You see a number of Arab intellectuals and writers; To establish joint cultural houses in which elites from all parts of the Arab world contribute to their establishment, and look forward to the initiative of establishing literary associations sponsored and funded by the civil society, to strengthen and consolidate the bonds of Arab culture, and to involve capital in the development of the creative community, and they considered protecting it from ideologicalization and politicization as a condition for its success .. Here are the responses of a number of Among the actors in the cultural scene to our question about the need to establish Arab literary associations within the framework of civil society activity; So the former member of the Shura Council, poet Dr. Thuraya Al-Arayedh, believes that the establishment of associations is not only possible, but also a foregone conclusion. The fact that the channels of communication and their spread allowed the formation of entities that included all those with a specialized interest and their interaction directly without the need to travel to attend conferences as before. She asserts that if literary associations are established based on linguistic affiliation, the interests of the members may conflict with the overlap of other individual affiliations. By virtue of intellectual visions and political and value positions, it called for the adoption of some precautionary requirements to keep positive dialogue in place, and to deter the causes of rift in circumstances of differing individual and factional visions.
While the head of the House of Poetry in Morocco, Dr. Murad Al-Qadri, considered the idea of establishing an Arab civil literary association a seductive idea, one cannot but glorify it and triumph for its horizons, especially since literature and civil work have demonstrated, on more than one occasion, that they are capable of healing the wounds of politics, and achieving what did not succeed. The latter in his investigation, and Al-Qadri summoned some successful Arab experiences in gathering and networking Arab competencies of various literary sensitivities and artistic spectra, such as the Arab Awards Forum, which is generously and comfortably hosted by the King Faisal International Prize at its headquarters in Riyadh, (The Arab Fund for Culture and Arts), and (Al-Mawred) Foundation. Cultural) and both in Beirut. He considered these and other frameworks, within an Arab context marked by division and conflict, capable of playing pioneering roles at the level of joint Arab cultural and literary work, which resulted in the implementation of more than one initiative and project, the impact of which exceeded what the League of Arab States and its affiliated institutions are doing. And he said: If the idea lives in the soul of everyone who is saturated with the Arab dream; That dream that we have at times is rosy and nightmares at other times. Today, what is required is not the dream, but how to implement it on the ground of reality.
For his part, the former head of the Egyptian House of Poetry, Al-Samah Abdullah, went; He points out that the matter is more profound and has many dimensions. Such ideas, in order to be realized, need a healthy society that believes in the message of culture, and believes that the writer is an organic element in the human community, and that when we support him, we worship prosperous paths for a beautiful future, indicating that if he realizes Owners of capital are aware of this fact, so they may participate in the cultural activity and support it, as was the case in the forties, when the civil cultural centers carried culture and intellectuals on their shoulders. Al-Samah added: The dilemma is that those who own the act know that we offer unpopular goods, and that we are addressing a reader who does not exist. We are in a real dilemma, and I do not think that whoever has money to risk it for the sake of an idea is the first to believe that it is without return.
While the poet Khaled Al-Inshasi counted civil associations as a dream for every Arab intellectual and writer, provided that they do not turn into a body without a soul, and he said: We have an example in the League of Arab States that repels many from its negativity. It is hoped that civil associations will achieve cultural rapprochement and literary fertilization among the Arab peoples, which contributes to repairing the cracks in policies and ideologies by strengthening Arab unity on both the literary and cultural levels. He pointed out that building and establishing literary and cultural associations also depends on the will of the politician! This dream is among the politically compatible Arab countries, until all obstacles to the entry of this project into existence are dissipated.
Create a free space and space for dialogue
The Lebanese poet, Dr. Abeer Sharara, pointed out the need to enhance interaction between Arab peoples. It can only be strengthened through cultural communication between the elites through the establishment of private Arab literary associations. Such associations can be an interactive platform for writers, poets, plastic artists, musicians and calligraphers to express their concerns and share their ideas and literary creations. The civil cultural associations provide opportunities to enhance and strengthen relations between peoples and contribute to the intellectual renaissance through the Arab elites who are strongly active in the literary and cultural field.
