Faisal Al Tamimi

Faisal Ibrahim Al Tamimi is an artist, composer, theatre-maker, producer and television and radio presenter. He was the first Head of Arts at Qatar University and the youngest president of the Qatar National Folklore Troupe, and composed works for broadcasting and major national events.

His father, Ibrahim bin Abdul Majeed, was born in 1934 in Old Freej Al-Ghanim, near the stall market, an area he compared to London’s Shepherd’s Bush Market. Their house was among the largest in the neighbourhood and had an extensive courtyard. Children gathered there to catch birds with traditional rope traps placed near manure rich in worms.

After the death of his grandfather, Abdul Majeed Al Ibrahim Bu Ibrahim, the family sold the house in 1944. Ibrahim, known as Bu Faisal, was then ten years old. Like many Qataris, he later travelled to Saudi Arabia in search of work as the pearl trade declined under competition from Japanese cultured pearls and life became harder during the Second World War. He settled in the Eastern Province and worked for the oil company at Ras Tanura until he was eighteen. He then decided to establish a family and married a woman from Dareen in Qatif, home to some of the Gulf’s most prominent families. He subsequently married twice more; Umm Faisal was his third and final wife.

He was born on 10 March 1964 into a large family. His mother’s eldest son, he was ninth among eighteen siblings. His distinctive character appeared early: he was exceptionally bright and loved reading. He was strongly influenced by his maternal uncle, Sayyed Abdul Rahman bin Issa Al-Bunyan Al-Subaie, a cultured man in Dammam with a deep interest in literature. The uncle encouraged his young nephew to read major international authors well beyond the usual level for his age. When he was seven and in the second year of primary school, he gave him Al-Orouba and other Arab magazines that addressed political and social questions and reported local and international affairs. The reading made him aware of news and conditions around the world.

During the October War of 1973, when he was in the third year of primary school, he followed developments closely with his father. He asked about every unfamiliar detail and term, and his father explained the background to the events. Those conversations made a substantial contribution to the knowledgeable personality he was developing.

In 1973, the family moved to Al-Najma. Their small popular house lacked basic facilities and comprised two rooms, a courtyard, a majlis, a kitchen and a washing area with a lavatory. The large family nevertheless found ways to play and enjoy its time, taking advantage of the open spaces that existed before high-rise development transformed the neighbourhoods. Residents formed a football side called the Media Team under Bashir Ali Hatem, while older players established the Freedom Team. In 1977, the Ministry of Information announced the Qatar National Folklore Troupe. Most children in the freej joined, but his age and devotion to football kept him from receiving an opportunity at that stage.

Family circumstances and regular contact with older people led him to seek responsibility early. At ten, he asked his elder brother, who worked in the Shura Council’s Relations Department, to take him to work during the summer holiday. On his first day, he approached the Council’s then Secretary-General, Qusay Al-Abadla—may God have mercy on him—and asked for a job. Surprised but impressed by the child’s diligence and independence, Al-Abadla assigned him to serve tea and coffee to employees. The role placed him close to the Council’s work. Every Monday, he collected the session minutes, bound them and placed them in members’ cabinets; curiosity led him to read them first, teaching him how reports were written and introducing him to political terminology. A year later, he began serving Council members directly and listening to their discussions. His perseverance attracted their attention, including that of Council President Abdul Aziz bin Khaled Al-Ghanim—may God have mercy on him—who recognised his promise as he worked in traditional Qatari dress, with ghutra and agal.

After four summers at the Shura Council, he was fourteen and had reached secondary school. He asked to be promoted to messenger, but the role required a bicycle, which he did not have. He therefore sought another opportunity that could develop his abilities and meet his ambitions.

While many contemporaries spent the summer holiday at beaches or on trips, the fourteen-year-old began a second work experience. After leaving the Shura Council, he accompanied his father to the government garage and wrote employee cards under Abdullah Haroun—may God have mercy on him. Haroun was strict and uncompromising at work, but treated he gently because of his age while assigning him more tasks than his colleagues to make use of his enthusiasm.

Further work followed. He spent a short period in the television film library and then joined the Water Department as an employee-records clerk alongside his artistic companion Khaled Johar.

He attended kindergarten in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, in 1969, then entered Othman bin Affan Primary School in Doha’s Al-Muntazah district, now Rawdat Al-Khail. It was a model school staffed by distinguished educators from Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Egypt, alongside the smaller number of Qatari teachers then available. Its principal, Ali Faraj Al-Ansari, was known for discipline, rigour and innovation. He transformed unused halls into a taxidermy museum displaying unusual wild and domestic animals, from which pupils learned greatly. The school also hosted the puppet production “Sahsah and Jamila”; although it lasted no more than half an hour, the event remained vivid in his memory.

His ability earned his teachers’ confidence. An arithmetic teacher even asked him to test classmates in mathematics and Qur’anic recitation. Some pupils resented the responsibility and alleged that he graded according to personal relationships, exposing him to harsh criticism from the teacher. He nevertheless continued to excel and impressed staff with his knowledge of world affairs. The assassination of King Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the third King of Saudi Arabia, affected him deeply as a calamity for the Arab nation.

In 1976, while in the sixth year of primary school, he took part in the fourth Gulf Cup, the first edition of the tournament hosted by Qatar. His reward was an admission card to the matches, teaching him the value of participation and diligence. Energised by the experience, he completed primary education with distinction. His name was announced on radio, making his father so proud that he distributed drinks to neighbours and friends.

In 1977, he entered Ali bin Abi Talib Preparatory School in the New Al Salata district. The prominent school included many challenging pupils and athletes who would later represent Qatar, among them Badr Bilal; Ali Boughedir, later captain of the national handball team; Mohammed Al-Maliki, later an Al Rayyan handball goalkeeper; sports analyst Majed Al-Khulaifi; and the late Khalifa Al-Asiri—may God have mercy on him. Many pupils were older than he, some over eighteen and already driving, while he spent his summer holidays working to help his father with household expenses. He felt pulled between the childhood enjoyed by his contemporaries and the responsibilities of adult life. Ultimately, he left childhood early, became fully self-reliant and divided his time between work and study.

After completing preparatory education with distinction, he entered Ahmed bin Hanbal Secondary School in the Crescent district, beside the present Mall complex. The environment encouraged his emerging leadership. Principal Khalifa Al-Rumaihi, later a member of the Shura Council—may God have mercy on him—treated pupils like his own children and listened to them. He was asked to select five outstanding pupils from each Qatari school for an educational, cultural and recreational trip to Pakistan during the mid-year holiday; he was among those chosen. His first journey beyond the Gulf introduced him to students from other schools and to a different culture, broadening both his awareness and his thinking.

In his second year of secondary school, he had to choose between the arts and science tracks. Although his family hoped that he would become a doctor and encouraged science, his own inclination—supported by his uncle—led him towards literature. He completed secondary school with distinction and a high score, ready for the next stage of his life.

He joined the Sports Education team, which developed from Al-Maaref and became a formally organised junior side in 1980. Membership enabled players to move into league teams, and he trained under coaches Saad Dabaiba and Omar Al-Khatib—may God have mercy on them. Although he loved football, he also felt drawn to the folk arts practised throughout the neighbourhood. In 1981, after a coach left him out of a match against Al Arabi, his disappointment prompted him to leave the kit on the field and concentrate on art. He was especially attracted to the mystery and vocal performance of Lavjeri and wanted to explore that unfamiliar world.

In 1979, residents of the neighbourhood established a folk-arts youth ensemble called “The Pearl”, led by Turki bin Saleh and the late Sultan Saad. Participants included Mohammed Saad, Khaled Al-Johar, Mohammed bin Sultan Al-Mannai and other young artists inspired by Qatar’s cultural revival. Unlike more specialised groups, the ensemble brought several folk traditions together and was particularly distinguished by its performance of fijiri, then absent from Al-Najma. Although football remained a major interest, his attempts to write and compose Arada verse in the form of the folk song known as naza earned him a place as the group’s poet. In 1981, he became the youngest member admitted to the Qatar National Folklore Troupe, beginning a serious artistic career.

After secondary school, he received a scholarship to study media in the United Arab Emirates. He declined because, despite his academic excellence, he had not received his first choice while classmates with lower grades had. Instead, he enrolled in sociology at Qatar University, a relatively rare specialisation taken by few students. He discovered a genuine passion for the subject, encouraged by outstanding teachers and by its close connection at the time with folk arts.

University became a turning point. Recovering from disappointment in football, he looked inward for his true passion and immersed himself in the mysterious, richly detailed world of fijiri. When Qatar University decided to establish a folk-arts troupe, Dean of Student Affairs Dr Mohammed Kafoud asked him to supervise its formation because of his extensive work with the Qatar National Folklore Troupe. Proud of the confidence placed in him, he persuaded fellow students to form an ensemble that could represent Qatar internationally. Not every member was initially proficient in folk arts, so he wrote lyrics and set them to familiar musical forms, making performance easier and enabling the troupe to develop. Its first trip was to the Second Gulf Universities Festival at Al Ain University in the United Arab Emirates in 1986, followed by visits to the University of Tunis and Mohammed V University in Morocco in 1987, Cairo University in 1988, and the universities of Baghdad and Damascus. Strong media interest helped mature the troupe’s experience and deepen its artistic perspective.

At university, students outside his immediate circle sometimes regarded him with suspicion because he appeared on television performing various forms of folk art. Dr Juhayna Al-Issa, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Qatar University, recognised his ability and supported him, opening a new professional chapter. He began composing for radio and television, appeared several times on Qatar Television and quickly became known for music written for programmes including “TV Magazine”, “What Viewers Ask For”, “Tomorrow We Present”, “The Science Club” and “The Children’s Club”.

His enthusiasm, diligence, talent and creativity made Qatar University determined to retain him. While he was still a student, it created the post of Head of Arts for him.

Immediately after graduating from Qatar University in 1986, he was employed to manage its newly established Arts Department. He strengthened cultural life on campus, presented numerous purposeful plays, adapted literary texts for the stage, developed students’ energies, discovered talent across nationalities and organised activities for different communities. At the end of 1987, he presented a varied seven-hour closing programme and invited officials and folk-arts specialists from the Ministry of Information and the Heritage Centre. Among them was Musa Zainal, then Director of the Department of Culture and Arts. After the performance, Zainal proposed that he move to the Ministry of Culture and nominated him to lead the National Troupe in succession to Sami Younis, who was preparing to resign.

Sami Younis’s nomination won the officials’ approval; he was appointed to lead the troupe despite being its youngest member. Yousef Ahmad Abdullah, head of the department, gave him substantial support.

His age prompted reservations among some troupe members during his first period as leader; he managed to absorb their anger. His first overseas engagement at the head of the National Troupe was the Jerash Festival in Jordan, followed by Babylon in Iraq. He was then commissioned to open the Second Gulf Theatre Festival in 1990.

As director of the National Troupe, he made important contributions to preparing and composing its programmes in Qatar and abroad. Drawing on musical theatre, he moved beyond presenting separate folk pieces and began combining them into something resembling Gulf opera. Continued study of international practice and experience from the troupe’s earlier European appearances helped make the approach successful. He was commissioned to open the 1988 Asian Cup and to direct the opening ceremony of the 1992 Gulf Cup. The latter brought particular joy because he had participated as a child in the fourth Gulf Cup in 1976, the second Gulf championship hosted by Qatar and a major national occasion. The ceremony’s success strengthened his artistic standing. Further commissions followed, including the opening of the 1994 Asian Youth Volleyball Championship, a tennis championship and numerous other events in Qatar and abroad.

He continued participating in the festival and gained greater confidence with every edition. He placed something of himself in each work and gave every production a story. Art took him around the world, allowing him to present his country’s culture, encounter other cultures and learn openness towards different ideas and traditions. He accepted others without diminishing their work while remaining committed to his own principles and values.

His relationship with theatre began in kindergarten, when the school cast him as an apple tree. A more serious stage followed in 1984, when Qatari director Abdul Rahman Al-Mannai selected him for “A Blacksmith’s Tale” at a university festival in Kuwait. Playing a young Tunisian, he mastered the dialect so convincingly that some audience members assumed he was from Tunisia. Al-Mannai later invited him to join Al Sadd Theatre and appear in “Lail Ya Lail”, Qatar’s entry at the Damascus Theatre Festival. The trip opened the world of professional theatre to him and brought encounters with major Arab performers, including Duraid Lahham and Yassin Bakoush.

From those experiences, and particularly from director Abdul Rahman Al-Mannai, he learned the fundamentals of theatre and the management of rehearsals. Al-Mannai established a director’s authority through respect and affection rather than fear, without compromising a production’s detail. The example helped him lead the National Troupe smoothly and competently despite his youth.

During the same period, he developed the ability to listen, a skill that served him throughout his professional life and in his family relationships.

In 1998, Qatar Television commissioned him to prepare and present “Samra”, a summer gathering featuring leading singers, especially exponents of the folk arts popular in Qatar and the Gulf. Initially hesitant about presenting, he decided to embrace the new experience. The successful programme hosted major artists including Abadi Al-Johar, Ali Abdul Karim and Abdullah Bel-Khair.

In 2000, he was assigned at short notice to present “Eid Night”, featuring Yemeni artist Fouad Al-Kubaisi and Emirati artist Aryam. Despite having little time to prepare, he achieved considerable success through confidence, verbal fluency and wide knowledge of the arts and their leading figures.

Work in television production and presenting opened the door to radio. He prepared and presented several specialist programmes on Qatari heritage, attracting the attention of broadcasters interested in documenting that heritage, including Amani Kamel and Mahmoud Salem.

One of the most influential supporters of his career was Abdul Rahman Al-Maadadi, the department director. In 1987, when he was just beginning, Al-Maadadi commissioned him to write and compose the theme for the popular programme “My Beloved Homeland, Good Morning”, which addressed people’s everyday concerns. That confidence played an important part in launching his artistic career.

He was also influenced by His Excellency Ambassador Abdul Rahman bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, Qatar’s Ambassador to Paris and Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council. From him, he learned diplomacy, crisis management and humility. They came into contact during Al Jasra Club’s participation in Qatar–France Cultural Week, where the Ambassador supervised the work personally, spent considerable time with the team and attended to every detail.

Other important influences included his uncle Abdul Rahman Al-Bunyan, a model of culture and commitment; Abdul Rahman Al-Mannai, who taught him a sound approach to theatre; and the prominent Kuwaiti musician Ghannam Al-Dikaan, whose path he followed.

He regards himself first and foremost as a composer. Most of his compositions, however, are operatic works performed once in live television broadcasts and not repeated afterwards.

A composer’s standing is often measured by romantic songs popular across society, particularly among young listeners who eagerly consume new music. He believes, however, that a composer also has a duty to conscience, humanity and country: to support social, educational and other sectors through work driven by national and humanitarian purpose.

Taking a wholly local identity onto the international stage is an exacting challenge. Administrators may doubt that a Qatari artist can compete with international performers until they witness an equal encounter for themselves. Yet every society has a distinctive heritage that defines its identity. His confidence rested on precise knowledge of Qatar’s traditions, which enabled him to explain them with authority. He brought the Qatar National Folklore Troupe to stages in Europe, South America and Africa, where its performances attracted attention and prompted audiences to ask about the origins, meanings and social purposes of the arts they encountered.

A decisive experience in directing and composition came before the 2006 Asian Games in Doha. David Atkins, the Australian director of the opening ceremony, invited him to join the team and help document and realise the period represented in the production. He was commissioned to compose the ceremony’s first hour, with musical arrangement by the Australian musician Christian. The experience transformed his later management of rehearsals and prepared him to collaborate with major directors, including Italy’s Gino Landi. In 2011, he worked with Landi on the national operetta “Secrets of the Sea”, co-composed with the Italian composer Paolo under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser and presented on Katara Beach.