Ministry of Culture (Saudi Arabia)

The Ministry of Culture (MoC; Arabic: وزارة الثقافة) is a governmental organization in Saudi Arabia was established in June 2018 and responsible for various aspects of Saudi culture.[1][2] The Minister of Culture is Prince Badr bin Farhan Al-Saud who was appointed as its new and first minister.[1][3]

Ministry of Culture

Badr bin Abdullah Al Saud, the current Minister of Culture since 2018
Agency overview
FormedJune 2, 2018; 5 years ago (2018-06-02)
JurisdictionGovernment of Saudi Arabia
HeadquartersRiyadh, Saudi Arabia
Agency executive
WebsiteOfficial English Website

History edit

In 1962 the ministry of information was founded to be in charge of information and media before it was renamed to "Ministry of Culture and Information" in 2003 to include culture affairs under its umbrella.[4] Later, on 1 June 2018 the culture was separated from the media resulting in two different ministries; Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Media.[1][4]

Cultural Commissions edit

The following list contains the commissions operating under the Ministry of Culture:[5]

Logo Name Website
  Film Commission film.moc.gov.sa/en
  Music Commission music.moc.gov.sa/en
  Fashion Commission fashion.moc.gov.sa/en
  Heritage Commission heritage.moc.gov.sa/en
  Libraries Commission libraries.moc.gov.sa/en
  Museums Commission museums.moc.gov.sa/en
  Visual Arts Commission visualarts.moc.gov.sa/en
  Culinary Arts Commission culinary.moc.gov.sa/en
  Architecture and Design Commission archdesign.moc.gov.sa/en
  Theater and Performing Arts Commission performingarts.moc.gov.sa/en
  Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission lpt.moc.gov.sa/en

Cultural Awards edit

Cultural Awards are awards presented to Saudi individuals, cultural groups and organizations for their cultural contributions. The awards are presented in an annual events organized by the Ministry of Culture. The Cultural Awards was launched in 2020.[6]

The following is a list of award categories:[7]

Main Awards edit

  • Cultural Pioneer Award
  • Youth Cultural Award
  • International Cultural Excellence Award
  • Business Owners Award
  • Cultural Institutions Award (For-Profit)
  • Cultural Institutions Award (Non-Profit)

Sector Awards edit

  • Literature Award
  • Publishing Award
  • Theater and Performing Arts Award
  • Culinary Arts Award
  • Architecture and Design Award
  • Translation Award
  • Fashion Award
  • Film Award
  • National Heritage Award
  • Music Award
  • Visual Arts Award

Cultural Years edit

Starting from 2020, the Ministry of Culture started giving a name that relates to Saudi culture to every year.[8][9][10][11] This is a list containing the years and their corresponding names:

Logo Year Name Website
  2021 Year of Arabic Calligraphy Official Website
  2022 Year of Saudi Coffee Official Website
  2023 Year of Arabic Poetry Official Website
  2024 Year of the Camel Official Website

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Saudi Culture Ministry formed following a major Cabinet reshuffle". Arab News. 2 June 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  2. ^ "Saudi Arabia's King Salman Issues New Royal Decrees". Asharq AL-awsat. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  3. ^ "Who is the new Saudi culture minister and why was the ministry established?". english.alarabiya.net. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Ministry of Media". Ministry of Media. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  5. ^ "Cultural Commissions". moc.gov.sa. Saudi Ministry of Culture.
  6. ^ Tashkandi, Hala (1 July 2020). "Saudi ministry launches National Cultural Awards". Arab News. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  7. ^ "About the National Cultural Awards". moc.gov.sa. Saudi Ministry of Culture. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  8. ^ TASHKANDI, HALA (6 April 2020). "Saudi Arabia's Year of Arabic Calligraphy extended into 2021 over coronavirus concerns". Arab News. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  9. ^ Huang, Robyn (9 June 2022). "The country calling 2022 the 'year of coffee'". BBC. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  10. ^ Al Sherbini, Ramadan (2 February 2023). "Saudi Arabia designates 2023 'Year of Arabic Poetry'". Gulf News. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Saudi Culture Ministry reveals 'Year of the Camel' brand identity". Arab News. 4 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.