The committee aims to preserve the Qatari heritage for more generations to come.
Qatar University (QU), together with the College of Arts and Sciences, has formed a committee that aims to preserve Qatari heritage by collecting stories of citizens and residents from the 1950s and 1960s.
The initiative plans to archive written records as well as real-life memories and practices during this period in Qatar’s history.
“The Qatar University Library is building an archive that documents the social history and intangible cultural heritage of the early modernisation era in the State of Qatar in the 1950s and 1960s by collecting realistic experiences and stories of those who lived through that period,” said Peter Polak-Springer, Associate Professor of European Humanities at College of Arts and Sciences.
“The importance of documenting the social history and monitoring the living reality during that era stems from the fact that it is a period during which the Qatari society witnessed social and cultural transformations that represented a turning point in the lives of those who were contemporary of that period.”
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The committee will start collecting and documenting stories of Qataris to preserve its national heritage for the benefit of future generations and researchers.
The process will include interviewing people that lived through the 50s and 60s, providing nationals and residents with a chance to be part of a project that will be used for years to come.
“We will start this campaign to collect the stories of the Qatari people and individuals who lived in Qatar during the aforementioned period. These stories can be sent to the e-mail: [email protected],” said Maryam Al Thani, Section Head of Reference and Information Services at Qatar University Library.
“The committee respects the privacy of individuals if they wish to share some stories without mentioning their names. Among the topics that can be written about are, work in the oil industry, changes in the family system, bureaucracy, school systems, and any other topics in the same context,” she added.
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