Bahraini folktales book launched

Manama, Feb. 19 (BNA): The University of Bahrain has launched a five-volume book compiling Bahraini folktales. The book that took more than 10 years to make includes 1,200 tales, a combination of short and long ones that are familiar to generations of Bahrainis who had heard them from their parents and grandparents. All the tales are written in Bahraini dialect, a departure from the standard Arabic that is regularly used in writing. The aim is to keep the tales as they are without changes that would rob them of their charm. However, some of the most difficult and unfamiliar words are explained at the end of the tales to ensure that readers do not miss out on the meaning and lose the significance of the tale. Riyadh Hamza, the President of the University of Bahrain, expressed deep pride in the voluminous book and in the students who worked diligently to gather tales from Bahrainis aged between 50 and 82 years, record them and type them. "The books contain stories, tales and poems that are an integral part of the Bahraini heritage and culture," he said at the launch. "They have been a great source of inspiration for generations of Bahraini at a time when television screens were overtaking reading and reduced communication opportunities between families and members of the same family. Usually, it was the parents and the grandparents who narrated these tales and helped strengthen bonds. The tales also empowered children to expand their imagination beyond the borders of what they encountered every day." Unfortunately, today, television stations have replaced the grandparents, attracting children around them and providing them with ideas and stories that have no connection with our society and culture, he added. "This is the first encyclopedia, but there will be more. We do thank all the students for the tremendous efforts they had exerted for years. We are also grateful to the narrators who helped us put on record some of Bahrain's popular heritage and folktales. We at the university will always support such amazing endeavours." Dheya Abdullah Khamis Al Kaabi, assistant professor at the university who oversaw the whole project, said the work aimed to record Bahraini folktales to ensure they are not lost. "We have sought to revive them through common endeavours and ensure we can contribute to the preservation of the Bahraini identity and to highlighting its rich components," she said. "Bahraini society has been characterized as a highly diverse country where people from various religious and ethnic backgrounds co-existed in peace. Folktales have had a significant role in highlighting such features and in reinforcing the sense of belonging among all communities." Dheya said that 100 students from the university had worked on the national project for almost 10 years. The University of Bahrain is among the first universities in the Arab world to teach folklore literature. "The books are also a first in Arab universities to record folktales in a collective effort that kept the authenticity of the narrative."