Saturday 28/February/2026 – 11:16 PM
The Union of Arab Artists, headed by director Massad Fouda, sent a message of appreciation, love, and reassurance about the health of the Saudi journalist and art critic, Ali Faqandash, calling on God Almighty to bless him with health and reassure his fans, after he has overcome his health crisis.
During the last period, as a result of work pressures and exhaustion, he suffered from a health problem, as a result of which he was transferred to a hospital. Members of the Executive Office of the Arab Artists Union have been following Faqandash’s condition since his admission to the hospital was announced, as he is one of its active members and represents an important history in the process of artistic and media criticism. He is a Saudi writer, historian, and art critic of Yemeni origin, born in 1957, and head of the art department in Okaz newspaper. It is an archive of lyrical memory in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
He conducted hundreds of press interviews with most people in the arts, media, sports, and politics from various Arab countries, and documented this through his many publications, including his book “Them and Me,” which was turned into a Ramadan television program. He also presented many artistic programs and published a number of books, including the book “Papers from the Life of Al-Khafaji” and Songs: Stories and Tales.
Faqandash was nicknamed “Ambassador of the Arab Art Press” and “University of Arab Art,” as he was of Yemeni nationality, born in Sudan, and residing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and his beginnings in the world of journalism were in a Tunisian newspaper. Then he became the owner of an important pen, and his experiences in the world of music and singing are used. He has extensive relationships in the Arab artistic community, and his opinion represents great importance to all artists and his fans as well.
