JEDDAH: The Saudi Ministry of Culture will launch 11 independent arts and culture organizations this year as part of a restructuring of the Kingdom’s cultural sector in line with Vision 2030 reforms.
A ministry spokesperson, Abdulkareem Al-Hameed, said the new cultural units will oversee museums, movies and visual shows, libraries, fashion, music, heritage, literature and publication, performance arts, visual arts, architecture and interior design, and food and the art of cooking.
The organizations will replace the General Authority for Culture (GAC), with “each entity supervising one cultural sector with full independence, to ensure the highest quality and efficiency in implementing the initiatives of the Ministry of Culture’s vision and guidelines,” Al-Hameed said.
Plan
Replacement of the GAC will be carried out in phases “to ensure the completion of the structuring according to the ministry’s plan,” he added.
Al-Hameed said the new cultural organizations’ role will be operational.
“Each entity will implement the initiatives it specializes in, with a specific time-frame, following the main goals specified by the document (outlining) the ministry’s vision and guidelines,” he said.
The ministry will supervise the organizations to ensure their commitment to the guidelines’ three main goals: Promoting culture to become a lifestyle, contributing to economic growth, and promoting the Kingdom internationally.
The guidelines were announced in a ceremony on March 27 attended by more than 1,200 representatives of local, regional and international cultural groups.
A total of 27 cultural initiatives was also announced at the ceremony, including literature, heritage, filmmaking, theater, music, cooking and fashion.
