“Syrian and Saudi bonds are returning through drama and politics-imposed restrictions on the arts are beginning to ease.” “Drama has defeated politics in the race to renew ties,” said Syrian journalist and researcher Badih Saniz. Last month, Assad visited the United Arab Emirates in his first official visit to the Arab state since the start of the Syrian war.Īlthough Riyadh has not officially restored ties with Assad, many see the latest development on television screens as a sign of a softer rapprochement. MBC has not yet responded to a request for comment.īut her decision to air the show comes amid heated ties between Saudi ally Assad and the United Arab Emirates, which reopened its embassy in Damascus in 2018. The Arabic-language show, shot outside Damascus, is “the first social drama created entirely by Syrians to broadcast on a Saudi-owned TV channel since 2011”, when the country’s war broke out, director Seif Elsby said. In a sign of change, Saudi-owned MBC channel has started airing a Syrian-produced series, “مع وقف التنفيذ (suspension)” during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan – a period that began on April 2 this year and During which viewership peaks in the Middle East. But shows made exclusively by Syrians were largely abandoned.
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