Salem Aljahwashi

Salem Hussain Aljahwashi is a voice artist, director, actor and programme presenter with a bachelor’s degree in acting and theatre direction from the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Kuwait. A founder of voice performance and dubbing at the Joint Programme Production Institution, he has worked as a theatre teacher, director and actor, presented programmes on Qatar Radio and Holy Qur’an Radio, trained broadcasters at Al Jazeera Media Institute, and directed dubbing for Al Jazeera.

He joined Doha Youth Centre and remained there until 2015, contributing dozens of productions; from 1997, Doha Youth Theatre also appeared at international events.

He was born in Aden in August 1954, where his father worked as an accountant for a merchant. When his father moved to Saudi Arabia for work, his mother returned with the children to Al-Shihr. He attended Makarim Al-Akhlaq Primary School, Al-Balagh Intermediate School in Aidid, completed his first two secondary years in Al-Shihr and finished secondary education in Al-Mukalla, joining Al-Mukalla Radio immediately afterwards in 1973.

His talent was evident at primary school through singing and chanting. At secondary school, a flourishing theatre movement brought him into contact with directors including Abdulrahman Al-Mallahi and Mohammed Awad Saleh, as well as Sudanese and Palestinian teachers.

In 1975, he spent six months at Egypt’s National Theatre studying recitation with Ahmed Al-Badawi. He moved to Kuwait in 1978 for formal theatre study and graduated in 1982. During those years, he took part in the well-known children’s animated productions “Adnan and Lina”, “Bashar”, “Lucy” and “Zero Zero One”, worked on Kuwaiti radio serials with Ahmed Salem and contributed to television and theatre productions.

He then returned to Aden, working across radio, theatre and television and teaching at the Institute of Fine Arts.

A family journey unexpectedly opened the way to Qatar. In June 1996, he travelled from Aden to Sana’a to obtain a Saudi visa for his wife’s medical treatment. In Saudi Arabia he stayed with the actor Nabil Hizam, who was preparing a production for celebrations marking the first anniversary of the accession of His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. Five days before the company was due to travel, a performer withdrew from a major role, and he agreed to join the cast for what he expected would be a one-week visit.

After performing at Qatar National Theatre, he met former classmates from Kuwait’s Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts, including Faleh Fayez, Hamad Al-Rumaihi, the late Hassan Hussein and the late Mubarak Al-Kuwari. They encouraged him to remain in Qatar, whose theatre scene was expanding but needed academically trained supervisors.

He joined Doha Youth Centre and remained there until 2015, contributing dozens of productions; from 1997, Doha Youth Theatre also appeared at international events. At the same time, he worked in theatre education until theatre and music education were discontinued in 2005, a decision that deeply affected artists and theatre practitioners.

His growing collaboration with Al Jazeera then changed the direction of his career. Having worked as a dubbing performer on the weekly programme “Foreign Correspondents”, he joined the network formally as a promo voice and dubbing director for documentaries.

Among the works he recorded for Aden Television were the play “The Great Sheikh”, a spy scene in “The Tragedy of the Twentieth Century” and “A Man with a Nation”. He also presented the programme “Muslims” on Al Jazeera.

He was part of Qatar Theatre Company’s production of “Titanic”, staged for a full month across more than one country. The multinational company offered him another opportunity to represent Qatar through theatre.

Although trained for the stage, voice and delivery became central to his work. That focus developed at Doha Youth Centre and expanded through Al Jazeera Training Centre, where he continued to teach public speaking, recitation, dubbing and broader vocal skills. He also made a substantial contribution to establishing Al Jazeera Theatre.

His broadcasting, directing and training commitments never ended his connection with theatre, and he continued to return to the stage when opportunities arose.

He now advances skilled performance and accurate Arabic pronunciation through courses in Qatar and abroad, particularly for people working in broadcasting and media.