Qatar 365 explores the infinite world of literature, from getting more children to read and spend more time at libraries, to getting crafty with Arabic calligraphy. We also visit Qatar’s first girls’ school, now turned into a museum, to honour the woman who fought for women’s education.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00The spirit of Islam from China to Andalusia, each area and from each culture.
00:10So we find the Arabic calligraphy in ceramics, coins, we find in mosques, we find in stones.
00:22Hello and welcome to Qatar 365 with me, Adil Haleem.
00:25On this episode, we're immersing ourselves into the world of books and literature.
00:30We'll explore how reading can fuel creativity and how the written word can be an art form
00:35that lasts centuries.
00:37But first, Laila Humara went across Doha to find out how the organizations are thinking
00:42outside the box to get children interested in books.
00:46Meet Ramli, he's a familiar face at the children's section of the Qatar National Library and
00:54today is his special day.
00:57Ramli has been officially inaugurated as a QNL's mascot and the kids are thrilled.
01:03His name is Ramli, just a minute, Ramli, come here for a second.
01:08This is Ramli, let me introduce you to him.
01:11Ramli is a desert fox, he's very affectionate, don't worry, he's not like the other foxes
01:17that bite or anything.
01:18This fox is very affectionate and amazing and he loves children a lot.
01:21Inspired by the Arabian desert fox, the library hopes to instill the same sense of inquisitiveness
01:27and adventurous nature as the animal to children all around Qatar.
01:32Ramli, for us at the Qatar National Library, symbolizes the love of the library, the passion
01:37for reading.
01:38Of course, Ramli loves reading, he loves to play and he's very playful.
01:42He will always be present, God willing, to spread the love of knowledge to the children.
01:48Ramli the mascot is among many initiatives put together to encourage children to read more
01:55and spend more time in libraries.
02:04One way to do that is through storytelling sessions, which Ibrahim frequently leads.
02:18For example, I try to speak to a bad person and then the poor person comes and runs away.
02:24I try to change my voice from time to time.
02:26This attracts the attention of the children and draws them to the stories.
02:31They start by reading the stories to remember these moments and they start by imitating them.
02:36From the local library to an international book fair, where every year the sprawling
02:4229,000 square metre Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre is packed with activities celebrating books and reading.
02:51The 33rd edition of the Doha International Book Fair has attracted more than 500 publishers
02:56from over 40 countries, where the focus goes beyond just books.
03:01Through musical performances, calligraphy, live storytelling and interactive booths
03:06for people of all ages, organisers are hoping to inspire visitors to make knowledge
03:11and creativity a central chapter of their lives.
03:15A traditional dance troupe from Oman takes to the stage for a special performance.
03:20As this year's Guest of Honour country, they get to put on a show for visitors
03:25and give them a taste of Omani hospitality.
03:29This is a source of pride and encouragement for us to work together
03:34in exchange for cultural and intellectual exchange.
03:39The Japanese Embassy has also drawn quite a crowd.
03:43They've come for a lesson on origami and a demonstration of Japanese calligraphy,
03:48but some have stayed to flip through a few books about the culture.
03:53We have also a number of different kinds of books,
03:56ranging from Japanese language textbooks for those who want to learn Japanese,
04:01and also some books about tourism in Japan.
04:07Kazuto says the crowd gets bigger every year, not just at Japan's booth,
04:12an indication that interest in literature, no matter where they're from,
04:16transcends borders and cultures.
04:21As literature and education go hand-in-hand,
04:24Liwan Design Studios has a permanent exhibition celebrating the life
04:28of Qatar's pioneering educator, Amna Mahmood Al Jaida.
04:32Honour the past to celebrate the future, Qatar's educational vision
04:36pays tribute to the founder and first principal of Qatar's inaugural girls' school.
04:42I sat down with Qatar Museum's Sheikha Reem Al Thani
04:45to find out how archival material dating back to 1938
04:49is being used to highlight the school's impact on multiple generations of Qatari women.
04:57Sheikha Reem, how does this exhibition celebrate the legacy of Amna Mahmood Al Jaida?
05:02Well, it really is a homage to her and to what she has done for the education system,
05:09but also for women education.
05:11She is someone who was fighting for women's education
05:15and talked to the families of the different girls
05:19to see how can she bring them first into the Qatar system
05:23and actually have it in her house as a safe space.
05:26And that fight literally meant going door-to-door
05:28to convince families to send their daughters to school.
05:31How was that received at the time?
05:33At the time, you could see even from our newspapers,
05:36and we have some of those on display here in what used to be her office,
05:40definitely there was some backlash,
05:42definitely it was a hard uphill battle for her to go through,
05:47but it was very fruitful.
05:49And you see also pictures that we have here documented from the time
05:55actually on the same exact courtyard that you see outside
05:59of the girls sitting down around her,
06:01and it's one of the only images that we have actually of her,
06:04and she's teaching them Quran.
06:06And behind us actually is her Quran,
06:08her personal Quran that she would be teaching people,
06:11and it's handwritten, and it's in impeccable shape.
06:14We're sitting in what used to be the principal's office,
06:16and there's archived material that dates back to 1938.
06:19What are some of the things that visitors can expect when they come here?
06:22So when you come to this exhibition,
06:24the intention was to actually first document.
06:28Their histories in Qatar are not always very written down.
06:32We're collecting people more than documenting people,
06:34and this was a great example of this,
06:36us having to go back in the timeline to verify information,
06:40objects, where did they come from, all the stories behind them.
06:43They even have on one of these walls, there's a map of Qatar.
06:47At that time, there wasn't a geography book,
06:51so the teachers here did that themselves.
06:53They actually created the map of Qatar with all this geography,
06:57and we're teaching it to the students.
06:59So these are some of the things you can see here.
07:02Why was it important to make this a permanent exhibition at Liwan?
07:05This exhibition is actually a partnership with a class that I teach at VCU,
07:10where since I am someone who's been in exhibition design for a very long time,
07:15and I've been working with the museums,
07:17it's something that I have seen with students and people coming in
07:21just out of university, especially for design,
07:23where they're seeing their conceptual work,
07:26but how do you actually create it within the physical world?
07:29So I started this class with VCU with this intention.
07:33For you personally, what does Amna's legacy mean?
07:36Well, I do believe if she hadn't had that fight to actually have girls,
07:41have a safe space for girls to go into education, we wouldn't be here.
07:48The art of Arabic calligraphy is at the heart of Qatar's thriving literary scene.
07:53The ancient writing style is a prized tradition
07:56and a key part of the cultural heritage of the region.
07:59Amna Hoos visited the Museum of Islamic Art to put her pen to paper
08:02and learn more about the centuries-old practice.
08:07A combination of the Greek words kolos and grapho,
08:10calligraphy literally means beautiful writing.
08:13The art form traces back thousands of years
08:16but is still taught in classrooms like this one,
08:18where budding artists are escaping the summer sun
08:21to get crafty with letters and words.
08:24In calligraphy, you need three basic materials,
08:27paper, pen and ink.
08:29But as I'm finding out at this creative calligraphy workshop
08:32hosted by the Museum of Islamic Art,
08:34the simplicity of the toolkit is deceiving
08:37because painting with words is anything but simple.
08:40Push it straight. No, no, no. Push it.
08:42Push. Don't come like this. Push. Like this.
08:46But don't change the angle.
08:48Arabic calligraphy, it depends on rules.
08:52First, how to hold the pen in the correct angle.
08:56So you need a teacher to learn how to hold the correct angle
09:01and then you can practice in the correct way.
09:03The museum hosts workshops for calligraphy enthusiasts of all ages.
09:08From seasoned artists to first-timers,
09:11they are all inspired by the Arabic calligraphy on display in the museum.
09:27It takes hard work and patience.
09:31Workshop host Hussein has more patience than most.
09:34He has been perfecting the art of writing for decades
09:37to master not one, but many of the different styles
09:40that have evolved over the centuries.
09:42We have five classic scripts.
09:46We have Kufik, we have Rub'a,
09:49we have Nasr, we have Nasr Taliq,
09:52we have Diwani.
09:54Each script needs time.
09:56It needs a long time to be perfect in it.
10:00The spread of Islam from China to Andalus,
10:03each area adds from each culture.
10:08So we find the Arabic calligraphy in ceramics,
10:12coins, we find in mosques,
10:15we find in textiles.
10:17Decorative handwriting is used as a visual expression of faith
10:21in many religions, with verses from holy scripts
10:24adorning places of worship around the world.
10:27Here at Qatar's Minaretayn Mosque,
10:29verses from the Quran are a distinctive feature
10:32in a design by Iraqi architect and calligrapher Taha al-Hitti.
10:36The artist, Taha, chose one of the surahs in the Holy Quran.
10:41It's called Al-Hujurat.
10:43And this specific surah that he chose
10:45talks about the morals and values
10:48that we as humans should have.
10:50Respect, honesty, do not talk about others behind their back,
10:53do not spy, be respectful, trustworthy,
10:56and he surrounded the whole building with it.
10:58Calligraphy graces the Minaretayn Mosque outside and in,
11:02with the traditional handwriting seamlessly blending
11:05with contemporary architectural design.
11:08He was so creative in building this building,
11:10the Minaretayn building, and specifically the Minaretayn Mosque,
11:13because he chose to use his creativity,
11:15blending the modern perspective
11:17and the beauty of Arabic calligraphy.
11:20Equally striking is the penmanship on Mosque 27
11:23on Qatar's Cataiphan Island.
11:25The traditional verses are another prime example
11:28of Qatar's efforts to mix old and new,
11:31captivating worshippers and non-worshippers alike.
11:38From international book fairs
11:40to ancient calligraphy that stood the test of time,
11:43and a look back at the first ever girl school in Qatar,
11:46we hope you enjoyed this episode,
11:48but that's all the time we have for now.
11:50For more, check out euronews.com
11:51and connect with us through a hashtag.
11:53Thanks for watching, and we'll see you next time on Qatar 365.