Daily life in Qatar will be the subject of two exhibits being organised by the Philippine embassy in celebration of ‘Buwan ng Wika’ in August, an official told Gulf Times yesterday.
The event will be held in collaboration with the Alliance of Filipino Artists and Doha-based photographers, said cultural attache John Jiao, who spoke on the sidelines of ‘Filipino Week’ held at the Summer Entertainment City, Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre.
Jiao said while the details of the art and photography exhibits are yet to be finalised, the photo exhibit will carry the theme ‘Qatar through Filipino lenses’.
“We are still in the planning stage and meetings will be held to firm up the theme of the art exhibit, but it will revolve around what Filipinos see in Qatar and how they view the beauty of the country, which, of course, is in support of Qatar,” Jiao noted.
Asked about the timeliness of the exhibits in relation to the ongoing situation in Qatar, Jiao said: “Since the themes of the exhibit will showcase daily life in Qatar, it is quite timely considering that many people are showing their support for the country. But the Philippines has always been supportive of Qatar because it is the second country of overseas Filipinos here.”
Jiao also said the embassy “will be working again” with Katara – the Cultural Village to organise a film showing by Qatar-based independent Filipino filmmaker, Jan Xavier Pacle. The event is tentatively scheduled for August or September, he said.
In 2012, Pacle wrote and directed ‘Angel in June’, a 90-minute film on the life of 13-year old Angel Magno who lost her life to leukaemia. In June, ‘Angel...’ was hailed as the first Filipino independent film produced and shot entirely in Qatar.
On Eid al-Adha, Jiao said the embassy is also planning to relaunch ‘Kulinarya Qatar’, a programme aimed at promoting Filipino cuisine, to residents in Qatar.
On ‘Filipino Week’ at the Summer Entertainment City, Jiao said: “We had invited Filipinos in Qatar to support the Summer Entertainment City because the organisers launched ‘Filipino Week’, which showcases Filipino culture through the performances of artists like the Banyuhay Dance Group.
“The Summer Entertainment City is also home to some Filipino restaurants, including the popular fast food chain, Jollibee, and their presence here provides visitors a chance to sample popular Filipino cuisine.”
On other upcoming events, Michael Stelwag, head of marketing at Summer Entertainment City, said up to QR8,000 in prize money would be up for grabs during ‘Basketball Week’ from July 27 to 29.
The highlight of the event is the three-on-three mall jam basketball tournament, which will culminate in performances by the ‘Dunking Devils’, a group from Europe specialising in acrobatic dunks.
Stelwag said the tournament has three categories: women’s, open and ‘under six feet’. Registration continues until July 26.


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