Culture plays a very big role in every person’s life. It also plays a major role in nation building. The best way to build bridges between countries is through cultural exchange programmes.
Realising the importance of culture in promoting mutual understanding, every year, Qatar Museums runs various programmes that aims to showcase Qatar’s culture and traditions to an international audience. As part of this campaign, one country is chosen as the Partner Nation every year.
This year India has been chosen as the official Partner Nation for the 2019 Year of Culture. India is an apt choice as both countries historically share very deep relations in all fields of life. Indian expatriates have been an integral part of Qatari society for decades and has helped in every step of Doha’s growth. There is a close sharing of cultural values between the countries and this has been further cemented with strong trade ties over the last several decades.
A variety of exhibitions, festivals, competitions and events will be held throughout the year in both countries. This will include dance performances, musicals, film festivals, art exhibitions, food festivals, fashion shows and much more.
The Years of Culture programme, developed under the patronage of H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, has gone from strength to strength with each passing year.
Japan was the first partner country when the programme was launched in 2012 and there were many activities held to celebrate both cultures. The exhibition in Doha by the internationally renowned and widely admired Japanese artist Takashi Murakami was one of the main highlights.
In 2013, the United Kingdom was picked as the cultural partner and over 90 activities were organised in both countries, engaging more than 350,000 people.
Next year, in 2014, Brazil was the partner and in 2015 it was Qatar’s close ally Turkey. China became a partner in 2016 and Germany in 2017. Last year, 2018, was football world cup host Russia’s turn.
These partnerships will demonstrate to the world that Qatar is a cultural destination open to the world. A perfect occasion to showcase Qatar’s heritage, art and traditions to the world.
Moreover, through these cultural exchanges a better people-to-people bond can be formed, which will help societies with varied practices and traditions to understand each other better and thus build a more positive outlook about each other. These steps will surely pave way for more positive interactions and less conflicts in the world.
