Find out how:
A typical weekend in Qatar is catching the latest movie at your local cinema. Be it horror, drama or romance, most movies in Qatar have one thing in common: English. At first glance, it makes sense that more foreign movies are being shown to appeal to the high number of expats in the country. But then questions arise: how do Qataris, surprisingly the minority group in Qatar, feel about having to adhere to the majority’s preferences? Do they feel threatened by the Western entertainment industry modifying Qatari values or are they ready to accept the influence of Western media as a part of their transformative journey? We set out to find answers and the data to support it.
Overall, we found out that people are torn between the need to support their native language and simply the global preference. Jerad, a South African resident, acknowledged that:
“Movies would affect the Qatari culture”
Yet he believes it is integral for entertaining the large expat community.
Browse through years to see the change in the Qatari population.
Source: http://priyadsouza.com/population-of-qatar-by-nationality-in-2017/
Source: https://www.psa.gov.qa/en/statistics/Statistical%20Releases/Social/MediaCultureTourism/2018/8_Media_Culture_Tourism_2018_AE.pdf)
Fear of loss was sensed in these responses as people shared how much they appreciated Western cinema but also acknowledged that their own films might be at stake because of the growing expatriates.This led us to a question: Are expatriates willing to watch Arabic films instead of the mainstream cinema? We found out from Matt Alderman, an expatriate from Minnesota, would eagerly watch Arabic films in the cinema if they had subtitles. He also believes that movies are one way through which the expats can assimilate to the culture and learn about it.
Leading us to a conclusion that while foreign movies are frequently watched in Qatar, there is potentially an acceptance for Arabic films not only from the nationals, but from the internationals as well.
By: Fatma Oueslati and Lena Al-Homoud