عربي
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) and Ministry of Culture (MOC)
Press Release by Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) and Ministry of Culture (MOC) on the occasion of Palestinian National Culture Day
To mark Palestinian National Culture Day on March 13th, PCBS and MoC have reviewed the status of cultural institutions in Palestine in 2018.
The Number of Cultural Centers Operating in Palestine Reduced from the Previous Year
There were 597 cultural centers operating in Palestine in 2018. While the number of cultural centers operating in Palestine was 625 in 2017.
The gap between the West Bank and Gaza Strip is still clear in the number of cultural centers.
Distribution of Cultural Centers Operating in Palestine by Region for Selected Years
|
Region |
2011 |
2014 |
2017 |
2018 |
|
Palestine |
597 |
666 |
625 |
597 |
|
West Bank |
531 |
583 |
545 |
528 |
|
Gaza Strip |
66 |
83 |
80 |
69 |
Cultural centers, that responded[1], reported providing about 9.5 thousand cultural activities in 2018. While In 2017, the number of activities was about 9 thousand.
Training Courses continue to rank first among cultural activities held in cultural centers.
Percentage Distribution of Activities Held in Operating Cultural Centers in Palestine by Type of Activity for Selected Years
|
Type of Activity |
2011 |
2014 |
2017 |
2018 |
|
Training Courses |
63.5 |
67.6 |
72.1 |
65.0 |
|
Performances |
13.7 |
13.9 |
12.9 |
16.5 |
|
Lectures |
10.1 |
7.7 |
5.7 |
9.2 |
|
Seminars |
10.3 |
9.2 |
6.7 |
7.3 |
|
Exhibitions |
2.4 |
1.6 |
2.6 |
2.0 |
|
Total (%) |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Total (#) |
10,630 |
9,204 |
9,345 |
9,534 |
About 462 Thousand People Participated in Cultural Activities of Operating Cultural Centers in Palestine
In 2018, about 462 thousand people participated in cultural activities of the operating cultural centers that responded: about 388 thousand participants in the West Bank and 74 thousand participants in Gaza Strip. The highest participation in cultural activities was in Ramallah & Al-Bireh Governorate with about 121 thousand participants. In 2017, about 515 thousand people participated in cultural activities.
Distribution of Participants in Cultural Activities Held in Operating Cultural Centers by Governorate, 2018
About 337 Thousand Visitors to Museums
There were 33 museums operating in Palestine in 2018: 28 museums in the West Bank (two of them did not respond) and 5 museums in Gaza Strip. There were about 337 thousand visitors to the museums, which provided data: 80% were Palestinians and 20% from other nationalities. The results showed that the largest number of visitors was in March with about 63 thousand , while the lowest number was in January with about 13 thousand visitors. In 2017, the number of visitors to museums totaled about 358 thousand.
41% of Theater Plays were for Adults
There were 16 operating theaters in Palestine: 13 in the West Bank (one of them did not respond) and 3 in Gaza Strip. 347 plays were performed in Palestine in 2018: 256 plays in the West Bank and 91 in Gaza Strip. Of those, 41% of plays were for adults, 28% were for children, and 31% were for both children and adults. There were about 85 thousand theater attendees, the highest number was in May with about 9 thousand attendees, followed by October with about 8 thousand attendees. In 2017, the number of theater attendees totaled about 90 thousand.
Jerusalem is the Permanent Capital for Arabic and Islamic Culture[2]
Jerusalem was announced as the permanent capital for Arabic and Islamic culture according to the decision of the Ministers of Culture in the Islamic conference dated on 29/11/2018 in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, as well as the decision of the conference of Arab Ministers of Culture dated on 28/10/2010.
There were 51 cultural centers operating in Jerusalem governorate in 2018: 13 of them did not respond. While there were 4 museums and two theaters operating in Jerusalem governorate in 2018.
Cultural centers, that responded, in Jerusalem governorate reported providing 849 cultural activities in 2018: 656 of those activities were training courses, 99 lectures, 68 performances, 18 exhibitions and 8 seminars.
In 2018, about 29 thousand people participated in cultural activities of the operating cultural centers, that responded, in Jerusalem governorate: More than half of them participated in training courses.
Percentage Distribution of Participants in Cultural Activities Held in Cultural Centers in Jerusalem Governorate by Type of Activity, 2018
The Ministry of Culture Supported Organizing Festivals and Exhibitions
In 2018, the Ministry of Culture supported organizing heritage and cultural festivals and exhibitions of handicrafts as follows: 14 festivals, the 11th Palestine International Book Fair (with the participation of more than 500 Arab and international publishing houses) and 3 heritage exhibitions.
The value of spending on organizing the festivals from the budget of the Ministry of Culture and Cultural Development Fund was about 130 thousand NIS during 2018.
The value of spending on organizing the exhibitions from the budget of the Ministry of Culture and Cultural Development Fund was about 2.5 million NIS during 2018.
According to theaters; the value of spending on supporting theaters including theater production was about 556 thousand NIS from the budget of the Ministry of Culture and Cultural Development Fund for the same year.
The Sources:
1. Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, 2019. Database of Comprehensive Survey on Cultural Centers, Museums and Theaters, 2018. Ramallah - Palestine.
2. Ministry of Culture 2019. Directorate of Planning & Project Management. Database of Administrative Records, 2018. Ramallah – Palestine.