Children and families in the US are being given a taste of the Arabic language through an exhibition in the nation’s capital, organised by Qatar Foundation (QF) as part of the Qatar-USA Year of Culture 2021 celebrations.
The Alif Ba Exhibition – an interactive experience that allows people to explore the Arabic alphabet through 28 hands-on displays of letters – was launched on December 18 in time for the Qatar National Day and World Arabic Language Day.
The show, being held at the National Children’s Museum in Washington DC, will run until the end of February 2022.
After this, it will be based at the Qatar America Institute of Culture until August 2022.
Visitors can touch the letters that make up the Huruf al-Abjadiyah – the letters of the Arabic alphabet – and listen to the sound of each, to discover Arabic words that start with those letters.
From this, they can practice writing and tracing the Arabic alphabet for themselves.
The exhibition is part of the latest edition of the Years of Culture cultural exchange programme run by Qatar Museums (QM), with the US being Qatar’s 2021 partner country.
Through activities, events, and festivals, the programme promotes cross-cultural understanding, respect, with the Alif Ba exhibition being designed to help enhance people’s appreciation of how language and communication can connect societies and cultures.
“As a culturally diverse organisation committed to building bridges of knowledge, preserving and promoting the Arabic language, culture, and heritage, and fostering social interaction, we are delighted to have brought the Alif Ba Exhibition to the capital of the US,” said Hend al-Mousawi, head of Culture Engagement and Activation at the QF.
“This exhibition is an engaging, interactive, and fun way of sharing the beauty, richness, and enduring relevance of the Arabic language with a US audience, and reflects how the QM’s Years of Culture programme – which the QF is proud to support – broadens minds and perspectives through bringing people together to learn, explore, and discover,” she added.
To celebrate the opening of the Alif Ba Exhibition, QF International partnered with the National Children’s Museum to host a festival that included an exploration of calligraphy, Arabic music, and storytelling.
Over the coming weeks, the partnership will provide families in the US with the opportunity to enjoy a series of cultural programmes led by Arabic language educators, including Arabic calligraphy classes, Arabic animal name sessions for children, and Darbuka drumming sessions.
Among those who attended the opening of the Alif Ba Exhibition were a group of students from schools within the QF’s Pre-University Education ecosystem, who, during their time in Washington DC, also attended an event to mark the Qatar – USA Year of Culture 2021 at the Qatar American Institute of Culture.
Meanwhile, in the Years of Culture spirit, the young delegation from Qatar also met students from Washington Latin High School to share stories and experiences, and took a tour of some of the US capital’s cultural and historic landmarks.