CHAIRMAN: DR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: DR. KHALID MUBARAK AL-SHAFI

Qatar

Qatar believes in value of diversity, multiculturalism

Published: 17 Nov 2018 - 01:20 am | Last Updated: 10 Nov 2021 - 09:49 pm
Minister of Culture and Sports H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali attending the philharmonic concert held on Thursday under the title “28 Different Cultures of One Tone”, showing the cultural diversity and how it can contribute to building a single cultural edif

Minister of Culture and Sports H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali attending the philharmonic concert held on Thursday under the title “28 Different Cultures of One Tone”, showing the cultural diversity and how it can contribute to building a single cultural edif

QNA

St Petersburg: Qatar’s cultural activities continued for the second day within its participation in the 7th St Petersburg International Cultural Forum in Russia.

The State of Qatar is the guest of honour at this forum for the first time. It is within the context of the Qatar Russia 2018 Year of Culture during which many joint events will be held throughout the year in order to strengthen the future partnership and ties between the two countries and their peoples.

In the second day, there was a ministerial session entitled “Unified Cultural Space, Truth or Myth”, which was addressed by Minister of Culture and Sports H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali together with other speakers, including Minister of Culture of Russia Vladimir Medinsky and Italian Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities Alberto Bonisoli.

H E Salah bin Ghanem said that Qatar, like other countries, has a unique culture and that all its individuals believe in the value of diversity and multiculturalism, pointing out that there are more than 150 nationalities in the State of Qatar, which reflect the culture of coexistence among nations.

The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra’s concert, which was held on Thursday at the St Petersburg Forum under the theme “28 different cultures, one tune”, reflected the cultural diversity and contributed to the creation of a single cultural edifice representing common values and one human civilization.

He pointed out that the issue of cultural diversity in the State of Qatar is not a slogan but a reality that is being promoted, adding that the State of Qatar is hosting the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue, which contributes to building dialogue among different civilizations and cultures, and Qatar Foundation for Education and Science and Community Development, which is an example of promoting knowledge and cultures through its global universities and colleges, where more than 3,000 students from different cultures are working to deepen mutual understanding of cultures.

He also touched on Modern Art Expo organised by Qatar at the forum where artists’ participations in the exhibition brought together Qataris and residents alike. A visitor to Qatar Museums or the Cultural Village-Katara understands the value of culture in the country as it opens the horizons of knowledge and brings people closer, he said.

As for the activities of the Doha Film Institute (DFI), he stressed the importance of cultural exchange among artists in the world, adding that the DFI also provides an opportunity to exchange cultures among all film professionals around the world to produce and showcase their films at the Ajyal Film Festival.

For her part, Fatima Hassan Al Rumaihi, CEO of Doha Film Institute, said: “This hosting enhances the strong partnership between the State of Qatar and Russia through seminars that discuss the opportunities and challenges facing young Qatari and Russian artists and highlight the talent of selected films produced by the Ajyal, which varied between short films and popular film making.”

“The true essence of culture lies in its universality. It is a common denominator between countries and peoples. It is the characteristic of every people and every country. Hence, culture is the cornerstone of our culture. And the source of inspiration from which we derive our heritage, which we cherish and seek to preserve,” said Mashael Hassan Al Nuaimi, Head of Community Development at the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF). She stressed that Qatar Foundation believes in the strong influence of culture, which enables us to open to the cultures of peoples, appreciation and learning, and inspire us towards building a modern and tolerant society.