When one describes art on a national level, it generally refers to the aesthetics branch of national identity. Regionally, when the subject of art comes up, some cities figure prominently in the conversations, primarily the cities of Dubai and Doha. Dubai is remarkable in the sense that by itself it is a city and a society that is a phenomenal work of art. Besides the remarkable array of structures and statues, the city has forged itself into a centre for international film festivals, book fairs, music concerts and art shows.
But what about cities in the neighbouring country of Saudi Arabia? Sharing a common language and religion, one would have expected the Saudis to figure prominently in their appreciation of art and culture, given the magnitude of their natural resource of oil.
In the land that witnessed the birth of Islam, such creativity has been missing for decades and it is only within the last decade or so that there has been some strides to publicly display and appreciate the traditional arts. To understand the reasons, one must take a step back in time.
Emergence of a powerful and inflexible force
The oil boom years of the mid-1970s also witnessed the emergence of a powerful and inflexible force within the Saudi education establishment that wanted nothing to do with art, music or drama, as in their opinion it did not conform to the teachings of Islam and was the ‘frivolous pastime of the devil’.
Such people, of which there were many, held key posts on the education board and ensured that subjects were confined to religion or science. A decade earlier, the late King Faisal, who was running the country, fought against the firmly entrenched religious establishment, defying them by opening the first school for girls. Although Faisal is widely viewed as a reformer and a modern king, he was also astute enough to know how far he could push buttons in a closed tribal society. As a compromise he agreed to allow the conservative element to oversee and control the curriculum of the girls’ schooling, a practice that had far reaching ramifications long after his death.
With the oil boom in full swing, there was virtually no encouragement of any form of art in schools, be it in painting or music or dance, for almost three decades. All were considered a sin and tools of the devil. At least that was being drummed into the minds of many in public schools. While the closed Kingdom was opening up, the minds that controlled generation upon generation of schoolchildren were closing up even tighter. Schools had to be segregated from Grade 1. No gender mixing was allowed.
Sometime during the 1980s, the mayor of Jeddah, the country’s largest cosmopolitan city, introduced various sculptures around the major thoroughfares. There was much alarm and protests from the conservative elements and some pieces were removed as they depicted living things. In such a climate, those who indulged in any form of art were not inclined to share their talents publicly.
Erosion in powers
Progressive parents who wanted more in the school curriculum could barely raise a protest. Even the concept of physical education for girls in schools was strongly rejected to by the ruling education establishment. King Abdullah’s ascension to the throne in August 2005 resulted in the gradual erosion of powers of the religious establishment, and the education ministry was ordered to do a comprehensive review on the curriculum and introduce modern-day teaching methods and subjects. Suddenly, it seemed that the dam had burst, and artists who previously had screened their works privately began holding public showings in emerging art galleries.
From paintings to poetry, from photography to music, the Saudi art scene slowly began to arise. Book fairs that were previously subjected to assault by extremists began to take place without incident. Saudis such as Haifa Al Mansour gained international recognition. Haifa wrote and directed the film Wadjda, which premiered at the 2012 Venice Film Festival and was well received by the global cinematic family. Another Saudi filmmaker, Faiza Ambah, wrote and directed a 44-minute film called Mariam.
Even the royal family was not immune from the art bug. Princess Reem Al Faisal, the granddaughter of King Faisal, whose passion was photography and whose works were displayed in many countries around the world, felt comfortable enough to introduce her photographs to the local public. Galleries, film studios and music appreciation courses began sprouting up for those on whom the shackles had been broken. Fatmah Omran, a Saudi artist, recently showcased her paintings at a studio among international paintings and sculptures.
Other art enthusiasts have demonstrated their talents in annual contests for painting murals, poetry, drama and the like. Last summer, an art fair with the participation of fourteen galleries from across the Middle East, was held in Jeddah for a week to showcase local and regional talent. While there is no denying that cities in Saudi Arabia are far behind their counterparts such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi, there is effort in the right direction to forge ahead in the promotion of what is considered the aesthetic feature of any society.
Tariq A. Al Maeena is a Saudi socio-political commentator. He lives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. You can follow him at twitter.com/@talmaeena