Standing next to a dual carriageway that stretches along the northern edge of Riyadh, where new residential districts under construction are gradually encroaching on the vast desert, Shahad and Line gaze up at the sky with a blend of excitement and pride. The deafening roar of the Royal Saudi Air Force fighter jets tearing through the skies, with plumes of colored smoke trailing behind them, some in the shape of hearts and palm trees, drowns out the shrieks of excitement from the two teenagers and from the crowd.
On this Saudi national holiday, Saturday, September 23, Ajlan Park looks more like a drive-in. Hundreds of Saudi families, migrant workers, and a few expatriates have parked their vehicles on the median strip and some even in the middle of the road as there is no space elsewhere. A national holiday reflecting great national harmony. Children waved green flags, flanked by slogans celebrating the 93rd anniversary of the unification of the Saudi kingdom by King Abdel Aziz Al Saud in 1932. Young men customized their cars with the number "93" as well as portraits of King Salman and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as "MBS."
"I think it's important to celebrate our national holiday. I'm proud of my country. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has said that we, the youth, are the pillar of the kingdom. We still have so much to achieve," said Shahad, echoing the slogan used by the crown to mark this 93rd anniversary: "We dream and we achieve." The 15-year-old, wearing jeans and sneakers under her abaya, her hair covered by a hijab, has flirtatiously highlighted her eyes with a stroke of green eyeliner. She counts off the many successes of "Vision 2030." the modernization plan launched by "MBS" to get the kingdom to move away from its dependence on oil and the ultra-strict hold of Wahhabism.
Shahad and Line, the younger of the two by two years, are part of the "Vision 2030" generation, having grown up with the kingdom's transformation. Through their state school education and national holiday celebrations, they have been bombarded by the nationalism exalted by King Salman and his son since they came to power in 2015. In a country where two-thirds of the 19 million Saudis (out of a total population of 32 million, including foreign workers) are under the age of 35, young people represent the melting pot for a new national narrative promoted by the two sovereigns, combining allegiance to the royal family with religion, respect for tradition with a move towards modernity.
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