Jasmine Bager
DHAHRAN: On a starry Dhahran night on Oct. 26, a quaint gathering took place at the Cultural Oasis at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, known as Ithra. The outdoor space was transformed into an elegant celebratory spot dedicated to honoring 150 years of the Netherlands’ diplomatic presence in the Arabian Peninsula.
“This is a memorable evening in so many ways… It’s also a very memorable year and not all of you are aware of this. The year 2022 marks 150 years of diplomatic presence of the Netherlands in the Arab Peninsula,” Dutch Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Janet Alberda told the distinguished guests.
She listed a few points in history in which the two kingdoms were connected. In the Hijaz region, in 1872, the Netherlands opened its first diplomatic mission in Jeddah to facilitate a supervised yearly flow of Muslim pilgrims from Indonesia, under Dutch colonial rule at the time.
“As for the Eastern Province, the Sharqiya, Dutch presence stretches for over 70 years. It started with the first casual flight between our kingdoms in April 1950. Cooperation continued in the oil sector through Royal Shell and Saudi Aramco. Also, it was the Dutch company, Ballast Nedam, which built your roadway to Bahrain and the King Fahd Causeway,” she said.
The Amsterdam Wind Quintet ensemble flew in from the Netherlands specifically for the event, creating a serene atmosphere as they performed a diverse repertoire of classical and contemporary music. Of course, they started with a rendition of the Saudi National Anthem and then the Dutch National Anthem.
On the tables at the gathering, copies of a new magazine, aptly titled “Shared Heritage: Stories from Dutch-Saudi History,” were on hand.
Written and produced by TVCulture for the Embassy of the Netherlands in Riyadh, the magazine uses storytelling as a tool to connect both countries.
“My team in the embassy worked with different stakeholders to look for all kinds of topics where we share histories,” Alberda said, speaking about the magazine. “You will be surprised to know that includes all kinds of topics, such as the well-known ones like water, logistics, agriculture, but also lesser-known ones, such as poetry, football, balloons.”
She thanked Sulaiman Al-Suhaimi, the honorary consul for the Eastern Province who has been connected to the Netherlands since his early days at the Saudi-Hollandi Bank, more than 50 years ago. Alberda announced that, by royal decree by King Willem-Alexander, that Al-Suhaimi was recently appointed as honorary consul again for the next five years. He accepted the framed letter as the crowd, comprising mostly Saudis and Dutch citizens, applauded.
The event also served as a soft opening for Tanween, the cultural festival held at Ithra, which would launch indoors on the following day.
During Tanween, Dutch artist Arne Hendriks will be offering a ticketed one-day masterclass on Oct. 29, which will address challenges artists face in the business world. It is also supported by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Riyadh and is expected to be a bestseller. To enroll, visit the Ithra website.
