Ministry of Culture

This ministry is part of Vekllei

The Ministry of Culture is a devolved ministry of the Government of Vekllei. It has a broad mandate that includes cultural preservation and promotion, but also media, telecommunications and sports.

The constituent bureaux and organisations of the ministry serve a variety of roles. Vekllei is a deeply multicultural society and comprises dozens of indigenous and foreign languages and cultures. Its role in this context is twofold; the promotion and preservation of cultural diversity, but also the promotion and preservation of common beliefs, languages and civic principles that unify Vekllei as a country. This includes the promotion of English as a functional language, a decision made for practical rather than historical or cultural purposes. It also serves an important role in integrating migrants through the promotion of community activities and events.

In addition, the ministry outlines the roles and restrictions of news media and telecommunications. Though Vekllei people and press have freedom of speech protected under their Civil Rights, communications and media agencies have standards set by the ministry or industry. The ministry also has a hand in postal services, sports, and cultural institutions of national significance. Common responsibilities of the ministry include:

• Celebration and promotion of Vekllei traditional languages and cultures
• Welcoming and integration of migrants into Vekllei society
• Management of press and news media, often as a standards authority and regulator
• Management of postal services and telecommunications
• Promotion of literature, arts and film to ordinary people, and to encourage their participation in culture
• Celebration and recognition of Vekllei arts and culture
• Management of national arts institutes, archives and libraries

The Ministry of Culture is led by the State Secretary of Culture, who is a member of the Cabinet. It is represented in the Commonwealth Council by the First Minister of Culture.

The ministry plays a major role in the organisation of festivals and large cultural products, like feature films. In these cases, it serves as a neutral production role and has no ability to dictate or censor content. The ministry may also be commissioned by government or industry to produce documentaries or publish information on subjects, for which it performs the same neutral production role.