Two days ago, Qatar National Library (QNL) hosted the launch of the book "Legacy... FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022" by Dr. Thani bin Ali bin Saud Al Thani, in 135 pages in Arabic and included in its books a translation in English in 97 pages.

"We are not really celebrating the launch of a book, but we are celebrating the success of the State of Qatar in organizing the first Arab edition of the World Cup, as the tournament has left us a legacy of pride and achievements in all walks of life," the author told the audience.

The book documented the manifestations of the legacy left by the World Cup in a number of sectors, namely: architectural and cultural heritage, economic and tourism heritage, legal heritage: work experience, and cultural and heritage heritage.

Dr. Thani bin Ali bin Saud Al-Thani thanked Mwani Qatar, the official sponsor of the book, and said that it was "a key pillar in the country's success in hosting the World Cup", and thanked the National Human Rights Committee, which contributed to the formulation and maintenance of human rights, and was "Qatar's gateway to success in hosting the World Cup".

Success Story

Hamad Ali Al Ansari, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Mwani Qatar, said: "The book documents a success story that will remain a legacy that generations will be proud of throughout the ages, noting that this exceptional event has put the country in the global spotlight, and demonstrated its infrastructure, hospitality, and tremendous capabilities as a leader in holding major sports tournaments and high-level events.

"We are proud to be part of this legacy that is offered to present and future generations to continue efforts to build and shape Qatar's legacy in the future," he added, praising the authors of the book for their efforts in documenting the legacy of the tournament and preserving it for future generations.

The inauguration ceremony witnessed a dialogue session in cooperation with the Colleges of Engineering, Arts and Economics at Qatar University, in which Dr. Khaled Kamal Naji, Dean of the College of Engineering, Dr. Jalal Al-Qannas, Associate Professor at the College of Business and Economics, and Dr. Abdul Muttalib Makki, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mass Communication at the College of Arts and Sciences, participated.

Cultural Initiative

Speaking at the inauguration, Qatar Library President Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari said that the book is a commendable cultural initiative that enriches the Arab Library and documents this exceptional and unique event experienced by Qatar and the Arab nation.

"It was a turning point in improving the world's perception and respect for us as an accomplished and resilient nation, in which we presented ourselves, our culture, civilization and social values, and in which we demonstrated our progress by affirming the principle of mutual respect," he added.

"Hosting and successfully organizing this tournament will remain an honorable legacy that inspires our children and grandchildren to take pride in their past and plan to build their future in order to make their present a more beautiful reality and an inspiring past for their children and grandchildren," he added.

World Cup Culture

"One of the main results of the World Cup is the restoration of the essential role played by culture in presenting the optimal image of the State of Qatar, which has brought culture back to the heart of international concerns, as an important determinant of the nature of international relations.

"There were those who were dragged towards the clash of civilizations, and while the matches were played on the ground of the strange and charming stadiums, it was a major match managed on the ground of global culture between the advocates of clash and the advocates of dialogue and acquaintance," al-Kuwari said.

He pointed out that Qatar embraced for a whole month an audience from different countries of the world, and from diverse cultures, languages, beliefs and races, "and the biggest challenge was to put our values and culture to the test of communication with this human diversity, and Qatari society won the bet of cultural communication deservedly, which led to the shock of the West. Some Western discourses seemed more racist than bright slogans claiming to respect the cultural specificities of peoples, and the test of these slogans in World Cup was clear to the world."

QL President Dr. Al-Kuwari: Qatar Delivered a Lesson in Respect for Cultural Specificities (Al Jazeera)

"Through World Cup, the State of Qatar has provided a lesson in the concept of cultural exchange, which is respect for cultural specificities and not acquiescence to the imposition of cultural expressions that contradict the ladder of Arab-Islamic values, just as the hospitality of Qataris to audiences everywhere was a sincere translation of hospitality, and an opportunity to present a true picture of the nature of the social values that ancestors lived and passed down from generation to generation, which reflected the unity of Qatari society culturally and socially in dealing with various phenomena of World Cup," Al-Kuwari said.

"We need to document and build a vast archive as well, because historical memory requires the existence of this archive, through which the individual and institutions can transform memory into an active force in the present," added the President of Qatar Library.

"I have observed in all my travels the spread of the culture of documentation in countries around the world, especially Western countries, where they train children from a young age to document their personal histories through photo albums, write notes about their travels, and record the simplest daily things, as measured by what institutions do in archiving their history," Dr. Al-Kuwari said.

He said, "The documentation process helps us individuals and societies from amnesia, and makes our recent past after it is classified in heritage a material that belongs to us by various standards, and the historical archive, with its rich documents, becomes a witness to all social, cultural, economic, and even political and administrative aspects, contributing to preserving memory and building historical awareness for all segments of society in a way that enhances their national memory, so documentation is part of a national action that is no less valuable than building the means of progress in society, so peoples cannot You live without memory."