MANAMA, CAPITAL OF TOURISM 2013

According to the official Ministry of Culture Newsletter, HE Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, the Minister of Culture explained,

This year will feature four successive quarterly themes – Culture, Sport, Leisure and Green Tourism – in conjunction with the four seasons.  The first season, Cultural tourism will take place from January to March and overlaps with the 8th Annual ‘Spring of Culture’ that takes place during March and April. A number of events have been lined-up to engage art and culture enthusiasts such as the 39th Bahrain Juried Fine Art exhibition, a talk called ‘Tourism Enriches’ by HRH Prince Sultan Bin Salman Bin AbdulAziz Al Saud President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities examining recent trends in the Saudi experience ranging from the different investment challenges to the development of the country’s natural facets, a ‘Japan’s Dolls’ exhibition at the Bahrain National Museum, a performance by the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, several talks by thought leaders etc. Last year big name performers included opera superstar Andrea Bocelli and all time favourite Julio Iglesias.

Rear view of the Bahrain National Theatre

The previous year Bahrain was known as the ‘Capital of Arab Culture 2012’ and for good reason as numerous interesting as well as landmark projects were finalized including the beautifully designed architecturally iconic Bahrain National Theatre that was built next to the Bahrain National Museum. This year the Ministry of Culture has invested greatly in enhancing the country’s cultural and tourist infrastructure. Projects in progress include investing in human resources (namely local tour guides) through providing workshops outlining the country’s heritage as well as reviving traditional sites and markets including; Bab al Bahrain (Manama), Souq Al Qaysariya (Muharraq), Riffa fort (Riffa), The Postal Museum (Manama), and the Bu Maher Fort Visitor’s Centre (Muharraq). Preservation of heritage and the raising of standards has been key in all projects undertaken and businesses that compliment or enhance peoples experiences have opened such as the Saffron chain of restaurants that offer traditional Bahraini food. Currently Saffron has a branch in Souq Al Qaysariyah, in the House of Coffee in cultural district and most recently Riffa Fort. It plans to open in Bab Al Bahrain with the launch of ‘BAB Market’.

Bab Market

Bab Market

Outdoor festivals and markets have in recent years gained a lot of popularity and are being encouraged and supported by the Ministry of Culture. Market 338 run by local gallery AlRiwaq received a lot of praise this year due to its innovative and creative design and offerings. It is running an arts program, which are also coming into with local designers and creative participants selling products and engaging in a series of interactive events and workshops. The atmosphere of the Manama Souq and the Bab al Bahrain will be revived with live music, performance, theatre, food vendors, public workshops, an onsite pop-up art gallery and kids program via the ‘BAB Market’. The market opens on February 28, 2013 and will run for five consecutive weekends (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday) from 4pm to 10pm.

Bahrain has also been actively represented abroad by the Ministry of Culture through showcasing of the country’s multi-faceted heritage at seasonal international tourism and travel related events. Notable events it will participate in include the world’s leading travel trade show International Tourism Exchange, or ITB Berlin between 6th and 10th March and the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) from May 6 to 9 in Dubai. These initiatives aim to draw international interest to Bahrain as a tourist destination, highlighting its dynamic civilizational history, numerous landmarks and heritage sites and world-class port. The Bahrain Ministry of Culture attempts to improve Arab Tourism by declaring 25th February to be the Arab Day for Tourism henceforth.

CULTURAL DISTRICT

Muharraq Island, Bahrain’s previous capital and home to many prominent Bahraini families and historic monuments such as Beit Seyadi, was a natural choice for many cultural and tourism projects as it is seething with character and for the most part retains many of its older buildings and inhabitants. Walking through the new cultural district through meandering backstreets and white-washed alleys, passing doors etched into walls where people still live, and a hidden mosque on the way to the house of coffee where the traditional restaurant saffron serves bayth wa tamat (scrambled eggs with tomatoes), balaleet (sweet vermicelli) and foul medames (beans) as part of their traditional breakfast takes you to right to the essence of the ‘old Bahrain’ but with a modern edge. Over the last few years beautifully designed white-washed cultural centres with wooden accents have been set up one by one and formed this district.

House of Journalism

What started as the conversation of one old house that was once family-owned by Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed AlKhalifa Minister of Culture and her husband his excellency Mohammed Al Khalifa, turned into a succession of cultural centres being formed due to a need for the preservation of Bahraini heritage and increased demand for cultural activities. Starting with the opening of the Shaikh Ebrahim bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Center for Culture and Research in 2002, over ten traditional Bahraini houses in Muharraq and Manama have been restored to date, mostly belonging to leading Bahraini personalities or families. The Shaikh Ebrahim bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Center for Culture and Research alone has hosted over 200 speakers, philosophers, poets and thinkers, who have presented their thoughts in the center’s weekly lecture program.

Each centre has a clearly defined purpose that adds to the growth of cultural activity through lectures, workshops, and seminars etc. Among them are: Memory of the Place Bin Matar House, the Iqraa childrens library, the Abdullah bin Zayed House for Press Heritage, the Mohammed Bin Faris House of Music, house of journalism, the Ibrahim Al-Arrayedh House of Poetry, the Kurar House of embroidery, Heraf Al Diyar School of Handicraft, the House of Coffee which houses Saffron restaurant serving traditional Bahraini food, and the information centre.

Alleyway inside the Cultural District

The Ibrahim Al Arrayed House for Poetry is dedicated to the preeminent Bahraini poet, while the Abdullah Al Zayed House for Press Heritage honors the memory of the pioneering Bahraini journalist and publisher of the same name. Bahrain’s musical heritage is preserved in the Mohammed bin Faris House for Sut Music, and the restoration of the Memory of the Place – Bin Matar House retains not only one of the most outstanding examples of traditional Bahraini architecture for future generations, but also the memory of the Bin Matars, a leading Bahraini pearl trading family. Local arts, crafts and artisans are supported through the Kurar House and the Heraf al Diyar School of Handicrafts.

The vision of creating these simple, elegant whitewashed modern capsules of heritage and memories makes one proud to be part of Bahrain.

Upcoming cultural projects and centres of the Shaikh Ebrahim Center:

i)      SEARCH – provides state-of-the-art research facilities for those interested in the fields of Bahraini and Arabic literature, poetry, culture and history.

ii)     BU ZABOON HOUSE – originally built in the 1940s as a shop that supplied materials to the fishing and pearl diving communities; this building with its traditional decorative and architectural features will be the home of a restaurant serving exclusively Bahraini food.

iii)    AL JALAHMA HOUSE – The conservation and restoration of the 19th century Al Jalahma House is currently in its early planning stages. It is one of the 18 houses that constitute a narrative pathway through Muharraq, illustrating the pearling economy in Bahrain. This path may be recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

iv)   MOHAMMED BIN FARIS MUSIC HALL – is planned as an extension of the existing Mohammed Bin Faris Sut Music House. It will be used as a venue for musical performances with a focus on traditional Bahraini music and local music groups and bands.

v)    HOUSE FOR ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE – is a future project of the Shaikh Ebrahim Center. It will provide a home for the drawings and photographs made by architectural engineer John Yarwood during ten years of research into the architectural heritage of Muharraq.

vi)   BU MAHER VISTOR CENTRE - A landmark building overlooking the unique history of Muharraq and forming one of the buildings listed in the 3.5km pathway and World Heritage Site (recorded by UNESCO in late June 2012), ‘Pearling: Testimony of an Island Economy,’ the fort will house a visitor’s centre. Marking the maritime entrance point to the trail and site from the Bahrain National Museum, the visitor’s centre stands on the last remaining coastline of the Sea of Muharraq where it will evoke the pearling history of the island. The centre and fort will mark a bridge between Bahrain’s oyster beds and marine habitat and the pearl fisheries located towards the north of the island.

MAJOR TOURISM FORUM

In cooperation with the Arab League, the Kingdom of Bahrain is organising the first Arab Tourism Forum within the programme of Manama, the Capital of Arab Tourism 2013 between the 12th and 14th March. The importance of the forum for tourism information gathering across the region and unified planning is paramount. Key participants include; The World Tourism Organisation, the Travel and Tourism council, a number of tourism ministries and universities from across the region, experts in the fields of tourism, economic investments, travel and hospitality and other related sectors. The aim is to develop strategic regional plans for tourism, its growth and impact. The forum will enable participants to share experiences, tourism statistics and methodologies as well as strategies with their partners in the region through the different presentations and working papers shared. It is hoped that lessons will be learned and that a unified approach to tourism challenges and growth developed for the Arab world through the recommendations which the forum chooses to make and the objectives it sets out.

THE 8^TH SPRING OF CULTURE SCHEDULE

This year’s ‘Spring of Culture’ will bring an array of songs, music, theatre, dramatic and artistic performances to anticipating audiences in Bahrain. The performances that will explore cultures from around the world will act as a bridge that transcends borders and encourages cross-cultural dialogue to find common grounds between nations. The talented performers brought to Bahrain have been well researched and have won accolades on an international scale.

Yanni

il Divo

The performances will take place at several historical sites, including the new state of the art National Theatre that will host Yanni, Il Divo, and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. The Shaikh Ebrahim Center for Culture and Research will be presenting renowned vocalists and musicians, performance art companies, visual art exhibitions, lectures, and family events.

Arad Fort will host the enchanting Charles Aznavour, Melody Gardot the star of the recent London Jazz Festival, the international Cuban hit Ballet Revolución and the legendary Kadim Al Sahir. Other performers include Jahida Wehbe as well as Cuban dance troupe Lizt Alfonso with its new dance musical Amigas, a colourful display of bolero, mambo, conga, salsa, rock and roll.

Ballet Revolución

Melody Gardot

For youngsters and the young at heart, there will be the chance to help feed, water and care for dinosaurs at Erth’s Dinosaur Petting Zoo, be taken on an interactive journey of the butterfly’s life cycle in Farfalle, be exposed to world issues through the use of stories, shadow theatre and video in the ‘Sneezing Firas’ event and and explore colour playfully in a magical world of paper in Paperbelle.

Erth Dinosaur

The art galleries have special events lined up such as the Artist Leadership Programme and Fatima El Hajj exhibition at Albareh, Letters to Ishtar and Alwan 338 at Al Riwaq and Kathak performance and Tim Mackintosh-Smith at La Fontaine Centre. The world of poetry, literature and politics is the specialty of the Shaikh Ebrahim Center for Culture and Research this year with Ibrahim Al Arees, Béchara El Bon, Raja Bin Salama, Najib Khaddari, André Azoulay, Ghassan Hajjar and Ghada Khunji in a photography exhibition.

For more information on the Spring of Culture: www.springofculture.org or follow ‘springofculture’ on Twitter and Facebook.

Also a 24-hour tourism information hotline – 800080001 – has been set up to answer inquiries about Bahrain tourism, historic and cultural attractions.

THE BAHRAIN NATIONAL THEATRE

Bahrain’s BHD19 million (USD$ 50 million) national theatre was opened on November 12^th 2012 as part of ‘Manama Capital of Culture’. It is the third largest in the Arab world after the Cairo Opera House in Egypt and the Royal Opera House in Muscat, Oman. Its design inspired from “A Thousand and One Nights” as well as “The Land of the Two Seas”, symbolizes the union between Bahrain and the sea. It is situated on a small lake on the north side of the National Museum and adjacent to the Arts Centre and the Cultural Hall; built on the premise that the theatre is seen as a reflection of people’s thought and cultural heritage.

The National Theatre is an extremely positive step for the Bahrain cultural movement. It is hoped that it will be a catalyst for the drama industry in Bahrain, helping to create jobs for new technical staff including producers, directors, stage designers and scenography specialists. It will also encourage writers to create scripts for the stage. Next steps would ideally be the establishment of a drama institute for cinema, stage design and music as well as employment of Bahrainis. Also a well-thought out technical development strategy and programming schedule bringing training workshops on theatre technologies, motivating and employing local playwrights and technical staff as well as exceptional world-class shows will increase peoples exposure and elevate cultural standards. Current playwrights, directors and actors are now expected to present work that lives up to the standards of the National Theatre. It is planned that an organization is set up that serves as a link between the theatre and the Ministry of Culture, the aim of which is to resolve any artists’ concerns and promote the theatrical movement.

Previous to the national theatre being built performances were held at clubs, al-Jafir Theatre in Juffair, clubs and school auditoriums and in recent years the Cultural Hall. The theatre adds extremely modern capabilities and technology and design.

The theatre has a capacity of 11.869 m2 and 1001 seats, in addition to another hall, which accommodates 100 people and will be used for training, events and workshops. French company Architecture Studio that won 2012’s gold medal in the worldwide competition by the International Academy of Architecture was in charge of the urban design. W S Atkins and Partners Overseas oversaw the project and a specialized Cypriot company undertook the contracting and construction work.

The renowned Spanish tenor Placido Domingo gave the inaugural performance at the theatre, followed by a ballet performance by the legendary Russian Bolshoi Theatre and the Italian libretto Rigoletto. A busy season ahead and high calibre of performers are expected for the theatre during this year.

- TAMARA AL PACHACHI