New Doha Arabic Book Award logo (Al Jazeera)

Language and its culture are the title of every nation and a major reason for its pride and renaissance, and to pay attention to them in more than one way, including what the awards aspire to in creating a cultural movement and supporting those who have provided.

Here is Doha, under the patronage of the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, launches a new award; "Doha Arabic Book Award" in support of the Arabic language, writers and researchers, and interviewed Al Jazeera Net, media advisor to the award, Abdul Rahman Al Marri, about that event.

Media Advisor to the Doha Arabic Book Award Abdulrahman Al Marri (Al Jazeera)

  • A new cultural intellectual award kicks off from Qatar, in which context does it come?

No observer loses sight of the State of Qatar's interest in thought, knowledge and culture, with a special interest in the Arabic language, consolidating the cultural identity of the Arabs and supporting creativity, and the evidence for this is many and clear, and the Doha Arabic Book Award comes in this context, as the book is the reference of knowledge and the container of culture, and interest in it is a prerequisite for the renewal and development of knowledge.

The award is under the patronage of His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, as part of His Highness' vision and continuous efforts to support Arab culture and knowledge and enhance human communication between peoples and civilizations.

  • What are the main objectives of this new award?

The objectives are many, the most important of which is to appreciate and honor the owners of distinguished intellectual and research production in the Arabic language, encourage qualitative authorship, urge novelty and originality of knowledge, to create the appropriate environment for exceptional and creative ideas, raise the level of knowledge creativity in Arab culture, and contribute to the quality of Arabic books by encouraging publishers and actors in the book industry, in order to promote and develop.

  • It is clear from the name of the award that it is concerned with works written in Arabic, does this require that the topic be Arabic?

Exactly, the award is concerned with the book written in Arabic, as mentioned above, as for the topics, they do not have to be Arabic, as long as the language of authorship is Arabic, and I mean here that it was originally written in Arabic, and that it is not translated from another language.

For example, if a book whose subject matter is related to a non-Arab society or country, and its author is from a non-Arab country, it is eligible to compete as long as the language in which it was written is Arabic. In its cultural and scientific history, Arabic was not the language of one sex, but rather the language of a world civilization whose knowledge and renaissance were contributed to by various Islamic peoples in various continents that Islam reached in a clear Arabic tongue.

  • This means that Faisal language, not the nationality of the author?

We do not consider the nationality of the author at all, but the language of the book with originality and novelty.

  • With regard to the book, there are books on science and its applications: physics, medicine and others, and there are books in the fields of human knowledge, and there is written creativity. What are the areas of knowledge targeted by the award?

The award is concerned with the humanities in its broad sense, namely linguistics, social and historical studies, linguistics, critical studies, forensic sciences, philosophy, and others, which will be explained in detail before the opening of the nomination opens.

But it is not concerned with written creativity in all its forms of novel, poetry and theater, because of the abundance of awards concerned with this in the Arab world and internationally, nor is it concerned with pure and applied sciences, such as physics, chemistry, medicine, pharmacy, and veterinary science.

  • Does the award target books intended for publication? Or just published?

This is an important question, the award is concerned with books that have already been published and have an international number, and here I mean paper books, of course.

  • Is there a specific schedule for announcing the opening of candidacies?

Yes, there is a schedule that includes all stages of the award, and the nomination will open, God willing, in the first quarter of 2024, but what is worth talking about here is that there is a foundation course, honorary in nature, in which we will celebrate weighty names in Arabic authorship, names that have influenced the Arab and human culture with their knowledge product, and they deserve all our appreciation and praise, and with it the door for nomination for the first session will be opened.

  • Will the honoring of achievers stop at the end of the first cycle?

The foundation course is dedicated to honoring, but this does not mean that the achievement category will stop, as the award has a competitive path through the single book, and a path to achievement, and this achievement will not be limited to people, there is a capacity in the matter, and it is possible to honor research centers, publishing houses, etc.

  • Have the fields to be nominated for after the foundation course been identified? Is it fixed or variable?

Yes, all categories of the award have been determined, and the fields of knowledge have been chosen, with an explanation of the internal ramifications they contain, and the large number of these branches required that the fields of knowledge change each session, and all of this will be announced, clearly and in detail, in the various media and on the award's website.

Source : Al Jazeera