The Community College of Qatar (CCQ) celebrated Qatar National Day (QND) 2018 with a rich three-day programme that featured an array of cultural activities, recreational shows and creative competitions under the theme ‘Qatar Will Remain Free’.
The commemoration witnessed the gathering of students, faculty and staff at specially-erected venues across CCQ campuses. Together, they voyaged into the nation’s past as they sampled its national cuisine, participated in traditional performances and exchanged congratulations, while maroon-themed scarfs and accessories adorned their costumes and outfits.
A centre of interest in the festivities was a maritime exhibition organised by the student media club. The spectacle took visitors through a journey of seafarers’ lives in old-time Qatar with a variety of on-display sea-related tools and relics, augmented by live demonstrations of maritime activities such as shellfish splitting and traditional net-making, and accompanied by storytelling of the history of shipbuilding, pearl-diving and fishing in Qatar.
Meanwhile, Souq Al Fereej (Neighbourhood Market) offered students a platform to sell their own products, which range from time-honoured Qatari dishes, sweets and customary spices to national costumes, accessories and perfumes.
CCQ also got together with community partners to enrich this year’s celebrations with a number of exciting events and activities such as the traditional photography show organised in collaboration with photography aficionado and keen memorabilia collector Kamal Naji. The exhibit’s shelves showcased a wide range of old cameras and photography equipment that date as far back as the early 20th century.
Another community partnership and a welcome addition to CCQ’s QND celebrations was a women’s handicraft fair held in association with Quodorat Centre which promotes the handiwork of artisans in sewing, beading and traditional medicine, to name a few. Both initiatives came as part of CCQ’s efforts to enhance community partnerships and empower members of the wider Qatari community to create and innovate.
CCQ president Dr Mohamed al-Naemi said, “The rise of Qatar as a modern, prosperous, and independent nation is rooted in the glorious deeds of our forefathers and the noble values they planted more than a century ago, despite all hardships. Today, we are gathered, not only to honour our nation’s proud roots and participate proactively in the preservation of Qatari culture, but also to cherish what we have accomplished through many generations.”
“At CCQ, we firmly believe that in order to continue our path of progress and take our beloved country to greater heights, we must place the development of a 21st-century educational and academic research system at the forefront of our priorities.
And, while observing our National Day inspirits us to celebrate the College’s achievements over nearly a decade of hard work, it nevertheless inspires us to continue expanding into new horizons,” he added.
Other events and activities launched as part of the College’s QND celebrations include Ardah national folkloric dance performances, traditional majlises, and numerous stalls that depict nuances of Qatari culture and tell of its heritage in a variety of forms.
On the sidelines of this year’s festivities, a social media photo competition has also been launched, where contestants mark the occasion by capturing its festive spirit in a photograph of their own.
Tradition music and dance at the event
