AUK Participates in the Saudi Janadriya Festival

American University of Kuwait professor and students awarded grant to research Saudi traditional music

Musicology professor and Head of the Humanities and Arts Division, Dr. Lisa Urkevich and five AUK students were invited as distinguished guests of the Saudi government to participate in cultural research during the women's days of the Saudi Janadriya Festival (March 17-20). The students, who are part of a class that studies Arabian culture, excel academically and are noted for their dedication to Arabian Heritage; they were chosen from hundreds to receive this special grant. 

The annual Janadriya Heritage Festival is a two week cultural event featuring artisans, food, costumes, wedding rituals, and traditional music and dance of the Kingdom. The last few days of the festival are dedicated exclusively to women. During this time, the AUK students were taken behind the scenes to interview the craftspeople and artists and get a glimpse of traditional customs rarely seen. Remote regions of Saudi Arabia, including the isolated mountains of Hijaz, were especially intriguing. As Journalism major Shomoukh Al-Mesaid recalled, "I was fascinated by so much rich tradition that I had never seen before."

Students were especially pleased to meet many different people from such a large country. Junior at AUK, Dalal Al Sabah described her experience:

"I not only had a chance to experience the different cultures of Saudi Arabia, I also made a lot of friends from the various regions who added so many perspectives and personalized the culture we were viewing."

Although before departing Kuwait, the students had extensively studied Saudi culture, the experience of being with the Saudi women and sharing their heritage was invaluable.

Shahed Al-Tammar noted that "attending the Janadriya festival was truly a remarkable experience. It has revived and strengthened my cultural heritage and ethnic background. I was honored to be among the chosen ones, for this trip was a magnificent learning experience about the profound culture of our neighboring country, Saudi Arabia." 

"Janadriya was an enriching cultural exchange extravaganza" added AUK senior Noufa Al-Sabah.

Accounting major, Nada Al Yahia called it "a memorable experience that took us back into exploring the wonders of ancient Saudi Arabia." 

Dr. Urkevich was delighted by the success of the trip:

"I am thrilled with all that our students learned during this Study Abroad class. We are fortunate to have such good friends in the Saudi Embassy and Ambassador Abdul Aziz Alfayz and Dr. Saleh Al Sagri, who worked so hard to facilitate this visit. This Saudi-Kuwaiti union is a great success, and I am proud of our students and the way they represented AUK and Kuwait."
 

Dr. Lisa and AUK students Noufa Al-Sabah, Nada Al-Yahya, Shomoukh Al-Mesaid, Shahed Al-Tammar, and Dalal Al-Sabah with their new friends from Qaseem, Saudi Arabia
 

Dr. Lisa, Dalal Al-Sabah, Noufa Al-Sabah, Shomoukh Al-Mesaid, and Nada Al-Yahya before a mural of Ibn Saud, the first King of Saudi Arabia