Culture, Talent, The Future: Towards 2030

“How Can Culture Be Encouraged, Preserved or Developed?”

This has been a recurrent question for me across the years, it may have originated during my time as a student or just as someone who’s passionate to know more about the surrounding geographic locale, currently in relation to the Middle East region.

Understanding the context of where I come from has been essential when comparing existing models of cultural and social structures. Achieving progress, in terms of culture, needs to strike a balance between maintaining the region’s rich norms and values while also remaining up-to-date with the tendencies elsewhere. These cultural aspects need not fall into disuse but instead be creatively brought to the forefront and celebrated. Hence, for arts and culture to be passed down and explored by audiences they need to be compiled in a tangible and accessible manner, leading to a wide range of cultural institutions such as museums, art centres and festivals. These physical structures would serve as an anthology: a narration of the space, its past and everything it may hold moving forward.   

“Visibly Arid Spaces & Inherent People Places”

The historical and contemporary richness that comprises the Middle East’s arts and culture scenes holds infinite stories. A great example of how it’s being approached is the roadmap for Saudi Arabia’s 2030 vision where actionable steps are being undertaken to transform and diversify the country’s offerings across numerous themes. 

Culture is already there; it just takes the “right” approach to provide audiences with access to it – a place they can seek and imbue themselves with the country’s proposed “Quality of Life” Program and the myriad of cities, venues and initiatives to be created. These potential places will hold all the inherent heritage, arts & culture and catalyze further development while encouraging artists in a way that is curated for avid experiential consumption.

“Making Places: Who Sustains Them?”

After researching the monumental changes that Saudi Arabia is set to undergo, I was still left with the need to relate my initial question to my current experience.

 The stories presented at these cultural venues as well as the policies enforced to get there are important but equally so are the people. These “people” are not merely the visitors immersed in the experience itself but those actively working at creating and maintaining the aforementioned experience.

As a remote intern at Barker Langham Recruitment, I’ve had the opportunity to witness the work methodology in relation to providing clients with high performance teams for entrepreneurial cultural projects. I’ve come to see how the recruitment process is the cornerstone to the success of a large project’s vision. The recruited talent for the creative and cultural sectors are the ones ensuring the initial vision’s continuity and sustainability.

My initial question has evolved in a way to reveal the simultaneous and parallel methods; from the development of major urban hubs and apparent revitalization of geographic landscapes to eventually arrive full circle at the basis of it all; attracting and retaining the very best of human capital ensuring culture is in fact encouraged, preserved and developed.  

Noor Alfaraj

Summer Intern, Barker Langham Recruitment