The countdown continues as the first TEDinArabic Summit, organised through a partnership between Qatar Foundation and TED – and its audience will have the opportunity for experiences that combine knowledge and fun from countries across the Arab world.

Alongside keynote talks in Arabic by TED speakers who will share their inspiring stories and share their ideas, the summit – which takes place at Qatar National Convention Centre from 18 to 19 March under the theme, The Butterfly Effect – will allow people to interact, learn and connect with other participants through talks, workshops and other opportunities to exchange and develop ideas.

Discovery Sessions

These Discovery Sessions include Abeer Bayazidi and Bassam Alasad from Greener Screen/Creative Media Solutions outline the impact of filmmaking on climate action, and how the power of images and words can inspire people to act to protect the environment. A session by Aziza Chaouni, Assistant Professor of Architecture at the University of Toronto, will discuss strategies for tackling water scarcity challenges, from households to entire cities.

Many sessions and workshops will be centred around the Arabic language, with Ibtechar Digital Solution CEO Nayef Alibrahim highlighting the key issue of teaching Arabic, both as a tool and as an essential part of shaping today’s human identity.

Meanwhile, Qatar Foundation International will host a session about teaching and learning Arabic for non-native speakers of the language. Jordanian designer and artist Hussein Alazaat will also present a workshop on Arabic calligraphy, giving attendees the opportunity to explore new techniques in the art form and the endless possibilities offered by Arabic letters.

A group of Palestinian influencers, including activist Mona El-Kurd, Elia Ghorbiah and Tarek Al-Bakri, are leading a workshop titled Defend Your Case With Your Talent, with Alaa Al-Qaq presenting the Khazaeen initiative on documenting and archiving stories from Palestine. Comedian and activist Maysoon Zayid will bring her legendary standup comedy to Doha as she performs her comedy in the Palestinian dialect, as well as share her life story.

Well-known names from across the Arab world are joining the TEDinArabic Summit to present the TED speakers, including Qatari TV presenter Saud Al Mudahka; Algerian TV presenter Amel Arab; Palestinian writer and poet Asmaa Al-Hajj; Moza AlHajri, a student at QF partner university Georgetown University in Qatar and a QatarDebate participant; and Essa Al-Mannai, Director of DADU Children’s Museum. Arabic sign language will be available for all the TED talks.

Years of Culture will lead two Discovery Workshops featuring renowned local illustrator Jowhara, who will focus on watercolour journaling inspired by the recently published Travel Book of Culture by French artist Lapin.

The workshops will be conducted in Arabic and are open to the public with prior registration.

Summit partners

The summit is held with support from a group of partners who will provide social spaces that will allow the audience to get a taste of the Arabic language, identity and culture, and its influence, through interactive stations from all over the Arab world.

Among them are the Arabic Experiential Kitchen zone, where summit participants can experience the world of Arabic cuisine with eight talented chefs from across the Arab world; an Art, Design and Fashion Zone, which provides an opportunity to explore Arabic poetry and art; and a Sports Zone offering fitness activities, promoting the role of sports in Arab culture, and exploring the legacy of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Partners of the summit from across Qatar include Qatar Museums’ Years of Culture, Tasweer, Alif Stores, Doha Film Institute, Geekdom, Doha Debates, the Generation Amazing Foundation, Enbat, QINWAN, and Al Jazeera Media Network’s AJ+ platform.

The TEDinArabic Summit in Doha is one of the cornerstones of the three-year partnership between Qatar Foundation and TED, to amplify ideas in the Arabic language. Under this partnership, three regional TEDinArabic events have been held in Qatar, Jordan and Morocco. An ideas search has been launched across the Arab world and a digital platform created to house a rich variety of TEDinArabic content, including blogs, videos and TED talks.

For more details about the TEDinArabic Summit and to register to attend, visit tedinarabic.ted.com. More information about TEDinArabic can also be found here.


Check out Marhaba’s FREE e-Guides for everything you need to know about Qatar.