TikTok partners with the UAE Media Regulatory Office for new campaign
Partnership is aimed at raising awareness of dangerous challenges and hoaxes
Updated 01 March 2022
Arab News
DUBAI: Short-form video app TikTok has partnered with the Media Regulatory Office of the Ministry of Culture and Youth in the UAE, to launch the biggest awareness campaign of its kind.
“The campaign is part of ongoing efforts by the Media Regulatory Office, whose strategic partnerships aim to further develop digital safety and enhance security systems in the country,” said Dr. Rashid Khalfan Al-Nuaimi, executive director of the Media Regulatory Office.
“Such initiatives strive to provide safe environments for all internet and different platform users, especially the youth,” he added.
The goal of the campaign is to increase awareness of dangerous challenges on the internet, as well as other dangers associated with digital platforms.
The campaign consists of a series of videos in multiple languages, featuring a selection of content creators that shed light on the challenges of the digital world, and the importance of safe internet usage.
These include Abdullah Hattawi, who has been part of the Dubai Police stunt team, TV and social media personality Azza Zarour, and entrepreneur and influencer Karen Wazen.
Each creator focuses on a different aspect of internet safety. Hattawi focuses on safely creating stunt videos with his teammates, who are professional athletes; Zarour shares best practices of participating in challenges in a fun and safe way; and Wazen talks about the importance of having an open dialogue with children and teenagers.
The campaign is in line with other initiatives announced last month including the launch of the region’s first Safety Advisory Council.
“While dangerous challenges and hoaxes are an industry-wide challenge, we at TikTok share the interests of parents and caregivers in this mission, which is why we are committed to working with external experts to inform our work,” said Farah Tukan, head of public policy for TikTok in the Middle East, Turkey, Africa and Pakistan.
Gems of Arabia magazine launched to spotlight talents shaping Saudi Arabia’s evolving cultural landscape
The publication features established and emerging talents elevating the region across design, fashion, art, tech, music, architecture and media
Saudi fashion designer Hatem Alakeel seeks to highlight the richness of the Kingdom, and wider modern Arab culture to global audiences
Updated 15 January 2026
Sherouk Zakaria
DUBAI: When Saudi fashion designer Hatem Alakeel interviewed Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud before her appointment as Saudi ambassador to the US, the longtime advocate of women’s empowerment made a powerful prediction: “I look forward to the day that the Saudi woman is no longer the story but rather a phenomenal achievement.”
That moment would become the foundation for Gems of Arabia, an arts and culture audio-visual podcast that spotlights the creative talents shaping the landscape of Saudi Arabia and the broader region.
Over six years, Gems of Arabia has documented the sweeping transformation of the Kingdom’s art and culture scene, and is now evolving into a full-fledged magazine.
Hatem Alakeel is a Saudi fashion designer. (Supplied)
“It started off as a column I used to write, and from there, it turned into a podcast. Now it is growing into a magazine,” Dubai-based Alakeel, the magazine’s founder and editor-in-chief, told Arab News ahead of the launch of the digital publication on Thursday.
Besides spotlighting celebrated regional artists, Alakeel said Gems of Arabia is in search of the “hidden gems” elevating the region across design, fashion, art, tech, music, architecture and media.
The magazine serves as a platform for talented, authentic creatives and tech entrepreneurs unable to articulate their work “because they don’t have the public relations or capacity to promote themselves even through social media.”
Alakeel added: “Our job is to identify all these authentic people; you don’t have to be famous, you just have to be authentic, and have a great story to tell.”
The digital publication offers a dynamic blend of short-form podcasts, coverage of regional cultural events, in-depth features and editorials, long-form interviews and artist profiles — spotlighting both celebrated and emerging talents. This is complemented by social media vox pops and bite-sized coverage of art events across the region.
Alakeel, who also runs Authenticite, a consulting and creative production agency connecting creators and brands who want to understand Saudi culture, said the magazine content is “carefully curated” to feature topics and personalities that resonate in the region.
What differentiates Gems of Arabia, he said, is its story of continuity and substance amassed over the years that has captured the evolution of the wider regional landscape.
“The website represents an archive of nearly 150 articles compiled through years of podcasts and long-form conversations that show continuity and depth changes,” he said.
“So, it’s an evolution and it’s another home for all our content and our community.”
Growing up in France, Alakeel said his mission started early on when he felt the need to represent his Saudi culture “in a way where it can hold its own internationally.”
Through his first brand, Toby, he sought to bring the traditional thobe into modern designs and introduce it to the luxury fashion world. This mission was accomplished when his thobe designs were placed alongside global labels such as Harvey Nichols, Dolce & Gabbana and Prada.
What began as a personal design mission would soon expand into a broader platform to champion Saudi talent.
“I was articulating my culture through fashion and it just felt natural to do that through the incredible people that the region has,” Alakeel said, adding that the magazine aims to highlight the richness of the Kingdom, and wider modern Arab culture to global audiences.
“Art is such a great way of learning about a culture and a country,” he said.
On the ground in Saudi Arabia, the publication hosts GEMS Forum, a series of live cultural gatherings that bring together prominent artistic figures for in-depth conversations later transformed into podcast episodes recorded with a live audience.
Alakeel said the print edition of Gems of Arabia will debut in March, designed as a collectible coffee-table quarterly distributed across the Gulf.
He envisions the platform growing into a long-term cultural record.
“It's a Saudi-centric magazine, but the idea is to make it inclusive to the region and everyone authentic has a seat at the table,” said Alakeel.
