Qatar, France to shore up strategic cultural partnership

Qatar tribune Tribune News Network Doha During the visit of French Minister of Culture Rachida Dati to Doha on the occasion of 20th anniversary of Qatar Museums and Qatar Creates celebration, a joint statement was issued by the two sides as follows: At the invitation of the Qatari authorities and HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture of the French Republic, visited Doha from April 19 to 20, 2025 on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Qatar Museums. Visiting Doha during the Qatar Creates celebration, the Minister of Culture praised the strategy implemented by HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, which has made this event a cultural milestone and Doha an international cultural capital. During her working visit, Rachida Dati also visited the Museum of Islamic Art, the National Museum, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art and Qatar National Library.

Sheikha Al Mayassa and Rachida Dati both expressed great enthusiasm for the commitment of French and Qatari cultural institutions to strengthen their ties with one another. The purpose of the visit was to implement the commitments made in the Memorandum of Understanding signed in June 2024 between Rachida Dati, on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, and HE Sheikha Al Mayassa, Chairperson of Qatar Museums. This visit to Doha served to formalize this new horizon in our cultural relationship, with the signing of six framework agreements between leading French and Qatari cultural institutions.

The Minister of Culture and the Chairperson of Qatar Museums welcomed the signing of the following agreements: 1.Framework agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Qatar Museums. This agreement, signed by Rachida Dati and HE Sheikha Al Mayassa, defines a collaborative partnership for professional training in the cultural sector.

This partnership may involve institutions such as Femis, Manufactures nationales, the Institut national du Patrimoine, and the new Qatar Preparatory School and may include residency programmes. 2.Framework agreement between Qatar Museums and the Etablissement public des musées d’Orsay et de l’Orangerie - Valérie Giscard d’Estaing.

This partnership will enable collaborations between the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée de l’Orangerie and existing and new museums in Qatar, including research projects, joint exhibition projects, and academic and educational projects. It could also involve the mutual loan of artworks, reciprocal training programmes, and collaboration on the level of the institutions’ scientific boards. 3.

Framework agreement between Qatar Museums and the Musée Guimet. This agreement paves the way for collaboration between the two cultural institutions on research, conservation and educational projects dedicated to Asian arts. Mutual loans of artworks may also be proposed within the framework of this partnership, as well as joint exhibition projects, educational activities and residency programs.

4.Framework agreement between Qatar Museums and Manufactures nationales - Sèvres and Mobilier national.This partnership is dedicated to the design and crafts sectors, and aims to strengthen links between French and Qatari designers and craftsmen.

It will enable the implementation of research projects and joint exhibitions in Qatar and France. Training programmes may also be part of this agreement. 5.

Cooperation agreement between the Doha Film Institute and the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée. Based on the strong relation between French and Qatari film professionals, this agreement will help foster co-production projects between France and Qatar, through a heightened presence of professionals of both countries at their respective festivals. The agreement will also enable the implementation of training programmes for film professionals, as well as image education programs for young audiences.

It could also be extended to the film heritage sector. 6.Memorandum of understanding between the National Library of Qatar and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France.

This partnership will enable the development of research programs on the collections of both cultural institutions; it will involve training for library professionals and the digitization of Islamic manuscripts held by the Bibliothèque nationale de France, to complement the digital collections of the Qatar National Library.Qatar Museums and French Ministry of Culture issue a Joint Statement Copy 22/04/2025 10.