With the world finally coming to the realisation that diversity is a necessity in media, Arabs have yet to see the necessary representation and appreciation they deserve within the Western world. So, to help promote Arab accomplishments and raise awareness on the issue of misrepresentation, we have decided to shine a light on this Instagram account that is solely dedicated to promoting Arab achievements.
Arabs for Arabs is a platform created to highlight Arab accomplishments, from her Royal Highness, Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud to Comedian, Hadeel Marei. The Instagram account was created by Fawaz Aleidan, a young Saudi, looking to raise awareness on the lack of representation we experience, or even so, the misrepresentation we receive on Western media. His main priority is to erase the negative stigma surrounding Arab culture.
Scrolling through the Arab for Arabs Instagram account, you will get a glimpse of Arab talents, with directors, makeup gurus, photographers, and many more. It is evident that the founder of this project wants to shed light on these Arabian talents; showcasing them in a positive manner to introduce their talents to the world.
What makes Arab for Arabs unique, is that it does not simply focus on talents. One of the most important features of that page is its discussion of sensitive yet important topics. They have excelled in sparking up conversations on important issues, like the #FreePalestine movement and mental health in Arab culture.
One of their main sources of communication besides Instagram is the exclusive social media app, Clubhouse. The invite-only app promotes the ability for people to open rooms and have intellectual discussions. Founder, Fawaz Aleidan, used that to his advantage and began an ‘Arabs for Arabs’ club, allowing people to take part in these discussions. One of his most interesting rooms was under the topic “Code-switching Amongst Arabs” and how English has become so intertwined within our native language; that sometimes it’s hard to follow through an entire conversation without including an English word or two.
This page is precisely what we needed to release into the world; without having to rely on Western media to give us the representation we deserve. This is our way of encouraging the world to see us for our talents and creativity. For us to show the outside world that we do not need their approval, but rather, what we’re aiming to do when asking for representation is to merely fix the distorted image they perceive of us.
