RIYADH: The lights dimmed, the conductor emerged and the nearly full houseapplauded as he stood before the orchestra. Then the lights went up and thecast appeared on stage in historical Arab garb.
“My love, speak to me in a poem,” sang the female lead, opening an operaabout racism, war and love. It was remarkable not for the show itself, butfor the fact that it was happening at all, on a public stage, in theconservative capital of Saudi Arabia. The recent production of “Antar andAbla” was part of a new, large-scale push by the Saudi government to create— virtually from scratch — a vibrant entertainment sector for its 29million people.
Saudi Arabia has long been known as one of the world’s most conservativeplaces, where bearded religious police enforced strict social codes andwomen cloaked their bodies and often covered their faces in public.Concerts and theater were largely banned, and even the notion of fun wasoften frowned upon as un-Islamic.
Now the kingdom is lightening up with comic book festivals, danceperformances, concerts and monster truck rallies. New Age music guru Yanniperformed there in December, as did US rapper Nelly (for an all-maleaudience). Egyptian pop star Tamer Hosny is set to perform this month,although his fans will be barred from dancing and swaying. Cirque du Soleilwill make its Saudi debut this year (with less racy outfits than it useselsewhere). And international companies are signing deals to operate movietheaters across the country.
These are among the changes Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman intends toshowcase when he arrives in the United States this week for a multicitytour aimed at courting US investors. Mohammed, the brash, 32-year-old heirto the Saudi throne, is seeking to reorient the economy away from oil whilemaking life more enjoyable for Saudis. Officials say entertainment willhelp on both fronts.
The thinking is that Saudis who spend billions of dollars each year onentertainment abroad will instead stay in the kingdom to have fun, creatingmuch-needed jobs.
The push is also useful politically. Since emerging into the public eyethree years ago, Mohammed has rocketed to the top of the Saudi powerstructure while chipping away at the traditional pillars of society.
He has cut down the religious establishment by stripping the religiouspolice of the power to arrest people and by silencing clerics who opposehis social reforms. He also led a recent purge of princes and prominentbusinessmen, eliminating potential rivals and angering members of the royalfamily.
At the same time, Mohammed has courted youth as a new constituency tosupport his programmes. About two-thirds of Saudis are younger than 30, andmany have enthusiastically endorsed the changes.
“I love him,” said Ibtihal Shogair, 25, who was eating miniburgers with afriend at a food fair supported by the government’s entertainment arm onthe lawn of a luxury Riyadh hotel. “He came and he was a young man whothought more like us.” – NYT