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Journalism of Courage
Saudi Arabia is all set to change the way the world perceives them and it all started when the country decided to lift the infamous ban on women driving. Although it was welcomed by people across the globe, many in the country raised concerns and expressed doubts about’s women’s caliber to learn driving. Some of them also said they might create more traffic jams and be prone to accidents.
As these prejudices cloud their judgment, a Saudi filmmaker is trying to break the stigma attached to women being bad drivers. In a social experiment, director-producer, Haya Al Suwayed asked several children how they would feel if their mothers picked them up from school.
In a video posted on YouTube, Al Suwayed tries to capture the intimate and pure feeling of little children who are quite excited about their moms taking up the front seat. “I will be happy she is better than a driver,” says a little boy. “My mother always gives me breakfast before leaving home and then says goodbye. Now, she will say that from the car,” adds another. While some are still not very sure, they are ready to “protect” their moms in case something goes wrong. The filmmaker also asked what laws the children want to be in place when their mothers start driving.
Explaining why she made the film and used children for the experiment, she told Saudi daily Okaz, “I believe that correcting concepts should begin with children and the young generation. To fight the misconception and fear she hopes this video “change perceptions and refutes allegations” that women should not be trusted to drive their children to school. “It is important to talk about the safety of children in the car, change the perception of the community towards women driving cars and dispelling the widespread fears and rumours that women will not succeed as drivers and will always cause accidents,” she was quoted by the Gulf News.
