Art And Culture
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Jannati Highlights Public Culture

Jannati Highlights  Public Culture
Jannati Highlights  Public Culture

Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Dr Ali Jannati called for greater attention to public culture as the “centerpiece of growth and development,” during a poetry congregation in Gonbad-e Kavous county in the north-eastern province of Golestan, on Monday night.

Jannati said the country is expected to top the region in various economic sectors in accordance with the Vision 2025, which would necessitate high standards of cultural development as the first step.

“In all the counties, a public culture council has been set up to tackle cultural shortcomings with the help of experts, and to promote good values such as law abidance and simple ways of living,” he said, reported IRNA.

Regarding arts and books the official said, “Despite a low budget, the ministry will support art associations across the country.” He further said the ministry’s role was to offer support and cultural guidance in policy making, and underlined that “management and control should be conferred on artists themselves.  “Art festivals and international book fairs are the responsibility of the private sector; with government having a mere monitoring role,” he added.

  Incentives

“We endeavor to offer more incentives to the book-related sectors. For instance, the ministry will buy a part of the published books and deliver them to the libraries to support the publishers,” the minister stated, noting that “the press are also receiving subsidies.”

Moreover, he said, the long procedure of book licensing had been reduced now to an average of 22 days. The time for obtaining a license for cultural institutions is two weeks, he added. “Currently there are 6,600 licensed journals in the country, some of which, however, are not publishing due to financial constraints,” Jannati said.  

Regarding Islamic cultural activities, he noted that cultural clubs have been established in the mosques, and 19,000 are in operation across the country.

In the recent years, “the post of an additional deputy has been formed in this ministry, to exclusively promote and support Qur’anic values.”

He described Gonbad-e Kavous as a “precious city of knowledge” being the birthplace of great art and literary figures. He particularly praised Magtymguly Pyragy, the Turkmen-Iranian spiritual leader and philosophical poet who lived in the 18th century as an honor for Golestan Province and the country. A Persian translation of his poems has been published and is ready for distribution.

 

Financialtribune.com