By Peter Townson
Staff Reporter
HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and HH Sheikha Mozah Nasser al-Misnad attended the third Reach Out To Asia (Rota) gala dinner at the Museum of Islamic Art last night, which through sponsorship, ticket sales and a charity auction, raised $15mn.
This is significantly more than the $11.25 Rota achieved at the last dinner, representing a major success for the event.
The centrepiece of the sale was a diamond necklace, inspired by HH Sheikha Mozah, featuring 1,288 diamonds and crafted by Adler Jewellers, which was sold for $2mn.
The piece was inspired by Victorian jewellery and the heritage of Islamic art, and is said to reflect the “professional life and elegance as well as the generous spirit that lies at the heart of a woman who chooses to serve the world that surrounds her”, explained a spokesperson.
Other lots included a galactic space flight donated by 21st Century Leaders and Sir Richard Branson, who also donated a week-long holiday on his private resort, Neckar Island.
Sacha Jafri produced a live piece of art during the evening, based on the galactic space flight on offer in the auction, the Museum of Islamic Art and the children who have been supported by Rota. The artwork was auctioned with both of Branson’s lots for a total of $1mn.
The most expensive item in the sale was the Middle East bespoke edition Rolls Royce, which was sold for $2.2mn.
A Cartier-designed Arab Horseman statuette, which was inspired by the memory of HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani carrying the flame at the Doha Asian Games in 2006, also proved popular, selling for $720,000.
The sellout event was attended by 480 guests, including celebrities such as Princess Corinna Sayn Wittgenstein, Sir Bob Geldof, Sir Ben Kingsley, Sir Alex Ferguson, Cherie Blair, Cher, Josh Hartnett, Paul Green, Sacha Jafri, Lorenzo Quinn and Adel Emam.
In her address to the audience, Sheikha Mozah spoke about the need to provide education to all – describing it as a “major pillar in modern society” - and expressed her pride at the efforts of Qatari organisations in helping to form strategic partnerships around the world.
The evening also recognised the efforts of Sir Bob Geldof who is best known for his humanitarian efforts, including Live Aid in 1985 and the huge amount of work he has done to educate people about poverty in Africa since then.
Rota director Omnia Nour said: “The funds we raise will be channelled to support our ongoing projects in Cambodia, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Palestine, Lebanon and recently-launched ones in Yemen,
Nepal, Bangladesh and Iraq.”
As students from Rota-supported schools from Asia, and the Kampot Music School in Cambodia took to the stage throughout the evening, Nour added: “We are especially pleased that the gala dinner introduced some of the children of our projects to the guests who have chosen to positively impact their lives.”
One student spoke about two skills he has learnt in recent years, “to speak my mind, and self discipline”, thanking Rota for allowing him to develop these personal traits and expressing his hopes to continue his education in the future.
The evening featured performances by Yusuf Islam and Mohamed Abdou, who sang a song written specially for Rota by Mohamed bin Fatiss al-Mery.
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