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Saudis of a certain class know the United States. Many have traveled here. They’ve studied and have homes in the US. Many speak English and watch American TV. One young journalist in Jeddah said her favorite program was the Vampire Diaries.

So, many Saudis know us. I, however, was woefully uninformed about Saudis. So, spending time in Saudi Arabia along with my fellow journalists on the International Reporting Project’s Gatekeeper trip, was extraordinary.

I learned so much. What impressed me most was the diversity of the kingdom. Saudi Arabia is not homogenous.

True, in Riyadh you feel a certain uniformity. As one young Saudi woman said to me, “the women are all in black and the men are all in white.” She liked it that way. But beyond the capitol, the spectrum expands. In the port city of Jeddah we noticed a different energy. There are more colors and more expression.

Dammam is where you’ll find the oil fields. We met young bloggers who were keen to share their thoughts about where their country was going and Shia activists who are fighting for equality. And we visited the Saudi ARAMCO complex, which was described to us as “a little bit of Texas in Saudi Arabia.”

This page will feature the voices of Saudis. It will share their thoughts, opinions and concerns. It’s the beginning of what I hope will be a dialog. Read, listen and share your ideas with us.

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Voices of Arabia

Street Pulse with Ahmad

The first voice is of Ahmad Angawi.

Angawi is an artist, designer and graduate of Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NYC. He’s also the son of renowned Saudi architect Dr. Sami Angawi.

His latest work is called Street Pulse: http://www.streetpulseproject.com/, which features a huge sphere of microphones that collects the opinions of anyone who chooses to be recorded.

Angawi got the idea from the title of the 2012 Edge of Arabia exhibit: “We Need To Talk.”

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Citizenship, Health Care and Healing with Ysmienne

Ysmienne Shafik is a 6th year medical student at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah. She hopes to specialize in general surgery.
She was one of several medical students that agreed to sit with our delegation and share their ideas about their nation and how it is evolving.

Ysmienne went into medicine for very personal reasons, which she explains in the SoundCloud file below.

She also shares another issue that’s close to her heart, the treatment of non-Saudi residents, especially when it comes to their access to medical care in the Kingdom.

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The Man Who Loves NPR

We met Sami Saleh Nawar by chance, while walking through the old Jeddah. He is the Manger of the Historic Area and oversees the preservation and restoration of the old city.

He guided us through a 150-years-old house that’s currently being restored. It was once home to King Abdul Aziz.

He took us up to the very top of the house, where the floor was covered with rugs and the wooden shutters were opened to let in the cooling morning breeze.

We sat.

Mr. Nawar then welcomed us with Arabic Coffee and delicious freshly baked flat bread topped with delicately sweet amber honey.

It was a lovely breakfast.

During our visit we learned that Mr. Nawar is a huge fan of public radio. When Morning Edition editor Chuck Holms presented his business card, Mr. Nawar could not contain his enthusiasm.

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The Right to Drive is Not the Main Issue

Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel is a busy woman. She is the vice-chairwoman and head of the executive committee of the Alwaleed bin Talal Foundation

She is also the wife of the Chairman of the board, Prince Alwaleed.

Princess Ameerah works on many humanitarian endeavors in Saudi Arabia and around the world.

She’s taken a lot of heat for her many public appearances, advocating for the empowerment of women in the Kingdom, and for not always covering her head in public.

Princess Ameerah kindly spoke to me on the run, while walking to her next appointment. As we passed through corridors, and walked down stairs, our high heels making an incredible racket on the steps, the Princess addressed the issue of women driving. She pointed out there are more vital rights being denied women, that need to take precedence.

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This blog was made possible by the Gatekeepers trip to Saudi Arabia organized by the International Reporting Project.

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