitions, on top of having a local ambition to enhance the cultural landscape of AlUla.”

Ali echoed this, emphasizing how the villa represented a broader cultural shift. “It’s about moving beyond the precious art object and creating something interactive and invaluable — a reflection of how art can seamlessly integrate into everyday life. It’s exciting to see this shift happen here, in AlUla.”

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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SAUDI ARABIA

ALGERIAN-FRENCH photographer Bruno Boudjelal presents 20-year journey across Africa

Presented at the Les Rencontres de la photographie d’Arles – a summer photography festival in France – that runs between 6 July and 4 October, French-Algerian photographer Bruno Boudjelal showcases his body of work Goudron, Tanger–Le Cap, a hazy journey across the African continent from north to south.

The exhibition Goudron, Tanger–Le Cap brings together the body of work from the photographer’s travels across the African continent for over 20 years.

Photographs and Super 8 analogue films accompany the publication of a photography book by EXB, allowing readers to delve into around 15 stories of people Boudjelal encountered along the way.

The photographs are conceived as hazy, fleeting wanderings through landscapes and cities where human figures occasionally emerge. The viewer’s eye searches for an impossible point of focus, as though doubt and questions have replaced certainty and answers.

“After this long journey, it seems to me that all these obstacles to the movement of people and goods are a real factor in underdevelopment. It is this invisible border that I address in my work, this barrier that blocks you at every step,” the exhibition notes state.

Boudjelal did not initially intend to become a photographer, let alone to photograph Algeria. Formerly a guide in South Asia, he was advised to take photographs. For someone who had not even realized he was Algerian, the search for his roots in Algeria during the civil war subsequently became an important part of his work.

His distinctive visual style took shape after the viewfinder of his camera was stolen in Algiers. During a visit to McDonald’s, a young girl lent him a disposable camera she had won with a children’s meal. He continued photographing in Algeria with the camera for 10 years.

“I didn’t know how to work any other way than with the McDonald’s,” he admits. His photography became one of movement, with landscapes and people crystallizing in the colourful blur that would define his visual signature.

He was then advised to photograph without a viewfinder and without framing his shots — the starting point for what he calls “non-photography.” Faced with the impossibility of stopping, framing, and pressing the shutter, he explains: “You always have to give the impression that you’re going somewhere; you can’t wander aimlessly.”

He adds: “This non-practice of photography, or rather this particular practice, comes from my confrontation with Algeria during the dark years.”

In 2003, he presented ten years of work in Algeria at Arles, bringing that chapter to a close.

Former Libération journalist Florence Aubenas then encouraged him to return to the African continent. He joined the “Ports of Africa” project, with Gabon as the first stop on his journey. Libération hired him for nine months to cross the continent — an unusual contract that was largely unknown among photographers of his generation and astonishes young photographers today.

Between autumn 2004 and autumn 2005, he completed the journey in one continuous trip. A subsequent split within the newspaper reshaped its editorial team, and the new team was unaware of the completed journey.

Ten years later, in 2025, nine images from the project were published as part of the book 50 Years in the Eye of Libé. “As I was about to cross Africa, I thought I would change my way of photographing, that my photography would evolve. I was wrong. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, but when you pass through the major capitals, they remain very difficult to photograph,” he says.

Placing visitors in the middle of the stories
 

For Boudjelal, the photographic act goes hand in hand with a natural curiosity about the stories of the people he encounters. “I want to place visitors in the flow of these individual stories,” he says.

The roughly 100 stories he collected over the years remain largely undisclosed. The question remains open for him: what will he do with all the stories that were not included in the book?

In 2003, while exhibiting at the Rencontres de Bamako, he encountered talibé children in the park surrounding the museum hosting the exhibition. These children, found across Francophone West Africa, are officially entrusted by their families to imams to receive religious education. Unofficially, however, they are often required to collect money for the imams through begging.

Boudjelal met Yousou, one of these children, who was originally from Gambia. His father and later his uncle had entrusted him to imams. The imam exchanged him and his friends for other children in Bamako. A year and a half later, the paths of the two friends crossed again by chance at Dakar’s bus station. The child told him that the imam had exchanged him again in Dakar for other children.

“We travelled by train without tickets. It was the best moment of my life; I had never felt so free,” he told Boudjelal, then aged 11. Living on the streets had become an escape from the imam, who had “tortured” them, in his words.

An African photography scene yet to be discovered
 

For the past 20 years, Boudjelal has returned to the continent to conduct workshops with French cultural institutes and other institutions, including fine arts schools in Kinshasa and N’Djamena. Through these workshops, he has trained young local photographers.

For some, the workshops became stepping stones, including a young photographer from Lagos whose work was later exhibited at MoMA. Boudjelal stresses the importance of being present and receptive to the hidden talent of local photographers. He points to the lack of funding, connections, and openness that continues to prevent many of these young photographers from gaining wider exposure.

Geopolitical challenges also hinder the circulation of this talent, including the situation in Mali, which is increasingly affecting the Rencontres de Bamako photography festival.

“Whether you go to Egypt, Chad, Burkina Faso or Ghana, you find people who have just as much talent and different forms of expression,” he says. “All you have to do is give them your attention and talk about their work.”

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This article was originally published in  Al-Ahram Hebdo (French) on 12 August 2026. Additional editing and translation: Ahram Online

source/content: english.ahram.org.eg (headline edited)

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FRENCH / ALGERIAN

IRAQ : Al Khalil ibn Ahmad Al Farahidi — An Arab genius who helped shape human knowledge . Died 786 or 791 CE.

The 35th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF), opening on 13 September 2026, has selected Al Khalil ibn Ahmad Al Farahidi as the events’s Focus Personality. This choice reflects a profound cultural vision that positions heritage as a productive force for the future, reviving an inspiring and historic intellectual legacy.

As a foundational figure of Arab-Islamic civilisation, Al Farahidi reorganised the Arabic language through a rigorous scientific approach. He authored Kitab Al-Ayn, the first Arabic dictionary organised phonetically; founded the science of Arabic prosody; and contributed to linguistic and methodological thought, which have remained a reference for over twelve centuries.

The selection of Al Farahidi takes on greater significance when considered in the context of the cultural project ked by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC). Since the inception of the ‘Focus Personality’ concept for ADIBF, the aim has been not only to honour prominent figures, but also to reintroduce them to new generations as contributors to global knowledge.

Previous editions have celebrated the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Ibn Khaldun, Naguib Mahfouz, and Ibn Sina. This series reflects a coherent vision, presenting Arab culture as an integral part of the global dialogue, and linking historical achievements to present and future challenges.

In this context, Al Farahidi is an ideal choice

Today, the world is experiencing rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, big data, and computational linguistics — all of which rely on modern on system architecture, concept classification, and structural language mapping. Al Farahidi took a similar approach that centuries ago, when he conceive of language as a system that could be analysed and understood according to precise rules that extends far beyond its function as a means of communication.

Celebrating Al Farahidi confrms the rich scientific legacy of the Arabic language, positioning it as a partner in th digital future. Investing in Arabic begins with understanding the genius of its founders. This is in line with the ALC’s strategy of developing creative industries, supporting publishing, and enhancing the Arabic language’s in the digital environment, and linking it to innovation and contemporary knowledge.

The designation also reflects a broader Emirati vision of cultural stewardship. Major international book fairs have become platforms for shaping cultural narratives, building soft power. and fostering civilisational dialogue. For this reason, the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair places the ‘Focus Personality’ within a broader cultural discourse that encompasses the ‘Book of the World’, the Guest of Honour, as well as diverse programmes of intellectual panels and presentations.

This approach underscores the ALC’s belief that culture is a strategic investment in people rather than being an elitist activity. Choosing Al Farahidi as this year’s Focus Personality delivers a clear message to researchers, students, technology developers, and publishers. While a linguistic renaissance starts with celebrating historic achievements, it must be sustained by actively drawing on that heritage to drive modern innovation and knowledge creation.

Al Farahidi left more than a legacy of linguistic scholarship; he left a method of systematic thought. His selection as the Focus Personality celebrates the idea that civilisations that can interpret their heritage through the lens of the future are best placed to shape their future.

source/content: wam.ae (headline edited)

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1965-1970 Sculpture of al-Frahidi in Basra / source pix: en.wikipedia.org

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IRAQ (or born in Oman)

MOROCCAN Student Zakaria Abisourour Wins Historic Silver at International Informatics Olympiad

Zakaria Abisourour’s breakthrough in Tashkent marks Morocco’s first silver medal at the prestigious global competition.

A year after he left the International Olympiad in Informatics with an honorable mention, Moroccan student Zakaria Abisourour returned to the world’s top programming competion with a far stronger result: a silver medal and a place among the world’s leading young programmers.

Abisourour scored 332.42 points at the 38th International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI), held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from August 9 to 16. His score placed him 63rd out of 375 contestants from 92 delegations.

More importantly for Morocco, his result delivered the country’s first silver medal in IOI history.

The 17-year-old’s score comfortably cleared the 303.28-point threshold for silver, by more than 29 points. He finished ahead of more than 83% of the competition’s participants.

A remarkable leap in one year

The scale of Abisourour’s progress becomes clearer when compared with his result at last year’s competition.

At the 2025 IOI in Sucre, Bolivia, he scored 228 points and ranked 190th among 330 participants. That performance earned him an honorable mention.

This year, he added 104.42 points to his total and moved up 127 places in the global standings.

His six scores in Tashkent were 47, 36, 100, 75, 70.42, and four points. A perfect 100 point score on one of the problems proved particularly valuable as he pushed into the silver-medal bracket.

The jump from an honorable mention to a silver medal in just one year puts his achievement among Morocco’s strongest results at the competition.

A new chapter for Morocco at the IOI

Before Abisourour’s breakthrough, Morocco’s IOI record stood at three bronze medals and four honorable mentions.

His silver medal now gives the country its first medal of that level, although Morocco is still waiting for its first gold.

His 63rd-place finish also represents the country’s best individual ranking at the IOI, according to the competition’s results.

The achievement could give a boost to Morocco’s competitive programming scene, where young programmers face demanding algorithmic challenges long before they enter university.

Morocco’s other competitors

Abisourour was one of four Moroccan students who took part in this year’s Olympiad.

Mohammed Cherki finished 216th with 198.50 points and received an honorable mention. Yassir Salama placed 232nd with 176.05 points, while Mohamed Aada ranked 307th with 77.64 points.

Together, the four students represented Morocco at one of the most demanding international competitions for secondary-school programmers.

Where young programmers meet

The IOI brings together some of the strongest student programmers from around the world. Unlike team-based competitions, contestants compete individually and must solve complex algorithmic problems under strict time and memory limits.

The 2026 competition featured two five-hour sessions, with six problems designed to test programming, algorithm design, data structures, and analytical thinking.

This year, competitors needed at least 361.12 points for gold, 303.28 for silver, and 228.80 for bronze. Organizers awarded 32 gold medals, 62 silver medals, and 94 bronze medals, alongside 43 honorable mentions.

For Morocco, however, the most significant number was 332.42, the score that carried Abisourour to a historic silver medal.

His result shows how quickly a young programmer can rise with sustained preparation and experience. More broadly, it offers a promising sign for Morocco’s next generation of competitive programmers, while setting a new target for those who follow: the country’s first IOI gold medal.

source/content: moroccoworldnews.com (headline edited)

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Zakaria Abisourour scored 332.42 pointsat the 38th International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI),held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from August 9 to 16. His score placed him 63rd out of 375 contestants.

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MOROCCO