The Qatari Forum for Authors, as part of the first episode of the “Arab Intellectuals in Doha” event, hosted the Algerian writer Mr. Taqi Eldin Boskin and the Lebanese visual artist Mr. Jamal al-Qudmani, who are currently visiting Doha.
Mr. Saleh Gharib, Programs Director, moderated the session and discussed with the two guests a number of cultural issues on how to benefit from various experiences and build bridges of cultural communication among Arab countries. The session was broadcast on YouTube.
Mr. Boskin talked about his writing journey which he started at a young age, where he grew up in a family of well-established intellectuals. He explained that although writing is an individual work, acculturation and intellectual exchange are necessary for writers and thinkers; which is usually offered by seminars and intellectual forums. “There are serious attempts in Algeria to introduce Gulf and Qatari literature, as Katara Foundation managed to draw attention to the Qatari literary scene; and some Qatari publishing houses have succeeded to establish a good rank for them in Algeria.”, he added.
For his part, Mr. al-Qudmani stressed that culture, literature and arts represent an interconnected and integrated unit. Despite the specificity of each field, they are all integrated and overlapping. The visual artist, therefore, needs to read a literary text; and the poet needs to see a beautiful painting. The painter uses the brush to express, while the writer uses the words; as painting goes in harmony with words. Each translates ideas in a different way and formulation, and each has his/her own audience.