Memorandum of Understanding between the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters and Kalimat to Support the Creative Economy

Dr. Mohammed Al-Jassar, Secretary-General of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters, stated: “The signing of this memorandum comes as part of a series of agreements and partnerships that the Council is working to develop in order to build the local ecosystem for the creative economy.”

He added: “We view this agreement as part of an integrated pathway to build the local creative economy ecosystem in Kuwait. What is required is not merely supporting creatives or organizing events, but rather building an environment that connects talent with knowledge, institutions with creatives, and ideas with opportunities and markets.”

She added: “We want events to transcend the boundaries of time, place, and occasion, and to evolve into platforms that foster ongoing relationships among creatives, youth, institutions, and the public. Our goal is to move from event organization to building a creative community whose members interact, exchange knowledge and expertise, and create new opportunities for collaboration and production.”

For her part, Manal Al-Gharbali, media advisor and organizational partner of the “Kalimat” Forum in Kuwait, emphasized that the partnership aims to contribute to empowering local creatives and opening up opportunities for collaboration and partnerships across the Gulf and around the world, through field programs and the exchange of creative skills and expertise.

He said: “When we talk about the creative economy, we usually refer to industries, jobs, investment, and markets. However, there is an invisible infrastructure no less important: social and creative capital. From this perspective, the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters is working on several projects aimed at developing this environment. Among these is the project to reimagine public libraries, transforming them into community hubs for knowledge, creativity, learning, and social interaction. The library should become a ‘third place’ that brings together designers, artists, and talented individuals, facilitating the exchange of ideas, rather than serving merely as a place for reading.”

He continued: “The Council is also working on a project to develop and enhance the educational infrastructure for the creative economy, with the aim of building national creative capacity and preparing a generation equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills, through partnerships with the private sector.”

It is worth noting that the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters and the “Kalimat” Forum have agreed to launch a joint work program, encompassing events and initiatives both within Kuwait and abroad, with the results to be leveraged to develop future partnerships and programs.