Saudi Arabia: a wind of freedom

By: Angélique Férat

Saudi Arabia at the time of change, of certain changes. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has taken charge of his kingdom, has launched a series of reforms to achieve what he calls his "Vision 2030".

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Some claim that it is nothing but window dressing to coax the West, but the lives of the Saudis have been profoundly changed over the past two years.

The “Vision 2030”, a major economic project of Prince Mohammed bin Salman launched in 2017 had the first consequence of a general relaxation of the rules of life for the Saudis. The Saudi youth is the first conquered by these reforms.

The most critical say in the eyes of the eye, reforms to calm the West. For the Saudis, it is not so, these are profound changes that shake up the oldest, and delight the youngest.

(Replay of January 8, 2020)

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Last year (2019), for the first year, the government organized the “seasons of Arabia”. Each city hosted, for a month or more, a series of concerts, sporting events, etc. In Riyadh, the Saudi capital, often considered severe, the seasons began in early December 2019. The success was such that they were extended until the end of January 2020. Every day, it takes patience to reach the "Riyadh Seasons ”. Abdallah, a married man came to watch a boxing match: "  I'm not a boxing enthusiast, but it's happening near my home so I came. I go to whatever I can. My children loved Cirque du Soleil, and the indoor ski slope. We are looking forward to the next season.  There is a mixture of disbelief and excitement among the visitors. Music and dance were simply not performed in public because they were considered "  haram  ", contrary to religion.

The relaxation of the rules calls into question the separation of the sexes and the authority of the male guardian, two rules hitherto absolute in Saudi Arabia. Thus, in early December 2019, the separation of families and young men in cafes and restaurants was declared not compulsory. The choice is left to the establishment according to its clientele. The abbaya, the long black dress that hides the body is no longer compulsory either. Of course, it has not disappeared from the streets, but some dare the carelessly open abbaya. Doa Thabit is a young woman from Jeddah who calls herself a conservative. She created her company, helped by the government's new economic programs, but she only hired women and veiled herself when she was outside. “ I do not feel comfortable working in a mixed environment and I am so used to wearing the abbaya. I don't drive even if all my friends do. But I'm happy that things are moving, especially for the youngest.  "

The ultimate goal of this 2030 vision is to diversify the economy. Concretely, it involves replacing foreign labor with Saudis. Out of just over 11 million working people, almost 8 million are foreigners. It is also about pushing women to work. Saudi Arabia displays the same statistics as many Arab countries. If women represent half of the workforce in higher education, their participation rate after graduation is very low. In the past two years, the catering and retail trades have seen an increase in the number of women employed. With the introduction of tourist visas in September 2019, many are also dreaming of a job as a guide or travel agent. Huge training programs have been put in place. Finally, women no longer have the obligation to have the authorization of their male guardian to open their café or launch their company.

Thousands of them created their company last year (2019). Saudi Arabia is no longer frozen, it is moving. A coffee shop owner talks about waking up, "  crazy energy floats in the air.  "

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