The unjust siege has transformed the life in Qatar in many ways - most of them positive. A year has gone by after the announcement of the illegal blockade by the four countries. After the initial shock, Qatar, as a country and society, fought back and came out stronger in all aspects of life.
Much has been achieved in terms of food self-sufficiency, finding alternative markets, kick start industrial production, finding new logistic routes and so on.
These were on expected lines as Qatar has robust policies and processes in place to help beat these kind of unexpected situations.
But, what has been a pleasant surprise is the way people reacted and responded against the blockade culturally through art and music.
What kicked off the deluge of activities in the cultural sphere was the iconic Tamim Al Majd portrait of the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani by the artist Ahmed Al Maadheed. This simple, but powerful, portrait galvanized the entire population of Qatar and they came together to showcase their support and love for the leadership and country.
This iconic image spurred thousands of other artworks by citizens and residents alike and gave a momentum to the art scene is Qatar. Many exhibitions of blockade-inspired art were held in various parts of the country like the one by Ghada Al Khater at the fire station, which was well appreciated.
It’s not only paintings and photographs, even theatre scene in Qatar got a boost with many plays talking about the blockade was staged and some of them like, “Shally Yseer” (roughly translates to What is Happening), became very popular with the public.
The Qatari play, a comic take on the blockade against Qatar, received unprecedented public response in the country, especially among the Qatari citizens and they were performing it in front of sold out audience for months, which is not that common in Qatar theatre scene.
Then there is music. The blockade has given a new voice to Qatari musicians and they have come out tops with new albums and compositions. And unlike the music from the siege countries, which is filled with hatred and vicious lyrics, the songs by Qatari musicians are more matured and talk about the love for their country and this has won them many hearts.
It’s very heartening to see such a vibrant cultural response and this spark will surely spur many more to express them through art.
