Are you a Sweesra or a Swaisra? 🇨🇭

A Saudi cultural nuance that isn’t talked about enough

A TikTok I posted recently ignited a mini cultural discourse on the very subtle divide within Saudi culture, primarily Najdi. There are two kinds of people in Riyadh: the posh ones who pronounce Switzerland as “Sweesra,” versus the traditional ones who call it “Swaisra.”

Disclaimer: there’s no right or wrong here. Whether you’re a Sweesra or a Swaisra, you should own it. I’m a Sweesra and I own it, despite going to a Swaisra-majority high school (we had our reunion last night actually, but we’ll get back to this later).

You want to have coffee in a French village with a Sweesra, but you’d want a Swaisra at your wedding. A Sweesra will ask you annoying questions about your line of work, but a Swaisra will simply pray for your success and maybe offer you a beverage instead of talking about work.

Sweesras engage in discussions that are individualistic and tailored. Swaisras are more collective in nature. This is why you see more people at a Swaisra party than you do at a Sweesra “gathering…