Swiss International School Qatar (SISQ) recently celebrated Qatar National Day with an event featuring various activities whilst highlighting culture, traditions and ‘Made in Qatar’ products.
The fun-filled activities and enthusiasm of the gathering showed no signs of the fact that the school was founded only two years ago in Qatar. The highlight of the event was ‘Made in Qatar @ SISQ Exhibition’ that featured different Qatar-based companies exhibiting their homemade products.
The school conducted an assembly in the main hall which was attended by the students of SISQ along with their parents and faculty members, all dressed in Qatari wardrobes. The assembly featured different dance performances and short plays. A traditional Qatari tent ‘Majlis’ was also set up at the corner of the hall. The falcons were also arranged for the students.
The young students of SISQ, dressed in traditional Qatari dresses, performed Al Ardah, a Qatari folkloric dance. Each of them was wielding a sword, accompanied by drums and songs in the background.
Talking to Community, Sadeem Atais al-Marri, student of Grade-VI, said, “I really liked the dance performances especially the sword performance and other presentations as well. It was a great experience to be a part of the celebrations and talk to fellow students about Qatar. I also enjoyed henna application and falcons. I am a Qatari student and its absolutely great to see other expatriate students learning about our culture and traditions. I’m happy that they’re getting an insight into our culture.”
Philip Bradley, Head of SISQ, said, “We are a kind of guest here in Qatar and for us, it is an opportunity to thank the people of Qatar and celebrate the national day with them. Qatar has a history. Our school was recently founded but, like Qatar, is also growing very rapidly. We had 85 percent growth this year. Last year, we had a smaller event on the eve of the National Day.
“This year, we wanted to celebrate Qatar’s achievements. Qatar has become more self-sufficient and independent than ever. We have a ‘Made-In-Qatar Exhibition’ here as well, featuring cultural things, henna painting and dances. We also organised ‘We Stand With Qatar’ where many non-Arabic speaking students expressed their love for Qatar in Arabic language. Some of the students from different countries also spoke Arabic for the very first time.
“We have students from 66 different countries. Qatar is more than a country. It is a family. On this day, we also have families of the students attending the event.”
Gaber Hamed, Arabic and Islamic Studies Co-ordinator, said, “Through different activities, we have tried to explain our ideas about the National Day. This year, we are trying to give an insight to our students about different sides of Qatar, including local products, food, culture and traditions.
“We have tried to explain everything about Qatar on the stage through various performances. We involved our students and they led the whole event. The audience took special interest in Al Ardah dance. We also had a short play that was performed by non-Arabic speaking students and they had their dialogues in Arabic. We’ve got a very good feedback from our students and their families.”
Luliana Lonita, Librarian at SIS and organiser of the exhibition, said, “I was in-charge of Made in Qatar exhibition. Five companies took part in the exhibition with their products. The companies manufacture, pack and sell their products in Qatar. The exhibition featured ‘Made in Qatar’ LED lights, bags, food items. We wanted the students to get an insight for how much self-sufficient Qatar has become. The students loved the exhibitions and they were very excited.”