JEDDAH, 1 November 2006 — The new chairman of the Saudi Society of Arts and Culture, Yousif Al-Othaimeen, held his first interaction with artists and writers from Riyadh on Monday.
The gathering, the first since Al-Othaimeen took over, was an improvised session in which the assembled members were given an opportunity to express their wishes and desires as to what role they expect the new chairman to play. The audience also contributed ideas to be incorporated in the cultural society’s agenda.
Among the main topics discussed at the meeting included folklore, protection of heritage sites and activities of actors and playwrights. Saudi actor Abdul Aziz Al-Hazaa favored the idea of forming a union to protect the rights of actors.
“Under the Labor Ministry laws, there is a regulation that permits the formation of unions. Maybe we could gather actors in some kind of a group as the other newly-formed groups such as those of dramatists and artists,” said Al-Othaimeen.
Al-Othaimeen stressed that Saudi intellectuals and artists should not imagine that they are going to face any kind of obstacles from society. He urged them to let their creativity flow freely. “Artists and actors must find solutions to improve the current situation,” he said.
“Our doors are open to anyone who wants to establish a cultural group in addition to the specialized groups formed by the society. Anyone with a serious plan to form a cultural group will get a license from our society as well as guidance,” he said.
The status of the fiction group remained uncertain. Al-Othaimeen said the situation of the group was under review.
Abdul Aziz Al-Subayyil, a deputy minister for cultural affairs, reiterated that the current changes in the cultural society or the literary clubs were not merely for the sake of change, but to promote the cultural work in the Kingdom.
