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H.E Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammad Al-Khalifa, President of Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities, took part in UNESCO’s Ministers of Culture Online Meeting on 22 April 2020. The meeting is an extension of the Forum of Ministers of Culture organized by UNESCO on November, 2019, held in French capital, Paris.

In her meeting intervention, H.E Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammad Al-Khalifa, said “There is no doubt that we are facing challenging difficult times, but we should keep our strong belief in the potential power of culture”, confirming its limitless possibilities to alleviate the impact of this worldwide pandemic, turning these crisis times into an impetus for creativity, innovation and positive spirit action. H.E also argued that the new ICTs represented a pioneer new paths towards cultural action, contributing to the promotion of our cultural assets though the documentation of the intangible cultural heritage, like the folk music, traditional performing arts and other forms.
 
H.E added saying: “The new ICTs opened new broader horizons for us to reach our public, providing us with an opportunity to promote and showcase our websites via the virtual online reality”. H.E added that Bahrain Culture Authority succeeded to guarantee the continuity of cultural action industry via the internet, offering its public the opportunity to discover its published documentations, and stay tuned for the first time following live its online press conference on the latest archaeological discoveries.

H.E also highlighted the importance of culture in generating shiny hopeful aspirations in people and societies, addressing the meeting attendants in Arabic with “Culture is an act of resistance”.

The meeting attended by (…) countries helped Ministers exchange information and views on the impact of the health crisis on the cultural sector in their countries and identify remedial policy measures appropriate to their various national contexts. The UNESCO Online Ministers of Culture meeting shared, through a virtual dialogue, their remarks on the impact of the health crisis on the cultural sector, as well as on the responses being initiated within their respective policies frameworks.
The health crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic may profoundly affect the cultural sector at regional, national and local levels over the long term.

UNESCO expressed its concern that the mobility restrictions or containment measures taken by many countries to stem the pandemic drastically have curbed access to culture and weaken the cultural ecosystem as a whole. The closure of heritage sites and related cultural infrastructure, the cancellation or postponement of events, and the interruption of cultural production will have significant economic and social repercussions for the cultural and creative industries. Indeed, the impact of COVID-19 has not spared the culture sector. Cultural institutions and facilities including museums, theatres and cinemas are losing millions in revenue each day, and many have had to let go of their staff. Artists across the world, most of whom were already working part-time, on an informal basis or under precarious contracts prior to the pandemic, are struggling to make ends meet.

UNESCO meeting comes in a series of initiatives launched by the organization to support cultural and heritage sectors visited by millions of people around the world. Another pioneer global movement – ResiliArt, launched by UNESCO sheds light on the current state of creative industries amidst crisis through an exclusive global discussion with key industry professionals while capturing experiences and voices of resilience from artists – both established and emerging – on social media. Together, it raises awareness about the far-reaching ramification of COVID-19 across the sector and aims at supporting artists during and following the crisis.

UNESCO’s initiatives were not taken on an official level, as the organization launched a global social media campaign, #ShareOurHeritage to promote access to culture and education around cultural heritage during this time of mass confinement. UNESCO is also launching an online exhibition of dozens of heritage properties across the globe with technical support from Google Arts & Culture.