Shaker , the fourth minister of culture in less than a year, speaks to Nevine El-Aref Intellectuals, writers and artists are relatively unfamiliar with the name of newly appointed Minister of Culture Shaker though within his own specialty, psychology, he enjoys an excellent reputation. He first came to the attention of the wider public just four months ago when the then culture minister, Emad Abu Ghazi, appointed him secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Culture (SCC). Before that he had lived in Bahrain, working at the Arab Gulf University where he was professor of Creative Psychology. The author of 23 books on, among other things, creativity, visual perception, cultural imagery and the nurturing of young talent, has also translated several books and served as editor-in-chief of the General Organisation of Culture Palaces' book series the First Book, Critical Studies, Translation Horizons and Arab Horizons. In 1990 received the Jordanian Shoman Award for Young Arab Scientists and in 2003 won Egypt's State Award in Social Studies. A week after taking up the job appeared at ease in his new office, the door of which he opens himself. "Despite the critical phase Egypt is passing through I am very optimistic," he tells Al-Ahram Weekly before launching into a list of initiatives though which he hopes his ministry can help build bridges across what appears to be an increasingly divided society. These include the holding of seminars, round tables and workshops, in Cairo and beyond, addressing the meaning of potentially divisive concepts. "We are also planning a new series of booklets to promote a better understanding of subjects such as secularism and liberalism and the religious and civil state in the hope that these will help forge reconciliation among different factions of Egyptian society." Other topics to be covered include optimism, faith, confidence, dialogue and the acceptance of others. The booklets will avoid jargon in order to be comprehensible to non-specialist readers and are expected to retail for less than LE3. As minister intends to pay more attention to young people than his predecessors did, and is already planning a youth committee within the SCC. In addition, he would like to appoint a younger generation of officials, as and when posts open. "They will be chosen not only according to qualifications but on the basis of their reputations and ability to get on well with colleagues," he says. A committee for Sinai Culture is also planned beneath the SCC umbrella, promoting the work of cultural practitioners across the peninsula. It is essential, he argues, to facilitate greater cooperation between cultural institutions and their educational and media equivalents. Already the Ministry of Culture has signed a cooperation protocol with the Ministry of Education in order to develop art appreciation within the school curricula. "Art teaching," says , "is the first step on the road towards creativity." Does he worry that the emergence of Salafi groups as a major political force will threaten Egypt's artistic life? "Salafis will not be able to do anything to Egyptian culture," he says. "Egyptians love life in all its facets." It is no secret that relations within his ministry, between different departments and between managers and staff, are fractious. says he is committed to meeting the demands of ministry employees, but only in so far as budgetary constrains allow. He told the Weekly that the current funding shortfall means some programmes will have to be abandoned completely, while others will have their budgets cut by up to 50 per cent, though he did not specify where the axe will fall. His replacement as SCC secretary-general has still to be appointed. The post, says , should be filled by a candidate that possesses not only the requisite intellectual qualifications but who has the cultural vision necessary to develop the institution. However optimistic he sounds, 's appointment as minister of culture was questioned in some quarters. His critics point to his tenure at the SCC where, they say, he dragged his feet over restructuring plans that included separation from the Culture Ministry. "People are free to say what they want. I accepted public office and I am willing to accept the criticism that comes with it," replies. "The fact is I was only at the SCC for four months, a very short time to do anything concrete. Restructuring the SCC and separating it from the ministry was not my decision but that of the cabinet, of Egypt's intellectuals, and of the president. If they still want to separate it from the ministry I am more than willing to do so. If they want it to be under the umbrella of the ministry I don't have any problem. But it is a critical decision, one that cannot be rushed just to satisfy a clique. Egypt is going through a crucial period and any decisions must be approached with care." Of his predecessors in the post says Farouk Hosni played an important role in developing the ministry's publication programme, creating the Family Library series, and constructing new art museums. He questions, however, the emphasis on expensive festivals, many of them based in Cairo, believing the money might be better spent on developing cultural palaces in the provinces. He praises Gaber Asfour's tenure at the SCC, particularly in the field of translation, but as culture minister for a matter of weeks Asfour was unable to leave his stamp on the office. "And I was really sad that Abu Ghazi resigned," says his successor. "I know he could have done a great deal in the post."
