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Saudi Arabia may have talent, but only the men apparently

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Karen Whiteley
WVoN co-editor

An ultra-conservative city in Saudi Arabia has developed its own version of Simon Cowell’s popular Got Talent franchise.

The franchise in the UK was responsible for launching the phenomenon that is Susan Boyle on to an unsuspecting public.

However, Buraydah, in the north of the kingdom, is a centre for Wahhabism – the austere branch of Islam which is dominant in Saudi Arabia – and the talent on offer in its version of the show will reflect the city’s conservative – and sexist – views.

As a result, all contestants on Buraydah’s Got Talent will be male, as female contestants are banned.

Music, singing and dancing are also banned for those taking part. Contestants will instead seek to impress the judges with displays of religious chanting, poetry or sporting feats.

Contestants will perform in an open air arena, before a jury comprising a poet, a television producer and TV presenters.

The show’s content will be in stark contrast not only to the Got Talent franchise shows in the UK and the US, but also to the popular official Middle East spin-off, ‘Arabs Got Talent’, which allows both music and women.

One of the stars of Arabs Got Talent is a female Emirati, Shamma Hamdan, who not only sings but also performs without a headscarf and in trousers. The programme is watched by millions throughout the Middle East.

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