The Kuwaiti Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah, second from left, speaks during a press meeting at Sheraton Hotel in Kuwait City, Kuwait, Monday. / Korea Times photo by Kim Jae-heun |
By Kim Jae-heun
The Kuwaiti Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Salem Al-Homoud Al-Sabah stressed the importance of investing in healthy culture during an interview with The Korea Times at Sheraton Hotel in Kuwait City, Monday.
The minister, who is also the President of the National Council for Culture, Arts, and Letters (NCCAL), said the days have changed and it is no longer effective to tell children what to do and what not to do. He believes that providing cultural spaces like the new Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Center will help children learn arts and traditions.
Q. Could you introduce Kuwaiti culture?
A. Kuwait has a long history and heritage in culture. Kuwait is a mixture, where we have different cultures and immigrants from all over. So that gives us, in Kuwait, an experience about the culture of the sea and trade and the culture of desert. It gives us openness and freedom in this country where we reflect our own arts and music and we are affected with African and Asian music with a special mixture of Kuwaiti composers.
Q. What was the primary reason for opening this cultural center?
A. The main purpose is to cope up with the challenges in developing our cultural capabilities, build up stronger cultural programs and execute strategies in that side.
Kuwait has a lot of cultural utilities, but it is not enough for the growth of Kuwait, especially as we have to build more theaters and more showrooms, museums…so those cultural centers are helping to speed the process of building any project by segments. The process will take a lot of time.
Having this cultural center will boost the challenges and efforts to have better culture capabilities.
Q. Amir has contributed much time and effort in the new cultural center. What his message?
A. Amir is establisher and promoter of the cultural scene in Kuwait. Before the independence of Kuwait, he was in charge of culture and media. And for that reason he always supports efforts to develop our cultural infrastructure. We had, maybe in the last 20 years, been curing ourselves after the invasion of Kuwait in the 1990s. For that reason we need to have such a cultural center. So Amir started to support such idea earlier in the ‘90s. Now it is done and it will contribute for the sake of our country and youth and the society.
Q. Is there significance in opening a new state-of-the art cultural center in the Gulf region?
A. Why not? For us, as a moderate country, and Islam is not against having cultural events, it enlightens and contributes for the sake of society. Yes, as an Islamic country, we have our own standard of needs. We like to keep our needs and capabilities as a country. We have freedom to select what we love to see as people. As an Islamic country, we have our certain style and preference. We look forward to being active in the cultural side and such parameters which help us to keep the culture growing and achieving its objectives. Nobody is investing now for culture just for the sake of culture. Culture is the future. Culture is the right investment, where the retail is granted. Although it will take a long time, it will affect your future having culture as the right method and means to build up the right person - in sense of mentality, motivation, productivity, effectiveness and keeping the national identity. All those values cannot be achieved without having a healthy cultural strategy and reality.
Q. How important is culture to Kuwait and its development?
A. It's very important. As I said, Kuwait, as an open country exposed to many cultures, has all capability to contribute to the international cultural scene. To do that, we are not importing ready-made culture. We have our own cultural richness and contribution. As you saw today, all you saw are Kuwaitis, who are devoted to music, to theater, to arts, all those matters you cannot build easily. It is there, but you need to reshape it and grow it by time by having more youth interaction and involvement. This is our target, to keep youth healthy, mind-wise, motivated, productive. You have to invest in the right culture. Leaving such spaces, now it's very dangerous, not for Arabs, but for the international community that many terrorist groups and fundamentalists and radical ideas can infiltrate the new media and new technology to the minds of children and youths and youngsters. They can implant their seeds for irregular thinking and bad doing.
How can you prevent them? This is the right way to prevent. You cannot go direct to children and say ‘don't do this' only. You have to show them indirectly how this will affect them and how avoiding this will give them success and happiness. This is what we can see the real role of having the right investment in culture.
Q. We don't have much cultural exchanges between Kuwait and Korea. Is there any plan to change this in the future?
A. There are a lot. We had an exhibition at the national museum in Seoul in Korea. I felt how much Koreans adore culture and how much the country is investing in affecting culture and investment. This is the right way to do it. We look forward to have more.
Now even our relationships in many sectors are very active ― in commercial, business and many areas. But also we have to exchange and cooperate in culture. We really appreciate and respect your people. They contributed highly in building our infrastructure and helping Kuwait since a long time ago.