The 5th Gulf Narration Forum, hosted by the Ministry of Culture, kicked off on Sunday, with the participation of writers and critics from Qatar and the GCC member states, along with writers from Jordan and Morocco and guests of the forum.The forum was attended by HE the Minister of State and President of Qatar National Library Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kuwari, officials from the Ministry of Culture, and guests of the forum.The two-day forum is held in co-operation with the Cultural and Media Affairs sector of the GCC General Secretariat. It is being held in implementation of the principles of the Gulf Cultural Strategy, which includes various joint Gulf events.The Gulf Narration Forum aims to enhance cultural communication and establish the art of narration in Arab culture in the GCC countries, emphasise the importance of the classical Arabic language, and to promote the trend towards expressing it through the art of narration as one of the main arts in Arab culture.In his opening remarks, Director of the Department of Culture and Arts at the Ministry of Culture Abdulrahman Abdullah al-Dulaimi welcomed the participating writers, critics, and creatives, noting that the forum represents a golden opportunity to innovate more creative paths to study the history and anticipate the future. He added that the forum also discusses a duality based on the blending of tradition in its authenticity and innovation in its instrumental reality, which requires us to manage a deep dialogue between those concerned with creativity.The director of the Department of Culture and Arts at the Ministry of Culture stressed the responsibility of the intellectual and critic includes a moral responsibility towards society. He added that when the writer writes, he does not know how far he will go, because the text is his and the interpretation is someone else’s. He expressed his hope that the forum will reach outcomes that contribute to the development of Gulf narration.