Doha photographers put belonging in focus
Also this week: Wael Al-Dahdouh redefines victory, Taha Desouky gets personal and Mexico’s music fills QNCC.
1. Leading the week: Frame and Focus at Tasweer Photography Festival |
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A work from Fatema Ahmad Al-Doh’s “I, Myself, Am a Country,” part of the Frame and Focus exhibition. (Photo courtesy of Qatar Museums) |
Twelve photographers, 14 weeks and one shared question: What does it mean to belong somewhere? Tasweer Photography Festival has opened the second edition of Frame and Focus, presenting the final projects by participants in its flagship Advanced Photography Course, co-curated by The VII Foundation and Abdulla Faisal Al Khalaf. The work spans documentary photography, portraiture and conceptual image-making, but the throughline is personal. Christophe Buffet’s “Basateen Al-Freej” traces how a former educational site became a community gathering space. Jhenny Marian Laya Perez’s “FULAN” and Jaili Hajo’s “We Too Have Wings” are among the projects exploring migration and identity. Across the exhibition, photographers examine how heritage survives displacement and how communities hold onto a sense of place across generations. It adds up to a portrait of contemporary life in Qatar, told through 12 very different lenses. For anyone who wants more than a walk through the gallery, Tasweer is hosting a guided tour and artist panel discussion, bringing together the artists, mentors and program leaders behind the projects. The events are part of the wider Qatar Creates Fall/Winter 2026-27 season. Date: Sept. 5 - Oct. 5 Location: Al Hosh Gallery, Marina Way 1 More details here. |
2. Word on the street: BilAraby returns for its annual gathering |
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| Attendees at last year's BilAraby Annual Gathering, Education City, Doha. (Photo courtesy of BilAraby) |
Two days, dozens of speakers and one language at the center of it all. Qatar Foundation’s BilAraby project, built on the legacy of the TEDinArabic initiative, brings Arab intellectuals, innovators and changemakers together at Multaqa for its Annual Gathering, a platform born out of research revealing a significant gap in high-quality Arabic content and community engagement across the region. The lineup reads like a cross section of what the project set out to do. Journalist Wael Al-Dahdouh speaks about redefining victory, geneticist Dr. Said Ismail explores what genomes reveal that maps cannot, and voices spanning entrepreneurship, identity and disability advocacy fill two days of curated sessions, hands-on workshops and open conversations. Past editions have consistently drawn a genuinely international audience, with previous gatherings attracting speakers and attendees from more than 25 countries. It’s less a conference than a reminder that Arabic storytelling has global reach when given the platform to prove it. Location: Multaqa, Education City Date: Sept. 19-20 More details here. |
3. Doha diary |
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Egyptian actor Taha Desouki poses on the red carpet during the opening ceremony of the 45th Cairo International Film Festival in Cairo, Egypt, on Nov. 13, 2024. (KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images) |
The Egyptian comedian Taha Desouky is coming to Doha for a night that trades polish for honesty. Known for turning ordinary moments into the kind of stories that get an entire room laughing, Taha built his following on stand-up before branching into television and film, and this new show promises the same warmth and relatability that made him a name in the first place. Doors open at 9 p.m., so plan for a late night. Date: Sept. 17 Location: Al Mayassa Theater, QNCC More information here.
A self-driving car takes a human life, and you are the one who decides who answers for it. This live courtroom drama puts the audience in the jury box, weighing testimony and evidence before casting the vote that shapes how the story ends. It is part performance, part moral puzzle, built for anyone who likes their night out with a side of genuine dilemma. Date: Sept. 18 - Oct. 23 Location: U Venue More information here.
The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra swaps its usual repertoire for an evening of color and rhythm, led by conductor Enrique Diemecke, whose recordings of Revueltas, Chávez and Moncayo won Mexico’s Golden Record Award. The program moves through Mexican composers Arturo Márquez’ “Danzón No. 2,” Chávez’s “Chacona” and Galindo’s “Sones de Mariachi” before closing with Revueltas’ “Redes,” a dramatic, vivid score from one of Mexico’s most original composers. It is a rare chance to hear this music performed by someone who has spent a career championing it. Date: Sept. 18 Location: Qatar National Convention Center, Auditorium 3 More information here. |
4. Book of the week: ‘All Strangers Are Kin’ |
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If BilAraby’s gathering has you thinking about the reach of the Arabic language, this is a warm, funny place to keep exploring it. Zora O’Neill, a fluent Arabic speaker, spent a year traveling through Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Morocco, exploring colloquial dialects rather than textbook Arabic, and the resulting book won the 2017 SATW Lowell Thomas Award for Best Travel Book. It is less a language lesson than a case for what a shared language can actually do, turning strangers into friends across four very different countries in the span of one trip. |
5. View from Doha |
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A signed game ball from the 2002 FIBA World Championship is seen on display at the "Beyond the Court: The History and Global Legacy of Basketball" exhibition, organized by Dar Al-Kutub in collaboration with the FIBA Foundation, at the Katara Cultural Village in Doha, Qatar, on Aug. 27, 2026. The exhibition offers a documentary journey tracing the history of basketball through the decades, while it coincides with Qatar's preparation to host the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup. (KARIM JAAFAR / AFP via Getty Images) |
