Bahrain will engage in even more initiatives promoting cultural diplomacy with global art connoisseurs as the world recovers from the pandemic and looks for collaborative opportunities, the kingdom’s culture chief confidently predicts.
Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (Baca) president Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, firmly believes the local community of creatives has limitless potential and appears determined to rebound from the Covid-19 clampdown on their talents.
He was speaking to the GDN on the side-lines of an event organised by the German Embassy to commemorate the 50th anniversary of German-Bahraini diplomatic ties at the Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel and Spa.
The Kull-Tour panel discussion brought together Arab and German artists who discussed ways to foster cultural exchange with an aim to promote and inspire future projects on topics of mutual interest, such as sustainability and art, hybrid identities in a complex world, and the concept of nostalgia, realities and utopias.
“The potential of Bahrain’s cultural depths is limitless,” said Shaikh Khalifa. “At Baca, we are attempting to tap into this rich scope by collaborating with the government and non-governmental sectors in order to contribute to the cultural sector.
“This will help the sector to thrive, and for that we need creativity and the ability to contribute in different and innovative ways – in terms of interpreting culture and showcasing it to locals, as well as those from other countries.
“We are planning engagements of this nature, such as talks and networking with artists of all types, from all fields, from various countries and backgrounds, in order to increase the sector’s contribution to Bahrain’s progress.
“This will indeed be more vibrant in the post-pandemic world with things gradually getting back to normality.”
Shaikh Khalifa added that Bahrain’s partnerships with other countries was a ‘critical element’ in terms of the nation’s cultural outreach potential. He noted that Baca was in the process of signing several agreements with friendly countries in order to promote the kingdom’s rich potential in the sector.
“We believe in cultural diplomacy as a means of communicating different cultures across borders,” he said. “And as you know, Baca is involved with a number of agreements with different countries all over the world.
“What we seek is not just to expose our population to cultures from all over the world, but also exhibit Bahraini culture and its rich diversity overseas.
“Co-operation is not just limited to exhibitions and programming, but far exceeds that. We must enhance our efforts in terms of the conservation of ecological monuments and heritage sites as well
“I think now the key word is ‘quality of life’ and we believe that culture is a critical element in achieving that.
“It covers all aspects of life and I think people have felt an urge to reconnect, to rediscover. They have had the chance to explore what Bahrain has to offer, that perhaps in the distant past had not been a priority for many locals.
“With the changing paradigms, in terms of our approach to heritage and culture, there is no longer a divide between nature and culture. There appears to be a greater awareness and emphasis in terms of conserving our cultural landscapes – so we’re no longer looking at sites, independent from their geographic setting.”
raji@gdnmedia.bh
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