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CREATIVE young Bahrainis now have an online showcase to display their design talents as well as the chance to network and socialise, writes Anasuya Kesavan.
Enterprising Mohammed Janahi, 25, and Zayed Darwish, 27, have introduced the kingdom's artistes and entrepreneurs to an internet group called Pecha Kucha Nights.
It already links the ideas of like-minded individuals in 373 cities around the globe.
The format of Pecha Kucha, which means Japanese for sound of conversation, was originally devised by Klein Dytham Architecture, a Japanese firm, as an event for young designers to meet, network and show off their work.
It works on a '20 by 20' format where every presenter can tell his story through a presentation of 20 slides for 20 seconds each.
Mohammed, an interior designer who works for an architectural firm, has established a local network after returning from a six-year stint in Lebanon where he completed his studies and internship.
He said the main aim was to provide a platform to the many talented youngsters living on the island who may otherwise not find a space to voice their ideas. Mohammed said: "My professor, an organiser of Pecha Kucha Beirut, introduced me to the format. I wanted to bring the idea to Bahrain because we have the creativity but not many avenues to expose the talent here.
"It is for anyone who wants to share his idea or his story. It can be an entrepreneur who can talk about his experiences, it can be a charity sharing their idea; it could be anyone with a terrific idea and needs help with the project.
"In Bahrain we need to motivate young people and I see this as one such forum."
The organisers hope to host a minimum of four social events this year. During 2010 the members managed to host three nights with the first event podcast live in support of the victims of the Haiti earthquake. They raised $950 (BD357).
Zayed, a graduate from the UK, works in the public relations section of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority. He is equally excited about the project and its success of having 150 followers already through word-of-mouth, emails and publicity through social networking sites such as Facebook.
The group meets in different venues. The first was held at an art centre with the help of the Ministry of Information and Culture who provided the hall and sound system free, and the second was held in association with the Bahrain Society of Engineers and the third at the Shaikh Ebrahim Centre.
Zayed said: "The venue is not important. We could organise Pecha Kucha Nights in a basement and even an aircraft hangar.
"We have a volunteer cameraman and another who helps with designing and printing. It is all voluntary. We have our day jobs and work on the group during our spare time. It will be nice to have an outdoor event but it will need some support."
Log on to www.pecha-kucha.org to learn more about the group. The Bahrain chapter is called Pecha Kucha Bahrain on Facebook and pechakucha_BHR, on Twitter. It can also be reached via email at pechakuchabahrain@gmail.com.
The next big event will take place on a date to be arranged in February.
