Abdul Aziz Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information, faces over the next couple of months some of the busiest and most exciting periods in the post, with the Riyadh International Book Fair which opens this coming Tuesday to be succeeded by the ever-more ambitious annual Janadriya Festival. With a new law governing the Kingdom's electronic media and satellite television also under discussion – a law which “will take time” - in an exclusive interview Minister Khoja addressed these and related issues, including the openness of Saudi society to other cultures, King Abdullah's vision for the national press, and women's involvement in cultural occasions. The 10-day Riyadh Book Fair has been the center of controversy on occasion for books displayed and works not displayed, as well the involvement of women in certain of its events, but Minister Khoja believes this year will run successfully with the continued backing of King Abdullah. “The King supports everything that promotes knowledge, culture and dialogue, as already seen in his efforts in furthering science and education and opening large universities specialized in all aspects of science,” the minister said. “The book fair is one such great event, with its display of 250,000 titles made available to everyone, from publishers from home and abroad, and the King believes this will give people a chance to see what's happening in the rest of the world in terms of written works in science, literature and all branches of culture and fiction, such as short stories, novels, poetry, history and books on Islamic culture.” “The King's instructions are borne out of his desire for the truth. He wants Saudi writers and intellectuals to show good faith in their works and the themes they address, for there are no limits to knowledge and literature and culture,” Khoja said. “But there are moral boundaries that link the intellectual to his Islamic cultural approach and social customs and ingrained values by which we are always inspired. And by this it's intended that the Saudi writers send a clear message to the world, for we do not fear nor are we ashamed of our message, quite the contrary, we are proud of it just as we are proud of our Islamic identity.” When asked if Western societies have the impression that Saudi culture is an “extremist religious culture that excludes others”, Khoja said the way to address these concerns was to “present to the Islamic thinker, intellectual and writer our true culture”. “We've managed throughout our history to achieve cultural exchange and mix in many cultures, and melt them into our Islamic cultural melting pot. There have been many influential Islamic philosophies and ideas, and tens of thousands of works through which Islam has flourished,” he said. “They have depended in essence upon the true source from which they have supped and then produced. That's why our civilization has been and still is alive and interactive, and which we offer up with pride.” Path toward openness Soon after the Riyadh Book Fair closes its doors, hundreds of thousands will head for the gates of the annual Janadriya Festival, “one of the most important Arab cultural seasons in the entire Arab World”, in the words of the minister. “The idea at the book fair where writers and intellectuals from abroad will meet with local counterparts runs through these events and is evident at the Janadriya Festival, where East and West can engage in dialogue. The idea of ingraining dialogue as sought by the King is to be a main feature of our culture, so we learn not to be introverted but to open up intellectually and engage in dialogue with others.” “It's all about halting exclusion and instead hearing and listening to others with complete openness, and we're on the path towards that now,” Khoja said. One issue that has made the news at recent Riyadh book fairs has been the involvement of women, and the minister is keen to reiterate that the fair this year is “open to all for the length of its duration”. “Saudi women will be at the fair, in writers and readers, as well as books by female Saudi authors,” he said. “And they are very welcome, and I have no knowledge of any prohibition on them taking part, or of any distinction being made between men and women in this respect. The subject of creativity is all about human creativity, irrespective of whether they are male or female.” Turning vision into reality “We need a new and insightful way of looking at things and we are working to translate into reality the King's visions.” Part of that vision, according to Khoja, is a “competent, influential and transparent” national media, and a “strong and free culture” that “reflects our ethics and values of which we stand proud before the world”. Khoja said that his ministry was in the process of drawing up a law governing publications in the Kingdom to meet the requirements of the world today, given the “advancements witnessed and great steps forward in communications and information”. The law, he said, was being studied, but “would take time”. “Even after study, there still remain other stages for it to pass through, such as being put before the Shoura Council, so we need to be patient. It's all about reformulating a comprehensive law on publications so that it is up-to-date with the contemporary world.” According to Khoja, the current year will however witness “many achievements” in the area. “We've set as a priority putting an end to the chaos in satellite broadcasting and on the internet, because these areas need regulating,” he said. “We're not going to leave the field open to any idiot to slander and offend in the name of freedom of expression, as this is entirely unacceptable. That's why regulations will be comprehensive, covering technical aspects and professionalism, to produce tangible results, and we'll put in place concrete rules for the future, which differs from the past.”
