The Culture Street program, on Habayeb FM Radio, hosted the media specialist and writer Saleh Gharib, Director of Programs at the Qatari Authors Forum, to talk about the Qatari cultural landscape and the Forum’s role therein. He noted in the discussion, moderated by the journalist Abdul Rahim Al-Hour, that the forum, as an official umbrella for writers and artists in Qatar, provides a platform embracing their creative works to be introduced and discussed. He added that Qatari publishing houses have contributed to the dissemination and distribution of Qatari books.

He pointed out that the Forum has always marked its presence at the Book Fair since its inception in 2017. Since then, the culture pavilion of the Forum has been a literary platform in the Fair from the morning to the end of the day. This was facilitated at the time by the Fair management’s agreement to ​​holding a session to discuss the book in the presence of its writer. Ever since, book inauguration has been an essential activity of Doha International Book Fair, which this year turned into a cultural incubator heralding a great cultural awakening, held professionally amid precautionary measures to prevent Covid-19.

He added that the Doha Fair and other Arab fairs created an important cultural basis on which the Arab cultural movement can be built, pointing to the distinction of Doha Fair by the large degree of freedom which Arab publishers enjoy, referring to the cultural heritage in Qatar since the establishment of the Qatari House of Books. He said: “When the Founder’s Collection was printed, cultural action took shape and we are enjoying its benefits today”.

 

He added that Doha has been able to serve as a beacon of Arab culture since the 2010 Doha Capital of Arab Culture Program, whose influence continues to date. This was followed by the outstanding event of naming Doha as the Capital of Culture in the Islamic World in 2021. There has been a sustained momentum in the cultural field from various State institutions, so that cultural events constantly attract their due attention.