Qatar Foundation Launches Second BilArabi Forum Under Theme “With Our Ideas We Build”

Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development today launched the second edition of the “BilArabi” Forum, bringing together thinkers and experts from various sectors to explore ways to use knowledge and creativity to address community issues and strengthen the role of the Arabic language in producing knowledge and exchanging expertise.

The two-day forum, themed “With Our Ideas We Build,” is being held at the Multaqa building in Education City. Fourteen speakers are taking part on the main stage. Sessions explore how knowledge and innovation can be used to develop solutions that address communities’ needs and cultural particularities through discussions bringing together diverse expertise and perspectives.

Abdulrahman Ibrahim Al Ajail, Executive Director at the Office of the President of Qatar Foundation, said the forum brings together people with knowledge and experience to exchange views and draw on diverse experiences to gain a deeper understanding of issues affecting communities. Many issues of everyday life cannot be addressed from the perspective of a single discipline, he added, and what appears clear in theory may need to be reconsidered in practical application.

He said Qatar Foundation seeks to make Arabic a language of research, dialogue and knowledge production, and to broaden Arabic speakers’ contribution through what they create and learn from others’ experiences. This year’s theme, “With Our Ideas We Build,” reflects ideas that emerge from people’s lived realities and return to benefit them.

The forum’s first day featured sessions on media, science and technology, artificial intelligence, precision medicine and genomics, as well as architecture and heritage, entrepreneurship, environmental sustainability, peacebuilding, sports and social work.

Palestinian journalist Wael Al Dahdouh, director of Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau, delivered the forum’s first keynote, sharing his personal experience and professional journey, including his return to journalism despite the difficult circumstances he faced during Israel’s aggression on the Gaza Strip.

Dr. Saeed Ismail, Professor of Genomics at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, discussed the role of genomics in understanding identity and tracing historical links among the region’s peoples. Mauritanian social activist Lalla Kaber Al Ghalawi spoke in a session titled “It Is Not the Deaf Who Cannot Hear,” while Qatari adventurer and traveller Khalid Al Jaber presented a session titled “Not Every Success Looks Like You.”

The forum also included exploratory sessions, workshops and interactive spaces led by local and regional partners. They gave participants opportunities to discuss ideas, exchange expertise and discover new concepts through experience and practice. These included “Arabic AI,” presented by Hamad Bin Khalifa University, and “Generation Z and Beyond: Between the Lure of the Material Model and Questions of Values and Identity,” organized by QatarDebate.

Interactive spaces also featured contributions from the Qatar Scientific Club and the Ministry of Sports and Youth, including demonstrations of 3D printing and robotics.

The forum’s programme will continue tomorrow, Sunday, with a series of talks and specialist sessions, including “What They Don’t Tell You About Billion-Dollar Companies” by Qatari entrepreneur Hamad Mubarak Al Hajri, and “Our Imagination Is Not a Luxury” by Saudi entrepreneur and engineer Yasser Bahjat. Exploratory sessions will include “Initiative Acceleration Lab” by the East Forum and “Read to Me” by the Queen Rania Foundation for Education and Development, alongside an introduction to the open “BilArabi” translation project.

The forum is part of the “BilArabi” initiative, one of Qatar Foundation’s initiatives, which aims to provide sustainable spaces for dialogue in Arabic and strengthen communication among people with ideas and expertise in knowledge and creativity throughout the year.

Source: QNA

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