The Art of the Qatar Blockade

It has been a year since Qatar was blockaded by three of her Gulf neighbors. Since the commencement of the blockade, Qatari national solidarity has been expressed through art, beginning with Ahmed bin Majed Almaadheed's Tamim Al Majd: a monochrome painting of Qatar's Emir, who is presented youthful, fearless and, quite exceptionally, without traditional Arab attire. 

One year on, artists Mubarak Al-Thani and Ghada Al-Khater's exhibition, Remember When..., captures the defiant Qatari spirit through satire and generous splashes of color. As a member of a generation that routinely communicates via emoji-strings, the GCC Crisis Emoji Chronicle was an easy favorite of mine. The piece captures the initial incredulity, defiance and subsequent response to the blockade. 

Sharper, however, is Mubarak Al Thani's June 5th -1 Year Later. A lightening bolt from Al Wajba (the site of a 19th century Qatari battle with the Ottomans, and the name given to one of the Emir's principal palaces) strikes Al Auja (again a palatial reference - this time to the home of the Saudi monarch). Spewing from Al Auja, we see vice, in the form of gambling, and pestilence. Al-Thani, a political scientist by training and self-taught artist conveys through angles and sharp colors, local anger against the blockading powers who are seen as having been responsible for their fair share of political and other misdeeds. The chaos of Al Auja contrasts with the order of the Doha skyline, which is in turn, flanked by a graph representing Qatar's economic progress. This is undoubtedly an allusion to the view that the blockade was significantly motivated by envy of Qatar's economic influence on the world stage.

Beyond this exhibit at the W Hotel's Art29 space, art inspired by the emotions of the blockade has sprung up in other spaces. At The Gate Mall, an unused retail space has been converted into the eerie setting for Fatma Alshebani's conceptual and interactive piece, The Mother. Surrounded by garish red light, a tree of barbed wire stands lonely. However, visitors to the exhibit can interact with the barbed wire tree, adding leaves to its branches, allowing to symbolically grow and flourish. The plastic leaves can be personalized - many have names on them: some no doubt of visitors to the exhibit. Many names, however, are those of family members separated by the blockade; our leaves had the names of my parents, so close but yet so far in Bahrain.

It is incredibly exciting to see artists in Qatar convey political commentary through art. Whilst the content invariably portrays the country in a favorable light, the connection between art and political expression in a country perhaps less accustomed to it, ought to be encouraged.

Remember When... by Mubarak Al-Thani and Ghada Al-Khater is on display until September 4, 2018 at Art29, The W Hotel, Doha

The Mother by Fatma Alshebani is currently on view at The Gate Mall, Doha.

Many thanks to Jörg Matthias Determann for assisting with Arabic translations and contributing his thoughts to this commentary.

Keeping Fit with JeanneinDoha | How to Hit 10,000 Steps Each Day

As those of you who follow my Instagram stories will know, I exercise a lot. Whilst many of my workout routines are rigorous, I also strongly believe that general movement is key to staying fit and healthy. Walking is a great form of exercise and a good way to stay active if, for whatever reason, more strenuous activity isn't an option. Of course, strength training and cardiovascular exercise contribute to building one's fitness levels. But sometimes, it's important to just keep moving; I'm certain that my ~7 miles of walking each day help me stay in shape.

You've probably heard that you should aim to walk 10,000 steps per day. Many people I know find this target quite challenging, particularly whilst working long hours in Doha's summers. I usually average around 15,000 steps per day whether I'm working in Doha or Seoul, whether it's 45°C or -22°C outside. Here's how I do it.

Track accurately. In order to know how far you are walking, you need to track yourself accurately. I love my Fitbit. I wear it all the time: to the gym, to work, to cocktail parties. Everywhere. It's part of my arm and through it I have realized a) how much I walk b) how badly I sleep and that c) that my resting heart rate follows the cyclicality of my menstrual cycle. (How fascinating is the human body?)

Look for opportunities to walk throughout the day. Have 10 spare minutes in the morning? Walk around your building. Take the long way to the water cooler or the coffee shop when at work. Too hot to walk outside? Walk around your office building during a short break from work. Use stairs rather than escalators. Do you have a lunch break? If so, take it. Spend half of it eating and then go for a walk. Don't think, 'I can't walk' but think instead 'How can I get my steps in?' If you have a treadmill available close to you, you really have no excuse when it comes to getting in those steps in the face of inclement weather.

Pick a route (or two) that works and stick with it. Not all of us are blessed to live in gated compounds or on The Pearl. But we can all come up with routes that are (relatively) pleasant to walk along. Sure the sidewalk sometimes disappears in Doha (!) but there are green spaces such as Sheraton Park, Al Bidda Park or Aspire Park that one can walk in. Moreover, Doha is a pretty safe city. I've lived in Doha neighborhoods that weren't the most salubrious, but were perfectly safe. So go for an evening walk. 

Find non-traditional spaces to walk. You can walk through an air-conditioned (or in the case of Seoul winters - heated) mall. Do you have a long corridor in your apartment building? Put on a podcast, learn about the world and walk up and down that corridor.

No. You do have time. Think carefully when you say that you don't have time to complete even the simplest form of exercise. If you spend time watching TV or faffing on your phone, you have time to walk.

Don't be afraid of sweat. I wouldn't advise spending a lot of time walking around in Doha's blazing sun. However, my husband and I routinely go for evening walks even in the summer. Hydrate frequently whilst walking and shower after.

Now get off your phone or laptop and go for a walk!