These days I read quite a lot of news stories about cultural functions being held here and there; we are also treated to pictures of the individuals involved in the activities. One of the most recent of these events was the First Saudi Intellectual Forum organized by the Ministry of Information and Culture.
Newspapers are seldom empty of news pertaining to literary clubs, journalistic societies and other professional associations staging activities or announcing future plans for others. All this is of course commendable and good to learn about. Such activities make us feel happy and proud of the progress we are making in these areas. If it means anything, it means that everyone in Saudi Arabia is working for the welfare and progress of the country.
Having said this, I must emphasize that all these activities are usually a natural development of public life. They will come naturally and without clamor if we provide suitable soil for cultural and intellectual activities to grow and flourish. As with any human endeavor, they require a compatible environment which means the following: Education, health, the fight against unemployment, promoting financial and administrative transparency, upholding the rule of law, ensuring justice for all, allowing the public unhindered access to decision makers and removing obstacles to the implementation of decisions.
Throughout history, the development of cultural life, theater, music, and other art forms has never been the result of official decisions or official functions. Books, poetry, plays, novels, music and other examples of culture are not the result of meetings, conferences and forums. If genuine cultural and intellectual life is to prosper, it needs a clean and healthy atmosphere. Flowers, like many other things, must have fresh air and sunshine if they are to bloom and prosper.
