Ministry of Culture and Information (Saudi Arabia)

Ministry of Culture and Information
Ministrial Department overview
Formed 1962 (1962)
Preceding Ministrial Department
  • Ministry of Information
Jurisdiction Saudi Arabia
Headquarters Riyadh
Minister responsible
Child Ministrial Department
Website www.moci.gov.sa

The Ministry of Culture and Information (Arabic: وزارة الثقافة والإعلام‎) is one of the governmental bodies of Saudi Arabia and part of the cabinet. The main function of the ministry is to regulate the media of Saudi Arabia and the communications between Saudi Arabia and other countries.[1][2] It is headquartered in Riyadh.[3]

History

On April 22, 2017, Dr. Awwad Alawwad was appointed to lead the Ministry. Dr Alawwad’s primary mandate is to revitalize the culture and media industries at home, support government communications abroad and strengthen Saudi Arabia’s cultural relations around the world.[4]

The ministry was founded in 1962 as the ministry of information.[1][5] In 2003, its portfolio was expanded to include cultural affairs and was renamed as the ministry of culture and information.[1][5]

Iyad bin Amin Madani served in the post between February 2005[6] and 14 February 2009.[7][8] His successor was Abdulaziz Khoja.[8] Khoja's appointment was regarded as part of the then King Abdullah's reform initiatives.[9] His tenure as the minister of culture and information ended on 29 January 2015 when Adel Al Toraifi was appointed to the post.[10]

Organization and activities

Censorship

The ministry has "responsibility for all the Saudi media and other channels of information".[11] The ministry has been called the "main agent of censorship" in the kingdom.[11] It is charged with the purification of culture prior to it being permitted circulation to the public. A special unit, the management of publications department, "analyzes all publications and issues directives to newspapers and magazines" stating that way in which a given topic must be treated.[11]

Censorship is strict enough for works of the minister of culture and information himself: the former minister Abdulaziz Khojah's own works of poetry were banned in Saudi Arabia.[12]

Other bodies

The ministry also oversees the activities of the following bodies: King Fahd Cultural Centre, Administration of Folklore, Saudi Society for Culture and Arts, General Administration of Cultural Activities and Literary Clubs, and General Administration for Literary Clubs.[1] It is also responsible for the activities of the General Administration for Public Libraries and the General Administration for Cultural Relations.[1] The Saudi Press Agency is also part of the ministry.[1]

In London and Tunis, the ministry has information offices.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Ministry of Culture and Information". SAMIRAD. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  2. ↑ "Ministry Addresses". Saudi Embassy. Archived from the original on 26 April 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  3. ↑ Basic addresses Archived 24 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine. OSCE. September 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  4. ↑ "Dr. Al-Awwad thanks leadership for appointment as Minister of Culture and Information The official Saudi Press Agency". www.spa.gov.sa. Retrieved 2017-08-30.
  5. 1 2 David E. Long (1 January 2005). Culture and Customs of Saudi Arabia. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-313-32021-7. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  6. ↑ "14 February 2005 - Saudi Cabinet Meeting". SAMIRAD. 14 February 2005. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  7. ↑ "About Saudi Arabia, Members of the Council of Ministers as of November 2010:". Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  8. 1 2 "Profiles". Saudi Gazette. 15 February 2009. Archived from the original on 24 September 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  9. ↑ "Saudi King appoints first woman to council". CNN. 14 February 2009. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  10. ↑ "Massive Cabinet shake-up". Arab News. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 Jonathon Green (2005). Encyclopedia of Censorship. Infobase publishing. p. 493. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  12. ↑ Hanna Labonté (23 August 2010). "Saudi Man of Letters and Cautious Reformer". Qantara. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
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