In a calm voice, Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Farhan Al-Saud told a group of intellectuals that their meeting would be held outside the walls of the ministry, precisely at Prince Omar Bin Saud Heritage Palace in At-Turaif in the historic Ad-Diriyah, so that it would have a symbolic significance along with a civilized dimension.

‏After that, the young minister picked up his notebook and pen, and said, with a smile on his face: “This will not be the last meeting and we will be meeting periodically.” He urged the intellectuals to speak freely about their hopes and aspirations.

‏In the ensuing discourse, some of them stressed the importance of separating the concepts of entertainment and culture while others underscored the need for enlightenment from international experiments. The minister listened to them cheerfully, showing his keenness to note down points, as well as to engage in deliberations with them to clarify one idea or another, all the while encouraging them to be candid.

‏Some intellectuals emphasized that the ministry needed to activate civil society institutions, restructure the spirit of literary clubs and support cultural associations, while others discussed the problems of censorship and publishing, in addition to cinema and filmmaking. Some of them stressed the activation of popular culture that has begun to disappear in the context of the convergence of the world through social media and technological revolution.

‏In the back rows of the meeting, young Saudi men and women stood by, and all the while their hands kept working. One was typing on a laptop, another was noting down every single point, everyone seemed concentrated and the ministry received all with a hearty welcome.

‏At the end of the meeting, the minister stood up to shake hands with the intellectuals. Carrying his pen and notebook, he took them on a tour of the historic neighborhood of At-Turaif. Every one of them was excited and some of them shared their feelings and their rejuvenated spirits, beginning with the symbolic significance of the place to the warm handshake at the end of the meeting.

‏In the meantime, the young minister stressed that the meeting would be taken into account, confirming that the ministry would spare no effort in making available the infrastructure facilities for culture as stipulated in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. He also stressed that the creativity of intellectuals and innovators emanated from their own inner self.

‏The major highlights of the Quality of Life Program are supporting culture and intellectuals, as well as making infrastructure available, in addition to the restructuring of libraries, training of Saudi staff, and the setting up of cultural unions. The Program emphasizes cultural and civilizational dimensions and the vast potential of the Kingdom so that it can become a cultural beacon for the entire world.

— The author is a Saudi journalist specialized in cultural media and digital publishing. He can be reached on his Twitter account: @salkhashrami or email: saad.alkhashrami@gmail.com