With You It Rises, From You It Awaits: Building the Future with People, Learning, and Culture at the Core
- Maqina Team
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
By Kholoud M. Al Ali, Executive Director of Community Engagement and Programming, Qatar Foundation.
Nations are shaped over time by the choices they make about people - not only by what they build, but by how they invest in learning, curiosity, and the capacity of individuals to engage with the world around them. Progress rises through people, and the future depends on what they are empowered to become.
As Qatar marks its National Day, this idea feels particularly present. ‘With You It Rises, From You It Awaits’, this year's Qatar National Day theme, is a reminder that national progress is inseparable from human development. At Qatar Foundation, we see this as a long-term commitment, strengthened through an ecosystem that places education, culture, and public engagement side by side.
Learning does not begin or end at a particular stage of life, nor does it take place in a single setting. This belief is shaped by experience, by exposure, and by environments that allow people to ask questions and develop confidence in their own thinking. For societies to remain resilient, learning must extend beyond formal education and into public and cultural spaces.
Culture is central to this broader understanding of learning. It is where identity takes form and where connection happens. Culture allows people to see themselves more clearly while also engaging with perspectives beyond their own.
In Qatar, this dual role has long been understood. Cultural development for us has not been about the choice between tradition and modernity. Rather, it is more about creating a dialogue between them.
Education City embodies this thinking. Established as an environment where learning is integrated rather than siloed, it is a place where opportunities for knowledge and development span disciplines, institutions, and experiences. Education, research, culture, and community life exist in proximity, reinforcing the idea that learning exists as much beyond the classroom as it does within it. Lawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain Museum is part of this environment.
Dedicated to one of the greatest of modern artists, Maqbool Fida Husain, the museum draws on the spirit of an visionary whose practice was shaped by constant movement, curiosity, and engagement with the world around him.
His work was open, exploratory, and deeply human, and this way of thinking and approaching the world informs the role and the ethos of the museum that now bears his name: a place that encourages attention, reflection, and personal engagement, rather than passive viewing.
This approach reflects a broader understanding of education as something that belongs to the whole community. Skills such as observation, critical thinking, and openness to different viewpoints are developed through cultural engagement and carry value far beyond artistic contexts. They support individuals and strengthen the fabric of society, helping communities to adapt and move forward together.
Qatar’s continued investment in education, culture, and public engagement reflects its enduring commitment to people. On Qatar National Day, this idea comes into even sharper focus. When learning and culture are embedded in public life, they help to shape individual journeys and the country's shared direction. And what people are empowered to build, the future awaits.
