Nevine El-Aref sees how cultural palaces and public libraries are spreading their wings to the public They are the veins of the cultural movement in Egypt. So described Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni cultural palaces and how he envisions the way these architectural wonders can spread what they have to offer across Egypt. Hosni told Al-Ahram Weekly that the palaces play a big role in pushing forward the riches of creativity from urban to rural areas in a rendition that meets modern technology and approaches. "Building or renovating a cultural palace is a cultural movement and a creation of a persistence liaison between the palace and the people," Hosni said. The General Organisation for Cultural Palaces (GOCP), one of the leading departments in the Ministry of Culture, "helps in achieving the ministry's two main objectives: preserving Egypt's national identity and intellectualising the minds of citizens who are the cornerstone of any future development plans drawn up by the government," Hosni said. Ahmed Megahed, GOCP chairman, says that ever since the building of the palaces in question in 1945, they have served their purpose, "but with a little twist due to the development of time." During the 1940s, the GOCP aimed at spreading culture and art among all segments of the Egyptian community, 80 per cent of whom were at the time illiterate. Only the elite of society received an education. After the 1952 Revolution and the establishment of the Ministry of Culture, the GOCP's role was transformed into a guiding cultural protocol that targeted the values and meanings of nationalism and socialism. Now, Megahed continued, with the democratic atmosphere, globalisation, satellites and the Internet, the GOCP must search for a new role to play in order to provide what audiences desire, especially youngsters, the core of the society. "It is easy to find a new task," said Megahed explaining that this can be achieved through reviewing what is currently being introduced by the GOCP with the help of intellectuals. "It is impossible to continue offering the same services for more than 50 years," Megahed said, adding that his first decision concerning such renovation was to publish a new monthly series for youth on e-issues such as computer techniques and Internet facilities. This will run simultaneously with the usual publications issued by the GOCP. The GOCP has more than 15 publications in history, art, children, critique, literature, folklore and heritage. The works include Al-Dhakha'r and Afak Arabia. The GOCP also publishes the weekly newspaper Masrahna (Our Theatre), the periodical Abiad wa Eswed (Black and white) and a weekly magazine for children, Qatr Al-Nada. The GOCP handles 540 cultural locations including palaces, houses, (which are in effect mini- palaces) and public libraries. It supervises art groups in coral, folklore art, music, acting and literature clubs. Every governorate has more than one literature club which hold from one-day to annual conferences. They wind up with a huge gathering, the Conference for Egyptian Writers in Provinces. In parallel is the Provincial Publication Project in which Egyptian writers publish their works by way of a fund provided by the GOCP. The writers are chosen according to previously published pieces and by a cultural committee of renowned intellectuals and writers. The GOCP has 400 theatre clubs that organise seminars, workshops and training courses for actors, producers, theatre writers and light and sound technicians. Four hundred plays are staged every year that can be seen by everybody. Megahed said inhabitants in remote districts and villages on the country's borders are not alienated from such cultural activities, since cultural caravans are the means to introduce the GOCP's cultural services. Each caravan is a large truck equipped with a stage, cinema screen, seats for spectators, a sound and light system and bookshelves which can hold a few hundred books, mostly art, literature, biographies and those for children. Folklore dances, poetic and religious recitations ( inshad ) and musical nights are also performed as are art and literary competitions for children, youths and adults. To broaden the cultural services provided by the GOCP to reach all segments of the society, Megahed told the Weekly that in collaboration with the Ministry of interior, the GOCP will implement cultural activities with prisons "to help build cultural bridges with civil society, especially those dealing with people with special needs". Next month marks the third anniversary of the Beni Sweif tragedy, when 30 actors and members of the audience died after a fire raged through a performance in a public cultural house. To prevent a repeat, GOCP adopted a new concept to ensure the safety of the sites as well as the production of the performance. Almost half of the GOCP's cultural locations are now closed because they do not meet civil defence safety measures. The Civil Defence Authority, says Megahed, is now introducing safety measures in these locations, "and if any structure needs modification in its architectural design, the GOCP is more than willing to do it. But the rapidity of such work will depend according to the budget." As for the construction of cultural locations, safety measures are taken into consideration in collaboration with the Civil Defence Authority. Says Megahed, "protecting the life of a citizen is much more important than cultivating his mind." However, closing hazardous cultural locations does not mean reducing the GOCP activities. Megahed believes this will give them the opportunity to broaden their activities to public gardens, youth centres, universities theatres and schools. The GOCP's 14,000 employees, if you ask Megahed, are his biggest headache. Despite the GOCP's large budget, most of it goes to employees' salary. A small amount is allocated for cultural activities. Megahed suggests the allocation of more money to develop the quality of recent activities instead of renovating or building new cultural palaces and houses. "I am certain the GOCP has a high calibre of employees but not all are in the right place. His plan is to review the staff's credentials and reallocate everyone in the correct position. The rescheduling programme will be implemented by filling an internal identification card, distributed among the GOCP's employees, which will show the profession of every employee. Training courses for all those responsible for cultural palaces and houses will be provided. Megahed is also seeking the help of renowned intellectuals and professionals in cinema, theatre and literature, including director Essam El-Sayed, recently appointed to direct the general administration of theatre. In order to develop the GOCP, Megahed will organise several roundtable discussions by intellectuals on publications, theatre, the role of culture in developing the nation as well as the problems of the GOCP. Youth are to introduce new ideas in implementing the GOCP's endeavours. The second problem is the absence of a suitable GOCP headquarters; GOCP bureaus are scattered throughout. Megahed said President Hosni Mubarak had allocated Al-Samer plot along the Al-Agouza Corniche for a new GOCP premise. The site will also include the Al-Samer theatre and halls for cultural and art activities. The GOCP gave 500,000 books to the "One Million Books" initiative launched by Mrs Suzanne Mubarak at the beginning of this year. The initiative aims at attracting more youth, especially from economically disadvantaged communities, to read more by providing libraries, cultural, youth and children centres -- and one million new books to be distributed for free. Farouk Abdel-Salam, consultant to the minister of culture, said Hosni has pledged renewed commitment to widen the availability and increase public library books across Egypt. According to a ministry plan stretching to 2011, the ministry will set up 40 public libraries, Abdel-Salam said. In the last 10 years, more than 100 public libraries have been built plus five on wheels. They are basically books on shelves installed on trucks that pass through the poorer and remote villages and cities across the country. Some public libraries, including Mubarak Library, are a joint venture project funded with money from abroad. The Ministry of Culture equipped them with books and computers.
