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Use social media to highlight culture, says Shaikh of Chic

Dubai - Shaikh Majed boasts of over one million followers on Snapchat, as well as 314,000 on Instagram and almost 70,000 on Twitter.

Social media should be used to highlight Arabic cultures and off-the-beaten track stories of its varied countries, according to Kuwait's Shaikh Majed Al Sabah - more popularly known as the 'Shaikh of Chic'.
The 48-year old Shaikh Majed - who was among those awarded by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai at the Arab Social Media Influencers Summit - boasts of over one million followers on Snapchat, as well as 314,000 on Instagram and almost 70,000 on Twitter.
Through his Snapchat account, Shaikh Majed often offers informative information - such as history or little-known facts - that he's encountered while on his many travels, which in many cases take him well beyond the well-known tourist locations.
Speaking in front of a number of Omanis dressed in traditional dress at the Social Media Influencers Summit, Shaikh Majed said he often seeks out the older members of Arab societies who can impart their wisdom and traditions on the newer generations.
"I always visit people who are old. We miss traditions, and we miss history. This has had a big impact on me," he said "We have to look at them (the elderly) as a school," he said. "These are the people we can acquire knowledge from. We have traditions that have vanished, and our art is decreasing in terms of its value," he added.
In 2015, Shaikh Majed made history by becoming the first person to report - via Snapchat - from an active military command post while at war, by "snapping" from the Riyadh headquarters of the Saudi-led coalition as they conducted operations in Yemen.
During this trip, he was granted access to the inner workings of the coalition, and was able to interview and photograph officers from the participating countries, including Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE.
"It isn't enough to go to tourist places to show people," he said. "The operations room in Riyadh wasn't being covered by social media. Our objective was to show that we have this unity."
Most of his social media posts, however, revolve around his travels around the world, particularly in little-known parts of common tourist destinations, such as Oman. A recent trip there, for example, saw him visit Bedouin in a remote area of Oman near Jalan Bani Bu Ali, in the country's East.
"People used to not know what is happening in Oman," he said of the trip. "Nobody knows how wonderful these places can be."
One of his main objectives, he said, is to bring people together - particularly those of the GCC - during a particularly difficult time in the history of the Arab World.
"The people of the Gulf are one nation. This is something I've always highlighted," he noted. "We really need this in our current circumstances."
bernd@khaleejtimes.com