A leading cultural think tank in the region—Ithra has commissioned three reports with the Economist Intelligence Unit and local partners to understand the evolution of the artistic and creative industry in the Kingdom.

Saudi Arabia boasts of bountiful history and heritage and to delve deep into it, the Kingdom’s King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture has released a two-year comprehensive study mapping that will analyse the cultural and creative scene in Saudi Arabia and the surrounding region.

A leading cultural think tank in the region—Ithra has commissioned three reports with the Economist Intelligence Unit and local partners to understand the evolution of the artistic and creative industry in the Kingdom and the bigger regions of the Middle East and North Africa.

The centre, in a released statement, shared that the research ‘took the pulse of the public’ on their creative and cultural experiences as the sector undergoes a drastic transformation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study features responses from over 5,000 people across 10 cities like Beirut, Cairo, Dammam, Dubai, Jeddah, Kuwait City, Manama, Muscat, Riyadh, and Sharjah.

It also structures interviews with more than 20 regional experts from different fields, including policymakers, academics, artists, and curators, along with a review of a wide range of reports that highlight the most pressing issues in the region’s cultural and creative sector.

Through the research, the centre hopes it will be a resource for policymakers as well as the public, challenging insights, and inspiring dialogue on the state of an industry.

Uncovering several theme-specific trends related to cultural demand and consumer preferences across the MENA region, the research brings out the history and heritage emerging as the most popular theme, followed by film and television.

Not just that, the study also points out various cultural engagement hindrances such as limited public expenditure and support in some countries, economic and political instability in others, limited presence of culture in the mainstream education system, lack of information and awareness, and a relative shortage of family-oriented activities and facilities, with a particular need for children-specific content.

Thus, with the help of the study, it will accelerate the cultural participation of policymakers and service providers, who should focus on making cultural participation more inclusive.