Host: CANON
Socially, in a country rooted in tradition backed by religious dogma; divorce rattles social norms and threatens to bring about shame upon families and communities. In short, love and marriage in Saudi are rooted in complexities with women bearing the brunt of social stigma and legal outcomes in situations where not all goes according to expectations as in the case of divorce or even remarriage. Saudi Tales of Love was born out of a personal experience with love, marriage and divorce in Saudi and a need to not only understand my own personal experience, but to also give a voice to Saudi women- single, married, divorced widowed or remarried- to share their personal stories and experiences living through rigid social expectations and structural restrictions. Starting from 2016, I have met with women across Saudi to document their stories and decipher their experiences via a collaborative storytelling approach, whereby my subjects and I first share and analyse our own personal stories and then refer to our experiences to help retell the stories of my subjects, filling in blanks which may not have been apparent or too painful to confront in the past. I have shared their stories, targeting both Saudi and international audiences in an effort to confront taboos and encourage dialogue and debate around social and structural restrictions that Saudi women face and the impact of such restrictions on their lives, families and communities.
Creator
Tasneem Alsultan
