Al- Khalefeyah Library

Lecture Coffee from Yemen to Bosnia: Culture & Identity

Category
Lecture
Date
25 September 2019, 8:00pm
Venue
Al-Khalifiyah Library
Tickets
Free Admission
Note
The lecture will be conducted in Arabic
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Coffee arrived from Ethiopia to Yemen during the 15th century, appearing nearly at the same time as tea and tobacco. It continued its route across Egypt and Syria to Europe from the16th to the 17th century, having its own impact on the economy, society and culture. In this context, coffee represented cultural identity and, as time passed, became as what occurred in the Balkans, a symbol of ethnic conflict or political tension between societies. 

Ever since then, coffee has become a vital part of a number of cultural identities while enriching the cultural, political and social mobility of societies. It was the subject of scholars, poets, and later turned into cafes and coffee shops, offering spaces for artistic performances and political and social debates.

Coffee also entered the daily life of communities, becoming a symbol of hospitality in the Gulf, while serving as a symbol of affection and reconciliation in other countries, in addition to reflecting on the political tensions that have occurred in some regions of the world such as Greece, Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina.