After spending two weeks in three different German cities, a group of six young Saudis, who joined a cultural exchange between Saudis and Germans, arrived last Wednesday. The group consisted of three men and three women, all in their twenties and from different working fields. The group was headed by Salim Al-Bosta, from the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ), and Thomas Schneider, from the German Embassy in Riyadh. According to Bosta, the idea started in January 2004 when a group of Saudi youth attended a lecture presented by Ambassador Gunter Mulack, commissioner for dialogue with the Islamic world, by the Symposium of King Faisal Foundation in Riyadh.

They met the ambassador in a coffee shop in Riyadh and discussed the importance of dialogue between Islamic and Western people and how to activate such dialogue. “The Saudi group suggested organizing a trip for some Saudi male and female youths to various areas of Germany to engage in actual dialogue with German youths, to know their ambitions, to participate in their civilization and their social activities,” said Bosta.

The project aimed to expose German youths to some Islamic, Arabic and Saudi traditions and habits. The German Technical Cooperation Agency in Riyadh and Eschborn in Germany, with the support of the German Embassy in Riyadh, all helped to facilitate the cultural exchange.

The main aim of this experience was to allow the Saudi and German youth to have an open cultural exchange about their countries and religions away from all the stereotypes that each side has about the other.

To achieve this goal, the Saudi youth met some German students several times in seminars. In one of the main seminars, the Saudi group gave a presentation about Saudi Arabia and a general idea about the area and culture from geographical, historical and cultural perspectives. The German students were eager to know about the women’s issue and how fast women’s rights were developing, the techniques of studying at schools, youth in Saudi Arabia and their problems, and Islam.

The Saudi group was able to experience day-to-day German life. “It is very important to arrange similar trips because it forces us Saudis to interact with youths in their own cultural setting, thus allowing us to learn while fixing misconceptions many Westerners have about the Saudi culture,” said Saudi group member Riem Farahat. “Although traveling abroad is nothing special to many Saudis, who usually travel during their annual holidays, they rarely get a chance to meet youths and get a close look at the history and cultural aspect of the visited country.”

Fahad Bahbailah, one of the Saudi youth group said, “This trip was a good opportunity to show the world something about Saudi Arabia and to represent our country, religion and beliefs. The Saudi reputation and image has developed some stereotypes in other countries. This can be changed by cultural exchange.”

To help the Saudi get as much as possible from the tour, some sightseeing trips were arranged for them in all three cities. Religious, historical, political, and other sites were included in the tours. They visited German Parliament, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin, and the Lufthansa Airlines offices in Frankfurt. They also toured Arabic neighborhoods in Berlin. The tour included visits to educational institutions.

Through these visits with German citizens, the Saudi youth were able to form a clear vision about Germany.

Hruschka, a German professor and the organizer of the program in Hamburg, said, “Germans don’t know about Saudi Arabia other than the petroleum issue, and Saudis don’t know about Germans more than they know about any other European country. So, this kind of exchange is necessary for both sides.”

Sussana Lennert, the coordinator who stayed with the Saudi group throughout the trip, said, “This experience wasn’t only an exchange between Germans and Saudis. The Saudi group had a chance to exchange within itself since they come from different areas of Saudi Arabia.”

The project was financed by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, GTZ, Lufthansa Airlines, the National Medical Products Co., Siemens Limited Saudi Arabia, Heidelberg Saudi Arabia and Kalid Al-Jufali. The exchange started on Dec. 8 in Berlin where the group spent eight days. The group then moved to Hamburg for three days and to Frankfurt for three days.