The Afro-Saudi Experience
“You’re not one of us”
This is something black or Afro-Saudis constantly hear from other non-black Saudis. Can you picture a society where you feel like a complete outcast? Now imagine always being reminded you don’t belong because of the color of your skin, a dilemma many Afro-Saudis face within their own society.
People of African descent are all over the Middle Eastern diaspora, yet not many know Saudi Arabians of African descent. When you scroll through image searches of ‘Arabs’, the page will be dominated by Saudis with lighter complexions and dark hair, and upper-class individuals. The term “oil money” is commonly associated with Saudi Arabians, which has led many to believe the majority of its citizens are wealthy.
But that’s not always the case.
The underrepresentation of Saudis with African roots is unjust, to say the least, and unfortunately isn’t a surprise. Most people shown in the media in that region are rarely ever black. However, when presented in the media they’re often shown in poverty. To make matters worse, the term “Afro-Saudi” is a foreign concept to many.
Growing up in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, I always noticed a pattern on how black Saudis were being shown in society, but never truly understood the depth of the issue until recently. At first, I thought this was because many Afro-Saudis live in certain areas, but that wasn’t the issue. There has always been a disconnect, although we are Saudi Arabian some don’t see it that way.
Riyadh is divided into higher class individuals located in the north, middle class who are in the east and west, and lower class who are mostly located in the southern part of the city. The wealthy and privileged families, who are mostly pale Saudis, live in the northern parts of the city while many Afro-Saudis live in the southern, western, and eastern areas.
The first places foreigners and tourists think of visiting are usually north Riyadh because those areas are overly commercialized and have a better reputation. Unfortunately, not many Afro-Saudis reside in those areas which keeps them somewhat hidden from the outside world. Many outside of the kingdom don’t know of us. We exist, but to the world, we are invisible. It hit me... the reason people do not know about us is that the media had failed to properly represent us.
It is believed that Afro-Saudis make up about 10 percent of the population in Saudi Arabia, that number is questionable. However, due to the many Afro-Saudis that live throughout the kingdom, they may not be properly counted in the census. There are many tribes throughout the country, with some specifically being composed entirely or partly of Black Arabs.
The Jizani, Bishi, Dossary, Hawsawi, and Fallatah are some of these black Arab dominated tribes. The Jizani, Bishi, and Dossary come from the south of the kingdom, while the Hawsawi and Fallatah tribes inhabit the western Hijazi region; typically centered around Mecca and Jeddah. To take one example, the Dossary are representative of the problems facing most Afro-Saudis. Divided into two parts - black and pale - this group is mostly found in Wadi Al-Dawsir in South Saudi Arabia. Yet, in spite of the fact that this group has many black people, most portrayals of this tribe in the media are of the paler members.
In Wadi Al-Dawsir, the issue of being a Pale Dossary vs a Black Dossary is very problematic. The paler members of the tribe do not consider the darker members to be originally “Dossary” because they are black. The division between the two comes from the belief that black people are decedents of slaves; therefore, they believe black members don’t belong to the tribe.
Few films feature black Arabs or discuss their history. While the story of how black people ended up in the Kingdom is unclear, it is believed that the Afro Arabs inhabiting Mecca have western African roots, while the ones in the south of the Kingdom have eastern African heritage. This rich vein of history is yet to be tapped or explored.
Even in the few mainstream Western films set in Saudi Arabia such as The Kingdom or Hologram for a King, black Saudi’s are almost exclusively missing. In the former, none of the four main actors playing Saudi characters come from the Arabian Peninsula; the two most prominent Arabic characters are played by an Egyptian-American and a British-Indian. Hollywood would rather have a pale actress that does not speak Arabic than a black-Saudi.
There are many Afro-Saudis artists in the kingdom who have helped shape the culture; one of these artists is Abdel Rab Idris. He is well known for his influence on Saudi music that is also known throughout the Arab world. Abdel Rab Idris’s approach to music is very opera-like, classical, and has an elegant sound. He made his first album “Ya Zein Hobbak” in 1988. Artists such as Nancy Ajram, Yara, and Rageb Alama have covered one of his well-known songs called “Leilat Omr”.
Another famous Afro-Saudis, who was very important in the musical scene, was the legendary singer Etab. Born December 30th, 1947, she was the first female singer in the country and was also a known actress. She began her career in the 1960s and had her hit song also known today called “Gani el Asmar.” The song is about a black lover who returned to her after being away for a long time. His return stirs up different emotions in the singer. After all the confusion and heartache, she still loves him.
Being the first black Saudi female singer in the country at the time, you can imagine the challenges she had to face. She moved to Kuwait, where she gained most of her success. During that time the entertainment industry in Kuwait was booming, this allowed her to fit right in alongside other legends such as Afro-Kuwait singer Aisha Al-Marta.
Both Abdel Rab Idris and Etab have been represented positively in the media, and their impact on music is still relevant today. Although these two artists have accomplished a lot and mainstreamed throughout the Arab world, this is not as common as it should be, in comparison to other famous people, there isn’t enough black Saudis who are well known.
Afro-Saudi Representation
An issue that always seems to reoccur when Afro-Saudis present themselves as such is that they are treated as “Technically not Saudi” or receive offensive and racist slurs to refer to them. The xenophobia that many Afro-Saudis face within society comes from a deeply rooted ignorance and a racist outlook that most Arabs have toward people of African descent. Fortunately, Afro-Saudis are becoming more visible in society. They are beginning to take on better roles in the media and generally become more visible. These advances, while positive, still leave the issue of colorism unresolved. Most Arab actors, musicians, and influencers are pale Arabs, which takes away from the pivotal role Black Arabs have in society.
“I feel disturbed because I hear the word slave being synonymously used to describe black” – Nawal Hawsawi (Racism MBC 8pm, 2014)
Nawal Al-Hawsawi, an Afro-Saudi born and raised in Mecca, rose from relatively humble origins to become the first woman to lead the fight against racism in Saudi Arabia. Her story began after a woman called her “Abda” (meaning slave in Arabic) during Saudi National Day celebrations. The incident inspired her to start a nonprofit organization, the Adam Foundation, to promote awareness against “racism and differences in inclusions” (BBC News Africa, 2016).
In 2014, during an interview with Daoud Al-Sheryan on his show on MBC ‘8PM’, Al-Hawsawi expressed how the word “slave” shouldn’t be synonymous with being black, and how this attitude needs to be fixed within society. Later, in 2016 a BBC news article came out naming her the “Rosa Parks of Saudi Arabia” due to her firm stand against racism.
“Move away from my face you slave!!!”
On June 6, 2020, Abeer Sinder, one of the first Afro-Saudi beauty bloggers, posted a picture of her as a child on Instagram speaking about her first incident with racism. In her caption, she explains how she was playing on the swings when a girl pushed her and said, “move away from my face you slave”. The beauty blogger further explained in the post how it was her first time hearing the word and that she didn’t even understand what it meant until her mother explained it to her (Sinder, Abeer, 2020).
The blogger openly speaks about discrimination within society, and many of her videos focus on her personal experiences with racist comments. In one of her videos, she says “I’d like my blog to influence black girls in my country. I want to tell black Saudi girls you’re beautiful.” The beauty blogger always promotes Black is Beautiful messages all over her social media accounts and has become an important advocate for the cause. Sinder believes there is nothing wrong with black natural beauty, which is a belief that needs to be promoted more in the Saudi culture.
Growing up as a young, black, Saudi girl, I used to always look for women in the media that looked like me without success. Most of the time, I felt left out by the endless stream of pale faces staring back at me. I always saw people who didn’t represent me or my people; there weren’t many black Saudi women at the time. Luckily, we had Waed. She is a black Saudi singer/entertainer who was the “It girl” growing up and watching her, gave me hope.
Being a young girl and seeing another black Saudi woman on TV made me feel seen and included. I finally had something to be proud of, someone I could finally tell people about. It cannot be underestimated how it is important for other black Saudi girls to have role models like Waed and see themselves being represented in popular culture.
Sadly, the issue of colorism and underrepresentation remains an issue within the Saudi community, yet this doesn’t take away the significance black Saudis have in society. There are so many black Saudis who need better representation, and there are legendary black Saudis who have paved the way for others to gain recognition today.
Newer artists and entertainers are on the rise, and with the current progress of social media platforms, many Afro-Saudis are now creating their own reality and telling their own stories. It is no longer up to the television channels to pick and choose who they would like to show. Afro-Saudis are finally including themselves; I believe social media is the beginning of a new era for Afro-Saudis to be finally recognized not just locally but also globally.