Who’s Who: Abdullah Al-Oshaiwan, general manager of Imagination Saudi Arabia
Updated 30 September 2024
Arab News
Abdullah Al-Oshaiwan was appointed general manager of Imagination Saudi Arabia in 2024. He has been tasked with driving the company’s growth and overseeing its operations across the Kingdom, playing a critical role in expanding Imagination’s footprint in line with the goals of Vision 2030.
Before joining Imagination, he served as master event planner at the Saudi Esports Federation, where he was responsible for managing key events and large-scale projects.
One of his notable accomplishments was overseeing the 2024 Esports World Cup, the largest esports event globally, attracting over 1,500 international players and more than 2 million visitors.
Prior to that, Al-Oshaiwan held several senior positions, including as projects director at Mayadeen Events, where he was instrumental in building the company’s reputation and client base. He also played a key role in shaping cultural and esports events through his work with the Ministry of Culture and the Saudi Esports Federation.
Al-Oshaiwan was awarded the prestigious King Abdulaziz Medal by the Royal Court for his contributions to Saudi Arabia’s G20 presidency, which highlighted his ability to manage large-scale, high-profile events with excellence.
Commenting on his new position, Al-Oshaiwan said: “Joining Imagination at such a pivotal time of driving growth is a huge opportunity. With the company’s dynamic vision for the future and many exciting events on the horizon, I look forward to leading our team in delivering exceptional value to our clients and further establishing our footprint in this thriving market.”
Al-Oshaiwan holds a bachelor’s degree in supply chain management with a minor in leadership from Thompson Rivers University in Canada and is a certified project management professional.
Ethiopian Cultural Days brings aroma of coffee, flavorful food to Alsuwaidi Park
The Global Harmony Cultural Series is open to visitors every day from 4:00 p.m. until midnight
Updated 3 sec ago
Haifa Alshammari
RIYADH: Ethiopian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Muktar Kedir Abdu attended the opening of Ethiopian Cultural Days at Alsuwaidi Park in Riyadh on Thursday.
The Ministry of Media and the General Entertainment Authority organized Ethiopian Cultural Days as part of the Global Harmony Cultural Series, which has focused on several other countries so far, including Yemen, Indonesia, Syria, and Uganda.
The event witnessed the presence of the Ethiopian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Muktar Kedir Abdu. (AN photo Huda Bashatah)
The Global Harmony Cultural Series is open to visitors every day from 4:00 p.m. until midnight.
During Ethiopian Cultural Days, guests will see Ethiopian dance groups showcasing diverse folk dances from various regions of Ethiopia.
The Global Harmony Cultural Series opens its doors for visitors every day from 4:00 PM until midnight, welcoming visitors from all nationalities and age groups to enjoy food, culture, live performances, and more. (AN photo Huda Bashatah)
“What caught my attention the most was the DJ. My friends and I come almost every day for the DJ,” Turki Mesmeh, a frequent visitor to Global Harmony, told Arab News. “They brought their cultures to us, all the way to the Alsuwaidi neighborhood.”
Ethiopia has an enormously rich history. According to National Geographic, the ancient African kingdom of Aksum was based in what is now northern Ethiopia and parts of Eritrea. It emerged as a powerful and wealthy civilization from the 1st to the 10th century CE, controlling the trade routes between the Roman Empire, India, and the Arabian Peninsula. Ethiopia was also among the first countries in Africa to adopt Christianity.
The Global Harmony Cultural Series opens its doors for visitors every day from 4:00 PM until midnight, welcoming visitors from all nationalities and age groups to enjoy food, culture, live performances, and more. (AN photo Huda Bashatah)
Guests to Ethiopian Cultural Days will also discover a range of Ethiopian cuisine.
“The most important dishes are tibs and kitfo. Tibs is meat, fried with tomatoes and other ingredients,” Welday Meles, owner of the Ethiopian restaurant Lucy, told Arab News.
The Global Harmony Cultural Series opens its doors for visitors every day from 4:00 PM until midnight, welcoming visitors from all nationalities and age groups to enjoy food, culture, live performances, and more. (AN photo Huda Bashatah)
Kitfo is raw minced beef mixed with chili and clarified butter, and is similar to steak tartare.
Another popular dish is beyaynetu, a dish — or series of small dishes — made from a wide variety of ingredients and served with injera — Ethiopia’s famous spongy flatbread made from fermented teff flour.
It is widely known that Ethiopia is the origin of coffee, the beverage that dominates global consumption, and this goes back to an ancient story about a goat herder named Kaldi, who noticed his goats becoming unusually energetic after eating red berries from a particular tree. These red berries were coffee beans. (AN photo Huda Bashatah)
And no celebration of Ethiopia would be complete without coffee. Not only because the coffee plant originated there — legend has it that a goat herder named Kaldi discovered coffee when he noticed that his animals became unusually energetic after eating red berries from a particular tree — but also because the country has preserved its traditional rituals, diverse varieties, and deep cultural connection to coffee, remaining one of its most significant global producers.
Rahika Mohammed, a participant at the event, explained that, in Ethiopia, coffee is commonly served with “popcorn and mastic incense,” adding that “the cup must be full when served.”
