Minister to overhaul local cultural body

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Information Minister Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi said on Monday he plans to transform the work of a national cultural council by putting in place a program for structural changes within the body. The program, christened “Managing Change,” a collaborative effort with Kuwait’s Boubyan Bank, entails a “complete transformation” of the National Council for Culture, Arts, and Letters (NCCAL), the minister said during talks with officials from the local body.

The primary goal of the initiative is to bring to light the “exceptional talent” within the ranks of the NCCAL, the minister underlined, saying that such skills would further be honed and properly exploited when the program ultimately comes to fruition. When putting together a strategy for broad development within the NCCAL, it is only appropriate that such a plan be “assembled internally,” he explained, pointing out that extensive discussions and meticulous planning preceded the start of the initiative.

Bringing about palpable change can only be achieved when one ventures “out of their comfort zone,” added the minister, citing “determination and change” as among the key attributes needed to achieve such a transformation, besides the will to succeed. Joining this initiative is tantamount to a “national and social obligation,” said Boubyan Bank’s chief executive Abdullah Al-Mehri, emphasizing that broad development within NCCAL is a step towards depicting national culture in a positive light. Once the program is completed, the national cultural body will “reap the rewards” of such an initiative, added the official, saying even the most “minute details” will be instrumental in the success or lack thereof of the endeavor.