The ‘Crying Indian’ was one of the most iconic images on American television in the 1970s. Produced by the Keep America Beautiful organization it featured Iron Eyes Cody as a Native American distraught over the amount of pollution and litter there was in the United States.
Litter was a significant issue in America at the time. The ‘Crying Indian’ campaign was part of a growing awareness that America’s public spaces needed to be better managed and that all Americans can and should play a role by not littering.
Anybody who has traveled to Saudi Arabia or most any developing country will have observed that, in general, there is little public awareness in terms of reducing litter or other forms of waste.
Ematah (Removal) is a local civic awareness campaign established by the Eastern Province Municipality last year that, according to Shadh Alhamdan in the Saudi Gazette, is gaining ground elsewhere. Alhamdan reports that “more than 90,000 people on Twitter have supported the program’s campaigns in Dammam, Al-Khobar and Dhahran. Among those supporters, 1,500 in Al-Khobar have pledged on social media that they will keep public places clean and will maintain hygiene.”
The Ematah campaign includes nine separate campaigns including Ematah for Cars, Ematah for Schools, Ematah for Universities, Ematah for Workers, Ematah for Shopping Centers and Malls and Ematah for Sports.
Undersecretary of Civil Services in the Eastern Province Abdullah Al-Qarni commented, “The project is targeting several groups including children, youth, families and expats. Around nine campaigns have been launched. For instance, ‘Ematah for Families’ campaign displays activities in malls and summer festivals. It encourages families not to litter in public places and to remove garbage from these places.”
As in the United States, there is a learning curve associated with raising awareness about keeping public spaces clean. The sense of shared responsibility is critical, however, to a nation’s overall quality of life.
In fact, A Vibrant Society is one of the primary themes of the recently announced Vision 2030. It states:
We believe in the importance of a vibrant society. Members of this society live in accordance with the Islamic principle of moderation, are proud of their national identity and their ancient cultural heritage, enjoy a good life in a beautiful environment, are protected by caring families and are supported by an empowering social and health care system.
Expect to see more civic awareness initiatives such as the Ematah campaign.
