The Ministry of Culture in Lebanon will invest $180 million USD to revive the culture and arts. The 5-year-plan aims at renovating historical and archaeological sites and growing the industry of culture. Also, the plan was set by former Minister of Culture Raymond Araiji. The sum will be divided in the following way:
- $120 million USD will fund the restoration and maintenance of historical sites.
- $60 million USD will fund the development and expansion of cultural industries.
So here is what’s on the agenda of the 5-year-plan:
- A new museum in Martyr’s Square
- A new library in Downtown Beirut
- Restoration of UNESCO Palace
- Two new museums in Tyre
In fact, Prime Minister Saad Hariri is supporting the project. According to him, this amount of money is small comparing to the benefits that this plan will bring to Lebanon. Since Lebanon mainly relies on tourism as a source of revenue, these historical sites need to be preserved in order to keep the
alive. Also, Director-General of Antiquities Sarkis Khoury mentioned that the renovations and restorations that took place in Jbeil, Beiteddine, Baalbeck, and Tyre in the past continue to generate revenue till this day. As for arts and culture, Minister of Culture Ghattas Khoury said that there will be many projects to develop the art scene in Lebanon, which will include:
- A music academy
- An institution to support the Lebanese cinema
- A concert hall
- A musical library
Also, Ghattas Khoury promised to put the Piccadilly Theater in Hamra Street on the list of protected heritage sites. This funding is for the sole purpose of flourishing the cultural dimension of Lebanon. The annual budget of the Ministry of Culture was not able to do that since most of it was spent on the employees’ salaries.
Source: The Daily Star
