Benghazi:Ibrahim Hadia Al-Majbari, Head of the High Committee for Celebrating Benghazi as the Arab Capital of Culture 2026, has announced his resignation from the committee's chairmanship, citing a lack of funding.
According to Libyan News Agency, Al-Majbari attributed his decision to the absence of necessary funding and executive support to move from the preparatory phase to the actual implementation of the cultural program, despite ongoing efforts and communications with relevant authorities.
Al-Majbari stated that the committee had developed a comprehensive celebration program within its mandate and resources. This program aimed to highlight Benghazi's cultural significance through various events and projects. He praised the committee members for their dedication in finalizing the program and completing preparatory work.
He expressed gratitude to Dr. Saliha Al-Darouqi, Minister of Culture and Arts, Salem Al-Alam, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, and Mabrouka Toghi, former Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, for their support and confidence in the committee through successive decrees.
Al-Majbari noted that while promises of support had been made, they did not translate into the concrete commitments required to launch the program. He suggested that existing cultural events in Benghazi could have been integrated into the "Benghazi: Arab Capital of Culture 2026" initiative to enhance the city's cultural presence.
He highlighted the success of the previous High Committee for Benghazi as the Capital of Culture in the Islamic World (2023-2024), which benefited from political support and executed a program worthy of the city. Al-Majbari emphasized that the current challenge is securing resources, not organizational capacity.
He urged authorities to protect this cultural initiative, provide necessary resources to future leaders of the project, and work towards unifying Benghazi's cultural activities under the "Benghazi: Capital of Arab Culture 2026" banner.