The inauguration of the Ramadan Nights Bazaar at Zaki Ben Oboud Gallery here Thursday evening was marred by a controversy created by an overzealous photographer and a woman in her thirties. Chaos prevailed over the arena for well over 15 minutes just before the arrival of Dr. Abu Bakr Baqader, Undersecretary of Ministry of Culture and Information for International Cultural Relations, to inaugurate the event. Ruckus began as cameramen started taking shots of the various items on display at the exhibition and the woman in question noticed that she was under the lights of a video camera. The infuriated lady immediately covered her face and rushed toward the cameraman insisting on having the tape. After a lot of haggling and persuasion the organizers were able to bring the situation under control. The videotape was destroyed and given to the annoyed woman, who was later asked to collect her displayed items and leave and she did that without showing any resentment. The woman was standing behind her stall waiting for customers when the unlucky cameraman passed by for overall shots. “We're respectful people and we never show our faces in public,” the woman was heard to say tersely. However, the bazaar is meant to motivate Saudi girls show their crafts and to encourage productive families to sell their homemade products and benefit from that. According to Nasser Aal Farhan, media consultant and head of the Sharakat Al-Khair Company, the bazaar is meant to shed light on Saudi culture and spiritual aspects during the holy month of Ramadan. “We also want to give the Saudi woman the chance to spend her time in fruitful activities that can help her participate positively in her society,” Aal Farhan said. He added that his company, along with the Saudi Women Business Union, is concerned about their social responsibilities to lend a hand to Saudi woman and push her forward to work in an Islamic-framed atmosphere. He concluded that the bazaar is the beginning of a series of similar activities to support young people and train them to have their own business in future. “I'm surprised to see such event tonight,” Dr. Baqader told Saudi Gazette. He added that such activities like the air brush workshop can be taken outside for demonstration to people who think “we are living in an outer planet.” The official felt that media institutions should do more to introduce rich and distinctive Saudi cultural aspects to the others.
