On the occasion of the centenary of the end of the Great War, the French Embassy to Qatar, the French Institute of Doha and Qatar National Library have partnered to organize a unique exhibition named “1918: War is over”. The exhibition includes rare items from the Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum.
This exhibition, offered by the French museum of the First World War “Historial de la Grande-Guerre”, will be displayed from the 4th to the 19th of November 2018 at the Qatar National Library.
This exhibition presents two aspects of the war. The first part features the roles of “Father, mother and child during the Great War”, while the second part is about “Hearing the War: sounds, music and silence in 1914-1918”.
The first part, about families, will present the various facets of the war which caused disruption to the lives of families, as well as aspects of the day-by-day life of soldiers at the front.
The second part of the exhibition is about the experience of hearing the war. The sound environment was of great importance to the soldier’s life. The exhibition will also remind visitors about the huge influence of the war on the arts, and will take music as an example. Visitors will have the opportunity to see how soldiers created a unique musical landscape for themselves despite the surrounding chaos.
Items from the Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum Rare collection, as well as exclusive video clips, will also be part of the exhibition, and will illustrate how people were affected by the harshness of war during that time.
Commenting on the exhibition, France Ambassador to the State of Qatar, Franck Gellet said “I am delighted to introduce the exhibition celebrating the Centenary of the end of World War 1 at the Qatar National Library. I would like to express my warmest thanks to Dr Sohair Wastawy, Executive Director, to host the exhibition at the Library. I also thank the Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum for their contribution to the exhibition. “The war is over” is a tribute paid to the victims. A centenary later, the celebration is to draw lessons for the future”. He added: “I invite everybody to come and visit the exhibition.”
Also commenting on the exhibition, Dr Sohair Wastawy, Executive Director, Qatar National Library, said: “the Great War was a monumental chapter in the history of the world, with significant repercussions which are still marking contemporary history. The exhibition will provide the community in Qatar with an important learning experience, and we are proud to present this important part of history to visitors at Qatar National Library. We are grateful to our partners for bringing this exhibition to Qatar.”
