HE Dr Saleh Mohamed al-Nabit, HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani, senior diplomat Badr al-Dafaa, Dr Khalid Youssuf al-Mulla, Vodafone Qatar CEO Kyle Whitehill and Mohamed al-Yami at the event.
Culture as a platform for reinforcing identity, citizenship and national pride was among the key issues highlighted on the opening day of Qatar’s first National Identity Seminar yesterday.
The two-day seminar is being held under the patronage of HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani. Organised by the Qatar Heritage and Identity Centre (QHIC) and sponsored by Vodafone Qatar, the event is being attended by scores of participants from Qatar and beyond.
Speakers at the seminar are discussing factors impacting Qatar’s national identity in a globalised world in addition to major topics pertaining to the significance of conserving a country’s national identity.
The seminar is tackling subjects such as the Qatari identity as a priority within Qatar National Vision 2030; family and identity; demographical effect on identity and the role of population dynamics; and the media’s take on identity. In addition, the seminar is showcasing successful case studies on the preservation of national identity from Japan and Oman.
Discussing national identity in light of Qatar National Vision 2030, during the first session of the seminar, HE the Minister of Development Planning and Statistics Dr Saleh Mohamed al-Nabit said: “In Qatar, we aim at turning our culture into a platform to reinforce identity, citizenship and national pride, and seek to preserve our cultural heritage, which starts at the core of the Qatari family. The family lies at the heart of the Qatari community, and one of the main goals of our National Development Plan 2011-2016 is to enable Qatari families financially, as a way to hold family ties, and hence reinforce our commitment to our identity and values.”
In his keynote speech, Dr Khalid Youssuf al-Mulla, executive director of QHIC, said: “Addressing national identity is our call to preserve a valuable asset and an invitation to build a communication bridge between the Qatari culture and other cultures. We aim at applying a modern lifestyle without losing the shape and form of our identity and values.”
Recommendations of the seminar to preserve national identity will be publicly shared in due course, he added.
Giving the second keynote speech, Mohamed al-Yami, director of External Affairs at Vodafone Qatar, said: “Our exclusive sponsorship of Qatar’s first National Identity Seminar originates in our deep realisation of the importance of the Qatari identity and the necessity that we preserve it lest it should dissolve into the multitude of other identities in the age of globalisation with the world turning into a small village.”
Dr Maysara Taher, manager of Beit Al Mashoora Psychological Consultancy, spoke about family and identity. “The main components of identity are religion, language and history. We strongly appreciate the efforts of the Qatar Heritage and Identity Centre to tackle and examine the histories of other nations as they aim to shed light on the importance of history and its influence on identity. Understanding our history enables us to realise the philosophy behind it, where we can learn lessons that family was and still is
the core of preserving identity among nations.”
Dr Kaltham al-Ghanem, manager of the Human and Social Sciences Centre, said: “Population dynamics and demographics have a strong impact on identity. One of our goals is to reinforce identity and citizenship through strengthening cultural identity and encouraging community engagement, especially when it comes to our younger generations.”
Two case studies were presented by Mariko Mikami, a recognised media figure in Japan and former associate professor at Shinshu University, and Ahmed Khamis Bou Safi, cultural expert and representative of the Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Oman, who shared successful examples on the various methods adopted in their respective countries towards the preservation of national identity.
