Writers from Qatari publishing houses provide testimonials about their newly released books, and talking with the public about their experience.
Doha: An event ‘A Dialogue With An Author’ was launched on Saturday in Katara within the programme of Ibn Al Rayb Cultural Street.
The Cultural Street is being organised by the Cultural Village Katara in cooperation with Qatari Forum for Publishers and Distributors at the Ministry of Culture and Sports.
The event aims at celebrating the authors and publishing houses participating in the events and the establishment of an intellectual and cultural dialogue with the audiences of Ibn Al Rayb Cultural Street.
The programme which will be held every Saturday afternoon, hosted four writers from four Qatari publishing houses to provide testimonials about their newly released books, a dialogue with the public about the experience, and signing their books in the pavilions of publishing houses.
The writers whose books were discussed in the programme include Dr. Ali Afifi, Abdullah Afas Al Marri, Dr. Muhammad Farzat and Dr. Hassan Rashid.
Director of Qatari Forum for Authors and Publishers, Ibrahim Al Bu Hashem Al Sayed said at the beginning of the programme: “A Dialogue With A Author’ is a cultural and dialogue platform that celebrates authors and the production of Qatari publishing houses and builds bridges of communication with their audience.
He said the event celebrates the fruits of the Qatari publishing revolution that was launched to strengthen the knowledge lauding the roles of writer, author, publishing houses and Qatari cultural production by interacting with audience and writers.
Director of the Forum said that Ibn Al Rayb Cultural Street represents a model for cooperation and interaction between state institutions to achieve its strategy in the field of cultural development and building a knowledge economy.
“We, at the Forum, are proud of our close cooperation with the Cultural Village Foundation Katara and the Katara Publishing House to accomplish this ambitious project, which filled a gap due to the postponement of Doha International Book Fair due to COVID-19 pandemic,” said Al Sayed.
In his speech, Dr. Ali Afifi reviewed the journey of Arabic calligraphy from its inception to the stage of modernity, its transitions between the Arab regions, its temporal and spatial dimensions, cultural and civilizational impact, aesthetics and arts.
Abdullah Affas Al Marri, a researcher at the Police College, reviewed the contents of his book in his speech which explains the articles of Law No. 7 of 2002 regarding the protection of copyright and related rights.
Dr. Muhammad Farzat presented a summary of his and confirmed that Qatar was present in Claudius Ptolemy’s maps, and in the Syriac language, the Akkadian dictionary and cuneiform writing.
The fourth and final lecture hosted by Dr. Hassan Rashid, who holds a PhD in Philosophy of Arts from the Academy of Arts at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Cairo.
This book is considered as a memory for Qatari theater, from an artist who has devoted nearly half a century of his life to the advancement of theater art.D. Rasheed, at the beginning of his lecture, expressed his thanks and appreciation to Cultural Village, Katara, for its efforts in strengthening Arab culture not only in Qatar but in all Arab countries. Dr. Rasheed explained that his book, Studies in Theater and Drama, is a collection of articles written in newspapers at different times.
