Ramadan in Saudi Arabia is more than a month of fasting and personal reflection. It is a communal up-ending of one’s normal schedule with work, school and every facet of daily life rearranged in order to fulfill one of the five main pillars of Islam while also coming through this trial healthy and whole.
Saudi life not only slows down but it moves to the night time. Malls, shops, restaurants and most every other type of retail operation stay open all night. “Walking through Nakheel mall, one of the biggest in Riyadh, at 2 a.m., the place had a festival atmosphere, with groups of women cloaked in their black abayas browsing the stores or stopping for a coffee, married couples with their children running rings around them.”
Kids are allowed to stay up late and work hours are reduced to around 5 or 6 hours a day.
Another (relatively new) Ramadan tradition in Saudi Arabia is watching television shows that have been produced especially for the month of Ramadan – and all those viewers up all night with time to fill.
This Ramadan’s most-watched show appears to be the second season of ‘Selfie’ directed by Aws Al-Sharqi. It’s 30 episodes have been broadcast daily during the month of Ramadan and it is MBC’s (Saudi-owned Middle East Broadcasting Company) most popular show in Saudi Arabia. According to CNN’s Zahraa Alkhalisi it reaches 120 million viewers across the Middle East.
The show addresses a variety of controversial issues including sectarianism, Islamic extremism and gender inequality.
Al-Sharqi, the show’s director, says, “Selfie is a picture of our society. It’s holding a mirror up to our problems, events and domestic issues. It captures the history, the present, our sad and happy moments. It also captures our problems and our flaws. That’s why it’s called Selfie.”
Not surprisingly, the sensitive nature of the topics Selfie addresses evokes a variety of responses. Some in Saudi Arabia are offended and others see the show as a sign of increased openness. On the extreme end, ISIS issued a death threat against one of Selfie’s lead actors, Nasser Al-Qasabi, after an episode during the first season that mocked ISIS.
Whatever one’s opinion, the show is being watched and discussed. Writing in Al-Monitor, Madawi Al-Raseed comments that, “Many Saudis impatiently wait for the evening show and enjoy the laughter generated by Nasser al-Qasabi, an actor and comedian who makes fun of a range of contemporary personalities and issues. His comedy is a huge departure from the formulaic and serious dramas about historical heroic battles and caliphs.”
Jamil Daher, an Arab TV critic, observes that, “There has been a shift in the way media operates in the Kingdom. From talking about other people’s issues to talking about their own domestic issues. Just like any other society, there’s the good and the bad. This is an important step I think and the actors played a vital role in bringing these issues to the forefront.”
