No theatrical work is shown without passing through screening committee

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KUWAIT CITY, April 8: The Assistant Secretary- General for the Arts Sector at the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters, Musaed Al- Zamil, confirmed on Monday that all theatrical works in Kuwait go through a censorship committee before being shown to the public to approve the theatrical performance, whether it is intended for adults or children. Al-Zamil said in a press statement that the National Council, represented by the arts sector, formed members of a committee to monitor and approve the theatrical performances of the children’s theater headed by the artist Abdel Nasser Al-Zayer, and another oversight committee for the adult theater headed by the artist Hussein Al-Mufidi, and the work of the two committees will continue for a full year. He explained that the renewal of the members of the two committees takes place according to the vision of the National Council and the circumstances of the members, stressing the great responsibility that falls on the oversight and approval committees for theatrical performances. In his message to the members of the two committees, Al-Zamil stressed the necessity of adhering to the ministerial decision (13- 2021) regarding the establishment of the Oversight Committee and the approval of the offers, which is carried out in two stages. The first is to give initial approval to the text after reading it and ensuring that it is free of transgressions and caveats until seeing (a final rehearsal of the offer).

He stated that the decisions of the Children’s Theater Oversight Committee are based on the Publications and Publications Law and the Child Protection Law, in addition to its role in applying the spirit of guidance and cooperation with artists and providing technical and supervisory observations, as they are specialized academics and worthy of trust in serving and enriching the theatrical movement and presenting performances worthy of the name of Kuwait, the leading children’s theater and adult theater in the world. Gulf, considering theater one of the basic artistic cultural tributaries in the State of Kuwait. He pointed to the direction of the National Council supporting the theatrical movement that children’s theater in particular should be more tightly controlled than before, stressing that “theatrical work is not just a spectacle and dances performed by groups on stage, but it is a ”process of enriching the child’s mind with concepts and thought. In this regard, he said that censorship also applies to adult theatre, as the work must contain a directing perspective and a purposeful intellectual perspective with a high level of importance and respect, far from vulgarity and superficiality, and a true intellectual vision of the form of theatrical drama, appropriate to the taste of Kuwaiti society and preserving its privacy.

Al-Zamil pointed out the formation of a committee to adhere to the special performances presented by the National Council through its activities and participation in local and foreign festivals, which in turn looks at and watches the texts and theatrical performances that represent the State of Kuwait by the National Council. The committee is headed by Dr. Ali Haider. For his part, the acting director of the theater administration, Youssef Al-Jamaan, said in a similar statement that there are conditions that must be met in the theatrical performance in order for it to be approved, as the text for children’s plays must aim to affirm the values of society and instill good qualities in the child’s soul, such as love of the homeland, loyalty, honesty, trustworthiness, improving his language and imagination, and developing his abilities to innovate. Al-Jamaan added that approving the performances also depends on the committee viewing (the final rehearsal) of all the elements of the theatrical performance to decide on it and ensuring that the text and the theatrical performance are free of the prohibitions stipulated in Law No. 3 of 2006 regarding publications and publishing and its amendments, and taking into account the provisions of Law No. 21 of 2015 regarding children’s rights and its executive regulations. (KUNA)

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