In December the Riyadh literary club hosted its “Book of the Year” event under the patronage of the Minister of Culture and Information (MOCI) Abdulaziz Khoja, as part of the Third Conference of Saudi Writers at the King Fahd Cultural Center. The event attempted to establish and reinforce a bond between the MOCI and writers from all walks of life including literary personalities and journalists. The winners of “Book of the Year” were Dr. Awatif Mohammed Nuwab on her doctoral dissertation, “Book of Travels in Morocco as a Resource of the History of Hijaz in the 11th and 12th A.H,” 2008, and Oday Al-Harbash on his collection of short stories “The Boy who Saw Sleep.” Each received 50,000 Saudi riyals from Riyadh Bank, the sponsors of the event. Members of the audience were also given the chance to discuss the development of Saudi cultural heritage in an open dialog with the minister. Requests stressed writers' need for support - financial and other - and the role of female writers was also much discussed, not least because the output of female writers in the Kingdom has boomed compared to their male counterparts. The Riyadh region covers 700 kilometers - covering areas like Shaqra', Kharj and Almajma'ah - and yet has only one literary club so a member of the audience requested another club or two. ““I think it necessary that we have literary clubs in such cities. We have started discussing recently (the idea) that we will transform such clubs into literary centers which will cover all literary productions and other forms of art,” replied Khoja. “As a start, these cities have the right to have their own clubs.” Another issue much discussed was about the two new TV channels MOCI has started broadcasting: one focuses on the Holy Qu'ran and Prophet Mohammed's sayings (pbuh) and the other serves a purely cultural focus. The latter provides a sort of forum for intellectuals in the country as it is concerned with all literary and artistic genres and aims to showcase Saudi talents in the cultural field to the rest of the Arab world as well as to the world. “This is your channel, and I will be proud to receive any of your ideas,” Khoja told the audience. “I actually need your thoughts, your energy and your creations as well as your criticism.” The renowned writer Laila Al-Ohaidib asked Khoja about the situation of women-committees in literary clubs across the Kingdom, lamenting the fact that women were given committee membership but not a role in management. Dr. Saad Al-Baz'ie, the director of the Riyadh Literary Club answered that the rules and regulations of literary clubs did not discriminate against women in any sense. Libraries and their condition, employees and programs were a main concern of the audience and Khoja promised that MOCI would soon turn its attention to them. The role of theater - particularly with respect to the new TV channel focusing on culture - was also discussed. “Whatever art that is of fine quality and elevates the minds of the audience will be included, whether it is Shakespeare's work or any other,” remarked Khoja. One guest Mohammed Bin Hassan Al-Muhaisen, suggested the idea of establishing a theater. “I do not mean to overlook the importance of the TV channel, but why can't we use existing facilities to have a theater for stage shows? Why doesn't the ministry establish a theater?” he asked. Khoja stressed the importance of having a stage and said that such a suggestion is reasonable. “It is important to have a stage for high-quality drama performances,” he remarked.
