Saudi Arabia on Tuesday sought regional and international investment in its entertainment industry as part of a push to overhaul the economy for life after oil.
Turki al-Alshikh, newly appointed chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, said that the kingdom would seek to land big theatrical productions like The Phantom of the Opera and The Lion King, as well as regional and international circuses this and next year.
It also wants to hold more competitions, exhibitions, bazaars, stand-up comedy shows and themed attractions, he said, adding that investment in the sector could create tens of thousands of jobs for Saudi Arabians, “if not hundreds” of thousands.
Photo: AFP
“Our doors are open,” al-Alshikh said.
The kingdom has loosened the reins on the entertainment industry since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman assumed his de facto leadership vowing to reform the energy-dominated economy.
Authorities have lifted a 30-year ban on cinemas, while cafes are filled with music previously considered immoral in the conservative kingdom.
At a series of concerts held alongside the Formula E race in the Riyadh suburb of Diriyah last month, most people interviewed were positive about the changes.
Female spectators drove up to the race alone and uncovered in their sports cars, after the world’s last ban on women driving was scrapped.
However, a simultaneous crackdown on dissent has led some inside the country and overseas to question whether the fun is just a distraction, a way of diverting criticism of a leadership that’s growing more authoritarian.
This political shift was thrust into the spotlight with the murder in October of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, a high-profile critic of the crown prince’s policies.
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