Walking through Doha

Nov 29th, 2008 11:08 AM UTC
By Sergius Seebohm

ONE’s Sergius Seebohm is reporting from the ground for the Nov 29 – Dec 2 Doha conference. Below, he talks about the city of Doha, Qatar, itself.

The capital of Qatar is a fascinating place. The vision of Sheikh Hamad bin Chalifa Al Thani, who is audaciously reinventing his country to be a leading player in the 21st century, is visible everywhere: skyscrapers are growing into the sky where only a few years ago there was nothing but sand. Together with his wife, Sheika Mozah Bint Nasser al Misned, the Emir is investing the wealth stemming from rich oil and gas resources to modernize Qatar. One of the best known expressions of the Emir’s ideas was the establishment of the broadcasting station Al Jazeera in 1996.

The Qataris were aware of the fact that they would not be able to bring about an economical upswing all on their own. So they invited guest workers from around the globe to help build the country. About 80 percent out of Qatar’s approximate 1.5m inhabitants are foreigners. College professors, engineers, but also maids, taxi drivers and construction workers: it is a vivid and multinational community – which is impossible to overlook in Doha’s streets – and which contributed to transforming Qatar into one of the most modern places in the world within just a few years.

At the same time, the Qataris strive to remain self-assured of their cultural heritage. Just now the Doha museum of Islamic Arts is opening its doors. It’s a bold pioneer project, which presents a unique collection of Islamic culture from the 7th to the 19th century, and which is stirring attention around the globe. Just a few walking minutes from there you can stroll around the Old Market of Doha and find many more fascinating impressions of oriental culture. Traditional musicians play under open air which is scented by the smoke of the shishas that you can enjoy after a meal at any of the many excellent restaurants.

It is for all of these reasons that Doha is an exciting place to host this conference. In line with their potential as a diplomatic hub, between north and south, rich and poor, east and west, between faiths and between tradition and modernity, the countries in this region, and Qatar in particular, have taken efforts to step up the quantity and quality of their aid. This conference is an opportunity to consolidate this engagement.

- Sergius Seebohm

TAGS: Doha, Doha 2008 Series, Doha Financing for Development Summit, Policy News