/ONA/ The Ministry of Information’s achievement of six awards in the main competitions of the 26th Arab Radio and Television Festival in Tunisia reflects one aspect of its sustained efforts to advance Oman’s media message. It also demonstrates that this recognition is the culmination of successive stages in the development and production of media content.
The achievement also underscores the breadth of the Ministry of Information’s production fields and the diversity of their formats and content. It reflects the integration of efforts and the synergy among qualified media professionals, whose expertise and capabilities are evident in creativity, planning, developing ideas, writing, preparation, production and execution, ultimately resulting in impactful media content capable of competing at regional and international media forums.
His Excellency Mohammed bin Said Al Balushi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information, affirmed that the Ministry’s achievement of six awards at the Arab Radio and Television Festival, represented by Oman Radio and Television and the News Centre, marks a qualitative leap in the level of Omani media participation. He noted that winning at this prestigious festival, which brings together Arab media institutions with extensive experience, reflects the development witnessed by Omani media.
In a statement to the Oman News Agency, His Excellency added that these awards reflect the efforts made to develop radio, television and news content and raise it to a level capable of competing regionally and internationally. They also reflect the competence and professionalism of those involved in preparing, presenting and directing these productions, as well as producing news reports.
His Excellency noted that the results underscore the importance of investing in Omani media professionals through the training and qualification provided by the Media Training Centre, alongside continued support and encouragement for those working in the media sector. He explained that developing professional capabilities is a fundamental pillar in enhancing content quality and strengthening its competitiveness.
His Excellency expressed his hope that this achievement would serve as an impetus to continue producing high-quality, purposeful media content and raising standards of professionalism and efficiency across the government and private media sectors. This would contribute to building a more advanced and sustainable Omani media experience, while strengthening investment in national talent and enhancing the quality of media content in the coming period.
The documentary Arabian Humpback Whale, which won first prize in the Films and Documentary Programmes category of the television competitions, offers a documentary exploration of the marine environment and biodiversity through an approach that combines research, information and visual storytelling. It addresses a subject closely connected to Oman’s environment in documentary form, while highlighting the importance of presenting environmental issues through visual storytelling capable of conveying information and showcasing the distinctive character of the place.
The film’s production team explained that the subject was chosen in view of the importance of environmental conservation and sustainability, as well as the need to address key issues related to the environment.
Moving from the marine environment to youth issues, Youth Talk won first prize in the Talk Programmes category of the television competitions. Its content focuses on young people’s interests and concerns, with emphasis on the selection of topics and guests, the structure of episodes and the management of dialogue, providing space for discussion of issues relevant to this segment of society.
In another area of television production, the news report Apricot Blossom Season in Wakan Village won second prize in the News Reports category. The report presents details of an agricultural season associated with Wakan Village, offering viewers a glimpse into local life and the surrounding environment while highlighting the distinctive character of the place and its seasonal features.
Dhiab bin Abdullah Al Nofli, the report’s producer, explained that the idea originated from the distinctive nature of the apricot blossom season in the mountain village of Wakan, when the agricultural terraces are transformed into an exceptional landscape draped in white.
He noted that the beauty of the scene was the starting point for developing it into a news story by highlighting the village’s natural beauty and rich features, while incorporating selected literary expressions that add an aesthetic dimension to the visuals without detracting from the report’s journalistic character.
He explained that the report was developed around several key elements, foremost among them linguistic accuracy, visual quality and a coherent sequence of ideas. Sound effects were also selected to complement the voice-over and enhance the atmosphere of the scene. The report further sought to document the season by capturing the presence of visitors and making use of subtle visual details, including a bee landing on apricot blossoms. These elements helped achieve harmony between the visuals, the content and the essence of the story.
He affirmed that Oman’s environment is rich in cultural, heritage and tourism content, offering extensive opportunities to produce local reports capable of reaching a wider Arab audience when presented in a purposeful and valuable manner worthy of publication.
This diversity extends to radio production, with Oman Radio winning three awards in the main radio competitions across cultural and economic programmes and drama. The winning productions offer varied examples of how sound, storytelling and radio production techniques can be employed to present content.
In the Cultural Programmes category, What the Shadow Said won first prize. The literary programme explores characters featured in literary works and texts, bringing them back to life through a dramatic approach that gives them a voice and space to express themselves. It creates a closer connection between these characters and the listener, encouraging audiences to seek them out and discover them through the original works in which they appeared.
Ahmed bin Salim Al Kalbani, the programme’s producer and presenter, explained that the production draws on radio drama techniques, narration, simulated interviews with characters, recollections of memory, and sound and production effects that help construct scenes and deepen the listener’s experience.
He noted that one episode brought back the character of Al Qafir from the novel The Exile of Al Qafir, allowing the character to speak about his pain and concerns, his presence within the text and the challenges he faced. The treatment moves the character from the pages of the novel into a dramatic space through which aspects of his experience are revisited.
He explained that the programme is based on reviving literary characters and presenting them anew in dramatic form, enabling listeners to engage more closely with them and understand their different dimensions. He noted that the use of sound, narration and effects helps construct the character’s world and reshape its relationship with the listener. He affirmed that the aim is to make this experience a gateway to the original literary works and encourage audiences to read them.
In the Economic Programmes category, Fruitful Hands won first prize. The programme is an example of the development-oriented radio productions adopted by Oman Radio to support and highlight the efforts of women and productive families by exploring experiences emerging from villages and rural areas and presenting them within a context connected to place, craft and identity.
Khalid bin Abdullah Al Salami, the programme’s producer and presenter, said the concept centres on a virtual audio journey to locations where Omani women work. Conversations explore the crafts or professions in which they excel and how the benefits of their work extend to themselves, their families and their surrounding communities. This highlights the economic and social value of these activities and their role in transforming inherited skills and knowledge into sources of production and sustainability.
He added that the script was designed in harmony with accompanying sound effects that simulate a real journey, enabling listeners to experience its details from beginning to end, become acquainted with the working environment, its sounds and details, and appreciate the value of these crafts and their impact on the lives of women, families and communities.
He explained that the programme’s concept is based on engaging closely with these examples within their natural environments. He noted that the experiences featured in the programme demonstrate the ability of Omani women to develop traditional heritage and transform it into contemporary projects and products. He added that the programme seeks to present these stories in a way that remains close to the people behind them and connected to the places where they originated.
Al Farahidi, which won first prize in the Drama Competition, uses radio drama to revisit the life of the Omani scholar Al Khalil bin Ahmed Al Farahidi. It takes listeners back to an era rich in the study of the Arabic language, tracing aspects of Al Farahidi’s journey in exploring poetic rhythm and establishing the science of Arabic prosody.
Rasha Al Balushi, the programme’s producer and presenter, explained that the production recreates the atmosphere of Basra and its markets, employing everyday sounds, including the bustle of marketplaces, the sound of copper and craftsmen’s hammers, to construct the setting in which the character moves. It also draws on his conversations with his students and family, as well as moments of solitude, presenting Al Farahidi within a dramatic context that reveals his journey of inquiry, contemplation and determination to discover and codify poetic rhythm.
She added that the production combines artistic appeal with historical documentation, highlighting Al Farahidi’s contribution to the science of Arabic prosody and its role in preserving Arabic poetry and regulating its rhythm. In doing so, it offers listeners an experience that revisits an aspect of Oman’s scientific and cultural heritage while connecting a historical figure with a legacy that remains present in Arab culture and the Arabic language.
She noted that presenting Al Khalil bin Ahmed Al Farahidi through a radio drama was intended to bring audiences closer to the figure and his legacy through dramatic storytelling. She explained that the construction of the setting, sounds, characters and dialogue helped transport listeners to the environment in which Al Farahidi lived, affirming that the production seeks to highlight his influence on the Arabic language, poetry and Arab culture in a style accessible to contemporary audiences.