Saudi society is witnessing a new era of freedom. The Ministry of Culture and Information should be commended for empowering the media and encouraging openness and cultural diversity. A national campaign to encourage public debate and exchange with other cultures around the globe is gaining momentum.
This year the ministry has added new incentives to the annual Riyadh Book Fair and the annual Janadriya National Heritage and Culture Festival by allowing women’s participation and opening the doors for families to attend for the first time. This is truly a welcome development. The role of the ministry in organizing literary events and cultural festivities is greatly appreciated by the intellectual community, including artists, writers, film producers and concerned parents anxious to provide a healthy cultural environment for their children and enhance their talents and artistic skills.
Although some may appreciate these initiatives, there are many skeptics who say that without proper institutions or academies that teach fine arts, society will remain limited by amateurish attempts that now dominate the literary and cultural scene. If we are really serious about promoting culture and preserving our cultural heritage, there should be more investment in public libraries and museums, opening of cinemas and theaters, creation of arts and music academies, encouragement for literary clubs and improvement of cultural festivals.
The ministry so far has been instrumental in influencing a more responsible citizenry; however, it should not compromise on the quality of the cultural and literary contributions in the excitement (or euphoria) of promoting a more vibrant cultural environment.
The ministry sets the media policies that govern the local press, national radio and TV channels. Its role is to adopt an effective strategy that allows upgrading of services and performance. However, the harsh restrictions imposed both on media and cultural activities have delayed efforts to advance the social environment.
Most Saudis respect the international press more, and they neither watch their TV channels nor listen to the local radio because of those outlets’ inability to compete with their global and regional counterparts, which provide better content and more entertaining programs.
The ministry has a responsibility to support a strong media that allow writers and journalists freedom of expression and access to information so that the public stays well informed and up-to-date with matters of individual and national concern. There is a great need to establish media-training institutions to develop more qualified journalists, so they may carry out their duties as opinion leaders, researchers and investigative reporters to expose the barriers that stand in the way of progress and address controversial issues that impede advancement.
The Arab and the Muslim worlds are threatened by certain foreign elements that fabricate lies and spread distorted information depicting Arabs as violent people who threaten the world. These elements continue to brainwash the international community and urge more support for Israel, giving it the green light to crush the rise of any power in the region that stands in its way. This is a worldview imposed by the clever — and articulate — Israelis. How can Saudi Arabia, as the leader of the Muslim world, confront this smear campaign, waged against Arabs and Muslims or hope to defend the Palestinian and Arab cause when it does not yet have an effective policy to upgrade its media services? We are engaged in a media war, and we are losing the battle because of our inadequate journalistic capabilities. It is hoped that the Ministry of Culture and Information will stick to reform path and adopt more conducive policies to promote art and literature, music and drama and to allow society to develop a greater taste for culture and history and appreciate a finer quality of life. And, above all, we hope that the ministry will adopt stronger national and international media strategies to address domestic and foreign threats that undermine our progress and development.
— Samar Fatany is a Saudi radio journalist. She can be reached at [email protected].
