A momentous cultural year

It took some time before the applause died down when the opening concert for the Qatar-France 2020 Year of Culture ended.

The success of the show demonstrated by the warm reception from the capacity audience envisages another auspicious cultural year with France as partner nation.

French maestro Marc Piollet led the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra performing a Qatari composition and French classics at the acclaimed concert on January 10 at Katara Opera House.

It’s no surprise why many people are drawn towards French art and culture — two of the main reasons why France is the most visited destination in the world. Paris alone had become a major tourist spot not only for its vibrant fashion houses and sophisticated cuisine but, more importantly, its marvellous architecture and endless incredible art collections contained in its big renowned museums.

For the rest of the year, people in Qatar will experience various facets of French culture while those in France of the rich Qatari culture through the eighth edition of Qatar Museum’s Year of Culture initiative which will see events that not only delight but also leave lasting impact on the peoples of both countries.

The day prior to the opening concert, people in Qatar already had a foretaste of French culture at the 30th edition of Doha International Book Fair where France was the guest of honour.

The central space of the fair’s venue was designed to resemble a French square that exuded a Parisian ambience where people could saunter around or enjoy coffee while reading a book they just purchased or watching a musician perform.

Visitors to the well-decked up French pavilion relished the Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century France through the collection of culture, arts and philosophy books on display in addition to a presentation on state-of-the-art digital technology  that makes visit to French monuments even more exciting.

But it was just the beginning of the profusion of events for the Year’s programme which H E Franck Gellet, Ambassador of France to Qatar, described as “very rich and high in quality” focusing on various art forms, cinema, music, and culinary art as well as scientific, academic and university cooperation.

As part of the programme, a number of emerging Qatari designers are currently taking part in the Maison&Objet, a pioneering design trade fair being held in Paris.

On January 23, the Qatar Philharmonic will be performing at the Qatar National Library (QNL) chamber music by Claude Debussy and Gabriel Fauré — two of the most influential French composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Also happening this month will be “The Night of Ideas” which is a multidisciplinary debate mixing culture and Science on the theme “Being Alive” to be held at Msheireb Museums.

February will feature a diverse array of events in  both countries including “Our World is Burning” — a group exhibition featuring Qatari artists Bouthayna Al Muftah and Faraj Daham to be held at Palais de Tokyo in Paris, screenings of Made in Qatar short films supported by Doha Film institute (DFI) at Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival (CFISFF) which is the biggest short film festival, and a concert by the Qatar Philharmonic shining the spotlight on three prominent French composers Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy and Gabriel Fauré.

Music, educational workshops, and outstanding exhibitions highlight the month of March, beginning with Katara Opera House’s hosting of  “Paris Cultural Magnet Extraordinaire,” a combination of conference and concert presented in partnership with Qatar Music Academy in which the musicians will give glimpses of major musical events that took place in Paris from the 1830 through to the middle of the 20th century.

Also in March, “Picasso’s Studios” exhibition featuring dozens of artworks from the Musée National Picasso-Paris collection will open at Doha Fire Station, while an exhibition by Franco-Moroccan artist Yto Barrada will be launched at Mathat: Arab Museum of Modern Art.

A special programme of films and workshops on astronomy will be organised at Al Thuraya Planetarium, Qatar’s first astronomical dome, in partnership with Cité de l’Espace in Toulouse, a very popular tourist destination in France and in Europe.

There will also be screenings of Parade — a film of the 1917 ballet imagined by Diaguilev and the Ballets Russes with music by Eric Satie, one-act scenario by Jean Cocteau and costume and set design by Pablo Picasso, and reinterpreted by Europa Danse company.

The Qatar Philharmonic will stage two concerts in April, one at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) dubbed “April in Paris” and another at QNL titled “Nuit française, beau soir.” Both are chamber music shows in which the Philharmonic will play masterpieces by renowned French composers Debussy and Ravel.

Goût de France, a gastronomy event and exhibition, will be held at IDAM restaurant and the MIA Library. The event will see IDAM’s chef recreate ancient recipes inspired by famous French chefs and the masterpieces of the MIA  collection. A series of French gastronomy books will also be displayed at MIA Library.

In Spring, a panel discussion on “Women Empowerment: The Case of Qatar” will be held in Paris in partnership with Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) and Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po).

A selection of films co-produced by DFI and France will be presented at Institut du monde arabe in Paris in June.

“French Illuminations,” an exhibition presented by QNL and Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF)-French National Library, will be held between September to December at QNL.

It will be a busy October with a series of exciting exhibitions, film events and conferences, one of which is the “Cities and Climate Change” conference during Qatar Sustainability Week, organised in partnership with Qatar Green Building Council.

Three exhibitions are set to launch in separate venues in October. They include a tribute to photography through “A Discovery Put to the Service of All: Louis Lumière,” an exhibition on photography and orientalism at QNL; French Modern Art exhibition curated by renowned art historian Catherine Grenier at the National Museum of Qatar; and exhibition of acclaimed contemporary French artist Philippe Parreno at Al Riwaq Gallery.
MIA will also host DFI’s “French Cinema: Tribute to Agnès Varda,” a French filmmaker whose works were influential to the development of the French New Wave film movement during the 1950s and 1960s.

France will have a big participation in the seventh edition of Katara European Jazz Festival in November. Fifteen musicians who are members of the French National Jazz Orchestra will be on stage at the opening of the festival.

A selection of French short films co-curated by CFISFF and DFI will screen at the eighth edition of Ajyal Film Festival at Katara Cultural Village.

The final concert of the Year of Culture is slated to be held at Qatar National Convention Center in December featuring the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of French conductor Christophe Rousset.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of Qatar-France 2020 Year of Culture, H E Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari, Minister of State, underlined the big impact the Year of Culture initiative among countries while highlighting the strong relationship between Qatar and France.

“Since the programme was established in 2012, it was clear to us, that the French Republic – with its distinctive cultural position on the world’s map and the heritage of its civilization – would be an ideal partner nation.

As we officially launch this edition, we are confident that it will be both successful and distinctive,” said the State Minister.

Gellet shared the same view saying, “2020 is an exceptional opportunity to celebrate the strength, depth and dynamism of the relationship of friendship and partnership that unite our two countries through culture and art which are the common language amongst communities and societies of the world.”

“For Qataris, it will be an opportunity to better understand our dynamism of creativity and our cultural institutions, and, for the French, to explore Qatar’s culture, history and ambitions,” he stressed.