Twenty-eight year old Jafar Abdulhamid takes pride in being the only Filipino chosen by Qatar Museums to be part of its Honorary Cultural Ambassadors (HCA). The community ambassador programme was launched last year to engage long-term residents in promoting the local cultural scene and enhancing the experience of those who would visit Qatar.
Abdulhamid said such a distinction is an opportunity not only for him but also for the Filipino community to be recognised. According to him, he did not hesitate to apply for the programme when it was announced because of his strong ties with the country.
The native of Marawi City has been living in Qatar since he was 14 years old. He studied Preliminary and Secondary Religious Institute for Boys in Doha after earning a full scholarship from the Qatar Ministry of Education. In 2010, he received another full scholarship, this time from Qatar University, where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Finance in 2015.
"It is truly an honour to be given an opportunity to represent the Filipino community in Qatar Museums' community ambassador programme. The programme also enables me to have a full appreciation of the many cultural sites in the country such as the more than 6,000 archaeological sites which were unknown to me before, despite having have stayed here for a long time," Abdulhamid told Qatar Tribune in an interview.
Sharing his experience as a cultural ambassador, Abdulhamid said the experience provided him a deeper understanding of the rich culture and heritage of Qatar. Since the programme includes numerous site visits to different landmarks across the country, he said it made him realise even more that those expatriates who have been considering Qatar as their second home, should be made aware of the country's history.
"It is important that we know the way of living in Qatar during the early years, in order for us to fully appreciate the developments we see today. We cannot just stay in this country for long years and not know about it at all," he added.
Abdulhamid is also proud to be among a handful of Filipinos living in Qatar who have embraced Arabic. He often earns praise from Qataris and other native speakers of the language for his proficiency in the language.
"Many Qataris and Arabic speakers, whom I met, are pleasantly surprised and happy at my fluency in the language. They even tell me that my Arabic is better than others because of my knowledge of grammar. I believe that living here, in the Middle East, is ideal for expatriates to learn the local language. Being able to speak in Arabic gives you a huge advantage in your career. It is also nice to be able to converse with the locals," said Abdulhamid.
"After only three months of learning Arabic, I was able to converse in the language well because of my passion to learn. I started learning Arabic at age 14 and my mentors used to refer to me as one of the fastest learners among Filipinos who had tried learning the language.
"It helped that my father who also graduated here in Qatar and my siblings and relatives who are all living here have a strong command over Arabic. As a learner, I was also not afraid to talk to native speakers so as to hone my own knowledge," he added.
His relationship with Arabic didn't end with his ability to converse in it. In fact, because of his innate love for teaching, he had chosen to volunteer to teach the language.
In his passion to teach even at a young age, Abdulhamid was among the 20 students in Qatar University who were selected to travel to Indonesia to impart their knowledge in Arabic, Mathematics and other subjects in the poor regions of the Southeast Asian country. Even while vacationing in the Philippines, he spent most of this time teaching Arabic, Mathematics and other Islamic subjects. After leaving the university, he also taught at Al Mana School and also serves as Arabic Proficiency Lecturer at Ferrand Human Resources and Training Centre.
"Learning Arabic is only difficult if you are not keen to learn the language. For Filipinos, it would be easier because many of the terms in our native language have similarities with some Arabic terms," said Abdulhamid.
Currently, Abdulhamid works as a Community Partnership Coordinator at Qatar Charity. He said his affiliation with QC satisfies his desire to give back to the community. His involvement with community work also led him to be active in his own community where he now serves as Vice Chairman of the United Filipino Organizations in Qatar (UFOQ), the community's umbrella organisation.
He is also currently affiliated to other local organisations including the Philippine Muslim Association serving as its Acting President and Philippine Muslim Federation as its Business Manager. He is also one of the office-bearers of Pinoy Football Club Qatar and a committee member of Qatar Asian Communities Football Tournament, which is under Qatar Football Authority. He is also the representative of the Filipino community at Qatar Red Crescent.
Looking ahead, Abdulhamid said he sees himself staying in Qatar for long. In fact, he sees himself raising a family in the country.
In terms of his career, Abdulhamid aspires to pursue a profession in his field of finance and accounting as well as pursuing higher studies. Indeed, the sky's the limit for this Filipino achiever!