BACA President stresses strong links between culture and nature

By Fatima Al Najem Manama, Sept. 12 (BNA): A cultural panel discussion was organized by the German embassy hosted Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA)’s President Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. The event coincides with the celebrations of Bahrain- Germany golden jubilee of diplomatic relations. “Bahrain and Germany have excellent relations in all fields, and regarding the cultural exchange I find it a very important aspect that I’m keen on developing, Bahrain is a country with an extremely rich history,” German Ambassador-Designate to Bahrain, Clemens Hach said. Shaikh Khalifa praised the long-lasting bilateral relations, noting that the cooperation is not only limited to exhibitions and cultural programs. “We try to enhance cooperation in terms of conservation monuments and heritage sites. Germany has always nurtured an active alliance for our culture conservation and geology,” he said. The panel aimed at fostering the cultural exchange between artists from Germany and Bahrain, UAE, and Oman. BACA’s president noted that the Authority has a number of exchange agreements with different countries. The Authority seeks not only to expose Bahrainis to cultures from all over the world, but also to showcase Bahrain’s rich culture and inclusive diversity overseas, he said. “Our partnerships with all country is an important element for our cultural outreach. We believe in cultural diplomacy as a mean of connecting different cultures across borders,” Shaikh Khalifa said. The participants focused on themes of mutual interest, including sustainability and art hybrid identities in a complex world and the concept of nostalgia, realities, and utopias. Reflecting on the link between sustainability, climate change and culture; Shaikh Khalifa said: “I think the keyword is quality of life and we believe that culture is a critical element in achieving that. The quality of life covers all aspects and I think people, post pandemic, have felt an urge to reconnect and to rediscover. There is no longer a divide between nature and culture. They have become intertwined, and there is a great awareness in terms of conserving cultural heritage, landscapes, Culture is a powerful resource for promoting sustainability and addressing climate change impacts. Cultural landscapes are something important in the culture fabric here in Bahrain.” “Our two countries are going to work to face global challenges, climate change ahead of us and my hope is be able to join to develop further ties around this important subject,” the ambassador-designate said. The artists exchanged opinions according to their own school and the type of art they present for closer cooperation and highlighted the role of cultural exchange to build bridges on the global and regional levels. “Bahrain cultural potential is endless and I think what we are trying to do is to engage many sectors to contribute to the culture sector. And in order to build and consolidate a prosperous culture, we need to have people with creativity as well as innovators to contribute in their own way to interpreting culture and showcasing it to locals,” BACA president said. The participants reviewed opportunities for enhancing cultural dialogue between Germany and GCC countries to agree on project ideas.