The Vision
Enhance Bahrain’s cultural sector and provide a sustainable supportive environment.
The Mission
Preserve cultural heritage, establish cultural infrastructure, invest in local talents, and cultivate values for the benefit of society.
The Objectives
- Provide the necessary resources and suitable conditions needed for the safeguarding of Bahrain’s Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage.
- Work on developing the cultural infrastructure through the preservation of existing heritage, on one hand, and drawing plans to accomplish a comprehensive infrastructure, on the other.
- Encourage and support cultural actors be it individuals or cultural entities.
- Cultivate human values of citizenship, tolerance, peace, openness and freedom of expression within the activities of the Authority.
- Create annual cultural seasons to enrich the local cultural scene.
- Promote cultural dialogue by attracting talents and expertise and by hosting important events as part of the Authority’s annual activities.
- Foster a favorable cultural environment that stimulates and encourages creativity in accordance with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
Developing Culture in the Kingdom of Bahrain
Bahrain is a culturally, ethnically, religiously diverse country where people live freely in a tolerant and hospitable environment. With its progressive cultural environment, Bahrain can add real value and compete on a global level. Establishing sustainability, developing skills, and offering tangible benefits by linking cultural activity with the Bahraini economy enables the kingdom to achieve its objective of becoming more economically diverse, sustainable, and productivity-driven.
The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) plays a key role in protecting, developing, and promoting the national cultural identity as a core component of its national identity. The Authority seeks to establish culture as a cornerstone of economic and social development, boost Bahrain’s reputation as a culturally-neutral country internationally, and encourage creativity and innovation in the fields of culture, arts, sciences, technology, economics, management, architecture, urbal planning, and government and civil society agencies, and utilize culture for economic gain. Culture-related industries, family and cultural tourism, and arts are undoubtedly areas that can significantly contribute to economic development as they offer ample job opportunities and high revenue streams, as well as aiding in the recycling local capital.
The government will support cultural development through the following means:
Supporting the Role of Culture in Enhancing the National Identity:
The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) seeks to protect, enrich, and modernize the national identity, as well as fostering national loyalty and affiliation.
The Authority will put together a medium-term plan which utlilizes audio and visual media to promote national awareness with regards to cultural identity and modern culture, entrench positive traditional values, establish citizenship values as a catalyst to develop the present and foresee the future, shape the ideological and social standing of individuals and groups, and instill national loyalty and patriotism through programmes which focus on social development, education, dialogue, and media. In recognition of their fresh ideas and boundless ambition, youth will play a central role in proposing and implementing cultural and arts programs that contribute to the advancement of innovation and modernization of the national cultural identity.
Implementing a National Program for Social Culture:
The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) will prepare a national program for social culture that involves youth-oriented activities, in cooperation with the relevant government agencies such as the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social Development, and the General Organization for Youth and Sports.
A series of youth-oriented events will be held which will include a wide range of cultural activities such as interactive lectures and symposia, workshops, theatre workshops, documentary film screenings, and competitions revolving around citizenship, civil education, aesthetic education, as well as productivity and work-related training. The government will support scientific framework for the workshops under this program.
Supporting Initiatives which Contribute to Societal and Cultural Development:
The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) will continue to support initiatives and cultural and artistic organizations which contribute to societal and cultural development, such as enabling full-time authors and artists, supporting culture-related awards, industries, seminars, and conferences. The Authority will also nurture promising artistic talents, recognize art pioneers, support local cultural activities, and udnerwriting participation in international arts events. It will also plan for cultural development in key areas such as theater, music, fine arts, and folk arts.
Partnering with the Private Sector:
The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) seeks to establish new cultural projects – such as theaters, cultural centers, and community centers – which contribute to human capital development in Bahrain. To make such projects financially viable and beneficial to the country, the Authority seeks to manage them as fully-fledged business entities.
Through the “Invest in Culture” initiative, the Authority will build strategic partnerships with the private sector to support the cultural landscape in Bahrain by financing construction projects and renewable programs revolving around on entertainment – such as festivals, exhibitions, and other cultural activities.
Being Open to Other Cultures and Arts, and Engaging in Inter-cultural Dialogue and Understanding:
Securing cultural agreements with brotherly and friendly nations, strengthening cultural ties through openness to cultures and arts from the world, and engaging in inter-cultural dialogue and understanding will create hugely diverse cultural horizons which benefit local cultural movements in the country, and in turn promote the Kingdom of Bahrain on the local, regional, and international level.
Preserving and Nurturing an Advanced Cultural Environment:
The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) will utilize the appropriate means to establish and nurture cultural environment by engendering technology-based paradigm shifts that revitalize the cultural scene and provide effective solutions. These shifts will feed into a modern communication system which will in turn drive two core missions related to overall development: accelerating development through provision of information by the Authority, and creating new investment opportunities in culture. The National ICT Strategy adopted by the government will provide a clear roadmap as to the role culture will play in the lives of individuals and community, and facilitate information exchange between cultural organizations in the country.
Supporting Modern Cultural Industries, such as Digital Entertainment, Internet Culture, and Internet Gaming:
Culture cannot truly prosper without developing cultural industries, among the most important of which are modern cultural industries such as digital entertainment, internet culture, and internet gaming. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to arm future generations with healthy mindsets which enable them to overcome issues related to cultural education - such as internet forums and internet gaming - which have affected a large number of kids and caused a great deal of concern and worry among parents. The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA), in cooperation with the government and social agencies in the ICT and education fields, will examine how to steer and familiarize kids with the modern internet world in a proper fashion.
Modernizing Systems and Regulations for Cultural and Artistic Societies
Updating and introducing new systems and regulations will strengthen the relation between the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) and the various cultural and artistic societies and advance the cultural movement in Bahrain. These new systems include offering incentives to societies which augment their regular activities with non-material undertakings and create web content, providing premises to societies which conduct programs for cultural development, introducing systems which support the creation of a robust and dynamic market for artworks, and supporting the establishment of new societies which actively promote digital culture in all governorates.
