The announcement was made by Dr Khalid al-Sulaiti, general manager of Katara. He said the festival was inspired by the spirit of Ramadan and would reflect the deep-rooted Arabic culture and Islamic civilisation. As part of Ramadan Spirit at Katara, visitors can celebrate Arabic calligraphy during the Holy Month, with this year’s theme being “A touch of light illuminating the village of authenticity”. Dr al-Sulaiti said: “The festival will not just be a calligraphy expo, but will also present various aspects of Arabic calligraphy from around the world.” Meanwhile, Katara public relations head Malika al-Shraim said: “We chose the Crescent, an Islamic symbol that is also of Arabian and historic significance, as the logo of the festival this year. It is the symbol of Islamic unity, welfare and blessing.” Dr al-Sulaiti said Katara was preparing to host a group of Islamic speakers to give public lectures during this period. The schedule contains 10 lectures, with the first one to be delivered on July 9. Katara will also collaborate with Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah Foundation for Humanitarian Services (RAF) to present Sheikh Mohamed al-Uraifi in an Islamic lecture at Katara Grand Mosque on July 20. The activities will feature an exhibition of calligraphy paintings from various Muslim countries, reflecting the beauty of calligraphy and how the artists have merged it with plastic arts. There will also be an expo on the historical development of Arabic calligraphy from the point-of-view of Ibrahim Fikhro, a prominent collector. The collection will be displayed as part of the History of Holy Qur’an Expo. The Cultural village will present an expo called Majaz by British-Iraqi calligrapher Sabah al-Arbili; a ceramics expo celebrating the works of Mahir as-Samara’i; the Wahdania expo in which artist Shaheeda Ahmad will present her handicrafts for the first time in Qatar; the Iman expo, which will feature a group of artists who express their religious views; and an expo by Tunisian graffiti artist Vincent Abadie Hafez featuring 99 paintings with the 99 names of Allah. An art initiative called “One Million Dots” will allow visitors to make dots until the million mark is reached; this artwork will then be presented in the Cultural Village. The other key highlights of the festival include an expo on Islamic stamp designs, sand painting, history of the press in Qatar, a currency exhibition, a documentary film competition and shows, a book fair, religious stanzas, children’s workshops, a beach football competition, a Garanga’oh celebration, the Ramadan competition and more. Dr al-Sulaiti has urged all Qatari citizens, residents and visitors to participate in the festival. http://www.gulf-times.com/qatar/178/details/358665/katara-set-for-ramadan-festival

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