Saudi Arabia: The New Creative Frontier
There's a Massive Creative Renaissance brewing, emitting from a country a lot of people would not expect & it's on a direct course to catch the whole world by surprise.
When most of us in the west think of "The Kingdom", images of a conservative desert people, massive oil fields & the annual religious Hajj pilgrimage come to mind. Emerging from those stereotypical images however, is a generation of Saudi's that are embarking on a massive cultural transformation. Consider that of 38.5 Million Saudis, 60% of them are under 30 years old, they all have unprecedented access to a vast trove of resources & an authentic license to create and express. All spearheaded by the strategic Saudi Vision 2030.
This truly visionary initiative has not only empowered a whole generation of young Saudi's, but it has impacted every sector & industry, all genuinely powered by creativity & cultural beacons such as Ithra at the heart of it.
From lofty mega-projects such as "The Line" by NEOM, a self sufficient smart city that aims to become the benchmark for sustainable living, to MDLBEAST a music festival in the middle of desert that attracted 130,000 fans and was headlined by the likes of Rick Ross, Steve Aoki & Korean DJ Peggy Gou. From Cinemas opening in Riyadh to Jeddah, to Coachella’s DESERT X now dubbed "Desert X AlUla" featuring a vast array of curators & artists from across the Kingdom & the globe, all using the desert as their collective canvas.
Not only is the country quickly becoming the centre of a thriving creative industry, but it's also witnessing the rise of a new class of Creative Saudis. Filmmakers, such as @meshalaljaser who's whimsical, surreal & quirky films on his YouTube channel garnered over 680 million views, his latest film "Arabian Alien" starring rising young star @Warchieff was featured in Sundance. Musicians, like @theycallmejara the 23 year old female rapper behind the hit single "966" that was released on national Saudi Day. @deserfish_ who's defining & redefining the Saudi Arabian Techno scene. In Fashion @thelatifabintsaad from Jeddah who's weaving her traditional Saudi roots into the contemporary fashion world & @theraejoseph the fashion entrepreneur behind "1954" an online vintage boutique.
The cultural paradigm shift happening in the Saudi Kingdom is epic in magnitude. A strategic plan to diversify & sustain the future of a nation beyond fossil fuels, has positively galvanized an entire people to embrace creativity & invest in it. Fast Company reports that cultural & creative industries in Saudi (CCI) generate approximately $15 billion per year, with a GDP that is growing more than 13% annually, all leading to a Top spot as the world's fastest growing large economy according to The Economist Intelligence EIU.
Simply put, The Future belongs to Dreamers & it's very inspiring to witness the Saudi Arabians work creatively towards the World of Tomorrow.
