لعقود طويلة ظلت الحركة الفنية والنهضة الثقافية والأدبية في المملكة محدودة، وذلك على الرغم من الإرث الثقافي والفني والأدبي الثري الذي طالما تميّزت به المملكة على مدار تاريخها الطويل، فالمملكة منارة عريقة في صرح الثقافة العربية ككل، غير أنه على الرغم من هذا الثراء والتنوع والعمق في العديد من المجالات الإنسانية لم تشهد المملكة نهضة فنية قوية أسوة بغيرها من الدول العربية الأخرى، وذلك حتى فترة زمنية قريبة جداً، وعلى نحو حرمها من الكثير من المزايا التي تستحقها على كل من الصعيد الفني والأدبي والحضاري.
تأخرت الحركة الفنية في المملكة عن مكانتها التي تستحقها بسبب العديد من الأسباب؛ لعل أهمها هو تغلغل فكر الصحوة مما نتج عنه فرض الكثير من القيود سواء على المواهب الفنية الشابة أو على تأسيس كليات ومعاهد فنية قادرة على استقطاب الكفاءات الفنية وصقلها لتتمكّن من إثراء الحركة الفنية بالمملكة، هذا الفكر حرم المملكة –بدوره- من الإسهام بشكل فعّال في إثراء الحركة الفنية العربية بما تملكه من مواهب وإمكانات عديدة في العديد من المجالات، وحرم المملكة نفسها من المشاركة الثرية في تحوّلات الحراك الثقافي والفني بصوره المختلفة.
لا شك أن مقاومة هذا النمط من التفكير المتشدّد لم تكن بالأمر البسيط ولا الهيّن، فقد تطلب الأمر إرادة صلبة وحسماً غير مسبوق، ولا شك أن النهضة الحديثة التي بدأت تتميّز بها المملكة كانت بحاجة ماسة لعنصرين أساسيين: وهما رؤية واضحة وطموحة كرؤية 2030، وحسم وانضباط في التنفيذ لضمان تحقيق وتنفيذ الأفكار الخلاقة والخطط الطموحة، وقد كان المستشار تركي آل الشيخ رئيس هيئة الترفيه على قدر المسؤولية، حيث تمكّن بفضل الله من رسم مستقبل المملكة الفني والترفيهي على نحو يمكّنها من تبوؤ مكانتها التي تستحقها، وبما يتفق مع أهداف وغايات رؤية 2030 الطموحة.
من المؤكد أن حصر كافة إنجازات ونجاحات تركي آل الشيخ في هذا الصعيد ليست بالمهمة السهلة، فقد تم تحقيق الكثير من النجاحات المتوالية، فالرجل بدأ مسيرته المتألقة باستبعاد كلمة مستحيل من قاموسه، ومنذ توليه رئاسة الهيئة العامة للترفيه تمكن من صنع نقلة نوعية في قطاع الترفيه، ولم تقتصر هذه النقلة النوعية على إطلاق عدد من الفعاليات أو الأنشطة أو المبادرات الفنية الفردية فحسب، بل أصبح إطلاق تلك الفعاليات (مثل موسم الرياض وموسم جدة) بمثابة بطاقة هوية فنية للمملكة، تستقطب من خلالها مشاهير وصناع هذا المجال، وهو ما حوّل المملكة لواحدة من أكبر الوجهات الفنية إقليمياً بل ودولياً أيضاً، وجعل المملكة قبلة لكبار ومشاهير هذه الصناعة.
من الواضح أن التأسيس لنهضة فنية لم يكن مجرد فكرة عابرة في تفكير تركي آل الشيخ، فالهدف ليس مجرد استقبال فعاليات فنية ورياضية على أراضي المملكة، بل توطين تلك الأنشطة والفعاليات وتحويلها لجزء لا يتجزأ من هوية المملكة الفنية والثقافية، وهو ما نراه متجسداً في إطلاق منصات ومسابقات مستدامة، كما أن سعيه الحثيث للتعاون مع منصات الترفيه العالمية المرموقة جعل المملكة شريكاً استراتيجياً عن حق في مجال الترفيه الفني والرياضي.
رغم التحديات التي واجهها تركي آل الشيخ في تطوير الحركة الفنية والترفيهية في المملكة إلا أنه واجهها ببسالة محارب، فهو لم يتنصل يوماً عن مسؤولياته ولم يدر ظهره أبداً لأي مهمة أسندتها له الدولة عند توليه قطاع الترفيه في المملكة، وقد استثمر الثقة التي منحتها له الدولة في تطوير النهضة الفنية في المملكة بأفضل طريقة ممكنة، ولا شك أن الدور الذي قام –ويقوم- به تركي آل الشيخ لا يمكن قصره على مجرد رئاسة هيئة رسمية بالمملكة؛ فالرجل يعيد رسم ملامح المملكة الفنية دولياً وإقليمياً ومحلياً.
وبخلاف إسهام إنجازاته في تنشيط مجال السياحة الداخلية يعيد دوماً اكتشاف المواهب السعودية الشابة بقدراتها الفنية الاستثنائية، ليرسم من جديد ملامح مستقبل المملكة الفني ويعظم من مواردها الفنية المبدعة والخلاقة. ومن الملاحظ أن الإنجازات الترفيهية التي تمّت بنجاح خلال الآونة الأخيرة بالمملكة تتعدى دعم الأنشطة المسرحية والموسيقية والغنائية والدراما ومجال صناعة الإنتاج السينمائي والعروض الفنية، على تنوعها واختلافها، إلى مجال رسم وتنفيذ السياسات الاستراتيجية التي تقدّم المملكة للعالم كوجهة ثقافية وترفيهية عالمية.
تابع قناة عكاظ على الواتساب
For decades, the artistic movement and cultural and literary renaissance in the Kingdom have remained limited, despite the rich cultural, artistic, and literary heritage that the Kingdom has long been distinguished by throughout its extensive history. The Kingdom is an ancient beacon in the edifice of Arab culture as a whole. However, despite this wealth, diversity, and depth in many human fields, the Kingdom did not witness a strong artistic renaissance comparable to that of other Arab countries until very recently, which deprived it of many advantages it deserves in both the artistic, literary, and civilizational spheres.
The artistic movement in the Kingdom has lagged behind its rightful place due to many reasons; perhaps the most important of which is the infiltration of the Awakening thought, which resulted in the imposition of many restrictions on both young artistic talents and the establishment of colleges and artistic institutes capable of attracting and honing artistic competencies to enrich the artistic movement in the Kingdom. This thought, in turn, deprived the Kingdom of contributing effectively to enriching the Arab artistic movement with its numerous talents and potentials in various fields, and it deprived the Kingdom itself of rich participation in the transformations of the cultural and artistic movement in its various forms.
There is no doubt that resisting this type of rigid thinking was not a simple or easy matter; it required a strong will and unprecedented determination. The modern renaissance that the Kingdom has started to distinguish itself with was in dire need of two essential elements: a clear and ambitious vision like Vision 2030, and decisiveness and discipline in execution to ensure the realization and implementation of creative ideas and ambitious plans. The advisor Turki Al Sheikh, the head of the Entertainment Authority, was up to the responsibility, as he was able, by God's grace, to chart the artistic and entertainment future of the Kingdom in a way that enables it to occupy the place it deserves, in line with the goals and objectives of the ambitious Vision 2030.
It is certainly not an easy task to encompass all the achievements and successes of Turki Al Sheikh in this regard, as many successive successes have been achieved. The man began his brilliant journey by excluding the word impossible from his vocabulary. Since assuming the presidency of the General Entertainment Authority, he has managed to make a qualitative leap in the entertainment sector. This qualitative leap was not limited to launching a number of events, activities, or individual artistic initiatives, but the launch of these events (such as Riyadh Season and Jeddah Season) has become an artistic identity card for the Kingdom, attracting celebrities and creators in this field, which has transformed the Kingdom into one of the largest artistic destinations regionally and internationally, making it a hub for the elite and celebrities of this industry.
It is clear that laying the foundation for an artistic renaissance was not just a fleeting idea in Turki Al Sheikh's thinking. The goal is not merely to host artistic and sporting events on the Kingdom's soil, but to localize these activities and events and transform them into an integral part of the Kingdom's artistic and cultural identity, which is embodied in the launch of sustainable platforms and competitions. His relentless pursuit of cooperation with prestigious global entertainment platforms has made the Kingdom a true strategic partner in the field of artistic and sporting entertainment.
Despite the challenges that Turki Al Sheikh faced in developing the artistic and entertainment movement in the Kingdom, he faced them with the bravery of a warrior. He has never shied away from his responsibilities and has never turned his back on any task assigned to him by the state when he took over the entertainment sector in the Kingdom. He has invested the trust granted to him by the state in developing the artistic renaissance in the Kingdom in the best possible way. There is no doubt that the role he has played—and continues to play—cannot be limited to merely heading an official authority in the Kingdom; the man is redefining the artistic features of the Kingdom internationally, regionally, and locally.
In addition to his contributions to invigorating the domestic tourism sector, he continually rediscovers young Saudi talents with their exceptional artistic abilities, reshaping the artistic future of the Kingdom and enhancing its creative and innovative artistic resources. It is noteworthy that the entertainment achievements that have been successfully accomplished recently in the Kingdom go beyond supporting theatrical, musical, singing, and dramatic activities, as well as the film production industry and artistic performances, in their diversity and differences, to the realm of drawing and implementing strategic policies that present the Kingdom to the world as a global cultural and entertainment destination.
The artistic movement in the Kingdom has lagged behind its rightful place due to many reasons; perhaps the most important of which is the infiltration of the Awakening thought, which resulted in the imposition of many restrictions on both young artistic talents and the establishment of colleges and artistic institutes capable of attracting and honing artistic competencies to enrich the artistic movement in the Kingdom. This thought, in turn, deprived the Kingdom of contributing effectively to enriching the Arab artistic movement with its numerous talents and potentials in various fields, and it deprived the Kingdom itself of rich participation in the transformations of the cultural and artistic movement in its various forms.
There is no doubt that resisting this type of rigid thinking was not a simple or easy matter; it required a strong will and unprecedented determination. The modern renaissance that the Kingdom has started to distinguish itself with was in dire need of two essential elements: a clear and ambitious vision like Vision 2030, and decisiveness and discipline in execution to ensure the realization and implementation of creative ideas and ambitious plans. The advisor Turki Al Sheikh, the head of the Entertainment Authority, was up to the responsibility, as he was able, by God's grace, to chart the artistic and entertainment future of the Kingdom in a way that enables it to occupy the place it deserves, in line with the goals and objectives of the ambitious Vision 2030.
It is certainly not an easy task to encompass all the achievements and successes of Turki Al Sheikh in this regard, as many successive successes have been achieved. The man began his brilliant journey by excluding the word impossible from his vocabulary. Since assuming the presidency of the General Entertainment Authority, he has managed to make a qualitative leap in the entertainment sector. This qualitative leap was not limited to launching a number of events, activities, or individual artistic initiatives, but the launch of these events (such as Riyadh Season and Jeddah Season) has become an artistic identity card for the Kingdom, attracting celebrities and creators in this field, which has transformed the Kingdom into one of the largest artistic destinations regionally and internationally, making it a hub for the elite and celebrities of this industry.
It is clear that laying the foundation for an artistic renaissance was not just a fleeting idea in Turki Al Sheikh's thinking. The goal is not merely to host artistic and sporting events on the Kingdom's soil, but to localize these activities and events and transform them into an integral part of the Kingdom's artistic and cultural identity, which is embodied in the launch of sustainable platforms and competitions. His relentless pursuit of cooperation with prestigious global entertainment platforms has made the Kingdom a true strategic partner in the field of artistic and sporting entertainment.
Despite the challenges that Turki Al Sheikh faced in developing the artistic and entertainment movement in the Kingdom, he faced them with the bravery of a warrior. He has never shied away from his responsibilities and has never turned his back on any task assigned to him by the state when he took over the entertainment sector in the Kingdom. He has invested the trust granted to him by the state in developing the artistic renaissance in the Kingdom in the best possible way. There is no doubt that the role he has played—and continues to play—cannot be limited to merely heading an official authority in the Kingdom; the man is redefining the artistic features of the Kingdom internationally, regionally, and locally.
In addition to his contributions to invigorating the domestic tourism sector, he continually rediscovers young Saudi talents with their exceptional artistic abilities, reshaping the artistic future of the Kingdom and enhancing its creative and innovative artistic resources. It is noteworthy that the entertainment achievements that have been successfully accomplished recently in the Kingdom go beyond supporting theatrical, musical, singing, and dramatic activities, as well as the film production industry and artistic performances, in their diversity and differences, to the realm of drawing and implementing strategic policies that present the Kingdom to the world as a global cultural and entertainment destination.


