Hamad al-Ammari will host the Doha Comedy Day on August 29 at the Qatar National Convention Centre. PICTURE: Joey Aguilar
By Joey Aguilar/Staff Reporter
Renowned Qatari comedian Hamad al-Ammari underscored the importance of developing a culture of comedy in a multicultural society such as Qatar to bring people from different backgrounds closer together.
“Comedy is the perfect medium to break down stereotypes,” he told a press briefing abut the upcoming Doha Comedy Day on August 29.
“Qatar needs to take that step and beyond, a kind of frontier on stage and allow these kind of events to happen,” al-Ammari suggested while hoping that with the support of Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), these shows will be staged regularly.
Describing the Doha Comedy Day as a “very GCC-dialect and GCC-heavy show,” he hoped that future comedy shows in Qatar will cater to other segments of the society.
Al-Ammari expects many English, Filipino, Indian and South African comedians to perform live in Qatar during the annual Qatar Summer Festival (QSF).
These shows, he added, attract many tourists from different parts of the world and promote tourism, lifestyle and entertainment in Qatar, which hosts a huge expatriate population.
The Qatari comedian said some of the countries in the region which have a prominent comedy scene now include Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Al-Ammari also hopes the Doha Comedy Day will become a ‘Doha Comedy Festival’ in the future where homegrown comedians will be seen performing on stage.
“Hopefully, I am one of those who can do something about the comedy scene here through my performances and the workshops that I conduct,” he stressed.
“My sole mission is to make sure that everyone understands what Qatar is all about, what Qataris are and what lifestyle we have,” he added.
Al-Ammari noted that a number of young Qataris have the potential to become successful comedians like him.
He said he always tries to help and give them an extra push to pursue their career. “The youth is my main issue, they are the future.”
The comedian does a lot of volunteer work targeting the youth. “It is my generation’s responsibility to ensure that our culture is preserved,” he pointed out.
Al-Ammari said even aspiring non-Qatari comedians are welcome to join his workshops for free and be in touch with him.
QTA’s public relations and communications director Faisal al-Mohannadi echoed his statement saying they work hard to sponsor events directed or written by Qataris.
He also underscored the important role of QTA in supporting Qatari comedians and artistes.
“QTA’s duty is to support projects that involve homegrown talents especially the youth who contribute to Qatar’s artistic scene,” al-Mohannadi said.
