Hwages (Arabic: هواجيس, lit. 'Concerns') is a viral music video by Saudi producer Majed al-Esa of 8ies Studios published in December 2016. The video features Saudi women wearing niqabs while skateboarding and riding scooters, while the song's lyrics address women's rights in Saudi Arabia and mocks the patriarchy as well as Donald Trump.[1][2] The video was viewed over 3 million times within weeks of its upload date and was shared on Twitter by Ameera al-Taweel, a prominent Saudi humanitarian figure and ex-wife of Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal.[3] The controversial song attracted both praise and criticism within Saudi Arabia and throughout the world for its lyrics such as "May men go extinct, they cause us to have mental illnesses".[4][5]
The same producer and studio had previously released the song Barbs (Arabic: بربس, lit. 'Messy') about a year earlier, which had also gone viral and had inspired many people to replicate the dance moves in the video;[6][7] the Abu Dhabi Public Prosecutor issued arrest warrants for two men who uploaded a video of themselves dancing to the song while dressed in United Arab Emirates military uniforms, saying the men had danced "suggestively" and "in a manner unworthy of the uniform", representing an "affront to the honour of joining the National Service".[8][1]
References
edit- ^ a b Taylor, Adam (3 January 2017). "A music video featuring skateboarding women has Saudi Arabia entranced". Washington Post. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- ^ Shechet, Ellie (6 January 2017). "Saudi Women Mock Trump, Beg God to 'Rid Us of Men' in Gorgeous Viral Music Video". Jezebel. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- ^ Megan, Specia (5 January 2017). "Women Defy Saudi Restrictions in Video, Striking a Nerve". New York Times. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- ^ Hughes, Pascal (4 January 2017). "Storm over Hwages pop video featuring skateboarding Saudi women in Islamic veils". Evening Standard. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- ^ Massiah, Andree (5 January 2017). "Saudi Arabian video on women's rights goes viral". BBC. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- ^ Ghazal, Rym (3 February 2016). "How a Saudi viral video led me on a merry dance". The National. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- ^ Atassi, Basma (4 January 2017). "Saudi music video on women's rights goes viral". CNN. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- ^ "Arrest warrant issued for men 'dancing suggestively' while wearing UAE military uniforms in video". The National. 19 January 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
External links
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