The Saudi ‘National Dialogue’ is a useful project as Saudis have had a tendency to presume what the other person things, or at least should be thinking. The series of Dialogues, so far, have ranged from dealing with ‘The Other’ to women in the workplace. Now, reports, Arab News, the National Dialogue Center is expanding its remit to include promoting dialogues within the family. It’s a good idea.

The article notes that there is concern that modern technology is encouraging families to splinter into little individual spheres, with computer games, chat rooms, mobile phones, and two working parents providing excuses for not being a traditional family. I’d suggest, too, that the ‘traditional family’ has its own problems.

Many young Saudi males complain that because of their youth, their thoughts receive no welcome. Unless you have a grey beard, they suggest, your ideas are simply laughed at. As with the Western Victorian attitude, ‘Children should be seen, but not heard.’

We needn’t rehearse the problems many Saudi females, young or old, have in getting their voices heard. This is not uniformly the case—there are many Saudi patriarchs who encourage their sons and daughters to engage in debate and take part in life. But it is sufficiently the case that Saudi fathers might take a step off their thrones to consider what is being said and consider that their sons and daughters (and wives) might have something useful to add, some solutions to problems that just might work.

Need for dialogue within family stressed

AL-JOUF: The King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue (KACND) will soon embark on a nationwide program to promote dialogue among family members.

“Family dialogue is aimed at further consolidating the values of communication among members of the family,” said Fahd Al-Sultan, adviser at the center and general supervisor of the program.

He added that KACND has completed all arrangements for the program and has commissioned instructors to promote culture of dialogue among the various sections of Saudi society.

“Family dialogue represents a new qualitative step for KACND, which has successful past experience in spreading culture of dialogue among various government and private sectors.

This program is being held to emphasize the importance of communication among family members and the preservation of family bonds,” he said.
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