Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Craftspeople and traditional artisans are praising the launch of the National Craftsmen Register (NCR) and hope to see smarter, better-tailored policies emerging from the programme.
The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (Baca) recently launched the NCR, through which they are aiming to build a database of craftsmen, their crafts, skill levels and the kind of support they need.
“The NCR aims to quantify the handicrafts practice in Bahrain,” a Baca spokesperson told GulfWeekly.
“This data will help us determine which groups require what kind of support, be it a permanent premises, like the Al Naseej Factory in Bani Jamra, subsidised raw materials, similar to what is happening with the pottery factories in A’Ali, specialised training and more.
“It also allows us to plan for new regulations, training programmes and international affiliations.”
Abdulnabi Al A’Ali, a renowned potter in the historic pottery district of A’Ali, hopes to see more training programmes emerging out of this initiative.
He is one of more than 200 craftspeople who have registered in the database thus far.
“We are hoping to see more initiatives, courses and workshops to help the next generation of potters, as well as those who want to learn more about the craft,” Abdulnabi told GulfWeekly.
“Traditional crafts can be vital contributors to the national economy and tourism, and through this initiative, we are hoping to see more avenues to capitalise on this potential.”
The artisans and craftspeople who have registered so far have been categorised into eight segments – metal works, clay, textiles, botanical, wood, sea-related, horse-related and modern.
There is a list of crafts that fall under each umbrella. For example, under clay, there are potters, gypsum makers, engravers, ceramics, stone carving, mosaic and glass-making, since all of these share a core raw material – sand.
“This system has helped trace and document many traditional Bahraini crafts that have now become obsolete,” the Baca spokesperson added.
“At this point, considering the Covid-19 situation, registration is taking place through phone and video calls.
“The database has four ranks for artisans and craftspeople – amateur, practitioner, professionals and experts – based on years of experience and production volumes.
“The team at the handicrafts directorate will plan a field survey in the coming months, where academic research will be conducted using a questionnaire and recorded interview.”
Baca also hopes to find out where people have learned their craft and if they have passed it on to someone else.
They are hoping to make general figures available to the public through the Baca website.
The data collected will guide future initiatives to make and market traditional craft products.
For Abdulnabi, the database represents a new hope – a chance to mould a new future for Bahrain’s traditional craft industry.
For more details, follow @culturebah on Instagram.
