Qatari Forum for Authors discusses writing experience during Eid

The Qatari Forum for Authors held remotely another session of ‘Writers’ Council’ on writing during Eid . The session was moderated by the writer Maryam Yassin Al Hammadi, the general manager of the forum, and the writer, Saleh Gharib, the program director of the forum, through the Microsoft-Teams app, said the Ministry of Culture and Sports in a statement.

The Writers’ Council hosted the student, Sarah Al Yacoub, winner of the Youth Literature Competition, which was organised by the Forum in March. Sarah Al Yacoub spoke about her participation in this competition with encouragement and followup from her mother, noting that her winning work was about ‘14 days’ based on a story of a Qatari student studying medicine in Britain, but the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic forced her to return to the country.

The story includes initiative of the students to volunteer within the medical team after she spent 14 days in quarantine.

The winning this award comes after her first cultural experiences through her participation in school morning assembly, cultural competitions and debates organized by her school. She praised the initiative launched by the Qatari Forum for Authors, under the supervision of writer Hessa Al Awadi.

Student Sarah Yacoub also talked about the Ramadan and Eid during when people kept at homes, noting that she learned a lot of things, including how to prepare popular meals, and how she devoted to helping her mother in house chores, strengthening the bonds of love and affection among family members.

For his part, Lebanese critic and novelist Dr. Ali Nesr talked about his memories about Eid in Lebanon and the customs he experienced during his childhood. He noted that although the world is intersecting with new ideas, accelerated technology and aspects of modernity, but still traditional festivities are need for happiness.

Ali Nesr talked about some aspects of Qatari literature through a master’s thesis prepared by a Lebanese student residing in Qatar on the novel ‘Al Qunbula’ (The Bomb) by Ahmed Abdel Malek. He said that this distinguished novel, with beautiful narrative techniques, provides a comprehensive and extensive view of Qatari traditions and customs.

For its part, Kuwaiti writer Al Sadia Lemufreh said that staying at home provided opportunity to regain her reading in the heritage books that fit the holy month.

“We were deprived of many things because of this pandemic but it helped us in social management,” said Al Sadia. For his part, writer Mokhtar Khawaja talked about the customs and traditions of Sudan in celebrating the holiday, which turns into a noble and appropriate value for resolving differences and breaking psychological barriers, reconciliation and visits.

At the end of the session, the members gave advice to the young writer to continue writing