Georgetown's Qatari Student Club Invites Everyone to the Table at QND Fair

The Al Liwan Qatari student club at Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) had one message for the international guests at their recent Qatar National Day (QND) campus celebrations: We are all Qatar. Held at GU-Q and just outside on the grounds of Oxygen Park, this year’s Georgetown student-led QND fair brought together the entire campus community, along with friends, family, and guests from across Education City, for traditional foods, local arts and Qatari cultural traditions, and a chance to celebrate the strength and beauty of diversity that has become a hallmark of Qatar’s global reputation.

The university’s atrium was transformed with large Qatari flags, a stage for artistic performances, and a majlis seating area where Dr. Ahmad Dallal, dean of GU-Q, and  H.E. Dr. Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari, Minister of State and GU-Q’s first Ambassador in Residence, chatted with students over coffee and traditional pastries. Vendors offered local food favorites for sale, but donations by the families of Qatari and non-Qatari students - from savory harees, sweet date and nut paste, fragrant cardamom cookies, and more - gave every visitor a chance to enjoy an authentic cultural experience.  Senior student Ali Hamad Al Sheebani, the club’s Vice President, said: “In our tradition, the way to honor your guest is to invite them to the Qatari table.”

The celebrations also featured a live performance from Qatari singer Nasser al Kubaisi, a traditional sword dance by the Turath Band, an oud performance by musician Polus Mekhael, pony rides for the youngest visitors, a photo booth, and a walk-through art gallery featuring local artists.

Poetry, which Al Liwan club President Dana Darwish says is a cornerstone of Gulf culture and society, was also celebrated with a recitation by two GU-Q students, Masah Barakat (GU-Q’21) and Shaza Amjad (GU-Q’22). “For Qataris, poetry is a big part of expressing identity and love for country, and plays an important part of the concept of adab, meaning the expression of custom, human connection, and intellectual discourse, which really ties into our theme this year of engaging and connecting with all of Qatar’s residents.”

Al Liwan also took part in the one-day student-led QND celebrations held at the Education City United event on November 30 under the themes of sport and sustainability. “We decided to sponsor GU-Q’s Sustainability Club and Women in Society and Development Club, to show how all Hoyas are contributing to making Qatar a better place, and demonstrating the sense of unity among students of all nationalities,” said Dana. The club also made it a point to involve international students in the organization of QND activities

The goal of Al Liwan club is to promote and increase awareness on the GU-Q campus about the language, culture and social heritage of Qatar through cultural exchange trips, cultural conversations, national film screenings and the club's biggest annual event, the QND celebration