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Amit Newton
Doha
A true author is someone who overcomes his or her sense of self-importance as a talented person and any kind of solipsistic sense of narcissism. -Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz al Kawari in The Global Majlis
Career diplomats and ministers often end up writing books, which generally go on to become bestsellers so colourful are the experiences recounted therein. If one has been both a career diplomat and a minister it is a given that there's a book forthcoming (if not more, and if not already out), full of insightful observations, witty repartees, incidents of eleventh-hour patch-ups, and nearly missed chances.
Hamad bin Abdulaziz al Kawari is no exception to the rule, and this is not his first effort penning a book. When one becomes the ambassador of one's country at 20, strives to understand cultural differences, assimilates their mores, learns languages and becomes fluent in them by sheer grit, all the while quenching one's academic thirst, the result is The Global Majlis.
In his foreword, Qatar's former Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage says that the book 'an intellectual biography' evolved from his texts on social media fora. 'As the material gradually coalesced to express a certain vision and reflect opinions, I decided to piece them together into a book to highlight the link between those scattered events and observations, bonding with my views on issues such as culture, diplomacy, heritage, art and literature,' he says.
The basic premise of the book is tackling how culture and cultural diplomacy can and do play a very big role in world peace, bringing nations and civilisations closer to each other. Kawari, now Minister Adviser of HH the Emir, offers a unique perspective on the complex social and political issues facing Qatar and the Arab world. As such, it is a must read for anyone passionate about cross-cultural dialogue, global citizenship, and the Middle East.
The Global Majlis encompasses Kawari's experiences as Qatar's Minister of Culture, and as Qatar's ambassador to countries in the Middle East, Europe and the Americas, long tenures in international bodies such as the Unesco and as Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.
To the Arabic reader, the book should be a pleasure in prose to read, so succinctly he draws from writers and poets of yore, as from present-day scribes. For the rest of us, we must contend with the English translation of Kawari's thoughts, undertaken by Karim Traboulsi.
Explaining the concept of majlis a room where Arab men assemble and discuss various topics over a cup of Arabian coffee made with cardamom and saffron the author writes, 'In our heritage the majlis has many functions, including social, cultural and even political. News and events are reported and discussed at the majlis. Community leaders meet to discuss community issues and find the best ways to serve the common good. It is like the Gulf version of the Agora, the term used by ancient Greeks, or what the Romans called the Forum." Explaining the strong connection between the majlis and the tribe, he writes: 'It's the social unit that determines the form of relations between individuals internally and with other tribes. The tribe is the cornerstone of governance and administration of public affairs.'
Hamad bin Khalifa University Press has published the 200-page book.
A word of caution: though just 200 pages, it is not that kind of a book which you can begin and finish at a sitting, or maybe even two or three. Each phrase, each sentence demands that it be chewed over and digested properly, failing which the consequences of indigestion manifest themselves.
