[email protected] TUESDAY 19 MAY 2015 • www.thepeninsulaqatar.com • 4455 7741 The inaugural Katara Arabic Novel Festival which opened yesterday promises to be an effective platform to promote Arabic novels globally and encourage cultural interaction among Arab novelists. RAMADA ENCORE LAUNCHES THE BIG FISHERMAN’S HOOK UP P | 4 FASHION SASHAYS FOR FIGHT AGAINST AIDS P | 8 A CELEBRATION MY MUSIC IS OF ARABIC NOVEL DEDICATED TO THE HEART: MITHOON P | 2-3 P | 11 | TUESDAY 19 MAY 2015 | 02 CULTURE The four-day festival hosts a number of cultural, literary, media and art figures from Qatar and other Arab countries and includes symposia, exhibitions and events celebrating the Arabic novel. Katara pushes Arabic novel forward RAYNALD C RIVERA wider cultural interaction among promi- nent figures and intellectuals. he inaugural Katara Arabic “I hope that the Katara Prize for Novel Festival which Arabic Novel will usher in a new era for opened yesterday prom- Arabic novel,” added Dr Al sulaiti. ises to act as an effec- The opening day also saw the tive platform in promoting inauguration of the Katara Centre for TArabic novels globally and encourag- Arabic Novel, one of the vital projects ing cultural interaction among Arab in Katara which is the first of its kind in novelists. the region as it specifically focuses on The four-day festival hosts a number Arabic novels and provides services for of cultural, literary, media and art figures Arab novelists. The centre is equipped from Qatar and other Arab countries with a library which houses modern and includes symposia, exhibitions and and old Arabic novels as well as films events celebrating the Arabic novel. produced based on Arabic novels. In his opening speech at yesterday’s The centre, which will continuously launch, Katara General Manager Dr be updated and developed, also Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti said as includes an archive and database the festival comes within the ambitious for Arabic novels and a photography strategy of Katara to make it an added exhibition of prominent Arab novel- value in the world of Arabic novels, it is ists. Trainings and workshops on writ- hoped that it will be a beacon for culture ing novels will be conducted by the and literature as well as a platform for centre. | TUESDAY 19 MAY 2015 | 03 A Katara Arabic Novel postage stamp was also launched yesterday. The stamp produced in collaboration with QPost was launched in line with the first edition of the Katara Prize for Arabic Novel. Commemorative postage stamps are of great value as they enhance commu- nication even beyond the country and introduce the events of social, political and national importance internation- ally as they reach different parts of the world, said Dr Al Sulaiti. The stamp depicts an engraved pic- ture of the prize in its distinct design and takes on the colour of the sand remi- niscent of the desert common to Arab countries. There are 40,000 copies of the stamp which are now available in all post offices in Qatar for use in cor- respondence and for administrative use of Katara for its local and international correspondence. Katara also hosted a meeting of the permanent committee for Arabic culture to prepare for the ministerial meeting on cultural affairs in Arab countries in collaboration with the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO). Opening the meeting on behalf of Dr culture through the website specialized Al Sulaiti, Khalid Abdulrahim Al Sayyed, on art and literary works. General Supervisor of KataraPrize for Dr Hayat Al Karmazi, Director of cul- Arabic Novel said it was fortunate that tural Department in ALECSO, lauded the meeting was being held to coincide the role of Katara in encouraging intel- with the festival, a great Arab cultural lectuals and writers in different aspects event hoped to make quantum leap in and called upon Arab ministries of cul- Arab culture in general and in Arabic ture to nurture and encourage cultural novel in particular. innovative works, enhance Arab cultural This meeting, Al Sayyed said, was activities and implement the ministerial the first fruit of cooperation between decisions. Katara and ALECSO and would make The meeting will discuss the prepara- Katara a cultural beacon as it would tion of a proposal on ‘Arab contract for encourage Arab literary innovators. cultural rights’. It will also specify the Recently a number of memoranda next country to host the 20th ministe- of understanding were signed between rial meeting, discuss the Arab Cultural Katara and ALECSO, one of which was Capital project, the Arab Prize for making Katara a gateway for Arabic Cultural Innovations, Arab Cultural Days and the activation of Arab strategy for theatre development. Also on the agenda are the cultural and heritage website for Arab countries, the convention for protection of Arab cultural heritage and organizing of spe- cialized training course for preserving material and non-material heritage. The main highlight of the festival is the Katara Prize for Arabic Novel, an annual prize launched by Katara at the beginning of last year whose aim is to encourage Arab novelists to strive for excellence and improve the quality of novels by creating a competition and giving appreciation to innovators. The Peninsula | TUESDAY 19 MAY 2015 | 04 CAMPUS /MARKET PLACE Qatar Chapter of MEASS College Alumni organised a family get- Students of Grade 7 and 8 of Bhavans Public School led by Academic together as part of their annual meet. Qatar Chapter President Salam Coordinator Asha Shiju and teachers Aljo and Vichithra visited the BNS presided and Faiz Elayodan welcomed the gathering. Sharmic Lalu, Somudra Joy, the largest and heaviest Guided Missile Frigate of the Kamarudheen, C P Samseer, Farheen, Faiz Elayodan and Salam recalled Bangladesh Navy. Students interacted with the Navy officials on board and their college days. gained knowledge and awareness of the working of the ship. The Naval Officer on duty presented the school with a memento. The Ramada Encore Doha hotel is holding “The Big Fisherman’s Hook Up” promotion, an open buf- fet with a great selection of seafood dishes for only QR199 per person, avail- able exclusively at the hotel’s Hub restaurant every Friday from 18:00 to 23:30. The menu features fresh kingfish, hamour, crabs, king prawns, mus- sels, clams and much more. Cluster Executive ChefJameel Nabtiti and the Ramada Encore Doha Students at Vision International have been active raising money and aware- team welcomed guests to ness for those in need. The middle school boys and girls completed a unit on the promotion’s launch Water as a Natural Resource, which included investigations on the amount of with unique dishes, a live fresh water on the planet. The students held a fund-raiser to collect money band, fresh seafood and for Lifesavers, which are ultra filtration water bottles. A total of QR9,052 extravagant buffet selec- was collected and distributed to 16 different communities in need. After tions. The Hub restaurant, the Nepal earthquake, Jared Hove,Senior Director of Partner Engagement located on the mezzanine at Teach of All, spoke to students about the effects and damage caused floor of the hotel, opens by the earthquake. The first boys held a fund-raiser selling sweets and daily for breakfast from trinkets during their morning break. They raised QR2,096 to be donated 06:30hrs to 11:00hrs, to Sarvodaya USA for the Nepal earthquake relief. The Student Council is lunch from 12:30hrs to currently holding a clothing drive for victims in Syria. Faculty and staff were 15:30hrs and dinner from also involved in giving, collecting over QR7,000 to help VIS staff members 18:00hrs to 23:30hrs. that were affected by the earthquake and other personal tragedies. South Korean cuisine at InterContinental nterContinental Doha The City started “Take a Trip to South Korea” promotion. From the 18 June 8, the hotel will be featuring a special South Korean menu crafted by Ithree guest chefs from Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas and InterContinental Seoul COEX. The cuisine will be served in Hwang pan-Asian restaurant and in a special section of the buffet at The Square. Throughout the duration of the promotion, diners will have the chance to enter a prize draw for a three-night holiday package for two in Seoul, South Korea, including Business Class tickets and five-star accommo- dation at Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas. “We are delighted to welcomeChefs Huh Jae Seok, Kang Youcheul and Moon JinJuwho will create a menu of authentic cuisine from South Korea. The Korean cultural wave has now swept through China and Southeast Asia to reach Europe and America and are excited to bring it to Doha,” said Pascal Eggerstedt, General Manager at InterContinental® Doha The City. Hwang is located on the first floor of InterContinental® Doha The City and is open Sunday through Friday fo r lunch from 12 noon to 3pm and for dinner from 6pm to 11pm. | TUESDAY 19 MAY 2015 | COMMUNITY/MARKET PLACE 05 Abdullah Abdulghani & Bros Co WLL (AAB), as part of their Quarter 1 celebration, honoured their long-serving employees who completed 5, 10, 15 and 20 years at a function held recently at the Regency Halls. The event recognised the commitment of the employees by awarding Long Service Awardees (5-20 years), Star Performers of each Business Unit and Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) Champions for each location. Employees were presented with a gold coin and certificate for their respec- tive years of service. Sixty staffers were recognised. Osama Abdulla Al Albdughani, AAB Chairman, was present along with members of the senior management team. ExxonMobil sponsors Qatar Turkey Year of Culture atar Museums announced that As sponsor, ExxonMobil Qatar will ExxonMobil Qatar will be the work closely with Qatar Museums Qofficial Platinum Sponsor of and both Ministries to deliver an excit- the Qatar Turkey 2015 Year of Culture.