Our latest event was presented by Bizzie Frost, and based on her most recent book, Forbidden but Allowed – Anomalies of Saudi Arabia.
Here, Bizzie shared a lively audio-visual presentation with excellent photographs, and offered a glimpse into life in late-20th-century Saudi Arabia, describing the quieter, ingenious and often contradictory ways in which conventions and rules were negotiated in everyday life at the time.
Held in the grand ABC Library and Board Room of the Arab British Centre, the event delightfully captured the essence of Saudi Arabia, the country and landscapes, as well as the Saudi Arabian people of nearly three decades ago. Blending adventure with cultural reflection, the talk offered a view into a world that has since undergone significant change.
Members and guests were treated to a light Eastern / Asian finger buffet, generously provided by SBS Member Mr Riaz Khan, with drinks provided by The Society.
Bizzie Frost first presented to the Society in April 2024 on her biking exploits in Saudi Arabia. Born in Kenya, Bizzie followed the overland ‘hippie trail’ from London to India, through Europe, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan in 1976. She has since travelled extensively in the Arab countries with her husband, Richard. A grandmother of four grandchildren, she and Richard divide their time between the UK and Kenya. She is a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, continues with her writing and creates photographic books from her extensive photographic library.