AN Arabic lecture focused on the history of coffee will be held tonight at Al Khalifiyah Library in Muharraq.
Titled ‘Coffee from Yemen to Bosnia: Culture and Identity’, the free event will begin at 8pm.
Coffee arrived from Ethiopia to Yemen during the 15th century, appearing nearly at the same time as tea and tobacco.
It continued its route across Egypt and Syria to Europe from the 16th to the 17th century, having its own impact on the economy, society and culture.
In this context, coffee represented cultural identity and, as time passed, became what occurred in the Balkans, a symbol of ethnic conflict or political tension between societies.
Ever since then, coffee has become a vital part of a number of cultural identities while enriching the cultural, political and social mobility of societies.
It was the subject of scholars and poets and later introduced into cafes and coffee shops, offering space for artistic performances and political and social debates.
Coffee also entered the daily life of communities, becoming a symbol of hospitality in the Gulf, while serving as a symbol of affection and reconciliation in other countries, in addition to reflecting on the political tensions that have occurred in some regions of the world such as Greece, Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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