Doha: Qatari Authors Café at Qatar University (QU) held another round of its weekly episode entitled “Historical glimpses of culture and Arts in Qatar” which focused on the peeks of the history of culture and arts in the country was delivered by well-known artist Dr. Saad Burshid.
Burshid spoke about the early days of Qatari culture, which dates back to the era of the founder, and it is an extension of the ancient Arab-Islamic culture.
The Qatari people are closely linked to their Arab-Islamic culture, and it is a conservative society. Therefore, culture in Qatar was limited to the arts of poetry and rhetoric. The founder, Sheikh Jassim bin Muhammad Al Thani, was a poet, storyteller and judge who collected all the cultural arts during his reign. Thus, his poetry has often been cited in Qatar during its modern history and until today.
QU Director of Student Activities Professor Abdullah Hamed Al Mulla said: “We at Qatar University are pleased with this distinguished cooperation with the Qatar Authors Forum, which resulted in the establishment of the “Authors Café” cultural platform, which represents a great opportunity for our students and the university community in general. General, to learn about various ideas and opinions, and constructive dialogue in matters of culture, thought, literature and the arts of all kinds.
Burshid said: “There are purely Qatari arts, such as the art of Al-Ardah, which is one of the ancient and inherited folk arts, and the art of Al-Muradah. There are other arts that have been associated with certain environments, such as “Al-Nahma,” where the Nahma was associated with the sea, as it is one of the folk arts associated with pearl fishing bearings to ease the difficulties for the sailors and enable them, by repeating it, to carry the heavy weight of the bearings carried by 20 men chanting a single musical sound that helps them bear weights.”
Moreover, he discussed the emergence of schools in Qatar since the beginning of the 20th century through the establishment of a religious school established by the ruler of Qatar, and it is the archaeological school that was established in 1913 and was primarily responsible for the ruler himself. And the most prominent clubs that were established and had a national resonance in Qatar - the Al-Tale’a Club, founded in 1959 and was closed by the occupation authorities in 1961.
The forum is an initiative of QU’s Department of Culture and Arts in the Student Activities Department in cooperation with the Qatar Authors Forum.
