Millennial Gulf

Arwa Al Neami is a self-taught artist who was born in the mountainous village of Rijal Alma in Saudi Arabia’s southern Asir province. She won Saudi Arabia’s prestigious Southern Region Arts Award in 2005. Her work “Never Never Land,” a series of still photos and videos of women in the Abha amusement park, was exhibited...

How does one build empathy and compassion in a country that has been spared much of the violence, upheaval, and economic hardships experienced all around it? And how does one get children to engage in the real world, outside of school walls? For Noha Mahdi, the answer was The Mawada Project. Mawada, which means fellowship...

In April, the United Arab Emirates launched the Soft Power Council to enhance the country’s image regionally and globally. The UAE was suited to take up such a challenge, as it has one of the fastest growing media zones in the region – twofour54. Among twofour54’s initiatives is creative lab. This lab offers opportunities for...

Exceptional among Gulf states, Kuwait’s National Assembly has a powerful role in decision making. Yet some Kuwaitis find it difficult to monitor the activities of all 50 members of parliament. This is what compelled Abdullah Al-Khonaini and Hamad Al-Judai to establish Raqib50. The first online parliamentary watch tool in Kuwait, Raqib50 keeps track of not...

Altitude sickness, frostbite, and severe weather conditions are just a few of the obstacles climbers have to overcome en route to the summit of Mount Everest. Women from the Gulf have endured all of that, in addition to challenging conservative norms at home. “Convincing my parents to let me go on this expedition was even...

Madeenah was established to capture the fast-paced urban development in Kuwait that has flourished since the discovery of oil. It attempts to generate a mindful sense of belonging to Kuwait City and its diverse inhabitants by curating public walking tours. Through its cultural tours, Madeenah cultivates an appreciation for urban development in the city. The...

Malik Nejer is one of Saudi Arabia’s top cartoonists and force behind the hit animated YouTube series, “Masameer.” He was drawing animations for an advertising agency, while producing animated videos for YouTube on the side, when floods claimed the lives of over a hundred people in Jeddah in 2009. Nejer posted an animated video for...

No visitor to Qatar, or any other Gulf country, would fail to miss that women’s flowing outer garments, known as abayas, are almost unexceptionally black. Even though there is no specific law in Qatar that enforces this particular color, there is indisputably a national norm that prescribes it. The black abaya has the status of...