Mohamed Alsaygh

Mohamed Nasser Alsaygh is a Qatari actor and researcher in folk arts. His work has extended across theatre, television drama and traditional music, including the preservation and performance of instruments and forms that have become increasingly rare.

He was born in southern Khalifa City into the Alsaygh family, a traditional and conservative household with a long connection to goldsmithing and a deep attachment to heritage. Unlike other members of the wider family, his father did not own a gold shop and lived some distance from his relatives. He therefore raised his eight children in modest, middle-income circumstances.

Limited means did not diminish a happy childhood. An early love of visual art soon widened to music, theatre, drawing and the folk arts. His father objected to activities that might distract the children from education, but the home of neighbours who were also his foster siblings gave him a place in which to practise and express those interests, particularly music and traditional performance.

He entered Rawdat Al Montazah Kindergarten in 1986 and soon displayed intelligence, quick judgement and a particular ability in artistic subjects. In 1993, while in the fifth year at Othman bin Affan School, he joined several arts activities and entered acting through school theatre. His father strongly opposed the choice, but his mother supported his ambitions and believed in his ability. Issa Abdel Moneim and trainers who influenced the artistic movement of the 1980s and 1990s also encouraged him. He divided his time between theatre and music, training under Abdel Aziz Hegazy and receiving further support from Saad Al-Shorouki.

Theatre and music soon became more than hobbies. His commitment intensified after an appearance on television in the educational magazine's coverage of school activities brought his work wider attention.

In the sixth year, he moved to Osama bin Zaid Preparatory School in Dafna. He found it difficult to settle because the school offered music but no theatre, and chose to return to Othman bin Affan School and to the stage that had captured his imagination.

At preparatory school, he became increasingly attached to traditional culture and joined every available performance of the ardha. One appearance attracted the attention of a folk musician, who invited him to join the Mubarak bin Saeed Al-Sulaiti troupe—one of Qatar's largest and oldest ensembles, specialising in the ardha and the arts of the sea. Performing with the group and receiving a substantial fee at such a young age gave him great pride.

At a later performance, Mohammed Tarrar Al-Nasr criticised his short stature and youth. Embarrassed and disappointed, he was ready to leave until his childhood friend Bakhit Abdullah Walid intervened and persuaded the troupe's leader to include him. Walid later became the owner of Alfain Folklore Troupe, one of Qatar's prominent ensembles; his intervention marked the true beginning of Alsaygh's work with folk groups.

His devotion to art also brought repeated punishment from his father, who objected both to his disobedience and to the effect of artistic activity on his studies.

Joining the Mubarak bin Saeed troupe drew him away from theatre for a time. When the group ceased operating, he joined the Pearl troupe and met the theatre practitioner Mohammed Abdel Rahim. A new production of “Open Sesame”, with the late actor Abdulaziz Jassim, returned him to the stage. His spontaneous manner impressed Jassim and Faleh Fayez, both of whom supported his development. He divided his time between theatre and the musical group, while making sure to reach home early enough to avoid further punishment.

Sport developed alongside art. He joined the swimming team, won several awards and trained among accomplished coaches, administrators and fellow athletes. A coach nominated him for a course in Britain, but his father refused to let him travel because he considered the sport dangerous. Alsaygh subsequently stopped competitive swimming.

His concentration on art caused his school performance to decline sharply in the first preparatory year. He left school in the second year despite sustained family pressure and repeatedly avoided returning. Years later, he resumed his education, completed secondary school and earned a diploma in information technology.

During that period, the Pearl troupe gave him a supportive environment in which to develop. He intensified his stage work, appearing with the late Abdulaziz Jassim in “In Our House There Is a Candidate”, then in “Minister of the People” and numerous productions for children. These roles established a serious and active theatre career.

In the late 1990s, he joined Faisal Al-Tamimi in a traditional samra and became a member of the Performing Arts Troupe, combining theatre with song. The twenty recorded samra episodes caused considerable tension when they were shown on television. His father and much of the extended family objected, and he was asked to choose between folk performance and theatre. He chose theatre.

He subsequently appeared in television series in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain alongside leading Gulf actors. His productions reached and influenced audiences across the region. Theatre brought awards including first- and second-place honours, as well as participation in numerous festivals.

In 2015, work with Katara's Heritage Committee brought him into contact with the researcher Salma Al Nuaimi, whose extensive knowledge covered many forms of folk art. She encouraged him to collect and record what he knew and to turn his varied experience into cultural programmes, most notably the Al-Nahma Festival. Her support prompted him to begin writing. His first book, “Al-Fijiri and the Arts of Work aboard Ship in Qatar”, appeared in 2020 and was well received by researchers and critics in Qatar and across the Gulf. Guided by senior scholars, he continued writing about different forms of folk art and became an early practitioner of precise, book-length heritage documentation.

One childhood incident remained especially vivid. During a folk performance by a visiting French group, he handled a rifle in the ardha before an audience that included the poet Saeed Al-Badeed and Hareb Al-Hareb. Al-Hareb sharply criticised the quality of his performance, leaving the boy upset and isolated. Al-Badeed then approached, encouraged him and taught him the correct technique. Alsaygh remembers—and still practises—that lesson.

His interest in the sarnai began when the artist Dahlan Al-Hamad noticed his curiosity and gave him the difficult instrument on condition that he remain committed to his studies. He learned from Kafour Mubarak, one of the Gulf's best-known sarnai players. Khaled Johar later taught him the sea arts and al-fijiri. Although the form did not appeal to him initially, Johar recognised unusual ability and insisted that he learn its details. Mastery eventually enabled Alsaygh to write Qatar's first encyclopaedic documentary book on the arts of work aboard ship.

He maintained warm relationships throughout the artistic community by avoiding unnecessary disputes. Some collaborations became especially close, among them his work with the late Fatima Shaddad. After more than twenty years away from acting and theatre, he helped bring her back to the stage through “Majarih” and “Al-Bushiya”. In the latter, she played a grandmother whose emotional exchange with her granddaughter included the performance of al-nahma in response to the nahham Omar Bu Saqr. Because this traditional form had ordinarily been performed by men, her role was unprecedented. The production received awards in Qatar, the Arab region and internationally; Shaddad regained prominence, received further honours, represented Qatar and became a leading performer at Souq Waqif events.

International appearances allowed him to introduce Qatari folk heritage to audiences abroad. With the group BREABASH, he combined Qatari and Western instruments at a British festival. He also represented Qatar at cultural events in Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, India, China, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Cuba, the United States, the United Kingdom, Cyprus and Morocco.

His distinction in folk art and in stage and television acting brought recognition from many institutions. The Qatar Music Centre presented him with a certificate of appreciation for his performance on the tanboura and sarnai. His other honours included Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the Doha Theatre Festival, alongside recognition at Arab theatre festivals in which he participated.

Close relationships with artists in Qatar and abroad have also supported his research into musical heritage. He compares traditions in Qatar with those of neighbouring countries and has travelled widely to obtain information and record the testimony of practitioners, with particular attention to older artists whose knowledge might otherwise be lost.