Saudi nonprofit culture forum opens with focus on culture as soft power
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RIYADH, April 15 - Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Culture opened the first edition of the Nonprofit Cultural Sector Forum in Riyadh on Wednesday with a session focused on culture as a form of soft power and the role of the nonprofit sector in shaping the future, state news agency SPA reported.
The opening session, held at the King Fahd Cultural Centre under the title "Culture as Soft Power: Redefining the Role of the Nonprofit Sector in Shaping the Future," featured Prince Turki Al-Faisal, chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies.
Prince Turki said Saudi culture was rooted in Islamic principles, ethics and values that respect humanity and take pride in the heritage of the Arabian Peninsula.
He also praised the Ministry of Culture for providing the support needed to advance nonprofit cultural institutions and stressed the role of Saudi citizens in promoting the kingdom's culture abroad as ambassadors of their country through their values and conduct.
Prince Turki said the kingdom had also strengthened national culture through educational programmes, helping society confront behaviours seen as foreign to it, particularly with the spread of social media.
The two-day forum aims to highlight the nonprofit cultural sector and its role in shaping Saudi Arabia's cultural future, as the ministry continues to roll out initiatives under its strategy for the sector.
Those initiatives include the establishment of 16 professional associations, the transfer and alignment of entities to the Ministry of Culture, organisational qualification programmes and performance-based support designed to help nonprofit organisations expand their impact and address gaps across the cultural value chain.
