Dubbed Turkish soap operas conquering the Arab world: social liberation or cultural alienation?

Abstract

In 1980 oil magnate J.R. Ewing was shot and injured in the hit series Dallas, which featured an unconventional family's struggles over power, wealth and sex. The shot was heard around the world, with millions of fans desperately wondering "Who shot J.R.?". It was the first time that a TV series had captivated simultaneously so many people around the world. Five years later, the Arabs were shooting at the stars with the launch of the first Arab satellite system, Arabsat-1. Except for experts and visionaries, no one was predicting that it was "the beginning of the end" for the state domination of television in the Arab world. Almost a quarter of a century later, on August 30, 2008, 85 million Arab viewers were glued to their TV sets for the finale of the Syrian-dubbed Turkish soap opera, Gümüş 1 (Noor 2 in Arabic), a Kanal D production that received little attention in its homeland in 2005. After falling in the past for Victoria Principal, Ridge Forrester, and Latin American telenovela characters Kassandra and Rosalinda , Arab audiences are now turning to Turkey, a close yet estranged neighbor with whom they share a tumultuous history. The mastermind behind this phenomenon has been the MBC (Middle East Broadcasting Center) media empire, a combination of Saudi capital and Middle Eastern know-how, and a success story that started in the 1990s with the birth of a private Arab media field. As Naomi Sakr explains, many factors fuel the field's potential including the fact that "Media flows are (…) facilitated where the language is shared 3 ". The Arab market is indeed unique: a large and essentially young audience with some 20 countries sharing a common language. Researchers have thus observed a relative "depoliticization" of media over the years with the progressive development of mass entertainment programming.

Full text

3/29/2015 ArabMedia&Society
http://www.arabmediasociety.com/index.php?article=735&printarticle 1/7
NoorandMuhannadfromtheArabizedTurkish
soapoperaNoor
TurkishsoapoperasintheArabworld:socialliberationorculturalalienation?
Issue10,Spring2010
ByAlexandraBuccianti

DubbedTurkishsoapoperasconqueringtheArabworld:
socialliberationorculturalalienation?

In1980oilmagnateJ.R.Ewingwasshotandinjuredinthehitseries
Dallas,whichfeaturedanunconventionalfamily’sstrugglesoverpower,
wealthandsex.Theshotwasheardaroundtheworld,withmillionsof
fansdesperatelywondering“WhoshotJ.R.?”.Itwasthefirsttimethata
TVserieshadcaptivatedsimultaneouslysomanypeoplearoundthe
world.Fiveyearslater,theArabswereshootingatthestarswiththe
launchofthefirstArabsatellitesystem,Arabsat1.Exceptforexpertsand
visionaries,noonewaspredictingthatitwas“thebeginningoftheend”
forthestatedominationoftelevisionintheArabworld.

Almostaquarterofacenturylater,onAugust30,2008,85millionArab
viewersweregluedtotheirTVsetsforthefinaleoftheSyriandubbedTurkishsoapopera,Gümüş1(Noor2in
Arabic),aKanalDproductionthatreceivedlittleattentioninitshomelandin2005.Afterfallinginthepastfor
VictoriaPrincipal,RidgeForrester,andLatinAmericantelenovelacharactersKassandraandRosalinda,Arab
audiencesarenowturningtoTurkey,acloseyetestrangedneighborwithwhomtheyshareatumultuoushistory.

ThemastermindbehindthisphenomenonhasbeentheMBC(MiddleEastBroadcastingCenter)mediaempire,a
combinationofSaudicapitalandMiddleEasternknowhow,andasuccessstorythatstartedinthe1990swiththe
birthofaprivateArabmediafield.AsNaomiSakrexplains,manyfactorsfuelthefield’spotentialincludingthe
factthat“Mediaflowsare(…)facilitatedwherethelanguageisshared3”.TheArabmarketisindeedunique:a
largeandessentiallyyoungaudiencewithsome20countriessharingacommonlanguage.Researchershavethus
observedarelative“depoliticization”ofmediaovertheyearswiththeprogressivedevelopmentofmass
entertainmentprogramming.

DespitethespectacularsuccessofArabicmusalsalat(soapoperas),Arabaudienceshavealwaysshowngreat
interestinforeignproductions.WithinthiscontextTurkishsoapoperas,Noorbeingthemostsignificantcase,have
generatedamediarevolution.Myaimisfirsttodescribethistriumphandthentointroducethevarious
repercussionsthatresultedfromit.Ononehand,itwouldbeinterestingtoanalyzethisnewformofdramaonthe
Arabentertainmentscene,explainingitsemergenceasa“genre”aswellasasuccessfulmodelof“hybridization”.
Ontheotherhand,inaregionoflongOttomandomination,whatlinguisticandculturalissuesdotheseseriesand
theirdubbingindialectraise?WhathavetheyexposedaboutArabsocietiesintermsofvalues?

IwilltackletheseaspectsthroughacloseanalysisoftheArabpressfromMarchtoJuly2009,theperiodthat
witnessedthepeakoftheseries’success.Theanalysiswillincludegeneralliteratureaboutsoapoperasformatsas
wellasmusalsalatintheArabworld.

Moreover,IshalldrawconclusionsaboutArabdramaandentertainmentasawhole,aswellasitsinherent
contradictions,mostlyintermsofvalues.Finally,IwilldiscussthenexttrendswithinthisfieldaswellasArab
satellitemediaingeneral,includingthepossiblereturnoflocaldialectsafterthedominationofstandardizedArabic.

Theadventofa“genre”:Turkishdrama

Initially,soapoperaswereradioprogramssponsoredbybigsoapcorporationsintheUnitedStates.Withtheadvent
oftelevision,theybecameawellknownformatallovertheworld.Theywereaimedathousewivesandwere
mostlyairedinthe“daytimeslot”,from9a.m.to4p.m.,accordingtoA.C.Nielsen’sdayparts.Women’saccessto
thelabormarketandthedazzlingsuccessofsomeserieshoweverbroughtmanychanges.Soapoperaswerethus
movedto“primetime”,from8to10p.m.,whereviewershippeaks,andnolongertargetedanexclusivelyfemale
audience.Dallas,BeverlyHills90210,andMelrosePlacebecamesymbolsofsuchdecades.


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MBCbeganbroadcastingTurkishseriesdubbedinSyriandialectin2007withIklilalWard4(“CrownofFlowers”).
InFebruary2008,MBC1airedSanawatalDayaa’5(“TheLostYears”)fromWednesdaytoSaturdayat4p.m.,
correspondingto“regulartime”inMBCdayparts.InApril2008,thepressbegannoticingtheaudience’sgrowing
interestwiththepresenceofTVsetsincafés,importantsocializationspotsinArabcountries,aswellasdownloads
oftheseries’openingthemesongs.SimultaneouslyMBC,withanefficientmarketingstrategyandextensivepress
coveragelaunchedNoorat2p.m.AudiencescouldnowwatchtwoTurkishseriesanddiscussthem.Bytheendof
April,NoorrosetoprimetimeonMBC4,at9:30p.m.,betweentheverypopularOprahWinfreyShowandthe
dailyeveningfilm.Withthisdominationofprimetimeandtheaudience’senlargement,“Noormania”beganand
thefateofTurkishseriesbecamesimilartosignaturesoapoperas.

Explosionsinviewershipconfirmedthesetrends.Indeed,MBCspokeof3to4millionviewersperdayinSaudi
Arabia6.MazenHayek,DirectorofMarketing,PRandCommercialAffairs,atMBCGroupspokeattheSecond
NewArabWomanForuminBeirut(NAWF)of“85millionviewers(fortheNoorseriesfinale)above15yearsof
ageintheMiddleEastandNorthAfricaregion,outofwhom50millionwerefemale”7.SanawatalDayaa’camein
secondwith67millionviewers,39millionofthemfemale.TheNoorseriesevenmanagedtoconqueraspotinthe
top10globalprogramsintheEurodataannualstudy“OneTelevisionyearintheworld”byMédiametrie8.

ThepressalsoreportedoddreactionstotheseriesfromallovertheMiddleEast:fromdesertedstreetsinAlKhalil
(Hebron)andGazatofemalemobsinDubai9andJordanalongwithafitofnewbornsnamedNoorandMuhannad
aftertheheroesoftheseries.Thecrazealsoincludedaneconomicdimensionwithbestsellingtshirtsandposters.
ThesalesofthesegoodssometimesevensurpassedthoseofArableaderslikeSaddamorYasserArafatinGaza.10

Soapoperascanbedistinguishedbytheirspecificnarrativeform.Thesecharacteristicsincludeoverlapping
intriguesthatarehighlightedbytheendofeachepisodeandacommunityofcharacterswithdynamicandcomplex
interactions.Romanticandsexualrelationshipsarecentralamongtheissuestackled,asarefamilyties.Moreover,
theplotusuallyhighlightsemotionalandmoralconflicts.TheNoorseriesfitthismodelperfectly.Eventsincludeda
lifechangingarrangedmarriagecumlovestorybetweenthemaincharacter,Noor(SongülÖden)andMuhannad
(KivançTatlitug),theyoungandhandsomeheirofabusinessempire.Noorhadtofaceseveralobstaclesinherlove
life(includingatriangularrelationshipwithherhusband’sexlover)butalsoinhercareerasawomanstrugglingto
establishherselfintheworkplace.Theseriesweremarkedbyseveralcoupsdethéâtre–thereturnofdead
characters,revelationsoffamilytiesandmissingchildren,allemblematicingredientsasexplainedbyLaura
StempelMumfordinLoveandideologyintheafternoon:soapopera,women,andtelevisiongenre(1995).Class
strugglealsomakesappearances,especiallyinSanawatalDayaa’.Shootingsitesaretraditionalsoapopera
locations:anOttomanpalaceontheBosporus,afashioncompany,restaurantsandhospitals.

Aninnovativeaspectisaddedhowever:the“Turkishtouch”.Liketelenovelas,Turkishseriescarryacertain
identityandculturalvaluesthatareamplifiedbyseveralelements.Thepatriarchalmodelisessentialandis
emphasizedinseveralscenesthroughthedominationofthewiseheadoffamily;inNoor,thishappenstobe
Muhannad’sgrandfather,FekryBey.AllepisodesincludescenesoffamilymealsheadedbyFekryBeyaswellas
Turkishcoffeegatheringswhereheplaysthelute.

Becauseoftheviewershipexplosionandtheimportanceofthe“Noor”phenomenonbothitsextentandthe
intensityofitsfanactivityMazenHayektalksaboutthebirthofagenre:“Turkishdrama”11.Turkishserieshave
dethronedtheirMexicanrivalswhichhadruledArabscreensinthe1990s.Liketelenovelas,Turkishsoapoperas
canbeconsideredashybridbycombiningtypicalcharacteristicsofclassicAmericansoapsaswellasnewcultural
inputs.ItisthusessentialtoexplainwhattheArabictranslationhasaddedtotheshow,focusingparticularlyonthe
useofdialectwhendubbing.
FromGümüştoNoor:linguisticconsiderations

Translationisamodeofrepresentingidentityandtriggersalinguistic,philosophicalandcommercialdebate.Each
languagerepresentsadifferentvisionoftheworldcharacterizedbyitsmeansandvalues.Severalculturalstudies
scholarshavetakenthisideaintoconsiderationwhenstudyingmedia.Indeedtheydiscussedthepublic’s
reappropriationofmassmediaentertainmentproducts.Thereareseveralwaystotranslatefilmsorseries:subtitling
“atranspositionfromsoundintowriting”anddubbing“anaudiovisualexpressionwithonelanguageseen,another
heard”12.Bothtechniquesinvolvesynchronization:“thenumberofsyllablesaswellasthedurationofthespoken
lineissupposedtocorrespondwiththeoriginal”(Rossholm2006).Translationinvolvesacombinationoflanguages
andmedia.

InArabmedia,translationsaremostlydonethroughsubtitling.Asfordubbing,RobertStamexplainsthataccents
andintonationsarealsoessentialastheyconveyculturalandlinguisticdifferences13.WhenitcomestoArabic,the
diglossiaofthelanguageisanessentialcharacteristictoconsider.Itresultsinmajordifferencesbetween“literary”

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Arabic(alanguagethatisnotmasteredbyapartofthepopulation)andcolloquialArabicordialects,thelanguage
“ofthestreet”anddailylife.Theexpansionofmediahasledtodifferentphasesoflinguistichegemony.Intheearly
1990s,Arabmusalsalatproductionsweredominatedbydialects,essentiallyEgyptian.Thispositioncanbe
explainedbyEgypt’slongcinemahistory,datingtothebeginningofthe20thcentury,aswellastheabundanceof
Egyptianproductions.

TheemergenceofAlJazeerawould,however,leveltheplayingfield,introducingastandardizationofliterary
Arabicinordertohelpviewerswhodidnotmasterit.Thisinnovationwouldalsohaveanimpactinthefieldof
entertainment.First,briefincursionsofliteraryArabicinlocalproductionsincreased,althoughthefieldwas
traditionallydialectal(suchastheSyrianhitseriesBabalHara).ThencameMBC’ssuccessfulgamble:having
GümüşdubbedintoSyriandialectbySamaproductionstudiosinDamascus.Thischoicechallengedthetraditional
literaryArabicdubbingofMexicantelenovelasthathadcreatedadisconnectbetweentheaudience,whichfoundthe
languagetoocomplexandinadequateforthescenario,andtheseriesovertheyears.DaniaNugali,a16yearold
Saudi,toldJohnDaggefromTheMiddleEastmagazinethatwhenshewatchedtelenovelasdubbedinclassical
Arabicshefelt“like(shewas)inanArabicliteratureclass(…)butwhenIwatchNoor,Idefinitelyfeelthatitis
entertainment."14.MostfanswhogatheredinfrontoftheMBCbuildingwhenNoor‘sstarsvisitedDubaiagreed
withDania.Therefore,MBC’suseofSyriandialectwasnotanobstacletoNoor’ssuccess,butwas,onthecontrary,
oneofitsmainassets,despitetheimportantdifferencesbetweenSyriandialectandotherArabicdialects.

Withaccessiblelanguage,Arabviewersdiscovered“theOther”,aneighboringcountrythathistoryhadestranged.
IndeedArabnationalismwasessentiallyareactiontoTurkishculturalhegemonyaftertheYoungTurks’revolution.
By“winningheartsandminds”,NoortriggeredasuddenreawakeningandconsiderationoftheseSanawatalDayaa’
(“lostyears”)aswellasseveralotherdilemmas.
TheOttomanEmpirestrikesback?

TurkishdubbedserieswereundeniablyanessentialfactorthatledtoareevaluationofTurkishculturebyArab
audiences.Afeelingofproximitybetweenbothsocieties,ArabandTurkish,thatwasfoundneitherinMexican
telenovelasnorinAmericanhitseries,flourished.

WheninterviewedbytheJordaniannewspaperAlGhad,sociologyprofessorHusseinAlKhozaistatedthatArab
viewerscouldidentifywithmanyofthevaluesconveyedbytheseries,suchasrespectforelderssuchasNoor’s
grandmother,but,moreimportantly,thecentralityoftheheadofthefamily,FekryBey.Thisessentialcomponent
ofArabsocietiescanbefoundinseveralfictionalworkssuchasNaguibMahfouz’slandmarkcharacter,“Se
Sayed”,intheCairoTrilogy.

TheemphasisonTurkishlandscapeswhenfilmingalsotouchedArabviewers.Insteadoffilminginstudios,asin
mostArabseries,manysequenceswerefilmedontheBosporusinNoorandinSanawatAlDaya’,allowingviewers
totravelthroughtheTurkishcountryside.SuchscenesluredtouriststoTurkey.FiguresfromtheTurkishMinistry
ofCultureandTourism15revealasteadyincreaseintourismfromArabcountries,withthemostsignificant
increasesfromGulfcountries,includinga34percentSaudiincrease–includingimportantmembersoftheroyal
family,a75percentincreaseinKuwaitis,51percentmoreEmiratisandover1,379percentmoreOmanis.The
palacewhereNoorwasfilmedontheBosporuswasrentedandtransformedbytouroperatorsintoasortoflovers’
museumdestinedforArabtourists.OthermoreambitiousfanschosetolearnTurkish16.JournalistNajiA’mayrah
describestheseriesas“themissinglink”betweenArabandTurkishsocieties.

Yetsuchenthusiasmforsharedperspectiveswas,however,farfromunanimous.Manyjournalistsspokeofthe
successofNooras“Turkishhegemony”17.MohamedMansourwroteinthepanArabnewspaperAlQudsAlArabi
thathewasoutragedby“televisedalienation”18,labelingNooranextensionofpreviousMexican“assaults”on
Arabculturewhichbeganinthe1990s.Turkishseriesarealsointerpretedthroughthecontemporarypolitical
context.Indeed,throughacommittedandeffectiveforeignpolicy,Turkeyhasdemonstrateditsdesiretoplaya
paramountregionalrole.PrimeMinisterRecepTayyipErdoganhas,forexample,successfullyseducedtheArab
public,whohavecomparedhimtoSaladin,knownastheheroofresistancetotheCrusaders,throughhisdrastic
positiononGaza(alandmarkissueofArabnationalism)attheDavosWorldEconomicForum.Turkishseriescan
beseenbysomeasasoftpowerinstrumenttowinoverArabpublicopinion.Mansouralsoaddsananalysisofa
Muslimworldthatismarkedbycreepingsectarianism.Hedenounces“Shiaopportunism”withIranianseriesbeing
dubbedonShiachannels,inflictinga“Shiitization”uponMuslimsocieties.

Challengesarenotlimitedtotheideologicalfield.Fromacommercialpointofview,theTurkishentertainment
industry“isaUS$6billionayearbusiness”19.MBCsawitasan“opportunity”accordingtoFadiIsmail,the
generalmanagerofO3Productions,asubsidiaryoftheMBCGroup.Turkishseriesarelessexpensiveandmore
lucrativethanArabproductions.AccordingtotheSyriandirectorAbbasAlNouri,thesuccessofTurkishdramaisa

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“challenge”20forArabicmusalsalat,butalsoasourceofinspirationemphasizingromanceandfeelingsinfuture
scenarios.Otherdirectors,likeEgyptianstarOsamaAnwarOkashacommentedonthephenomenonironically,by
predictingthearrivalof“Eskimo”seriesonArabscreens.

ThemonthofRamadan,wheretelevisionconsumptiontraditionallydoubles,isarelevantexampleillustratingthis
feelingof“assault”.ThetriumphofTurkishdramahastriggeredabacklash:theproliferationofhundredsofArab
musalsalatairingonalargeselectionofover300channels.

MuhannadandNoor,troublemakersofthesmallscreens

Syriandubbingdidnotonlytranslate,ittransposedandadapted.Manysignificantmodificationsweremade,
beginningwiththeArabizationofthecharacters’names.IntheTurkishversion,themaincharacter’snameis
Mehmet,butSamagrouptranslatorspreferredMuhannad,anancientandrareArabicname,portrayingadesirefor
uniqueness.Otherrearrangementsweremoredrastic,concerningboththeformatandthecontent:theseriesinitially
had100episodesofonehoureach.WhenairedonMBC,therewere154episodesof45minuteseach.Several
eroticsceneswerecensoredbecausetheywereconsideredinappropriateandincompatiblewiththeregion’svalues.
ThiscensorshipwasneverthelessinsufficientforsomenewspaperssuchastheSaudiAlJazeera,whichdescribed
thebroadcastofTurkishdramaasanassaultonpublicdecency.

Theusualcondemnationsofsoapoperaswereaddedtothesegrievances.ForSaidAbulMee’laoftheJordanian
newspaperAlGhad,thesuccessofTurkishseriesisa“scam”andaproofofArabdecadence.Otherjournalists
resentedthescript’strivialityandlackofinnovation.SuchtendenciesserveasareminderofIenAng’sstudyofthe
crossculturalreceptionofDallasintheNetherlands.Shespeaksofthe“ironicpleasureofhatingDallasordisliking
thevaluestheyseeitrepresentingsomuchthattheyenjoywatchingtheshowinordertocondemnandridicule
it.”21Angspeaksof“pleasureindispleasure”animplicitcritiqueofAmericanpopcultureinDutchsociety,
confirmingwhatsomeresearcherscalled“theparadoxofsoapoperas”oneofthemostsignificantTVtriumphsof
thelastfiftyyears.Despitebeinganultimateadvertisingspace,theyremainoneofthemostcriticizedformatsin
popculture.

ByJune2008,adifferenttypeofnewsrelatedtoTurkishsoapsdominatedpopularimaginationintheArabworld.
OneofNoor’smainassetswastheyoungandhandsomeKivançTatlitug,anexmodelandwinneroftheBest
ModeloftheWorldawardin2002.HisWesternfeaturesandroleastheromanticandsexyhusbandearnedhimthe
nickname“theMiddleEast’sBradPitt”22.Tatlitugbecamearealstar,andmadeseveraladsandamusicvideowith
LebanesesingerRulaSaad.Hetriggeredmanymaritalcrises,asArabwomenmadethepainfulcomparison
betweenMuhannadandtheirhusbands,demandingmoreromanceandrespectintheirrelationships.Severaldivorce
caseswerefiled,someofthemrepudiationsoutofjealousyandothersofthemultimatumsgivenbywomen23.Noor
thusservedasthedetonatorofexistingmatrimonialandsexualtensionsallovertheMiddleEast.Turkishseries
alsofeaturedseveralindependent,nonveiledfemalecharacters,rangingfromworkingwomentosinglemothers,
theoppositeofadesperatehousewife.CharleneGubashfromNBCnewsconsequentlyspokeof“upend(ing)
traditionalArabgenderroles”24.

ThecomplaintsofNoor’sfemaleviewersalsofitseveralscholars’applicationoffeministtheoriestosoapoperas.
Theyclaimsoapoperasgivewomenamediumtoescapethedailyroutineoftheirlivesandthestressfamilylife
mightbring.TheescapistdimensionofsoapoperasisevenmorenoticeableinwartornsocietiessuchasGazaor
Yemenandthosefacingdailyviolence,asinIraq,wherestreetsweredesertedduringthedailybroadcastingof
Noor.

“Satanicseries”?–FacingTurkishsecularism

Alcohol,abortionsandpremaritalsexareallingredientsofTurkishsoapsbutarealsothenightmaresofthe
religiousestablishmentintheregion.ThemostnotoriouscontroversyregardingTurkishserieswasthevirulent
objectionsofseveralclerics.Despitethereorganizationandthecensorshipoftheseries,severalremainingaspects
wereseenascontrarytoIslamicprinciples.InJune2008,SaudisheikhSalmanalA’awada,hostofareligious
programonMBC,advisedthe“ownerofMBCtoreviseandcensorNoorepisodes.”25Theideaofaculturalbridge
wasdenied,andTurkishsecularismwasquestioned.AseriesoffatwasforbiddingthefaithfulfromwatchingNoor
orSanawatalDayaa’wentalongwiththisindignation.SyriansheikhHamdiKanjoAlMakzoumideclaredthat
prayinginTshirtsfeaturinganyoftheTurkishactresseswasharam,callingthem“nonveiledanddecadent,
promotingviceanddecadenceinplacesofworship”26.

Afewdayslater,thegrandmuftiofSaudiArabia,SheikhAbdulAzizAlSheikh,theofficialvoiceoftheSaudi
religiousestablishment,forbadethe“wickedandevil”Turkishseriesthatrepresented“anassaultofTurkish

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secularismonSaudisociety”.Themostnotoriouscontroversywas,however,theSheikhSalehalLohaidanaffair.
Lohaidan,theheadofSaudiArabia’sIslamicShariacourtsandoneofthemostpowerfulclericsinthekingdom,
declaredthat“theownersofthesechannelsthatbroadcastprogramscontainingindecencyandvulgarity(…)can
beputtodeaththroughthejudicialprocess(qada’an)”.Suchfierceaccusationscreatedapoliticalstormand
consequentmediacoverage,asmostsatellitechannelsareownedbySaudimediamogulslinkedtotheroyal
family27.


Conclusions

Thegenesisandtriumphofthe“Turkishdrama”genreraisesseveraldilemmasinherenttotheArabworld.Series
likeNoorareasuccessfulmodelofhybridization,firstlybecauseoftheirhandlingandeditingbyMBC.Turkish
soapshavebeensuccessfullyadaptedtoaconservativeenvironmentnotonlybylinguistictransformationbutalso
throughacontentmetamorphosisthatwasreinterpretedbytheArabsocieties’mostconservativecomponents.
Viewershavealsoactivelycontributedtothissuccesswiththemassiveuseofnewmedia:blogs,fanfiction,
websitesandphonenumbersforringtonesandwallpaperdownloads,aswellasawealthofFacebookfanpages,
groupsandYouTubevideos.

TurkishdramaandArabicmusalsalatcarrystrongculturalidentitiesandTurkishdramahashelpedpromotecultural
exchange.Televisionisanessentialvectorofmodernityintheregion,and,asinLatinAmerica,hasactivelythrown
light,inthepublicandvirtualspheres,onmajorsocialproblemsaffectingArabsocietiesfromMoroccotoBahrain,
despitetheirdiversity.Thepublic’spassionandstrongreactivitytoanimportedgenrehastriggeredstrong
reactions,fromskepticismtoindignationandviolence.

Despitethereligiouscontroversies,Turkishsoapoperasseemtobeheretostay,atleastfornow.MBCcontinuesto
dubandbroadcastnewTurkishseries28andintendstoapplydubbinginArabicdialectstoothergenres.Ithaseven
launchedapayperviewchannelcalledMBC+drama,broadcasting24hoursofuninterruptedTurkishandArabic
drama.Exchangesarenotlimitedtoimportsbutalsoexports:MBCiscloselyfollowingtheTurkishmarketandhas
successfullyexportedtheSyrianmusalsal,SalahEldineelAyoubi,abiopiconSaladinthatwasdubbedintoTurkish
andhasenjoyedgreatsuccess.OthernetworkssuchastheMoroccan2Mhavefollowedthetrendandstartedairing
telenovelasinMoroccancolloquialinthesummerof2009.Theuseofdialectwhendubbingmarksareturnto
localismontransnationaltelevisionafterthelongdominationofliteraryandthenstandardizedArabic.Dialecthas
alsopenetratedotherformatssuchaspoliticaltalkshows,alsowitnessingasoaringsuccessinEgyptandLebanon,
forexample.
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Finally,theriseofsoapoperasàlaturquehasresultedinareevaluationoftheArabentertainmentindustry,a
suddenanddifficultawakeningforafieldthatwaslongdominatedbythestate.TheArabmediaspaceiswitnessing
majorchangeswiththedailybirthofnewsatellitechannels.SincethelaunchingofArabsat1,severalmedia
empireshaverisen,offeringabroadselectionofprogramsaimedatthepopulousArabregioninallitsdiversity.
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TheArabentertainmentfieldissimultaneouslyagoldmineandaminefield,unveilingasortofschizophrenia
betweentraditionandmodernity.MediaempiresaremostlyfinancedbycapitalfromtraditionalGulfmonarchies
whichimposetheirbrandofconservatisminArabicmusalsalat.Nevertheless,theacquisitionandsuccessofseries
likeNoorrevealthedesireandtheneedofanessentiallyyoungpopulationforsocialchange.Arabicmusalsalat
alsoneednewbloodtoreplaceageingstars.Asuperficialliberationisdiscerniblethroughtheabundantproduction
ofhighlysexualizedandsuggestivemusicvideosfeaturinglibidinousfemalesingers.

ACairocourtrecentlycalledonthegovernmenttoapplyaverdictinEgyptthatforbidsall“immoral”websites,a
regulationthatisalreadyenforcedinseveralGulfcountriesthatspendbillionsofdollarsonfirewalls.Fromtele
Quranismtorealitytelevision,alongwithsteamymusicvideosandsoapoperas,openskiesseemtobethemost
difficultspacetodominate.Satellitechannelswillthuscontinuetheirascension.

AlexandraBucciantiisastudentattheInstituteofPoliticalSciencesinParis(Sciencespo)intheComparative
politicsgraduateresearchprogram.SheispreparinganM.A.thesisaboutEgyptiantalkshowsandnewArab
media.
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1SilverinTurkish
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2LightinArabic
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3Sakr,Naomi.ArabTelevisionToda y.London:I.B.Tauris,2007.
—.SatelliteRealms:TransantionalTelevisionGlobalizationandtheMiddleEast.London:I.B.Tauris,2001.
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4ÇemberimdeGülOya,a2004KanalDproduction
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5IhlamurlarAltında,a2005KanalDproduction
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6KhaleejTimes(UnitedArabEmirates).«Noor’lightsupbeaconsofchange.»28July2008.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?section=citytimes&xfile=data/citytimes/2008/july/citytimes_july273.xml
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7BeiruthostsThe2ndNewArabWomanForum(NAWF).11September2008.http://www.ameinfo.com/168434.html
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8Accordingtoitsofficialwebsite,thestudygivesapanoramaofannualTVconsumptioninover80countriesandterritoriesworldwide
http://www.iconoval.fr/publicmedia/original/171/78/fr/2009_%2003_%2024_%20CDP%20l%27ann%C3%A9e%20TV%20dans%20le%20monde%20VF.pdf
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9Dagge,John."TheNoorphenomenon."TheMidd leEast,2008.
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10KhaleejTimes(UnitedArabEmirates).«Noor’lightsupbeaconsofchange.»28July
2008.http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?section=citytimes&xfile=data/citytimes/2008/july/citytimes_july273.xml
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11Radsch,CourtneyC.ArabTVseriesamong top10globalprograms.30March2009.
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2009/03/30/69563.html
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12Rossholm,AnnaSofia.Reproducinglanguages,translatingbodies:approachestospeech,translationandculturalid entity.
Stockholm:Häftad.Almqvist&Wiksellinternational,2006.
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13Stam,Robert.SubversivePleasures:Bakhtin,CulturalCriticism,an dFilm.JohnHopkinsUniversity,1989.
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14(Dagge2008)
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15www.kultur.gov.tr/EN/
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16AlAhrar(Egypt).«Fatayataso'oudiyatyataa'lamnaalturkiyaminajlMuhannad.»01July2008.

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17AlManar(UnitedArabEmirates).«A'wdatalhaymanaaltukiyaba'dalMixiq'iya.»06April2008:65.
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18Mansour,Mohamed.«Ba'damawjatalmusalsalatalMexikiyawalIraniyawaakhiranalTurkiya.»AlQudsAlArabi,17April2008:13.
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19ArabicTVserialstoocostly,MBCChairmanwarns.21May2008.http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2008/05/21/50195.html.
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20AlGhad(Jordan).«AlNouri:Najah'almusalsalatalturkiyayoumatheltah'adileldramaala'arabiya.»17June2008.
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21RobertClydeAllen,AnnetteHill.Thetelevisionstudiesreader.London:Routledge,2004.Sakr,Naomi.ArabTelevisionToday.London:I.B.Tauris,
2007.
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22MiddleEasthasitsownBradPitt.11Mars2009.http://www.welt.de/englishnews/article3357687/MiddleEasthasitsownBradPitt.html
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23Turkishsoapstarsparksdivorcesin Arabworld.June29,2008.http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2008/06/29/52291.html
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24Turkishsoap operaupendstraditionalArabgenderroles.NBCNews,July31,2008.
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25AlRayah(Qatar).SalmanalA'wdaYansah'alMBCbitahzibalmusalsalalTurkiNoor.June30,2008.
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26(Dagge,2008)
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27Formoredetailsaboutthiseventanditssymbolicsignificance,pleaseread:Hammond,Andrew.«ReadingLohaidaninRiyadh:
MediaandthestruggleforjudicialpowerinSaudiArabia.»ArabMediaandSociety,Issue7,Winter2009
http://www.arabmediasociety.com/?article=702#_edn3
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28Sambidge,Andy.MBCexpandssoapoperashowsdespiteMuftifury.21October2008.http://www.arabianbusiness.com/535285mbcexpandsSoap
operasdespitemuftioutrage.
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