CCQ marks 50th anniversary of Qatari Theatre establishment
TO mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Qatari Theatre, the Theatre Arts programme at Community College Qatar (CCQ) organised a symposium titled ‘Drama and History’. The event was attended by CCQ President Dr Khalid Mohamed Al-Horr, Dean of the Liberal Arts Division Dr Mustafa AlKhawaldeh, a group of specialists and several students of the college.
Dr Marzouq Bashir, PhD in media and theatre, theatre artist Saad Burshid, and Dr Rami Abu Shehab, lecturer of Arabic Language, participated in the symposium moderated by the Theatre Arts programme Coordinator at CCQ Dr Said Ennaji. The symposium included extensive discussions that enriched the audience’s theatrical experience, and shed light on the intersection of drama and cinema with history, leading to an understanding of the Qatari artistic experience in this regard.
The engagement of students and the public reflected their awareness of the importance of the current historical drama productions, especially the Qatari ones, and confirmed the need to have a strong local film industry that can be presented globally.
In this regard, Dr Bashir said that “drama and history” is a current topic that raises many questions and debates. He highlighted the significant influx of series and films that delve into historical issues and narratives, which have a profound impact on public, cultural, media and even political opinions.
Dr Bashir also addressed the complex relationships between drama and history, and the necessity of erasing preconceived ideas that may give power to the “guardians of history” at the expense of drama under the pretext of “loyalty to the historical truth”. “Drama is intended to be subject to history and its details, but the historical truth is not agreed upon first. Moreover, it is governed by a system other than the drama because the transmission of history through drama does not aim at history itself, but rather at the present and the relevant concerns,” he said.
For this reason, Dr Bashir defended the significance of drama and its capacity to adapt and transform historical stories based on writing strategies and the demands and priorities of dramatic production.
Artist Burshid dealt with the ambiguities of the Qatari experience in dealing with history dramatically through several series, the most famous of which were, Omar, Al Mourabitoun and Al Andalus. He said that the current drama production in Qatar is not convincing, as it does not keep pace with developments in the media and drama fields, of the international television and cinema industry.
Dr Rami Abu Shehab also discussed the intersection of drama and cinema with history, both at the Arab and international levels. He specifically emphasised the ideological utilisation of history in cinema, particularly evident in the significant number of films dedicated to the Holocaust and the narratives surrounding Nazi violence against Jews.
Dr Rami Abu Shehab expressed his astonishment at this huge number of films that manipulate history in many ways, motivated by a purely ideological desire to present a “history” that makes us forget the suffering of the Palestinian people, including killings and displacement.
This reveals the West’s ability to tailor a cinematic discourse that can formulate a new form of history to its interests. This raises the question about the responsibility of the Arabs and their film industry in light of this situation. The lack of historical films in the Arab world and their inability to confront the Western historical cinema productions that present Western history as a dominant model contribute to this situation, he said.
“While we are looking for drama’s fulfillment of history, we may be motivated by a noble idea that respects history as given. Whether theatrical or cinematic, drama has its logic represented in creating spectacles and shaping the spectator’s awareness. Hence, drama makes history, and does not convey its events. Therefore, when we dramatize history, we create the future we shall have,” concluded Dr Ennaji.