Saudi Arabia Appoints Its First Minister of Culture

On Saturday morning the King of Saudi Arabia, King Salmanbin Abdulaziz Al Saud issued a number of royal decrees removing people from their positions and appointing others. One of the biggest changes was the creation of Saudi’s very own Minister of Culture.

Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al-Saud, a law graduate and associate of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was selected as the perfect candidate for this position. Prince Badr has previously had an influence in promoting culture in the Kingdom.

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The Prince was previously the chairman of the Saudi Research and Marketing Group. He is also the chairman of a new cultural organization, the MiSK Art Institute that was established by the Crown Prince. Furthermore, he is part of the 13 members of Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Culture’s (GCA) board.

In his new role, the prince will be overseeing all activities related to culture. In his first statement as Minister of culture, Prince Badr said, “Our vision is, without a doubt, part of the Saudi Vision 2030, and the ministry will be the main sponsor for all the advancement of culture in various fields, enhancing the Saudi and urban identities.”

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With the creation of this new position, the existing Ministry of Culture and Information has been renamed to the Ministry of Information. Other cultural changes that Saudi has seen this year as part of the cultural reform are cinema’s being allowed back in the Kingdom, women being allowed to drive, and live music performances being promoted throughout Saudi Arabia.

Congratulations to Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al-Saud! We are excited to see the new season that he is taking the country into and the changes that he is going to bring in his new role.