The values ​​and messages that drama is supposed to reflect to consolidate national identity on the second day of the Syrian drama workshop

Damascus-SANA

The workshop (Syrian Drama… Thought Industry and Social Responsibility), which was held by the Ministry of Information and the Film and Television Industry Committee, at Al-Sham Hotel in Damascus, on its second day, carried contents that poured into the drama’s content, values ​​and messages that it is supposed to reflect in consolidating the national identity.

The workshop, which was moderated by Dr. Akram Al-Qash, discussed a working paper presented by the Director-General of the General Organization for Television and Radio Production, Ahmed Al-Khidr, entitled (The Role of the Public Sector in the National Drama Industry), in which he talked about the Syrian state’s interest in drama and giving it priority to be the image of the country at home and abroad and in a confrontation The so-called soft power in the intellectual invasion by transforming television works into a dramatic industry that entered into competition with Arab drama and was implanted in the consciousness of the Arab recipient.

Al-Khidr explained that the institution was established to be a support and safety valve for Syrian dramatists and achieved success at the level of the Arab arena, but the international and economic changes and the external boycott affected its work between 2013 and 2016. And participatory thought with the private sector, whether on the financial, marketing or knowledge level, provided that high-quality content is provided.

He stressed that the institution, with all its equipment and logistical techniques, will be in the service of the Syrian drama process in order to restore the leadership of the Syrian drama on the level of the Arab arena, especially that we are facing strong competition in this field.

The second paper, presented by Dr. Nahla Issa, was titled (Social Conditionality for Syrian TV Drama), in which she explained the importance of Syrian drama within society as it is an industry in itself. And with it we move to the concept of production shops.

She stressed the need to focus on the volume and type of production, not only the amount of money spent in it, as the basis for the existence of such numbers in dramatic productions at the present time is inflation, pointing out that Syrian drama is experiencing a crisis and needs strategy, standards, institutionalization and a real renaissance away from the financial and legal procedural aspect.

Speaking about the most important issues that make drama a dangerous role and that push us to stand at the content and not at the numbers, Issa said: “The viewer does not realize the extent of the symbolic and textual complexity in the drama. Encouraging dramatic writing workshops because it is not made by an individual but rather a collective industry. Young people must be motivated to produce and present new ideas away from repetition and vulgarity.

Dr. Imad Fawzi Shuaibi, in his paper (Relationships between political, social and economic variables and between the potential effects of drama on cultural identity and the supreme interest of the state), focused on the difference between criticism and criticism, pointing out that the logic of criticism must rely on the correct definition and scrutiny of the topics of criticism in a way that does not affect the national identity. It distorts societal realities and distances the viewer from the positive reality and the obstacles that prevent reaching the wishes of the Syrian citizen.

Shuaibi added: “Art should not be restricted and bound also with frameworks that prevent it from creativity. The condition for creativity is freedom,” explaining that art without a philosophy that combines creativity with national identity and the supreme interest of the state is an art without a project and without a core issue that leads to access to a developing and civilized future, and thus it is an art without identity. It is against man and not in favor of building society.

He explained that the success of any message depends primarily on overcoming the noise surrounding that message, which dominates its real content in some cases, indicating that the message of art is based on defining societal identity within the framework of the supreme state interest in partnership with the citizen's personal interests.

The interventions in which the producers, directors, stars and technicians discussed the problems facing the essence of their work and the suggestions that would be solutions to face the difficulties in the drama making process and contribute to its development.

Minister of Information, Dr. Boutros Hallaq, said at the end of the workshop: “We must move towards institutionalization to develop dramatic work and develop a sophisticated strategy. The most important thing is to implement this strategy and identify the mandatory points in it, foremost of which is the supreme interest of the state, taking into account the interests of private production companies, which achieves a mutual rent for both parties.”

Minister Hallaq pointed out the importance of reaching a rational discourse that guarantees partnership between the private sector and the General Organization for Television and Radio Production, by taking advantage of the weaknesses and strengths of the two sides and providing mutual facilities from each side.

In his intervention between the Minister of Finance, Dr. Kinan Yaghi, the general budget allocates funds for film production on an annual basis, stressing support for any activity that achieves an added value and clarifying the problem with regard to dealing in foreign currency, as there are no restrictions on its transfer and possession, but rather restrictions related to trading.

The head of the Artists Syndicate, Mohsen Ghazi, said: “There is a group of artists who migrated in search of job opportunities in front of the temptations presented to them in terms of wages and to meet their ambition and artistic project. and television and monitor the material capabilities that contribute to the development of its work in addition to the interest in providing facilities related to the production process and tax exemptions and the creation of a body to develop work in the field of drama.

The workshop, which was attended by specialists from writers, directors, producers, stars, technicians and media professionals, discussed in its sessions yesterday the interactive and problematic relations between the authorities responsible for the drama industry in Syria, the impact of the dramatic text as a heavy industry in the collective mind, and the obstacles facing technicians working in the field of drama.

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