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Saudi Minister of Culture: Establishment of Royal Art Academy Approved | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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A man walks past the Kingdom Centre Tower in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia April 12, 2016. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser


Taif-Minister of Culture and Information Adel al-Turaifi has announced that a royal approval has been made to establish a Royal Academy of Arts that will include a national theatre, as part of the Kingdom’s strategy for national transformation.

He said that the Ministry intends to launch projects to activate this initiative, including the approval to establish a media production city, and to air Al-Ekhbariya news channel in Arabic, Persian and English by the beginning of 2017.

Turaifi pointed that Saudi Arabia will communicate with the Persian-speaking people and not attack Iran, and that the Kingdom differentiates between the respectful Iranian people and culture, and the Iranian leadership and its expansion.

The Culture Minister noted that the Royal Art Academy will include an Islamic museum and will sponsor all types of old and modern arts.

Turaifi also announced the establishment of a fund to sponsor art and artists in addition to a publishing house that will be responsible for printing the Saudi cultural outputs and to sponsor releases of Saudi cultural figures.

The Saudi minister saw that Souk Okaz has become an international gathering and a symbol for the tolerance of Arabs and Islam, pointing that Saudi Arabia is facing a savage war through social media websites due to its economic, industrial, and cultural achievements despite its success in suspending many accounts that participate in this war.

He also greeted the Saudi leadership, soldiers, and security forces for their efforts in maintaining the safety of the country and its people, and securing its fortunes.

Turaifi pointed that the ministry has implemented 14 national workshops in different regions of the Kingdom, covering a number of subjects like radio and television, external media, visual art, woman and child, and a number of other topics and fields.

He continued that the near future of the kingdom will witness the digitization and the introduction of electronic services in the media work and fines.

The Minister of Culture declared that the ministry has set up the website of “Cultural Calendar” that provides citizens, residents, and visitors of Saudi Arabia with information on cultural, literary, and visual activities via a smart phone app.

He said the Kingdom witnesses a surplus in the Culture sector and that the Saudi people are interested in books according to the number of visitors in the annual book fairs in Riyadh and Jeddah.

The Minister’s words came during a press conference he held after the opening of Souk Okaz in Taif University.