Amir Ramzan, country director of the British Council for Saudi Arabia, described the Kingdom’s focus on entertainment as “exciting.” “It is really good to see the General Authority for Entertainment (GAE) bringing Vision 2030 to life as is evident from iLuminate,” he told Arab News on Wednesday. “The GAE is leading by example, and I am very happy to be here in Jeddah.”
“This is obviously groundbreaking in a time of change and it is great to be part of this journey,” he said.
Ramzan pointed out correctly that Vision 2030 “wants a lot more of this to happen” in order to enrich the cultural and entertainment aspects of life for everybody in Saudi Arabia.
“What is really good from my perspective as the director of the British Council is to explore how the UK can play a role in supporting Saudi Arabia in these cultural, entertainment activities,” he said. “These can be through partnerships, cultural exchanges and performances; I am very keen to explore all possibilities.”
According to him, entertainment and culture are part of a soft power “which is very important in the modern world.”
He said soft power went straight to people’s hearts and minds and it spread like wild fire on social media.
“We are living in a world where culture and entertainment are key parts of people’s lives,” said Ramzan. “In the post-modern world, these are essential parts of people’s lives; whether it is watching television, performances, listening to music, visiting galleries or other such things — they are all essential parts of people’s lives. These activities, therefore, improve the image of any country.”
He said since entertainment and culture were linked to a country’s heritage and history, these events could help showcase different aspects of the country to other countries and other people around the world.
“You can project your values, your thoughts and belief systems through entertainment and culture,” he said.
Ramzan added that it was very important to engage youth “because they are the ones who will take Saudi Arabia forward.”

Source: Arab News