LAST week, a landmark report provided a grim picture of the cultural situation across the Arab world. Arab Thought Foundation, a non-governmental and non-profit Arab organization chaired by Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, released its first report on cultural development in the Arab world. Thoroughly surveyed and keenly articulated, the report, filed by 40 researchers and covering all 22 Arab countries, concludes that there are numerous challenges facing Arab culture in a rapidly changing world. The survey, to be conducted each year, has shed light on four important development indicators: education, book publishing, artistic and literary creativity, information technology and a brief survey of the Arab countries' contributions in these fields during one year. On education, the report found that the number of students attending schools and universities has greatly increased compared with what it had been years ago in the Arab world. Almost 84 percent of children go to school at age six, a discouraging figure compared with that in other developing countries. Moreover, the number of students attending preschool programs is as low as 22 percent. The number of university students increased from 800,000 in 1975 to seven million in 2006. Also, the total number of universities rose to 395 in 2008 compared with 230 universities three years earlier. Regarding book publication, the report estimates that the number of books published throughout the entire Arab world in the year 2007 alone was around 27,000, far less than what is published in other developed countries. The content of these books has been analyzed and then classified by the Foundation team to see how much each branch of knowledge has contributed to the overall publication industry in the Arab world. The report also provided data on media in the Arab world. It pointed out that the total number of newspapers published in 2006, both daily and weekly, was 267 and 507, respectively. In the same year, the report also found that there were 482 TV channels operating in the Arab world. People's access to the Internet also increased from 700,000 users in 1998 to almost one and a half million in the following year. Between 2001 and 2007, Internet domain names registered by the Arab world doubled three times. The report also looked at major creative literary and artistic achievements in the Arab world throughout one year. According to the report, the year 2007 was marked by great literary and artistic works in fields such as poetry, novel, theater and music, just to name a few. During that year, the report notes that all Arab capitals were culturally open to each other. This cultural solidarity, the report stresses, creates deeper and broader ties between countries in the Arab world. As mentioned by Arab Thought Foundation officials, the goals behind this intensely detailed report are to provide decision makers and policy planners with reliable and valid information that can be used to develop sustainable culture schemes. Development is not restricted to having an abundance of wealth, technology-enabled devices and smart buildings. It is also reflected in the number of books published, songs released, films made and patents obtained which, together with many other innovative activities, secure any nation a place on the development map of the world. Having such a status can foster desired social change and creativity, two things badly needed in this knowledge-based age. Although cultural policies are enacted by individual governments, there is a need for greater cooperation between all Arab countries to promote mutual cultural schemes. Cultural exchange programs between different Arab countries need to be fostered and encouraged. But the great problem with such large cooperation schemes is that they are always overshadowed by political or economic issues. In the end, policy planners and decision makers are confronted with huge challenges in their pursuit of a complete cultural development project that is both comprehensive and sustainable. Illiteracy is among the most pressing issues as far as cultural development is concerned. Despite the numerous literacy programs undertaken in several countries in the world, the number of illiterate people in the Arab world is disappointing in comparison to other countries. This number is even worse in the case of women. It is also important to pay closer attention to the promotion of the publishing industry. Encouraging the young generation to read more might be easier if more community libraries were opened so that people can have access to books and other resources. Lastly, it is vitally important for Arab decision makers to address other complex issues like poverty, a feeling of hopelessness among some in the younger generation and the deterioration of civil liberties which, wittingly or unwittingly, overlap with the issue of culture. __
