Bahrain Heritage Week
Bahrain Heritage Week at St Christopher’s culminated in an impressive display of Bahraini culture as the Senior School transformed into a reflection of the country’s rich diversity before the half-term holiday. Mr Fuad Anzarouti and four Sixth formers, Shaikha Al Wusawi, Dima Hashim, Zainab Al Aali and Sahar Boujakli started planning for this week almost two months ago. The idea was to create an awareness of the rich heritage of Bahrain where our students can value and maintain their past and look forward to their future. The Week included a series of assemblies led by the Mr Fuad and four girls to Years 7, 8, 9,10 and 11. In a celebration, the students and staff treated their guests to activities, presentations, crafts and local cuisine throughout the day. Including a Souq Sha’abi (Traditional Souq), which presented visitors with an opportunity to purchase local crafts, a variety of traditional food and Bahraini themed gifts. The highlight of the week was the performance of the Bahrain Police Band in the School courtyard where they played the National Anthem and music reflecting the great event. The culmination of the week were an Aradha and Liwa traditional dances performed by the Bahrain Defense Forces Band generously arranged by Her Highness Shaikha Hessa Bint Khalifa Al Khalifa. You could choose to make your own traditional clay pottery by operating an old fashioned wheel while shaping the clay with your hands. Onlookers were impressed to see the students take part in this potentially messy activity while managing to keep their School uniforms relatively clean! An Arabian horse, falcon and local camel took pride of place in the main arena, along with a traditional tent where there was an option of receiving a henna tattoo by local henna artists. The atmosphere was further intensified by visitors being entertained by the sounds of the Bahrain Police Band, who all enjoyed a visit to the Shawarma stand after their performance! Even the staffroom was transformed by most members dressing for the occasion in thoub or jalabiya, there was also a traditional feast of rice, chicken and a variety delicacies available to all staff. A highlight of the week was a very special collection of rare photos which were displayed in Ex1. This examination room was transformed into a little museum with over 750 photos of Bahrain in the past. The photos went as far back as the 18th century and depicted a country which would be unrecognizable today – there was even a copy of a letter written by the Prophet Mo’hd (PBUH) to Almunthir Bin Sawi, Amir of Bahrain at the time. Finally, I would like to thank Shaikha Hessa Bint Khalifa Al Khalifa, and all the parents for their contributions to make this week a great success. A special thanks to Mr Hamad Al Sugair, Shaikha Afaf Al Khalifa and the rest of the parents for their constant support for the school and the Arabic Department to make Bahrain Heritage Week 2014 a memorable event.
Fuad Anzarouti – Head of Arabic
