The British Council is the United Kingdom’s international organization for cultural relations and educational opportunities. The British Council in the Diplomatic Quarter is among the oldest organizations operating from the DQ and providing arts, culture, and language learning opportunities to the local population.
Give us a brief history of your organization.
Through our work in Education and Society, English and Arts we have been making a real difference to the lives of millions of people in the UK and around the world for over 75 years. We are driven by our mission to build trust and opportunity between the people of the UK and Saudi Arabia. Our goals are ambitious, and we will only achieve them through partnership. We work with thousands of national and international organizations each year, aligning our strategies and delivering high performing partnerships around the world. In Saudi Arabia, we have been around since 1975!
What is the vision and mission of the organization?
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. Using the UK’s cultural resources, we make a positive contribution to the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust.
We work with over 100 countries across the world in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Each year we reach over 20 million people face-to-face and more than 500 million people online, via broadcasts and publications.
What is the most important work that your organization is doing for arts and culture?
We support programs that encourage greater engagement with art and culture, to help build more vibrant and diverse creative industries. Our programs are designed to make art and culture accessible to everyone, helping more people find new ways to express themselves and contribute to a thriving creative/cultural industry.
What do you think is the importance of arts and culture in these times of technological developments and advancements?
There are more and more employment opportunities being created for young people in the Saudi Arabia in line with Vision 2030 – and not just within the cultural sector. Creative thinking, leadership, critical analysis – all skills that can be honed through taking part in cultural activity, and are increasingly valuable to employers and entrepreneurs, particularly at a time when the automation of jobs is increasing.
What is your organization’s role in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030?
We create opportunities in education (either through English learning, assessments or through Educational bodies like the Ministry of Education), soft skills development through our many projects and programs, and culture and arts through many different opportunities. By working together, we look forward to seeing the success of the educational and cultural goals of Vision 2030.
What are your cultural exchanges with Saudi Arabia? Are there any ongoing projects that foster cultural exchanges between Saudi Arabia and your country/ organization?
We are working together with local organizations to create partnerships and opportunities that best suit Saudi Arabia and the needs of Saudi youth, consistently. In early February, in partnership with the General Culture Authority, we hosted our first UK-GCC Creative Futures forum in Riyadh which explored the potential of the creative economies in KSA and the GCC. We are also currently undertaking a film skills research in partnership with Saudi Film Council. We have many plans that we will share soon.
What events with art and culture themes have you done in Riyadh? Any activities/events this year?
We have hosted many art and culture events in Riyadh and will continue to share these opportunities through our social media and website.
Are there collaboration/partnership opportunities with artists/creatives?
Always, those opportunities are constantly updated online through open calls and applications.
British Council
C14, Al-Fazary Square, Diplomatic Quarter Riyadh 11594 Saudi Arabia
Tel No.: 920003668
Website: www.britishcouncil.sa
Email: KSAINFO@sa.britishcouncil.org Twitter: @ksabritish
Instagram: @britishcouncilksa
Facebook: facebook.com/britishcouncilsaudiarabia
