Activities of the Ministry of Arts – Report
Muscat, May 20 (ONA) The Ministry of Arts Affairs has kept pace with the occurrences that the Sultanate and the world are going through as a result of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic (Covid 19). Its creative cadres in all sectors of the various arts fields such as the Photographic Society of Oman, the Omani Society for Fine Arts and the DRC Omani Oud Hobbyist Association affiliated to the Ministry of Arts Affairs have implemented many programs and events since the beginning of this pandemic to mitigate its effects on members of society. For example, they help them to adapt with resulting effects and deal with their various feelings (such as anxiety, fear, and anger) by showcasing their talents and creativity as they participate in events and programs and providing them with knowledge and skills and helping them to keep social distancing by staying at home and taking advantage of their time to acquire new skills and develop and refine their talents. Therefore, during the holy month of Ramadan, taking advantage of all available social media, programs and various artistic events to suit different tastes and diverse hobbies for members of society have been intensified. This month has witnessed a number of programs, such as the Creative Arts Competition, an exhibition of the sale of plastic arts, a weekly photo competition, a weekly Inshad competition, Zoom application activities, events and workshops for oud enthusiasts. The number of these activities and programs reached more than 35 implemented through specialized societies, in addition to the departments of the Ministry and the national theatrical teams supervised by the Ministry.
The activities that were implemented through Zoom have varied in its artistic contents ranging from discussion sessions, specialized artistic workshops and lectures on training in plastic art. One of the session aimed to introduce participants to the concept of good formation, and the correct foundations, to master it and to get acquainted with some of the components and elements of artistic formation, by providing an opportunity to display some of the participants ’work, in addition to providing the opportunity for the participants to express their opinions and exchange information and ideas about what was presented. The topics of these session focused on formation from nature to artwork to scenes, digital and graphic design, the foundations of the formation in plastic art, the formation in three-dimensional arts, the importance of the element of sovereignty in artwork and the importance of lighting and shadows to transform the artwork from flat to anthropomorphic. Professor Muhammad Al-Harthy, a lecturer at the Design Department of the Al-Zahra College for Girls and some Omani plastic artists at the Omani Society for Fine Arts, such as Khaled Al-Sabhani, Hazaa Al-Maamari, Nada Al-Ruwaishidi and Abdulaziz Al-Hinai, among others, participated in this session.
Qassim Al-Riyami, a theatre specialist at the Ministry of Arts Affairs, provided an important definition and explanation of the beginnings of the Greek theatre and the stages that the actor and director went through. The English theatre was also present in a lecture by Jalila Al-Fahdia, head of the theater department, which touched on the works of the great writer William Shakespeare.
The events and activities of the oud enthusiasts varied through social media platforms (Instagram, Zoom) to keep pace with the conditions the Sultanate is going through as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The various programs were implemented through social media platforms including announcing and registering in the “Orientation Program for Oud Hobbyists Competition” on March 23, through the (Zoom) program, to explain some of the instruments related to the competition. The competition for oud enthusiasts targeted the oud players who wish to develop their playing skills on their musical instruments, up to professionalism, under the supervision of specialized trainers in the field.
This competition has had a distinguished reaction by oud fans. Other activities include a general competition to play and sing some national and religious songs, and this competition will end at the end of May.
In addition to the above, a song entitled “Oman, the pulse of our souls” was released, with the participation of 15 singers and musicians, as part of “Oman versus Corona”. It was published on social media as part of the Ministry's awareness-raising role in support of public awareness efforts by all agencies.
As for Oud hobbyists and their fans, the daily live broadcast (7 days a week) presented many events that started on April 20 and are still ongoing. The announcements for this broadcast are published on the association's Instagram page. It is implemented by specialized trainers alongside some members of the Omani Oud Hobbyist Association, including Ziyad Al-Harbi, where his broadcast topic was about playing exercises and pieces, singing some songs and answering the inquiries of followers and participants about the techniques of playing the oud. In addition, other instructors gave short lectures and explanations of the techniques of playing the oud instrument and the depiction of the maqamat of Arabic music.
Yaqoub Al-Harrasi addressed the issue of playing exercises, pieces and songs, and answering the inquiries of followers regarding the techniques of playing the oud. Muntasir Al-Rasbi performed and played vocal and acoustic arts and other types of Omani and Arabian singing. Khaled Al-Tuwaijri played musical exercises and pieces and answered the followers' inquiries regarding the techniques of playing the oud.
As for Youssef Al-Zaki, he tackled the musical instrument and oud industry in particular, in addition to playing exercises and pieces, answering the inquiries of the participants regarding the techniques of playing the oud and illustrating the maqamats of Arabic music. Turki Al-Hadi participated in a topic on Oman, Arab and foreign types of rhythms.
In addition, among the activities is the charitable exhibition in which the Omani plastic artists participated with 154 art paintings. Its financial profit will go directly to the account designated for the coronavirus pandemic (Covid 19).
In the field of photography, and due to the large number of people interested in this field, the ministry launched a photography competition, where a theme for competition between photographers is offered weekly. What distinguishes the competition is that all the themes are appropriate for the home environment, as the photographer takes the photo from inside the house. The colour challenge was the first theme on the table, and then the face challenge and the f the Qur’an were themes were presented.
As for the theatre, some of the civil theatrical teams that work under the supervision of the Ministry of Arts Affairs had an important role in implementing several programs and activities within the framework of the directives to limit the spread of the coronavirus, including awareness lectures, introductory theatre and theatre pioneers and some immortal plays. They were presented by a number of theatre professionals and the number of participants reached nearly 100,000 with the participation of more than 300 theatre members.
(ONA)