SWILA NOTEBOOK: Expansive highways dot Doha

Is Qatar a developed or developing nation? The answer you get will vary depending on whom you pose the question to. However, with a Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.848, Qatar counts as one of the highly developed economies by UN definition. However, the IMF does not share this classification but considering the purchasing power parity, Qatar is among the 10 richest countries in the world, going by the world data info. And nowhere is its economic might best exemplified that in its superb infrastructure – it has some of the best highways - broad, strong and beautifully built, well-marked that makes it rival the West. To underscore their strength on this, the country built eight brand new stadia running into billions, in time for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Finals. One must not forget its electric railway network that makes its capital Doha a metropolis.

Qatar National Convention Centre

Talk of Qatar’s massive investment in infrastructure projects and the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) located in Gharafat Al Rayyan, on the Dukhan Highway in Doha comes to mind. The QNCC has been serving as the centre of operations for journalists covering the games. Other than being an ideal home for journalists, the building is also modern and an architectural masterplan to marvel, with several expansive rooms, tailor made to serve various needs. It dwarfs our 42-year-old Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) tenfold. Nah, I should apologise to the Qatari for the uncalled-for comparison, not even the Kigali Convention Centre comes close.

Media Centre a melting pot of cultures

The Media Centre here in Doha is a melting pot of cultures. Scribes from all over the world working for various publications and broadcast outlets have all pitched camp here, burning the midnight oil to keep their audiences informed with the latest news regarding the football showpiece. Of course, the Caucasians outnumber the Blacks, but there is an impressive representation of the Arabs and even women, who have been stereotyped not to love sports let alone the beautiful game. Because of this diversity, FIFA has adopted four languages for this tourney- English, French, German, Spanish and Arabic as the lingua franca and national team coaches and players are free to field questions in either of them. The scribes have however not been locked out as the use of Fifa Interpretation App, available on play store has come in handy. Tellingly, players and coaches, even those versed in English have stuck to their native languages while facing journalists. Today, French goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris, despite having a good grasp of the Queen’s language, stuck to his native French while Lionel Messi also opted for his Spanish. The Danes were an exception though, maybe because Danish is not on the menu.