With the cold winter breeze engulfing Duqm, the youth of Oman are warming up to take part in the biggest youth activity that takes place in Oman as the country welcomes “AMAD Duqm 22”.
Hosting more than 30 activities in various fields such as culture, sports, innovation, technology, sustainability and entertainment, in line with the aspirations of young people, the event is set to receive more than 20,000 young men and women between the ages of 13 to 40 years from in and outside the Sultanate of Oman.
The visitors to the event will feel as if they’ve travelled 100 years into the future. They will encounter an environment that appears to be somewhat familiar but it is from a different time. The event is cloaked in mystery, suspense, and entertainment because all of its elements appear bizarre; they are from the future.
AMAD 22 encourages contemplation and mediation by distributing dozens of abstract and interactive art works and structures throughout the village. A variety of recreational activities will also take place in the village.
Beginning the day with a contemplation session with Ghaitha al Muaini at five in the morning, the day-long events extend to satisfy all tastes of visitors. Other events include an electric bike circuit (scooter), Badil exhibition games, an obstacle course, drones, a remote control car racing circuit, art labs, video games, an astronomy camp, backgammon and others.
One of the main events taking place as part of AMAD 22 is the Nufoon Sculpture Forum, which features a number of workshops given by the participating sculptors to introduce the community’s visitors, the staff members of the businesses operating in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm, and schoolchildren to the art of sculpture and the various works of art created by the sculptors.
In order to reflect the distinctive natural, geological, and touristic features and landmarks in Duqm, a group of international sculptors from Spain, Germany, Bulgaria, Romania, and Tunisia, as well as three of the most renowned Omani sculptors, created artistic statues of different sizes ranging from 2 to 3 metres.
Khalil al Kalbani, a sculptor, fascinatingly created his piece “from Ocean to one’s self” depicting all the different changes that the universe experienced through the tough times of the Covid pandemic. The lines in Khalil’s sculpture reflect some kind of ambiguity and unclarity, as he resembles to the ambiguous circumstances that people underwent during that period.
While Ahmed al Shabibi was inspired by the Garden of Rocks in Duqm. The park is a good example of coexistence between the natural and the human activities practised in the area where the garden remains untouched. My sculpture reflects this reality as the base is small compared to the size of the work. This shows that it is not impossible to survive in each medium if circumstances demand it.
In addition to using the sculptures’ outputs to furnish the expanded public spaces and give them an aesthetic character for the visitors to interact with, the forum aims to enrich the artistic movement in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm and provide angles for filming and recording moments.
The “AMAD Duqm 22” event is held as part of the efforts to highlight the Special Economic Zone at Duqm as a contemporary, prosperous city that values creativity and innovation. Along with promoting tourism initiatives, it also aims to present Duqm as a futuristic city that draws young people and their projects in a variety of industries, including energy, manufacturing, and logistics. The Event gives young people the chance to turn their innovations and skills into promising business ventures that take advantage of the possibilities. It also aims to offer different housing and infrastructure options.
It is worth noting that the event is being held on an area of 500,000 sqm, and was designed to simulate a residential village with integrated facilities. Duqm was chosen because it is the gateway to the Omani economy in the future stage.
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