LIFE IN

You are the first local in Qatar to animate a children’s series. Tell us how you ended up running your own animation company Blue Penguin Animation.

I have loved animation ever since I was a child! My Dad got me hooked on ‘cartoons’ whilst we watched them together. Luckily, with the support of my parents and the scholarship I obtained from the Higher Education Institute (HEI), I was able to pursue my career and became the first Qatari animation graduate from Kingston University, London. Following this passion into the industry, I then worked at Al-Jazeera children’s channel (JCC). One day at home, my husband, a successful businessman, turned to me and said: “Why don’t you open your own animation company here in Qatar?” So, with his encouragement, he helped me turn my talents into business, and that’s how ‘Blue Penguin Animation’ was created.

You were the first Qatari citizen to hold a BA Hons in Illustration & Animation. How did you embrace that level of empowerment?

It was extremely difficult. It was at a time when animation hardly existed in Qatar. Because ofmy university scholarship entitlement, it took the whole summer to convince the decision makers on the major I wanted to take. They regarded it as a ‘weak’ major to study. I remember someone telling me: “ Why study something for 4 years when you can do it as a course for 1 month!”. I was very depressed. I spent all summer emailing and submitting documents. I remember I got accepted at many universities, which gave me hope and the determination to not give up. I also am thankful for my mum that drove me daily there and stuck by my decision. In the end, my perseverance got me there, but I made sure to hold my head high, maintain good grades and not let my parents and the HEI down. Honestly, those 4 years at Kingston, will never be forgotten.