Mubarak Al Khalifa

Mubarak Abdullah Al Khalifa is the Assistant Undersecretary for Cultural Affairs at Qatar’s Ministry of Culture and a Qatari poet, writer and programme presenter.

His father was his first example, admired for strength of character and eloquence. A visitor to the family majlis also left a lasting lesson. Mubarak was captivated by the man’s culture and his ability to discuss many subjects, and was advised to “take something from everything”. Only later did he understand the principle: no one can become a specialist in every field, but an educated person should know their foundations.

A Sharia teacher who taught him the Qur’an provided another model. Strict about prayer, the teacher commanded respect through dignity while showing genuine warmth and concern for the children’s education.

At Al Rayyan Secondary School, a literature teacher deepened his attachment to poetry. During breaks, he took pupils to the library and helped them memorise verses by Abu Nuwas, Al Shirazi and humorous poets whose lines remained readily in a child’s memory. The practice developed Mubarak’s own writing.

His father died while he was young. Two elder brothers assumed much of the paternal role, trusted him and taught responsibility. Their presence eased the loss and helped him become disciplined, diligent and dependable.

He attended schools in Al Rayyan and was popular as well as highly competitive. He ranked first throughout the three preparatory years and remained academically strong in the first two secondary years. His results declined in the final year after his grandmother died abroad. Although naturally drawn to literature, he entered Qatar University’s College of Administration and Economics and graduated from an institution known for attracting talented young Qataris.

His professional path included ten years at Hamad Medical Corporation, four at the Ministry of Municipality and eight with Aspire before he moved to a significant cultural portfolio at the Ministry of Culture.

His literary career also contained periods of interruption. Rather than ending the work, each pause became a transition to a new platform through which his writing could reappear in a different form.

Poetic activity across the Gulf rose and fell over time, but he continued to join festivals and readings throughout the region. He appeared more than six times at the Doha Cultural Festival and travelled to events in several Gulf states.

Television brought another field of experience. He presented the fourth and fifth seasons of Qatar Television’s “Sawabih Fikr” after the original presenter left to complete a doctorate. Mubarak had conceived and supervised the first three seasons, so he understood the programme’s purpose in detail. His presentation and management helped it draw poets from Qatar and other Gulf countries and establish a strong competition based on poetic imagery and ideas.

High participation required a new format in the fifth season. Qualifying rounds and a final increased both competition and audience interest, while the number of poets from across the Gulf continued to grow.

He has also served on the jury in every edition of the “University Poet” competition, organised by the Ministry of Culture with Qatar University.

Poets often struggle against damaging stereotypes: that their words do not match their conduct, that they are mercenary, morally unreliable, culturally narrow or excessively flattering. He has tried to challenge those assumptions by presenting the poet as a person of integrity and the poem as a meaningful gift, a carrier of social values, a record of major events and a transmitter of culture.

Public visibility places a poet under constant scrutiny. He therefore believes the writer must resist temptation, practise contentment and accept the obligation to offer society a responsible example.