Two sisters are on a mission to beautify the narrow alleys of Manama with colourful murals which they hope will attract more tourists and make residents appreciate the walkways surrounding them.
Bahraini Heidi Nonoo and her sister British Yael Bendahan are two towering personalities in Block 302, keen to improve their area ... and chase away the occasional litter lout.
Earlier this month, they commissioned Bahrain-based mural artist Biju Narayanan to cover up a wall in front of their store Lily B of LP, the country’s first Jewish gift shop located near the synagogue in Manama.
It’s named after Ms Nonoo’s late mother Lily Bendahan, who often visited Bahrain, and the store is located near the House of the Ten Commandments, which is the name of the synagogue.
“We wanted to beautify the alleyway near the synagogue because it was dull and full of trash,” Ms Nonoo told the GDN.
“The number of visitors has increased and we wanted to ensure the area was clean rather than allow it to remain a dumping spot for disposable cups and other bits of rubbish.”
Ms Nonoo said they spotted Mr Narayanan who paints beautiful murals in public schools, and commissioned him to produce a colourful piece next to their shop reflecting, what she describes as, the new Garden of Eden.
“He has done a wonderful job and now if you visit our shop one can see walls covered with colourful murals which has already been well received by nearby shop owners and residents who have thanked us for helping to beautify the block.
“Why can’t we take this example to other areas of Manama where street artists from across the country could take over and colour the dull walls?
“We are happy to host artists to promote mural art while beautifying the capital so that we can attract more visitors and delight local residents.”
Her sister Yael believes adding more colourful mural art across Manama would also encourage tourists to take selfies in front of the artwork and help promote the country globally.
Similar schemes have been used for highlighting major cities across the world, such as Barcelona.
Ms Nonoo has also called on the authorities to introduce car-free days in the Manama Suq to promote pedestrian culture in the country, a call that has constantly been made by local businesses.
“There is literally no space allocated for pedestrians in Manama, and if we can have car only access for night deliveries, or emergencies only, it would make a big difference.”
She also backed plans to introduce electric golf carts to ferry tourists and Suq visitors to popular coffee shops and stores.
Ms Nonoo’s husband, Ebrahim Nonoo, is the Jewish community leader and was instrumental in revamping the synagogue that dates back to 1935.
She came to Bahrain more than three decades ago and said the whole idea of cleanliness drive comes from her late mother Lily Bendahan who she said had a heart of gold and always helped others. Her 80-year-old mother died in 2019.
“I opened this gift shop to carry forward the legacy of my mother and to cope with my grief of losing her,” she added.
The store, shortly to celebrate its first anniversary, sells Bahrain-made kippahs, and other products like diaries, T-shirts, candles, key-chains and other souvenir items that are made by Bahrain-based residents.
“We are promoting local artists and proceeds of the sales go to hospitals in the blessed memory of my mother,” said Ms Nonoo.
The GDN reported in January that a new fund was launched to help maintain the more than 100-year-old Jewish cemetery in Manama.
There are more than 80 graves in the Jewish cemetery located in Manama, in close proximity to a Christian church and a Muslim cemetery. Bahrain was once home to around 2,000 Jewish families, many having migrated here from Iraq and other countries, though only 35 members remain now.
The families migrated from Iraq in the 1880s and some of them run successful businesses today.
sandy@gdn.com.bh
&uuid=(email))