I watched a play the other day, yes, here in Jeddah, and it felt good and refreshing. It was a kids’ play and my two sons enjoyed it to the last. The dance under the stage lights, the beat of the music and their beloved characters telling a story amused the boys. Even for a nine and a three-year old, the experience was new to watch a play on a stage. The last time they had a similar experience was in the US.
For their mother and me, we have the option to choose something different for entertainment, something most parents around the world can do. I can choose some place other than a restaurant or a mall and relax.
The lack of entertainment and educational venues in the Kingdom is not a secret. It is something we all know. We argue about it sometimes, but always end up without reaching any conclusion.
It is anybody’s guess to exactly know or explain why we have no stages for kids or adults, why we have no cinema complexes and why we have no museums and no music halls.
It is not that we lack funds to have these facilities, but actually we lack the will to create them. The obstacles are rooted deep in the society and no one seems to be willing to take them up, to discuss them and to push for their removal.
It seems to me that we have created a number of red lines and confined ourselves to self-imposed censorship. We have forgotten that the world has changed and we need to disregard the taboos. With the passage of time, we have got used to their existence. We have erected a fence around ourselves and named it customs and traditions. Everything that is contrary to our customs and traditions are considered abnormal although everybody around the world may be practicing them on a daily basis. Trying to overstep that fence is considered unwise, as people have become used to it. They became certain that beyond it, there is nothing but evil.
This is not in any way an insinuation toward our culture and its rich values and traditions. There is no civilization without history and culture, and we have one of the richest cultures as Muslims and Arabs. The only thing is that for such a culture to grow it needs to respond to the changes brought about by time; to be resilient enough to move toward the future while keeping intact the rich values and customs.
Like any other nation around the world, we have the good and the bad practices. It is just unreasonable to reject any change on the basis that it would promote evil. With change comes responsibility to be fulfilled and rules to be followed.
Just a few days ago, we witnessed an event that proved that fears in many cases are misplaced and exaggerated. I am talking about the soccer game that took place between our two local teams Al Hilal and Al Nasser in London. It was truly pleasant to see families, father, mother and their kids sitting side by side cheering for their favorite team and also Saudi women waving their team’s flags. After all, with rules and respect, everything is possible.
I can only hope that one day, I can plan with my kids a visit to the museum to see the new section about outer space, then a stop at the cinema house for the latest movie release, and finally a visit to the public library at night with my wife to attend one of our best authors’ book-signing ceremony.
