LONDON: Former UK culture minister Ed Vaizey, now a member of the UK’s House of Lords, praised Saudi Arabia’s growing investment in culture and creativity during an event hosted by Arab News at the University of Westminster on Oct. 17.
The evening, held at Fyvie Hall, featured a special screening of “Rewriting Arab News,” a documentary marking the Saudi newspaper’s 50th anniversary and chronicling its digital transformation.
Speaking after the screening, Vaizey said cultural understanding and partnership are key to building lasting connections between the UK and Saudi Arabia.
He described culture as “the soul of the country” and urged both nations to engage on “equal footing.”
He said: “For someone like me, who has been culture minister in the UK, where it’s a constant battle to get my colleagues in government to understand the power and value of culture, to understand that the investments you make in culture reap so many dividends — economic dividends, but also spiritual dividends — to see Saudi Arabia taking culture so seriously as part of its Vision 2030 is a wonder to behold.”
