The deserts Saudi Arabia vibrating to the beats of famous DJ Armin van Buuren may still seem unthinkable to most. But that just happened, with the kingdom hosting the MDL Beast Soundstorm, a four-day music festival sponsored by the government. Performances included global acts like Tiesto, Martin Garrix, Future, David Guetta, Steve Aoki, Jason Derulo and Alesso, besides van Buuren. To think that even few years ago, restaurants in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) could not play music on their premises.

Music festivals like this most recent one highlight the changing social dynamics in Saudi Arabia in the past few years. The 700,000 Saudi Arabians who attended the event also show how the people in the kingdom have been readily adapting to social reforms that are pushing the boundaries of the once-conservative country.

Also read: For the first time, Saudi women stand guard in Mecca during haj

Reforms and undercurrents

Recent reforms include allowing female tourists to follow a modest dress code instead of the earlier total hijab, lifting the ban on driving for women, lifting the ban on cinema complexes, curbing the powers of the religious police, relaxing the gender segregation laws, and more.

Behind the dizzying pace of reforms has been one man, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The reforms are just one part of the socio-economic reforms that Prince Mohammed is undertaking in order to achieve the so-called Vision 2030. The vision aims to make KSA a modern, liberal and business and tourism-friendly country that want to shift away from an oil-based economy.

But the tentative new dance is tempered by the fact that Saudi Arabia officially adheres to Wahhabism or the Salafism doctrine of Islam. A crackdown on domestic dissent has also followed this period of reform, with few daring to openly criticise the Crown Prince.

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)

First Published:Dec 21, 2021 6:53 PM IST