عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Culture

Saudi Cultural Sector Sees Growth Across Various Fields

The Riyadh International Book Fair 2023 (SPA)
The Riyadh International Book Fair 2023 (SPA)
TT
TT

Saudi Cultural Sector Sees Growth Across Various Fields

The Riyadh International Book Fair 2023 (SPA)
The Riyadh International Book Fair 2023 (SPA)

A recent report on Saudi Arabia’s cultural sector shows that 2023 saw significant growth in cultural activities, including theater, film, and performance arts.
This growth is attributed to strong support and empowerment within the sector.
“The Cultural Status in Saudi Arabia 2023” report by the Kingdom’s Ministry of Culture noted that 2023 was marked by steady, gradual development rather than a sudden burst of activity.
The cultural sector has been growing steadily, reflecting the long-term impact of institutional efforts that began a few years ago.
Saudi Arabia’s cultural sector, as per the report, has grown its economic contribution by over 20%.
The sector has recovered well from the pandemic’s impact, with its contribution reaching 35 billion riyals, or 1.49% of non-oil GDP, almost back to pre-pandemic levels.
The report also revealed increased cultural activity and rising demand for cultural services and products, and highlighted promising prospects for turning cultural projects into financially successful and sustainable ventures.
In 2023, Saudi Arabia’s publishing and translation sectors had mixed results.
Literary publishing and Saudi authors’ publication rates fell to their lowest since 2019. However, Saudi authors’ international publications increased, making up 22% of the year’s literary output.
Research and scientific publishing hit a four-year high, with 405 papers in peer-reviewed journals.
Of these, 82% were by researchers from Saudi universities. International research made up 36% of contributions, while independent researchers added 7%.
The report identified several challenges requiring more effort, centered around comprehensive sustainability.
These include balancing economic, social, and environmental factors, such as addressing geographic centralization, uneven distribution of cultural activities, and ensuring equitable access for all social groups.
There is also a need for better regulations to boost investment in the cultural sector.
A major environmental challenge is protecting cultural and natural heritage from climate change.
The report highlighted the growing recognition of climate change’s threat to heritage sites and the need for proactive steps to preserve these valuable cultural and historical sites.

Most Viewed

 
 
Culture

Family Keeps up Beirut Dessert Tradition

Samir Makari holds a tray of mufataka, a traditional Beiruti sweet, at his shop in the Lebanese capital on August 29, 2024. (AFP)
Samir Makari holds a tray of mufataka, a traditional Beiruti sweet, at his shop in the Lebanese capital on August 29, 2024. (AFP)
TT
TT

Family Keeps up Beirut Dessert Tradition

Samir Makari holds a tray of mufataka, a traditional Beiruti sweet, at his shop in the Lebanese capital on August 29, 2024. (AFP)
Samir Makari holds a tray of mufataka, a traditional Beiruti sweet, at his shop in the Lebanese capital on August 29, 2024. (AFP)

At a shop nestled in a busy, crowded Beirut district, Hasan El-Makary is weighing out containers of warm, fragrant mufataka, a traditional sweet in the Lebanese capital that is rarely found in stores.

"I've been in this shop for 50 years, but we started specializing in mufataka 30 years ago," Makary said from the humble shop with its ageing decor and low ceiling.

A kind of rice pudding made with turmeric, tahini sesame paste, sugar and pine nuts, mufataka is traditional in Beirut but less known even outside the city.

"At the beginning you add turmeric, that's the main thing, then tahini, sugar and rice... we cook it slowly on fire," he said.

The rice must be soaked overnight, and Makary said he comes to the shop at 5:00 am to make the dish, which takes around four hours and requires regular stirring.

He said his father started making mufataka despite initially believing people would not pay money for a dish that is normally prepared at home.

Plastic containers of the pudding, which is eaten with a spoon, dotted trays and tables across the shop, waiting for customers who peered through a window to place their order from the busy street outside.

Customer Iman Chehab, 55, was picking up mufataka for her mother, who used to make it herself.

"She is elderly now and she can't stir... it takes a lot of work," said Chehab, who works in human resources management.

The dish is "something traditional for us who are from Beirut", she told AFP.

Places like Makary's shop "are the old face of Beirut that we love and always want to remember", she added.

- 'Heritage' -

A few bustling neighborhoods away, Samir Makari, 35, is carrying on the family tradition.

At a gleaming shop also selling Arabic sweets like baklava, Makari attends to a huge copper pot of mufataka behind the counter, stirring it with a long, wooden-handled implement.

He weighs out and mixes the sugar, tahini paste and pine nuts in a second pot, later combining it all.

Mufataka used to be made just once a year on the last Wednesday in April, with families gathering by the sea at Beirut's public beach, father and son said.

The occasion was "Job's Wednesday", a reference to the biblical figure also mentioned in the holy Quran and who is renowned for his patience, the younger Makari said, noting the virtue is also required for making mufataka.

On the wall of his shop, which he runs with his brother, were photos of his father and his grandfather at work.

He said he sometimes makes mufataka twice a day depending on demand, with some customers taking it outside Beirut to introduce it to those who do not know the dish.

At the original store, the elder Makary said he was happy his children had kept up the tradition.

Mufataka is part of "my heritage", he said, and the family has "taken it from generation to generation".