Experience Al Jazeera, an exhibition showcasing the Al Jazeera Media Network and its unprecedented impact and growth from a single Arabic language television channel to a globally recognised media organisation, opened today at the Garage Gallery, Fire Station. The exhibition, on view through 25 March 2023, is presented by Qatar Museums as part of Qatar Creates, the year-round national cultural movement that curates, promotes, and celebrates the diversity of cultural activities in Qatar, connecting resident and global audiences with Qatar’s creative industries and the Qatar-MENASA Year of Culture 2022, an international cultural exchange designed to deepen understanding between nations and their people.

Experience Al Jazeera highlights the trailblazing efforts of Al Jazeera Media Network, which set a precedent for freedom of the press in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The exhibition is both a celebration of the Network’s achievements and commitment to the human story, as well as an introspective look into the challenges it has faced. Experience Al Jazeera showcases the evolution of the pioneering achievements of Al Jazeera Media Network since its inception in 1996, the growth of the network from a single channel to five TV channels and multiple digital platforms and the success it has amassed in only two and a half decades. In addition, the exhibition explores the principles and guiding values of ethics in journalism at Al Jazeera.

Ramzan AlNaimi, Acting Executive Director of Global Brand & Communications Division at Al Jazeera Media Network, said: “I hope that the visitors from all around the world will be able to experience and discover the essence of Al Jazeera’s unique journalism and its journey, in which it presents the untold stories from around the world. On-behalf of the Network, I would like to thank Qatar Museums for their decision and commitment to launching this project that highlights Al Jazeera’s achievements and contribution to journalism.”

Anaghime Ziani, curator and museography manager of the exhibition, said: “We are delighted to present Experience Al Jazeera as part of the Lusail Museum’s prefiguration. The exhibition celebrates the emergence of a voice from the Arab world that has become a pioneer in the contemporary media landscape both regionally and globally. In presenting newly-contextualised information, the exhibition encourages visitors to have a better understanding of Al Jazeera Media Network while underscoring the invaluable role of journalism.”

The exhibition begins by introducing the Network’s origins, challenges faced by journalists, and the perils of journalism as a profession. It highlights news content, documentaries, and Al Jazeera’s digital expansion and innovation. Experience Al Jazeera tackles serious truths and the responsibilities journalists face, asking questions that prompt visitors to consider the impact that global events have on individuals.

Experience Al Jazeera is one of four exhibitions which prefigure the Lusail Museum, currently being developed by Qatar Museums, a museum that will explore ideas around movement, encounters, exchange and identity. The three special exhibitions accompanying Experiencing Al Jazeera are:

• Lusail Museum: Tales of a Connected World, on view at QM Gallery Al Riwaq from 24 October 2022 to 1 April 2023, presents extraordinary works of art that illuminate moments of encounter and connection across the Indian Ocean World. 
• Labour of Love: Embroidering Palestinian History, organised by the Palestinian Museum in collaboration with Qatar Museums, on view at Qatar Museums Gallery Katara until 23 January 2023.  The exhibition is a journey to discover Palestine through the art of embroidery. The land of Palestine carries a complex contemporary history, a narrative that the Lusail Museum seeks to better understand.
• Raku Kichizaemon XV: Jikinyū’ – A Living Tradition of Japanese Pottery, on view at the Museum of Islamic Art from 25 October 2022 to March 2023 displays a set of fourteen ceremonial tea bowls inspired by Qatar’s natural environment and people, featuring the poetry of Sheikh Jassim the Founder, whose home was Lusail.