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Investing in culture is a viable option for Bahrain towards increasing its revenues in the face of lower oil prices, according to an expert. At Bahrain National Theater a conference was held on 19 January under the patronage of the President of Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities Her Excellency Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al-Khalifa, in cooperation with UNESCO World Heritage regional Center and Thinkers & Doers. The conference theme was titled “Investing in Culture: Social & Business Impacts”.

More than 300 investors, officials and decision-makers in the field of culture attended the event and discussed investing in culture, its impact on social and economic advancement and the importance in achieving sustainable development. Speakers included Abduhamid Jumaa, Chairman of the Dubai International Film Festival, Jack Lang, president of Arab World Institute, Shaikha Hussah Al Sabah from Dar Al-Athar Al-Islammiyah, His Excellency Sheikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa. Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior for Nationality, Passports & Residence Affairs Jennifer Flay, director of FIAC art fair, artist and writer Mahi Binebine, Butheina Kazim, Co–founder of Cinema Akil and Omar Al-Quttan, Chairman of the Board at A.M Qattan Foundation.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, H.E Shaikha Mai said, “We had no idea when we started this pioneering project of investing in culture years ago that we would have a gorgeous world class national theater thanks to the support of His Majesty King Hamad Al-Khalifa and that we would organize the first conference on investing in culture in the Arab world.” H.E added, “The dream has become true because we had faith in the cultural structure’s role in enhancing and promoting our societies and that the real battle that would make the world a better place passes definitely through that culture.”

H.E added that, “In our conference today, held in our dear Kingdom of Bahrain, we say to the world that, through culture, our struggle will never stop to dazzle and attract millions around the globe and from the heart of the Arab world a movement is born to hail culture as a savior, a message for peace and prosperity, a source of pride and a call to preserve the most valuable asset of cultural heritage. The common heritage of humanity is cultural and historic and here in Manama we have a protector ready to preserve that heritage; UNESCO World Heritage regional Center.”

H.E Shaikha Mai expressed her gratitude and appreciation to all the attendees and participants at this conference, wishing them success and pride in the series of forums and meetings to be held alongside the investing in culture subjects.

The president of the Arab World Institute in France and former French Culture Minister Jack Lang said that H.E Shaikha Mai has become an icon with regard to investing in culture worldwide, a shining star leading the way towards more openness with cultural projects while investing in the human factor. Mr. Lang added that betting on cultural investments is a very profitable business too, stating the example of Versailes Palace after the restoration works investment that has attracted more than 10 million visitors in comparison with 1 million annually before.

Mr. Lang lauded the excellent initiative taken by Bahrain to organize such a unique conference and highlighted its role in the sustainable development of its economy while hailing the efforts of H.E in preserving heritage and local culture despite the hard realities and unsettled conflicts around the globe.

Amandine Lepoutre, founder and chief executive officer of Thinkers & Doers, who was also present at the press conference, thanked the organizing committee for the success of holding such a unique conference while gathering more than 20 countries in the presence of H.E Shaikha Mai bint Mohammad Al-Khalifa. Ms. Le Poutre called for the development of cultural infrastructure in the region and stressed the need for private-public partnerships in different projects.

During the first session of the conference, H.E Shaikha Mai was honored and presented with the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters) by the French Culture Ministry in recognition of her significant contribution to culture. H.E was given the Officier (Officer) grade of the order by the Arab World Institute in France President and former French Culture Minister Jack Lang.

“The industry of culture also has potential to create job opportunities,” said Kuwait-based Dar Al Athar Al Islamiyah director general Shaikha Hussah Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah. “Running a museum by itself, for example, requires a lot of effort, which means huge job opportunities,” she stated. “I think nobody has looked at the fact that museums and cultural centers are possibilities for job creation. In Kuwait we have two huge projects coming up, one is an opera house and the other is a group of museums which will hopefully open within a year or two, which have opened new job opportunities that did not exist before.”

Middle East art and culture expert Antonia Carver argued that creative events generate money for the economy while highlighting a survey showing that millions of dollars were pumped into the UAE economy during a five-day period coinciding with Art Dubai last year. “One of the assets of culture that is often not looked at is the economic impact, which is something worth pointing out because governments don’t always recognize its contribution to society,” she said. “Last year during Art Dubai in March, we commissioned an independent survey to look into the economic impact of the period during which the event was held and we discovered that $35 million came into the UAE.
This does not only bring a very positive international spotlight into a city, but also delivers to the bottom line of the city and hopefully encourages further investment from governments.”

Alessandra Pirozotti argued that her work stresses the importance of local communities and heritage preservation in the region. The mission of global heritage preservation is to save the earths most significant and endangered cultural heritage sites in developing countries and regions through scientific excellence and community involvement. Once a site or monument is gone, it is lost to humanity forever. “We have to develop a sustainable methodology, which protects historic and cultural resources by assisting in the preservation of these sites, providing financial and technical resources and creating new economic opportunities for local communities,” Pirozotti added. “Preservation by integrating youth takes each selected heritage site through an integrated process of evaluation and monitoring, planning and design, community development and engagement, partnership development and conservation to provide enduring protection, management and financial support. The world’s younger generations have become more aware of the importance of heritage in sustainable development, according to a 2015 survey,” she concluded.

French gallery owner Kamel Mennour claimed that cultural investment provided economic returns through increased tourism. “Culture and arts can bring people to countries that they have never been to and build bridges between regions,” said the founder of the Paris-based
Kamel Mennour Gallery. “It is art tourism and as an art person I think art can open windows for tolerance, involvement and co-operation and be an extremely important medium to facilitate dialogues between people of different backgrounds. Culture generates money and now with all the museums and cultural sites that exist in the region, I believe it can have a positive financial impact.”

The conference gathered more than 300 of the most important investors, cultural leaders, artists, cultural industries & medias, Thinkers & Doers and sought to reflect around ideas on how to improve, promote and materialize investments in the cultural sector. Talks, pitches and workshops had one single target: to create and share the most concrete, relevant and sustainable ideas as well as solutions to stimulate investments and project developments. In this context, investors keen on making a positive difference face questions: Which projects to invest in? On which criteria can one assess cultural investment opportunity? How to add value to the intangible? How to create a positive impact for economy & society?

After the conference, lovers of magic music had a rendezvous with an unforgettable night as renowned Japanese New Age artist Missa Johnouchi performed live on stage accompanied by the Bahrain Music Band.