2026, a Key Year in Cultural Exchange Between Mexico and Qatar

Our country will be invited to the Years of Culture program, which has yielded great results for the Arab nation. Former ambassador Mohammed Al Kuwari tells us about the activities that will be shared.
Doha. —Early in the morning, at the Museum of Islamic Art, the Mexican National Anthem begins to play. It is a small orchestra that will give a concert that evening in the venue designed by architect I.M. Pei. Thirty years ago, Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta, along with other colleagues from around the world, debated who should design this Qatari museum.

It was an architectural competition, like the one recently won by Mexican architect Frida Escobedo to design the headquarters of the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These are just some of the threads that have woven the cultural relationship between Mexico and Qatar, a relationship that will be strengthened in 2026, as Mexico will be invited to the Years of Culture program.

Years of Culture, its original title, is the program through which Qatar has promoted its cultural diplomacy since 2012, when it announced it would host the FIFA World Cup. Now, as part of a new edition of this event, Qatar is inviting two of its hosts: Mexico and Canada, and has announced that there will be additional activities with the United States (guest country in 2021).

“We want to connect with you, we want to share our culture and the solidarity between Qatar and Mexico. I think Mexicans are going to enjoy it very much next year,” Mohammed Al Kuwari, former Qatari ambassador to Mexico and advisor on Latin America for Years of Culture, told EL UNIVERSAL.

The friendliness of the people and the gastronomy are aspects that Al Kuwari wants to share with the people of Qatar. “Qataris are interested in Mexican culture, like mariachi and the Day of the Dead. For us, Mexico is a very distant country, very far away, and it has a reputation for being a dangerous place, for being the home of El Chapo. But after living there for six years, I can tell you that no, it's a very beautiful country.”

The Mexico-Qatar cultural program is still being developed, but the former ambassador shares some of the ideas he would like to see implemented. For example, an exchange between a Qatari and a Mexican singer, and Carín León is the first name that comes to mind.

“We have plans for museum exhibitions in Mexico, such as those from the Anthropological Museum (of Qatar) and the 3,2,1 Sports Museum. The Doha Philharmonic will also be in Mexico, and charrería (Mexican rodeo) and some street art exhibitions and exchanges will be coming here,” says Al Kuwari.

He says that if he had to describe the relationship between Mexico and Qatar in one word, it would be “love.” When asked about the similarities between the two countries, she highlights eating rice, tacos al pastor (due to their Arab origin), and the concept that "la jefa," meaning the mother of the family, is very important: "We also get together here every weekend to eat with the jefa," she says.

Years of Culture: Cultural Diplomacy

Football changed Qatar forever. Being chosen to host the 2022 World Cup not only forced the country to modernize—a resident who has lived in Doha for 20 years recalls that before it was all desert and there was only one shopping mall—but it has also helped it broaden its horizons.

To this end, they have invested in culture and in using it as a tool for diplomacy:

“Culture is central to a country’s development,” said Mohammed Saad A. Rumaihi, CEO of Qatar Museums, on December 10th during the Creative Industries Forum, organized jointly with the United Kingdom—the guest country of the Years of Culture program in 2013, with which they continue to collaborate on cultural activities. At the same forum, Mohammad Al Emadi, Director of Incubation & Venture Capital Investment at Qatar, and Maha Ghanim Al Sulaiti, Director of the M7 Design Museum, shared that Qatar’s goal is to be a leader in the creative economy and an international incubator for creative industries.

Al Kuwari explained that for Qatar, the Years of Culture program is crucial for connecting his nation with others around the world and “showing countries that there are similarities.”

Beyond breaking down stereotypes and sharing knowledge, Years of Culture is a program that also seeks to foster economic agreements:

“Both countries benefit; it’s a great business opportunity,” says Al Kuwari.

“We’ve been talking with Mexico for a long time about what we can do to establish a flight. Qatar Airways is very interested in a Doha-Europe-Mexico flight, because Mexico is our hub for reaching all of Latin America. We want to, but we haven’t been able to because there’s a conflict with Aeroméxico. With so much competition, prices go down,” he reflects.

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