IT HAS been almost a decade since Qatar began to celebrate its cultural ties with different countries of the world through cultural exchange programmes to introduce its and other nation’s culture to Qataris and international audience in Qatar.
The annual culture exchange programmes and activities runs throughout the year. These are designed to promote mutual understanding and organising variety of exhibitions, festivals, competitions and events at the Cultural Village Katara and Qatar Museums.
These require participations of people representing certain cultures to explore their cultural characters, features, similarities, to make audience understand the similarities and differences.
With the conclusion of Qatar-India 2019 Year of Culture last year and the organising Qatar Russia 2018 Year of Culture a year before that, the Cultural Village Katara is now hosting the Qatar–France 2020 Year of Culture, to enable people from the two cultures to explore their similarities and celebrate their differences and introduce their cultures to audience from different parts of the world.
On Friday at Katara, the cultures of Qatar and France shared a single venue in a grand musical celebration serving as an ideal way to mark the beginning of the Qatar-France 2020 Year of Culture which is set to be an exciting 12 months filled with festivals, art exhibitions and performances. The opening concert was introduced by Minister of State H E Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari, and Ambassador of France to Qatar H E Franck Gellet, in addition to a number of ambassadors, diplomats and media representatives.
Al Kawari noted that French Republic with its distinctive cultural position on the world’s map and the heritage of its civilization would be an ideal partner nation expressing his confidence that this year edition of the cultural year will be successful and distinctive. As Qatar celebrates its cultural ties, Al Kawari emphasised the relations between the Arab and the Islamic civilisation and French culture which is rooted in the depth of history.
He presented the famous poem written by the renowned French writer and poet Victor Hugo as example in which Hugo wrote praise for the Prophet Muhammad, Peace Be Upon Him. For his part the French Ambassador H E Franck Gellet said; “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.”
