From recent symposiumCulture’s long wish list [Archives:2004/800/Culture]

Mohammed bin Sallam
For its annual program, Al-Afif Cultural Establishment organized a symposium titled “Culture in Yemen eality and Future Horizons,” Dec. 13-15.
Many researchers in culture and science took part in the symposium as well as a host of interested people. The symposium came out with the following recommendations:
1- Freedom of expression and opinion and freedom of cultural creativity.
2- Accurate assessment of cultural conditions in the country and recognizing citizen's cultural needs.
3- Integration in the comprehensive plan of the Arab Cultural Development.
4- Cultural diversity and openness to other human culture, and enhancing mutual links.
5- Decentralization in the cultural work.
6- Public participation in formulating and implementing cultural work.
7- New laws pertaining to the cultural issue in a way compatible with political and cultural developments and international changes; developing the intellectual property law so that it covers protection of folklore and traditions; developing laws to protect historic cities and historic and natural sites and stopping the conversion of functions of cultural establishments.
8- Encouraging cultural investment and fostering the establishment of cultural industries.
9- Improving infrastructure and expanding cultural establishments especially libraries, theatres, cinema, and galleries.
10- Establishing a national information network and disseminating information and communication technology.
11- Boosting cultural production and expanding the area of cultural and scientific programs on media means.
12- Encouraging bands of visual and audible arts and popular folklore.
13- Reducing book price by exempting books from tax duties and exempting papers and printing machines and their accessories form tax duties and encouraging publishing houses to print out cultural and scientific books.
14- Independence of cultural establishments from political and ideological aims.
15- Encouraging civil community organizations active in the cultural domain.
16- Allotting prizes and awards for intellectuals and creators.
17- Integrating human rights culture into school curricula and media discourse.
18- Adopting a strategy for social and cultural reform based on changing the traditional social structure and developing cultural orientations as well as developing institutions by means of social democratic forces.
19- Directing a message on behalf of the Prime Minister via all participants in the symposium to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in order not to cancel or privatize the National Cinema Authority and to activate its role in serving cinema and theatre.
20- Establishing a national library, theatre and archive.
21- Taking care of child culture.
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