Doha- Business Class
The Cultural Village Foundation-Katara continues to host an array of activities and programmes for its ongoing Ramadan Festival, under the theme titled ‘Hospitality in Various Muslim Nations’.
On the 14th of Ramadan, it held an enthusiastic Garangao night that attracted many families and children wearing vivid traditional robes that carried cloth-like bags where they were welcomed with candy and nuts from various distribution points across the Cultural Village Foundation- Katara.
Katara’s Ramadan 2017-Garangao night was organized in collaboration with Speedi, ABC Soap, and Jeep group in Qatar, where they offered several activities and programs especially dedicated to children and their families, like: a diverse array of competitions and games. Children received gifts on the tones of traditional Garangao songs while they flocked Katara’s premises.
One of the attractions, the Jerusalem Festival, highlights the status of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque, and provides information about the reasons for the importance and the historical value of this holy city.
The exhibition includes pictures of the Palestinian cause, Al Quds Al Sharif and the Al-Aqsa Mosque from a historical, cultural and religious perspective. The exhibition succeeds in engaging visitors through its interactive presentation. The exhibition also included a 3-D sculpture of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and a display of historical documents and coins.
In addition, the festival also features a story exhibition that comprises of paintings created by Syrian children as refugees. The paintings provide a realistic image of what these children experienced during the ongoing conflict. The paintings will be sold, and the amount will be given to the children who painted them.
Other events also include competitions, animation games, drawing and coloring for children. The drawing and coloring sessions are held under the supervision of specialized and qualified guides to introduce the contents of the festival to Katara’s visitors. The sessions will run until the 16th of June.
The Humanitarian Photo Gallery, a part of the African Century exhibition is a collection of photographs taken by a voluntary team to oversee one of the relief projects carried out for those affected by the drought that hit parts of Africa. Somalia was the most affected country. The team recorded some tragic scenes that have become a regular part of the lives of more than 11 million people, caught up in the famine.
Besides the exhibitions, Katara’s Ramadan Festival has restored the memory of the past through a series of traditional games that have been a part of Qatari heritage for decades. These games attract large audiences, especially children and young adults. Visitors to Katara are seen to be keen to participate in these traditional games, which emulate the rich heritage while evoking the fragility of the past.
The competitions, held daily after the evening prayers and Taraweeh at a sandy stadium in the southern region of the Cultural Village Foundation- Katara, are a combination of physical games and traditional brain teaser games.