Qatar Post's 'Al Wasl' campaign celebrates Arabic language

Qatar Post launched a new, innovative campaign, 'Al Wasl' (connection), on Sunday morning to celebrate the Arabic language as a means of connecting people.
The campaign, launched on the occasion of the UN International Mother Language Day celebrated by Unesco, comes as part of Qatar Post's "mission to connect people to what matters to them the most".
Accordingly, Qatar Post’s parcel boxes, postcards and stamps will "turn into mediums to remind the public in Qatar about the importance of connecting to one another, using a special design based on specific Arabic wording that celebrate human values".



'Al Wasl' fuses the unique typography of Arabic with the notion of language as a symbol of identity, communication, social integration, education and development. The boxes come in two versions in terms of size and capacity: 7kg and 5kg.
Hamad al-Fahida, Qatar Post chief operations officer, said at the launch event: “Connections have always lived at the heart of our Arab culture and is even reflected in our mother language. As we know, isolated letters can form meaningful words only when they come in touch with one another, through the art of connecting called 'Al Wasl'. This is true of us as individuals, as well. Qatar Post hopes that every day we will be able to connect to find affection, respect, happiness, pride, gratitude and much more, through each of our postal offerings."
Unlike some other languages where letters are placed next to each other in a linear fashion to create words, Arabic language relies on physically connecting one letter to another to create meaning. 'Al Wasl' in Arabic translates as a ‘link’ or a ‘connection’. In this context, the links used in the Arabic manuscript to form words become the very tool that reminds people of the bonds they share, Qatar Post explains in a statement.
Alberto Manzo, head of sales and marketing at Qatar Post, elaborated on the campaign's offering: “Our campaign aims to inspire our people to connect to each other through their mother language by emphasising how meaningful connections are to their daily lives. Qatar Post thought of bringing this important message to life through a unique consumer experience that encourages human connections in today’s high-tech, fast-paced and global world that increasingly disconnects us from our roots – be it our community, our family or our language.
"A series of powerful Arabic words, such as pride, glory and gratitude, will reach our public soon in the form of beautifully designed Qatar Post parcels, postcards and stamps, conveying the power of connections".
He said the campaign will continue for six weeks at all Qatar Post outlets and offices, and will be assessed for potential extension and improvements if required.
The design of the new products has been created using strokes from the Qatar Post logo, whereby lines intersect and connect to form letters and words embodying the essence of Qatar Post’s philosophy.
The perforated ‘peel this’ tag on the box will allow the user to connect the letters themselves to form a word. As the letters connect, the box gets opened, revealing the message: “It is only when individual letters are connected, that they have meaning. The same is true of us as individuals”. The parcel boxes are expected to become a collector item.
Moreover, the postcard series, comprising a set of 2-4 cards in one envelope, will feature slots to be joined together to reveal the word. As for the stamp series, every first day cover will hold 2-5 stamps depending on its value. The unique experience here is that its only when one tears off the letters and places them next to each other will they form a word that reminds them of connections.
"Qatar Post, as part of its social responsibility, is encouraging members of the public to explore its new campaign as a way to keep ‘Al Wasl’ alive among them and cherish and celebrate the bonds they share," the statement adds.
More information is available at qatarpost.qa