Emad Abu Ghazi has recently been appointed minister of culture in the caretaker government, almost the third such minister in as many weeks. He spoke to Nevine El-Aref about his plans Although the appointment of Emad Abu Ghazi as the new minister of culture in the caretaker cabinet has created some brouhaha among intellectuals over his qualifications for the post, there has been a general accord on his integrity and his track record on corruption. An intellectual by nature, a respected academic by profession and a member of a family that has contributed many individuals to the arts, including his father, art critic and thinker Badreddin Abu Ghazi, who was minister of culture in the early 1970s, and the pioneering sculptor Mahmoud Mokhtar, Emad Abu Ghazi's appointment has been hailed largely as a result of his experience assisting Gaber Asfour, former secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Culture (SCC), in overseeing the council's cultural committees. In 2009, Abu Ghazi became the SCC's secretary-general in place of Asfour, and he is also an associate professor at Cairo University, publishing academic and other materials on Egyptian history. He has also gained attention as a result of his articles in the newspaper Al-Dostour, in which he has called for fresh readings of controversial topics in Egyptian history. He is author of a number of books, including one on Toman Bey and another on the 1919 Revolution. Housed in a 19th-century Zamalek villa in Cairo, Abu Ghazi seems at ease speaking to Al-Ahram Weekly in his warm and spacious ministerial office, its off-white walls studded with gold-framed pictures and exuding a minimalist elegance. Perhaps this ease is natural, since Abu Ghazi is no stranger to such offices, this being the same room in which he used to meet his former boss, former culture minister Farouk Hosni. Indeed, it was Abu Ghazi's relationship with Hosni that has led to the criticisms of his new appointment, opponents seeing it as the continuation of policies promulgated under the former government of Ahmed Nazif, of which Abu Ghazi was himself a member for more than a decade. However, Abu Ghazi's supporters say that his ministerial track record will allow him to manage Egypt's cultural portfolio more efficiently, since he is already familiar with the ministry's different sections and its many hidden doors. "People are free to say what they want. I have accepted public office, and I am willing to accept criticism," Abu Ghazi told the Weekly. He worked in the ministry for 11 years when Hosni was minister, and he was satisfied with the work he had done, he said. No one had come forward against any of his projects when he was in charge of the cultural committees of the SCC or afterwards. On the contrary, all of Abu Ghazi's projects were accepted. "In the end, no one can win everyone's acceptance," he concludes. "I have accepted the post, but no one can know how long I will stay in it: it could be one hour, two days, or a week. But what I am sure of is that it will end with the completion of Egypt's transitional period." If there is enough time to undertake work in the cultural sphere in the meantime, Abu Ghazi said, he welcomes people's evaluations. What are your priorities in the forthcoming period? My duty during this transitional period is to reform the Ministry of Culture. This reform will not only include the ministry's governing structure and official echelons, but it will also extend to its different sections, its role in the community, its activities and its managerial policies. The modes of this reform are now on the table and the final approach agreed upon by the various working groups will be implemented to help develop and restructure the ministry and its different sections. For example, establishing an administrative board for each section of the ministry to oversee its different activities is an important means towards reform, as is the establishment of technical bureaus for each theatre and art group affiliated to the Cairo Opera House. These bureaus will direct and organise the activities of such groups. Reading committees to select good-quality plays are also required. The separation of the SCC from the ministry is another reform that I am enthusiastic about. This proposal was formulated by a number of intellectuals in an attempt to revitalise the cultural scene in Egypt, and it aims at turning the SCC into an independent cultural body funded by the government that will monitor, direct and draw up plans for cultural activities. I hope through such a proposal that the SCC will function as a "cultural parliament" for cultural activities and that its managerial and administrative board will be elected and not appointed as they are now. In such a form, the SCC could draw up plans and suggest cultural policies, for the Academy of the Arabic Language, for example. Amendments of the laws governing the cultural sphere and cultural activities, such as the laws on censorship and archives must also be carried out, as should amendments to the development of the cultural industries in order to compete with regional and international counterparts. Ways of cooperation with organisations from outside the ministry must also be spruced up and broadened, especially with different ministries in the cabinet in order to guarantee the delivery of cultural services at all community levels. The implementation of the Cinema National Archive project is a top priority, starting late last year in collaboration with a team of French experts. The former palace of Prince Omar Touson was selected as the headquarters of the new Cinematheque, as well as a museum and cinema archive. The problems of ministry employees are also one of my top priorities, and we will work hard to reduce gaps in salaries and to achieve fairness in distributing work. Why were you against the separation of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), now an independent body, when you support the separation of the SCC from the Ministry of Culture? The new Ministry of State for Antiquities Affairs is now a fact. But we are still a part of one cabinet and one government, and there will be cooperation between the two ministries. Will the fund provided to the Ministry of Culture by the antiquities department be affected by this separation? Not at all: according to a presidential decree, the antiquities department is to give 10 per cent of its income to the Cultural Development Fund (CDF). The decree mentions the antiquities department in general, and it does not specify whether it is under the umbrella of the Ministry of Culture or an independent body. As a result, the antiquities body in any form will continue to provide the CDF with the required funding. Among the responsibilities outlined by Prime Minister Essam Sharaf in your letter of appointment is the duty to form the minds of Egyptian citizens. How can you achieve this and how will you deal with Salafist ideology? The Ministry of Culture is for the whole nation and not for a special movement or group. Facilities must be provided to all, and everyone must have the right to put on what they want, allowing the public to decide what suits them. This is democracy. The role of the Ministry of Culture is to provide suitable cultural infrastructure and arenas for creativity, as well as subsidised cultural products that are accessible to the wider community. I think that in this transitional period I am not in dispute with any particular movement: creative people must continue to do their work and allow the public to judge. We find ourselves today in an innovative situation in which it would be wrong to hinder the thoughts and ideas of one another. Can you transform the Ministry of Culture into a productive ministry? This would be a dream come true, and I would like to be able to provide the ministry with financial resources through the cultural industries and productivity. Assets in the possession of the ministry until the 1990s that were transferred to the Ministry of Investment should be returned, including studios, cinemas, theatres and original films. With these resources, the ministry of culture could organise more activities. Will there be changes to the censorship of publishing? There is no censorship on publishing and printing books in Egypt. Censorship only exists for plays, songs and films. If a book is banned, it is because of the actions of the courts, not the censors. What about the books that were prohibited from being produced by the General Authority for Cultural Palaces? This was not censorship: each publisher has its own policy and makes its own evaluation before producing a book, though private publishers have more freedom in this domain than state ones. The latter have to deal with various public authorities as well as the public as a whole because they use public funds. What will you do after your tenure as minister during this transitional period is up? I intend to give up working for the government after the transitional period because of my personal belief that it is important to allow maximum opportunities for the younger generations. Young people should take the lead after this transitional phase, and Essam Sharaf's cabinet should hand duties to young people once the transitional phase ends. However, it is also true that only so much can be achieved during a transitional period and under a caretaker government: following the forthcoming parliamentary and presidential elections, the new government will decide on fresh policies. After my own retirement from government service, I intend to return to my original work as a professor at Cairo University, and I will continue writing my columns in the press, which I have called a halt to for the moment because of my present appointment. I also intend to restart my work with a number of NGO, though I suppose that in general I intend to return to my research, my articles and my studies.
