THOUSANDS of people from different nationalities attended an annual festival that highlights Bahrain’s historic religious and cultural tolerance.
The ninth edition of the Bahrain For All event was inaugurated last night by Capital Governor Shaikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa at Bahrain Bay.
The two-day event is being held under the theme ‘Leaving Nobody Behind’ and brings together more than 50,000 people from over 50 local and expatriate communities to showcase their cultures.
Performances will also be held from the different communities including Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Filipino, Jordanian, Thai, Bangladeshi and Egyptian.
The festival also features more than 250 stalls by local entrepreneurs and productive families, along with a 128sqm stage showcasing the performances as well as live performances by local DJs.
Bahrain For All founder Nivedita Dhadphale said this was the first time since the event’s launch that it was being held in Manama, where the Interior Ministry took part in the opening with a police band and horse parade.
“Bahrain has a very long history of tolerance and unity in its diversity, so really this is just about promoting inclusivity and also endorsing everything that Bahrain stands for,” she told the GDN.
“All the communities want to celebrate their home because they call Bahrain their home and they want everybody to know that they live here in complete freedom and security.
“It is also their opportunity to share their culture with others because there’s a different nationality performing every 15 minutes and this is something you don’t see in other events.”
This year’s event also features a sensory room for the differently abled community, set up in co-operation with therapists from Steps Rehabilitation Centre, which provides expert guidance and consultation.
Communities
The room is designed to combine a range of stimuli – including lights, colours, textures and aromas – helping individuals to engage and develop their senses in a safe environment within efforts to help those with learning difficulties, developmental disabilities or sensory impairments to interact with the world around them.
“It’s really hard to say what the highlight is because every community that does something works really hard to be there,” added Ms Dhadphale.
“What we can say is that there are over 50 communities here in Bahrain that will be in one place at one time.”
The event will continue today at Bahrain Bay from 10am to 10pm.
reem@gdn.com.bh
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