We shy away from arts because we fear challenges

I suggested to a couple of my friends that we visit one of the art galleries around the country, get a bit of a feel of the cultural scene here in Bahrain. They looked at me as if I had suddenly decided to hatch an egg right in front of their eyes! After a moment of awkward silence, I told them that I was kidding. They let out a brief laugh of relief.

There is some sort of wall separating the Bahraini public from the arts in this country. It's simply shrugged off, belittled and, to most, is considered an absurd luxury for those snobbish arty hippies with plenty of time on their hands.

Well, perhaps the latter is true, but what we fail to realise is the significance of the arts in not only developing societies' way of thinking, entertaining us and expanding our imagination, but also as a means to 'challenge' us.

But that's it isn't it? We fear 'challenge', we fear 'change'. Maybe fear is too strong a word, maybe we're just 'indifferent' to it all. Can't see the point, why bother, sort of attitude.
It should rather be looked at as more of a stimulator than a luxury.

There are a number of art galleries and cultural centres around the country that do as much as their limited resources permit them to. Places such as the Al Riwaq Art Gallery and the National Cultural Forum do their bit in supporting local artists and writers.

It would be nice if the organisations concerned and the government took a more consistent and long-term look at the situation, by emphasising a little more on art and literature at schools, establishing scholarship schemes and funding programmes for artists, writers and performers.
But we don't even have a proper arts council yet.

Over the next few years (up to March 2008), the Arts Council England, UK, is funding over 1,100 arts organisations with a budget worth around £412m (around BD299m).
Not to mention the hundreds of funds, grants and support schemes for writers, artists and filmmakers.

One wonder, how much Bahrain intends to set aside for the arts in its budget ? I doubt there is a mention of arts at all in it. That's why I was surprised (and encouraged) to learn that there was a Bahraini book of the year award in 2004. And I truly was honoured when The Culture & Arts Directorate decided to present me with a special award for writing the first novel by a Bahraini in English.

Then suddenly though the Book of the Year awards ceased to exist!

There was no mention of the 2005 and 2006 editions. Is it lack of books? I doubt it, because Bahrain is prolific when it comes to book publishing in the Arab world, with 132 books published last year alone.

According to the United Nations Development Programme the average for the entire Arab world is seven books published per one million people. How many of those 132 books were literary works though, is another matter. It's unlikely to be a high percentage.

When all is said and done, it's eventually down to the public to take an active interest in the process of regenerating the art scene.

I yearn for the day, in which a trip to the nearest art gallery (or dare I say, bookstore) becomes part of people's weekend activity, just as going to Seef Mall every Thursday night is almost a religious duty.

*Appeared on Vol XXIX, NO. 143 Thursday, 10th August 2006