“I was happy to be part of this. Of course there’s more things to be done to improve the country but I think they are opening and really going to the right direction…Four years ago women couldn’t drive, and now they can come to a David Guetta concert and dance, you know it’s a huge evolution.”
–David Guetta, world-famous DJ, in an interview with the AP on performing in Saudi Arabia recently at SOUNDSTORM. Guetta said he made Arabic-inspired music especially for the event, including Arabic percussion and vocals, and told the AP, “the site is one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen.” [Associated Press]
“I doubt if there is a much harsher environment than what we have here. If we can do it, then it can be done anywhere.”
-Saleh Al-Hathloul, a Saudi architect and former town planning official, on Saudi Arabia’s ambitious plans for Riyadh to turn the Saudi capital green. The goal, as Bloomberg notes, is to green the capital enough to lower its ambient temperature by 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), giving the city a cushion against climate change in a region where summer temperatures exceeding 110 degrees Fahrenheit are already common. [Bloomberg]
“I doubt if there is a much harsher environment than what we have here. If we can do it, then it can be done anywhere.”
-Saleh Al-Hathloul, a Saudi architect and former town planning official, on Saudi Arabia’s ambitious plans for Riyadh to turn the Saudi capital green. The goal, as Bloomberg notes, is to green the capital enough to lower its ambient temperature by 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), giving the city a cushion against climate change in a region where summer temperatures exceeding 110 degrees Fahrenheit are already common. [Bloomberg]
“Am I surprised by what has happened here in my city and Saudi Arabia? I would only say ‘yes’ in terms of how quick it has been. But I am not surprised in the reaction of the people. Look at everyone here, we are acting like this has always been part of our lives.”
-Waleed Al Awad, 27, commenting on the Soundstorm festival in Riyadh featuring 150 leading DJs and attended by an estimated 180,000 on its opening day. [The National]
“I grew up in a family that supported women. My sisters and mom make men look like nothing. I have very accomplished sisters, a very accomplished mother, and the boys in the family are barely catching up with them.”
–Hamzah Jamjoom, director of ‘Rupture’ which won the Red Sea International Film Festival’s Best Saudi film category. [Arab News]
“People used to travel for nature, and then they started to travel for culture and now it’s about lifestyle. It’s about meeting other like-minded people from across the globe and sharing what they are passionate about. The creative industries, such as music, is at the very heart of that.”
–Princess Haifa bint Mohammed Al Saud, Saudi Arabia’s Assistant Minister for Tourism. The royal made the comments at the XP Music Conference, a three-day event featuring discussions on Saudi Arabia’s live events sector, held at the Unesco heritage district of Ad Diriyah on the outskirts of Riyadh. [The National]
“My father would not accept the idea of us watching a movie on TV, and now we are talking about a film festival in Saudi Arabia. It is a great thing.”
-Osama al-Shehri, a rising Saudi artist. [Media Line]
“Is this a genuine opening for philosophy and critical thinking? Or is it simply for… PR? I’m not sure. Only time will tell. All I can say is I think that if there is a possibility of encouraging philosophy and critical thinking in Saudi Arabia, that’s a possibility worth exploring.”
–Michael Sandel, a Harvard University professor described by the Times Literary Supplement as the “most important and influential living philosopher” speaking at first Riyadh Philosophy Conference. [Reuters]
“Turki is incredibly well connected, he also has millions of Instagram followers. I walked with him down the street in Riyadh and people would stop him to say ‘hi’, he’s a bit of a rockstar over there.”
-Lee Nelson, ‘Cello’ producer, commenting on meeting Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman, General Authority for Entertainment and author of the book, ‘Cello’ on which the movie is based. [Deadline]
“The utopian postmodern desert city being built to be powered solely by renewable energy and envisioned to be a linear city connected by a high-speed train, with no cars, no roads, no pollution and also to be the new frontier in terms of digital lifestyle, will have “a semi-autonomous jurisdiction in the kingdom.”
Wayne Borg, who heads the nascent NEOM media hub, commenting on efforts to make NEOM attractive not just to film and TV shoots but also to media and entertainment companies looking for a regional base. [Variety]
