• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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BusinessDay

Saudi Arabia loosens up as it revamps its economy

Bahrain bridge to Saudi Arabi

Saudi Arabia is loosening up its entertainment industry. This comes in a bid to revamp the economy of the extremely conservative society by placing fewer restrictions on entertainment with money being an end to this endeavour.

“This is an economic vehicle,” said AlMadani, head of the General Entertainment Authority.

Sighting the revenue generating potential of the industry, the Kingdom which is far from associated with the word entertainment with its religious police is reversing the trend of its citizens travelling out to the likes of Dubai or Bahrain to catch a few laughs.

Like any organized government, the changes are part of an economic plan, ahead of a post-oil economy. Mohammed bin Salman, the Deputy Crown Prince is spearheading the Vision 2030, a comprehensive blueprint which touches on everything from government expenditure on subsidies to women in the workforce.

The target is to increase household spending on recreation to 6% and create 100,000 jobs. Figures from the U.S. Labor Department shows Americans spent lower than this (4%) on entertainment in 2015. Amr AlMadani who runs the newly commissioned General Entertainment Authority has an outlook to have over 450 clubs by 2020.

Despite Kingdom sponsored events in the biggest cities, the exodus of cars to more liberal Bahrain on most weekends and holidays is yet to abate. Artist and filmmakers proscribed from showing their works champion crossing the 25 kilometre bridge to Bahrain.

Additionally, the strict brand of Islam still looms over activities. The World Wrestling Entertainment show which held was limited to men and their kids only and shows are segregated, sporting all male casts on stage.

But things according to the residents have not always been this strict, concerts by local and Arabs were popular in the 1980s, taking a turn for the worse in the early 2000s when the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice were given more authority. The committee runs the religious police.

However, the government has began to crackdown on the committee’s powers, on the grounds that the religious police harass ‘perceived violators’.