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A new treasure trove of tales from all walks of life across Bahrain is being put together, with the storyteller behind 100 Bahrain Stories hard at work on a sequel to her popular anthology.
Australian expatriate Tanzeel Jabbar-Khadir, 45, has started collecting stories for the new book, hoping to capture another snapshot of time in a more technologically advanced and post-pandemic Bahrain.
“The last 100 Bahrain Stories ran between 2016 and 2018,” she told GulfWeekly.
“It was a snapshot of a moment in time.
“Bahrain has evolved since then.
“Perspectives on life have shifted in the post-pandemic, technologically advanced world we are living in and I thought it would be interesting to capture this.”
In this edition, Tanzeel will continue to collect stories from all strata of society - the three tales she has shared so far on the book’s Instagram include Bangladeshi fruit-seller Mohammad Saleem Ahmed, Bahraini entrepreneurs Jaffer and Khulood and Russian artist-engineer Irina Kotova.
“In the previous anthology, I initially chose not to include participants’ names when posting the stories on social media, believing it was more important to focus on their content rather than preconceptions about the individuals,” she explained.
“This was meant to create a level playing field, showing that each story was equally valuable. However, this decision sparked many questions, and I later added the names in the published book as a gesture of appreciation.
“While still committed to the idea of a level-playing field, this time, I’ve accepted the feedback from my audience and have decided to include the names from the outset.
“It’s important to me to include a diverse range of experiences, highlighting how people, regardless of their background, are more alike than different and their stories are equally valuable. This diversity enriches the collection, reflecting shared human experiences across different walks of life.”
Most interviews that Tanzeel conducts are in English with anyone she might find interesting, although being fluent in Hindi and Urdu also helps her connect with those more comfortable in those languages.
When interviewing people in Arabic, she relies on friends to help her interpret and make the process easy and smooth for each person.
In June this year, Tanzeel released a reprint of the original 100 Bahrain Stories, first printed in 2018, including within it a small tribute to those who had since passed away, like late journalist and entrepreneur Abdullah Jonathan Wallace.
In his foreword to the original book, Abdullah had spoken of how it reflected “not only the broad spectrum of the multinational community of expatriates living in Bahrain today, but the diversity of Bahrainis themselves, whose ancestry has been shaped over five millennia of recorded history.”
With stories from nationals hailing from Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, the UK and the US, the book was a true mosaic of the kingdom’s cultural canvas, and Tanzeel got a glowing response to the reprint as well.
“The response to the reprint of the first book has been overwhelmingly positive,” she added.
“It’s resonating not only with the original audience but also with new readers discovering the stories for the first time.
“I love receiving messages of support from those rediscovering or engaging with the collection. Even people who weren’t living in Bahrain during the initial project are now connecting with it.
“The diversity of voices and perspectives continues to resonate widely, making the reprint feel truly worthwhile.”
Tanzeel is currently completing a graduate degree in writing, with a focus on how personal perspectives shape stories, and is hoping to integrate lessons from her studies into her stories.
The first volume of 100 Bahrain Stories is available at Jashanmal bookstores, Bahrain International Airport and the Bahrain Fort gift shop.
For more details, follow @bahrain_stories on Instagram.
