Doha: The 11th Katara Arabic Novel Festival wound up Sunday after proving that the consecutive cultural events of this kind of festival are not merely casual, but rather a bridge to share knowledge and innovation. Positioning itself as an immeasurable event, the festival culminated in several initiatives and projects marking the 20th anniversary of the Katara Prize for Arabic Novel.
According to Qatar News Agency, foremost among these projects was the launch of the Katara International Prize for Novels, which is open to novels written in English, French, and Spanish, offering space for non-Arab novelists to participate and forge cultural rapprochement. A noteworthy project announced was the transformation of unpublished novels and historic novels into AI-powered movies, alongside the launch of the Katara Youth Novel Competition dedicated to college students throughout the Arab region.
The festival showcased a broad range of events that included over 15 panel discussions and training workshops for adults and young people. Katara’s third book fair was a haven for reading enthusiasts, displaying modern releases from participating publishing houses. Additionally, puppet theater performances inspired by young adult novels were featured, with fine artists drawing paintings inspired by illustrious novels from Saudi Arabia, selected as a guest of honor for this festival.
Katara aims to build on this initiative in upcoming festivals, linked to the motto of novels converging people, with participation from twin novelists, one Qatari and the other from one of the Arab nations chosen as a guest of honor. On Saturday, a panel discussion on promoting novels and the cultural economy was held, featuring Director of Events and Cultural Affairs at Katara, Khaled Abdulrahim Al Sayed, and Dr. Hayat Qattat Al Qarmadhi, Tunisian University Professor, moderated by Jamal Al Ardawi, Novelist and Media Professional.
The panel delved into how novels contribute to creating the cultural economy, with Al Sayed presenting a holistic definition of cultural engineering and its economic relationship. He noted that the concept of cultural engineering emerged in France in the 1970s, addressing its criteria and discussing key elements of successful cultural projects, namely continuity and endurance.
Al Sayed emphasized that governments should play a role in developing benchmarks for successful economic cultural projects. He highlighted challenges in promoting the cultural economy, including shortages of laws protecting intellectual property, cultural policies supporting the literal economy, and the emergence of technologies like AI.
Literature is the epicenter, according to Al Qarmadhi, with novels being an evolutionary cultural industry hosting other creative cultural industries. She added that novels are not just texts but cultural products rich with visions and ideas that can be marketed and published.
Merging novels in the cultural economy begins with publication and distribution, with texts transformed into salable books in domestic and international markets, Al Qarmadhi explained. This process extends to translation and film adaptations, broadening horizons for novels in creative industries. Successful novels often generate substantial financial returns through sales, translation, and new editions.
The festival’s closing day included two expert panels featuring participants such as Dr. Badran bin Lahsan, Dr. Mokhtar Khawaja, Dr. Nebras Ibrahim, and moderator Dr. Seko Marfa Tori, focusing on dialogue, peacebuilding, intellectual property, and legal protection. The second panel featured Dr. Sheikh Tamim bin Mohammed Al-Thani, Legal Expert at the Amiri Diwan, Dr. Abdullah Misfer Al Shahwani, Academic and Professor of Criminal Law, Khaled Mohammed Al Harami, Legal Consultant and Lawyer, and Mohammed Al Shahwani, Head of the Cultural Literature Department at Katara.