Katara is one of the most popular destinations in Doha for cultural events, art exhibitions and eating out. Feyza Gumusluoglu speaks with the General Manager of Katara Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti to learn more about the man and the village.
How would you describe the mission of Katara?
Our mission is to establish bridges between nations crossing local, regional and international borders. Katara draws its vision and mission from the aims of the Qatar National Vision 2030 in line with the vision of Qatari leadership which aims to make Doha a permanent international cultural capital, at the same time maintaining its Arab-Islamic identity.
Why “Katara”?
Since the year 150 AD, “Catara” was the first and most ancient name designated for Qatar Peninsula in geographic and historical maps. The name “Katara” appeared in the maps in early 18th century AD in a French map of the Arabian Peninsula coast line, sea and gulf, the name was written “Katara”, instead of “Catara”. We decided to use “Katara” to link the past and to revive the old name of Qatar to show the importance of the relation linking human to his historical and cultural roots.
What did you study?
I studied international business in the United States, did my MBA there also, focusing on finance. Then I received my PhD in marketing.
What was your PhD thesis about?
It was about consumer behaviour depending on the country of origin, or “made in” tag. For example, this is made in Finland, and this is made in China, so how does the “made in” tag affect your behaviour? This was the main question. After graduating, I started teaching marketing, at the same time I was appointed as manager of information management and market relations at Doha stock market, now it is called Qatar Exchange. Same period I was dean of student affairs and admissions. Also I was dean of business school here and there.
Later on, I served as General Director of Institute of Administrative Development. I worked there for five years then I switched to private sector, became CEO of Barwa Bank, as well as CEO of the biggest finance company in Qatar, First Finance Company.
Having this background, you should see Katara as a financial institution that ultimately aims to make money?
This is my second year here. When I first came, I saw Katara as a big place, a cultural village that needs a lot of work. It was almost only known domestically, it was not even known in the broader Gulf. Then we started working very hard.
Is Katara funded by Qatari government or a private institution?
Katara is a cultural project with legal personality and independent budget run on commercial basis. Our aim is to create a solid foundation in order to contribute information and cultural awareness through festivals, exhibitions, workshops and other events related to culture and art. We also conduct research and publish books, periodicals in collaboration with other cultural institutions locally, regionally and internationally. The ultimate aim is for Katara to support and host innovators and talented intellectuals.
How do you do that?
We have been involved in many projects with different bodies starting from individuals and institutions to authorities and ministers to support and serve these segments. We would like to inform everyone that Katara’s doors are open to all talented and innovative individuals especially from the new generation and promising Qatari youth to host their activities.
For instance, Katara prize for Arabic Novel is by far the biggest in the Arab world and this reflects the gratitude of Katara to innovative work. It is open to all Arabs. Our message is to open the door for all Arab novelists, enhance integration and give opportunity to established and amateur writers. We want to tell them that we appreciate their work and our aim is to bring all Arab novelists together and give them support to spread Arab novels out of Arab countries.
What is the prize?
We offer ten prizes, five for published and five for unpublished novels. The five winners from the published novel category receive $60,000 each, while winners in the unpublished section get $30,000 each. Katara prize also offers $200,000 to buy the copyright of the top prize winning novel to turn it into drama or movie. The supervising committee publishes and markets the winning novels which is translated into English, Spanish, Chinese, French and Hindi.
You make a strong emphasize on culture. Katara will have a plaza with luxury stores by next year. Do you think this might harm its cultural and authentic fabric?
Shopping is also a part of culture. Attitudes of buying, how you buy, what you buy… These are also part of the culture. We look at the luxury plaza from this point of view. It is also related to our culture. Once our visitors come here, they need a hotel. We will also have it in the next stage. We will have two hotels, one 5 star and the other 4 star. People need shopping mall, too. We link everything to culture. We also have a huge gym, it is almost done. It is sports culture. So as you can see, everything is related to culture.
How many visitors do you have?
Every year, there has been a continuous increase in the turnout and interaction of people of different ages. The number of visitors in 2014 in Katara reached 9,304,000 with an average of 25,492 visitors a day and 764,780 a month. During the weekend the number of visitors exceeds this number. The number of families visiting is continuously increasing as well as visitors from the GCC mainly from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE.
Is there any model or example in another country that inspires you?
Katara is a very unique place. We have opera, music academy, drama, amphitheatre, photography, poet society… I visited many countries, but I have never seen a place like Katara, where all those things come together in one place.
The Peninsula
