Exploring the Stories Behind Saudi Arabia's Cultural Transformation

Saba Alkhamis is a Saudi cultural strategist, journalist and media entrepreneur using conversation and storytelling to explore the ideas shaping the Kingdom's evolving cultural landscape.

Culture is often understood through the places people visit, the traditions they experience and the stories that have been passed down through generations. But culture is also constantly evolving. It grows through new ideas, creative voices and conversations about how a society sees itself and its future.

For Saba Alkhamis, these conversations have become an important part of her work.

A Saudi cultural strategist, journalist, researcher and media entrepreneur, Saba works at the intersection of culture, heritage, media and the creative industries. Through her work, she explores the questions surrounding Saudi Arabia's cultural transformation and the role that storytelling, policy and creativity play in shaping the Kingdom's future.

At the centre of this work is her podcast, Vision, Culture & Policy. Through conversations with people working across Saudi Arabia's cultural and creative sectors, the platform explores topics ranging from film and cinema to heritage, music, sports, entertainment and cultural entrepreneurship.

The podcast reflects a growing interest in understanding not only what is changing across Saudi Arabia, but also how those changes are being shaped. As the Kingdom continues to invest in its cultural and creative economy, conversations around identity, heritage and authenticity have become increasingly important.

Saba's work explores this balance between transformation and identity. How can a rapidly growing creative economy develop while remaining connected to its cultural roots? How can new industries create opportunities while preserving the stories and traditions that define a society?

These questions also appear throughout her writing and cultural research. Through her work, she examines Saudi cultural identity and the opportunities emerging across the creative industries, while encouraging wider conversations around cultural sustainability and the long-term development of the sector.

Her professional journey has also connected her with some of Saudi Arabia's major cultural and heritage initiatives. Her background includes work related to Diriyah and its wider cultural development, placing her close to one of the Kingdom's most significant heritage and destination projects.

Beyond podcasting and research, Saba has continued to bring these conversations to public platforms. She has moderated discussions focused on cultural entrepreneurship and heritage and has represented conversations around Saudi culture in international settings, including Expo 2025 Osaka.

More recently, she has expanded her work into television, hosting programming focused on Saudi handicrafts. The move reflects her wider interest in bringing traditional cultural practices into contemporary media spaces and creating new ways for audiences to engage with Saudi heritage.

What makes Saba's work particularly relevant today is her focus on conversation. Cultural transformation is not only about creating new institutions, opening new venues or developing creative industries. It is also about asking questions, listening to different perspectives and creating space for people to discuss what culture means in a changing society.

Through journalism, podcasting, research and media, Saba Alkhamis is helping create that space.

As Saudi Arabia's cultural landscape continues to evolve, voices like hers are contributing to a deeper conversation about heritage, identity, creativity and the future. Her work reminds us that culture is not simply something preserved from the past. It is also something continuously explored, discussed and shaped by the people living through its transformation.

HerStory celebrates Saba Alkhamis for creating meaningful conversations around Saudi culture and for using media and storytelling to explore the evolving identity of the Kingdom.