The students who won the writing competition of the 'Qatar Writes' initiative were honoured at the Qatar National Library for the second year in a row, with the support of the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding (SHATIU). Dr Hanan al Fayyadh, the official spokesperson for the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding, and the novelist Abdulaziz al Mahmoud, honoured the winners.
The ceremony witnessed the honouring of the winning students and the supervisors of the winning research papers.
Dr Hanan Al Fayyadh said that the award’s support for this initiative is not a passing support, but rather reflects the award’s deep belief in the role of writing in promoting cultural understanding and communication between peoples.
Dr Al Fayyadh explained, during her speech at the event, that the award is interested in translation as a basic means of transferring knowledge between civilizations, and realizes that writing is the foundation upon which translation is built. As it is impossible to care about translation without caring for the original texts created by writers in their different languages.
Dr Al Fayyadh added that writing and translation together constitute two basic pillars in building bridges between cultures and expanding the horizons of human knowledge. Noting that “societies that write are societies that read, and they are the ones that lead the scene of thought, culture and awareness.”
She stressed that writing is not a luxury or a marginal activity, but rather a responsibility towards oneself, society and future generations. Also the “Qatar Writes” Initiative is not just a cultural event, but an invitation to everyone who has a passion for writing, and to everyone who believes that the word is a tool for change, influence and creativity.
Laila Mohammed, founder of the "Qatar Writes" initiative, commended the support of the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding for the initiative, which aims to enrich the cultural scene, especially among young writers, who have accomplished distinctive creative works.
Qatar writes part of the event
Dr Hanan al Fayyadh honouring one of the winners
