Souq Okaz 2011 will offer literature seminars, poetry nights, scientific activities and a historical-drama show, said Dr. Abdul Elah Bin Abdul Aziz Banajah, President of Taif University and Chairman of the committee supervising the cultural program. “In preparation for Souq Okaz which will begin on Sept. 20, the committee enacted the directives of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of Makkah region and Chairman of the High Committee of Souq Okaz, which focused on developing the cultural program and making it meet the expectations of the intellectuals in Saudi Arabia and the Arab world,” Dr. Banajah said in a statement. Prince Khaled stressed that Souq Okaz and its cultural, scientific, literary and traditional programs must achieve the goals of the 10-year plan to develop Makkah region and move it to the forefront of development at local, regional and global levels, Dr. Banajah said. Prince Khaled also related that these goals can only be achieved by building a society based on ethics and values of hard work, education, culture, thought and literature, and that “we have a strong Islamic base that qualifies us to be a perfect society if we comply with true Islamic values,” Dr. Banajah's statement said. The program will include “Okaz the Future,” a series of seminars about the current and future changes. Prince Turki Bin Saud Bin Muhammad, Vice President of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, will deliver a lecture about transforming the Kingdom to a community of technical knowledge. The program will present also three seminars about future issues: one seminar will address nanotechnology; another will focus on the media and future challenges, with the participation of Muhammad Al-Tunisi, Okaz editor in chief; and the third will discuss literature in the information age. The program will also include folklore shows and contests between folklore groups from the Makkah region, Dr. Banajah added.
