By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: A total of 179 projects from 12 countries are participating in the Maker Faire 2020 at the Kuwait International Fairground in Mishref from Feb 11 to 15, 2020. The participating projects were chosen by the judging committee out of 540 that applied. The best projects will receive cash prizes.

Minister of Commerce and Industry Khaled Al-Roudhan said this fair is part of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah's directions to support and adopt Kuwaiti ventures, especially industrial, technological and handmade projects. "These projects may be a quantum leap in the Kuwaiti industrial field that keeps up with the New Kuwait 2035 vision. I was impressed by the projects displayed in this fair from Kuwait and other countries as well. I hope that the best of these projects will get a chance to be part of Kuwait's industries," he said during the opening ceremony yesterday.

Chairman of Kuwait Investment Company Yousef Al-Ali said the company is organizing this fair for the fourth consecutive year. "It's held under the patronage of HH the Amir to support Kuwaiti youth. We believe that Kuwaitis are able to add value to their inventions and new projects, and through this fair we aim to shed light on them and to adopt the ideas of those who deserve it," he pointed out.

Some of the participating projects in the past years have been realized. "Some of the previous projects were supported and are now expanding in the health, technology and other sectors. This is an example for the youth to continue their hard work to realize their dreams, as their projects can represent Kuwait at international fairs the same way as some previous projects did," added Ali.

The number of participants increased this year. "This year we have more participants from more countries compared to the previous version of the fair. The participating countries are, besides Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Yemen, Sudan, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Iran. This signifies the success of this fair year after year. Through this fair we aim to achieve our goal of boosting the 'Made in Kuwait' slogan. This will change our economy from a single-income revenue economy to a sustainable economy," stressed Bader Al-Sibei, CEO of Kuwait Investment Co.

The participating projects are from various fields. "The participating inventions, ideas and projects are from the technology field including mechanical, electronic and virtual applications. Also, there is participation from the arts and crafts fields including clay carving, sculpting, sand carving, wood art and metal carving. Then there is the heritage category that includes music and traditional handcrafts, in addition to educational projects that include applications and others," noted Talal Al-Rashdan, Public Relations and Media Manager, Kuwait Investment Co.

Maker Faire also includes a competition. "Twelve best projects will receive cash prizes. Apart from evaluation by the judging committee, visitors of the fair can vote for the best projects in their opinion," Rashdan further added.

Fahd Al-Saad is participating in this fair with a collection of handmade knives that he makes as a hobby. "I call my brand Roy knife. I design and make the knives according to orders using natural materials including wood, leather and others. I have different kinds of blades including Dimashqi, D2 or the 1095. I then shape the knife to a unique beautiful art piece for multiple purposes, including hunting, in the kitchen, when travelling, or for breaking and cutting wood," he told Kuwait Times.

"I fell in love with this hobby when I was a child. It attracted me as it is artistic work. But I only started making these knives about two years ago. I display my work at home. The pieces are for sale, but the customer is the one who decides the price, as I do this as a hobby in my free time. I prefer spending my free time in a useful activity such as this craft," added Saad.