ALMOST 160 young Bahrainis are being trained to be ‘cultural ambassadors’ of the kingdom, as part of a national initiative to promote a sense of awe and wonder about the kingdom’s rich heritage, as well as spread awareness over the role museums have in celebrating culture.
The first of two Young Tour Guide training workshops organised by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (Baca) kicked off this week and if they prove a success the programme may continue to bridge a generational age gap.
“Our aim is to educate youngsters on museology and archaeology, about the museums in Bahrain, the civilisation, the history and our historic landmarks,” Baca archaeology and museums director Dr Salman Al Mahari told the GDN.
“They will also learn about the role of museums in preserving our cultural and national heritage. They will be our cultural ambassadors.”
The project comes in line with a vision of promoting cultural diplomacy with global art connoisseurs as the world recovers from the pandemic and looks for collaborative opportunities. Baca president Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa earlier this month told the GDN that he believed the local community had ‘limitless potential’.
Eighty students registered for the first course and will be attending in small groups for two days over a period of two weeks. The next 80 will follow in a similar pattern.
“The workshop will continue for four weeks and we are targeting young Bahraini and Arab-speaking adults, aged 18 years and above,” explained Dr Al Mahari.
“At the end they will come together to be taken on a field visit and all the participants will receive a certificate. They will not be ‘licenced’ tour guides but knowledgeable young people who are trained to talk about Bahrain to friends, visitors and others, highlighting what its museums have to offer.
“We see that the knowledge and interest shown in our nation’s culture and traditions are sometimes limited to school days – we have children regularly coming to tour the museum, for example.
“Ask any young adult and they will probably tell you that the last time they visited a museum was when they were on a school outing.
“However, when we look at our neighbouring Arab countries, we see their nationals speaking proudly about their culture and traditions.
“In my opinion, Bahrain is not lacking cultural traditions or heritage value but there is a generation unsure how to best promote or explain its wealth for all to see. It is this gap that we are trying to address through the programme.”
The programme is part of Baca’s series of initiatives promoting cultural diplomacy, which follows the ‘Little Archaeologist’ series, a section of Baca’s ‘Friends of Archaeology’ initiative.
More than 60 children took part in different activities as part of a collaboration with Saar Charitable Foundation, supported by the Gulf Eagle Group. It aimed at helping budding archaeologists to experience excavation, maintenance and learn more about Bahrain’s illustrious ancient history.
Dr Al Mahari highlighted his personal experience of developing an interest in museology and archaeology. “I’m a proud Bahraini and appreciate the depth and richness of our cultural heritage.
“It’s important that we encourage young people and provide them with enough information and knowledge about Bahrain which they can share with others.
“When I started studying archaeology I was amazed that we have a history dating back 7,000 years and a thriving civilisation dating back 4,500 years.
“We have the burial mounds, World Heritage sites, museums – it is this kind of information which our youngsters need to be aware of and have the confidence and knowledge to share.”
He added that the programme would continue depending on the feedback from the first two sessions.
raji@gdnmedia.bh
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