Don’t imitate, innovate

The region’s entertainment industry needs to be more creative and find its own character

Three Lebanese women star in a reality TV show called The Sisters (Photo: Courtesy Rotana)

The new Arab reality TV show The Sisters, produced by Rotana and broadcast on Lebanese channel LBC, demonstrates what's wrong with certain sections of the regional entertainment industry: the imitation of Western popular culture.

Lebanese sisters Alice, Nadine and Farah Abdel Aziz are the focus of the Arab equivalent of the popular American reality show Keeping Up With the Kardashians. They wear similar outfits, live a similar lifestyle as the famed Kardashian sisters and, of course, thrive on creating a social media buzz.

While some of us would argue that the production company is simply responding to market demand, it’s clear that the region’s entertainment industry needs to innovate rather than replicate. Arab entertainment content must have its own character and perspective to compete. The question remains whether many local producers are ready to take note.