First, Saudi Arabia opened its doors to Western raves and music festivals. Now it’s turning to long-neglected Saudi traditions as it seeks to draw tourists and reshape its national identity.
In “Terhal”, a lavish stage show in Riyadh, an actor in a red-and-white headdress gallops on a white horse, exploring the kingdom’s heritage and top tourist sites.
The move towards more wholesome, Saudi-inspired entertainment comes after raucous scenes at past music festivals in the capital.
This year’s Riyadh Season entertainment programme, which still features MDL Beast, will be “almost entirely comprised of Saudi and Gulf musicians”, said Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority.
“The characteristic of Vision 2030 (Saudi Arabia’s economic and social reform project) is always to test the borders,” said Sebastian Sons of German think tank CARPO.
“And if maybe two steps are too much, you take one step back.”
Terhal — Arabic for journey — blends traditional Saudi songs, chants and national dress with cutting-edge light shows and hi-tech equipment.
It tells the story of Saad, a young Saudi exploring his home country, with 55 Saudis among its troupe of 100 acrobats, trapeze artists and dancers.
‘Reframing and re-branding’
The kingdom is now embracing its traditions to help shape a national identity that is less austere.
“This reframing and re-branding of Saudi identity aligns modern arts and culture with traditional heritage and the legacy of Saudi Arabia,” Sons said.
Terhal “captures both the beauty of Saudi landscapes and the depth of its traditions, making them accessible to a broad audience”, culture ministry spokesman Abdulrahman Almotawa said.
Artistic director Filippo Ferraresi said he conducted “extensive research” into Saudi culture, collaborating “with Saudi consultants, professors, and writers”.
“I discovered the different regions, their traditions, their dances, their music,” he said.
Until 2018, concerts and dancing were banned and women were to wear a head-covering. The opening-up under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has since brought Formula One races, concerts by stars such as Jennifer Lopez, and an end to the ban on women driving.
The aim is to make Saudi Arabia more attractive to tourists and international business, helping the world’s biggest oil exporter reduce its reliance on crude.
‘Untapped potential’
Entertainment was “at the nexus of the social and economic components” of Vision 2030, said Kristian Coates Ulrichsen of the Baker Institute at Rice University in the United States.
It is “seen as not only a sector of large untapped potential that can contribute to economic diversification but also as a way to showcase the changes underway in Saudi Arabia”, he said.
For Saudi dancer Talha Mas, 23, performing in Terhal was a “dream come true” — twirling with her hair flowing freely, just a few years since head coverings were mandatory for women.
Spectator Asser Saleh, 37, said he felt “proud” to see performances of this calibre in the Saudi capital.
“Before, you had to go to Europe or the United States to see this type of show,” the Egyptian said.
