Mid last month, I received an invitation to attend the “Souk Okaz” cultural festival in the city of Taif. I was reluctant at first, but then accepted the invitation because I wanted to observe – up-close - the historic activities of a Souk which was revived based on the principle that “those who have attended an event are not like those who have heard about it.” I had never heard about the festival and ever since it was launched four years ago, never learned it was superior or different. I thus got the feeling that this cultural festival was similar to the “herd” of other festivals metaphorically referred to as being cultural or touristic fairs and gatherings but are in fact without color, taste or smell. Ever since the festival was launched I never heard that it threw a stone, agitated murky waters, transformed “the silent” or registered a new maxim which was addressed by the people. This season, however, I believe it was different as it witnessed the bold play “Turfa Bin Alabed” directed by the Saudi Raja al-Oteibi, and the vitality and role of colleague and current member of the Shura Council Saad Ibn Mareq and his ability to mobilize a wide audience to watch it among journalists and intellectuals inside and outside of Saudi Arabia. There is no doubt that the majority of the intellectuals hope that Souk Okaz will become a yearly festival filled with literary colors and different folklores, as well as with free expressions that would attract residents and visitors alike and would combine the creative energies of the Arab Peninsula population. I hoped while on the plane taking me from Riyadh to Taif that I would see this historic market turn into an arena for the expression of the nobility of the past with its different types and forms, mixed with modernity and development that go in line with human progress throughout centuries, and not just see it limited to lectures and seminars that deafen the ears without adding anything new. I hoped to see a different festival similar to international events that are widely attended, just like in the past the Arab poets used to travel to this Souk on an annual basis to enjoy Al-Muallakat, the language, the richness and the dexterity. I hoped to see its activities stirring the five senses and not just turning into an arena for contemptible competition, bigotry and tribalism as it happened in other poetic contests I watched on Arab satellite channels and in other fairs whose guest lists never change, to the point where they have become a name without content and a used product. I hoped that the revival of the Souk will mark a new platform for free poetry, free expression and free culture instead of being a “miniature” Jenadriyah festival. In other words, I hoped it would be a creative event awaited by culture, politics, poetry and prose aficionados. If I were to be asked about the most special thing seen in Souk Okaz this year, I would only talk about theater. The play “Turfa Bin Alabed” is bold and has a different rhythm and projection. It assured that the dignity of poetry and culture still exists, and that although it has been slain, it will continue to stand fast. It said that intellectuals should not be narcissistic or patronizing, rather realistic, expressive of social consciousness and part of social change. The play also aimed at saying – as other people said and as I understood as well – that political power will end but that the tools of poetry, art and creativity will remain. It talked about freedom, democracy and the boldness of Turfa Bin Alabed as a caller for freedom who was never tempted by gifts and donations, thus living a free man and dying a free man. Some may wonder why Saudi Arabia did not organize Souk Okaz fifty years ago and why the Souk was only reinstated four years ago. The answer can quickly be reached by observers of Saudi affairs, since they will note that the cultural, literary and theatrical movement inside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been witnessing revitalization and a noticeable presence ever since King Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz rose to the throne in 2005. One can even see advertisements of plays, cultural activities and multiple scientific and intellectual seminars on the streets. Lately, the Kingdom has been reviving the spirit of culture, tasting literature, embracing poetry and nourishing prose, which makes me hope that Souk Okaz will agitate the murky waters with a different vision and not be limited to being a stronghold for poetry solely. It should be an arena of freedom where the creators of literature, music, poetry and theater can meet and where the intellectuals and thinkers can embrace the smell of freedom with an eternal soul.
