Manama – Al Sayed Zahra – Akhbar Al Khaleej – 5 August 2026
Al Sawari Theatre Achieves a Major National and Arab Milestone, Winning Five Awards at the Jerash Monodrama Festival, The Bahraini Al Sawari Theatre achieved a major national and Arab milestone, winning five awards at the Jerash Monodrama Festival. The production The So-Called Coincidence received four awards: Best Overall Production, the Special Jury Award, presented to actor Kamel Al Busaidi, Best Director, awarded to Ibrahim Al Mansi, and Best Scenography, awarded to artist Abdullah Al Bakri. Bahraini playwright Yousif Al Hamdan also received the Best Playwriting Award for his play Mr. Stage.
This remarkable achievement—effectively dominating the festival's awards in the face of strong competition from numerous Arab countries—was undoubtedly the result of exceptional creative talent, sustained effort, and years of collective work. I followed the extensive praise for Bahrain's participation and achievements across numerous Arab cultural platforms, as well as the recognition of the excellence demonstrated by the Bahraini team and the wonderful image they presented of Bahrain's theatre and culture. For example, an Egyptian cultural website published a report on the festival and its results, describing the Bahraini production The So-Called Coincidence as "the most prominent production of the festival," after winning four awards at once and asserting its artistic presence among the participating productions, while earning the praise of both the jury and the audience.
The report also noted that this Bahraini achievement "reflects the artistic level demonstrated by the production team, whether in directing, performance, or the visual elements that played a major role in the production's success, earning it widespread acclaim throughout the festival." When I followed the Arab praise for Al Sawari Theatre and its achievement, I immediately realized that this was not merely a theatrical accomplishment. Its significance is far greater. This cultural and theatrical achievement represents a major contribution to strengthening Bahrain's soft power. Soft power means presenting to the world and to international public opinion the spiritual, moral, civilizational, cultural, and humanitarian strengths and qualities of a country—encouraging others to admire and respect the country, appreciate its leadership and people, and form a positive image that remains in collective consciousness and memory.
In short, soft power means a state utilizing its strengths in culture, literature, the arts, media, tourism, sports, historical heritage, and civilizational values, among other areas, and mobilizing them to enhance its image abroad, establish a positive reputation, confront challenges and opposing campaigns, and protect its broader interests. Bahrain possesses an abundance of elements of soft power, foremost among them its culture, values, and humanistic civilizational principles that have developed over hundreds of years. At the forefront are its cultural and artistic leadership and the creative capabilities that can strengthen Bahrain's reputation and positive image abroad. It should be emphasized here that His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa personally leads national efforts to strengthen Bahrain's soft power on the global stage through his pioneering humanitarian and civilizational initiatives. When His Majesty speaks about these initiatives, he consistently places them within the broader framework of presenting Bahrain's enlightened civilizational image to the world.
"IT TOOK SO LONG," another production by the "Al Sawari" group, narrates the horrors of war and the psychological setbacks it generates for humans, to the point of losing the desire for life, through an elderly couple living on the sixth floor of one of the buildings overlooking a square filled with bodies due to the war. A story detached from time and place, it is a story of human beings under the burden of war, any war.
For example, when Bahrain hosted the "East and West for Human Coexistence" dialogue forum, attended by His Eminence Grand Imam Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Sheikh of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, and Pope Francis, His Majesty the King spoke of the event and its significance for Bahrain, saying: "This important forum reinforces Bahrain's distinguished international reputation and the civilizational and humanitarian role that it has demonstrated throughout the ages in promoting tolerance and human coexistence and strengthening dialogue and civilizational understanding among religions and cultures for the benefit of all humanity." Through these words, His Majesty presented to the world the strength of Bahrain's soft power in one of its most powerful and compelling forms. The achievement of Al Sawari Theatre belongs within this same context. Its success has strengthened Bahrain's presence in the Arab cultural sphere and presented a beautiful civilizational image of its culture, arts, and the capabilities of its creative talents.
As I have said, it is "a major contribution to strengthening Bahrain's soft power." I say this in order to raise an important issue. I do not know what level of support the state currently provides to theatre, culture, and the arts in general, nor do I know the forms that such support takes. What is certain, however, is that this support remains below the required level. More importantly, it does not appear to form part of a clear strategy aimed at strengthening Bahrain's soft power through culture and the arts. Supporting culture, the arts, and creative talent is not a luxury. First and foremost, it is an investment in Bahrain, a means of defending and strengthening its national and Arab identity, and a way of reinforcing Bahrain's soft power both regionally and internationally. Editor's Note: At the time of writing this article—three days after Al Sawari Theatre achieved this accomplishment—I had not, within the scope of what I had followed, seen any statement from any official in any capacity praising the achievement, highlighting its significance, or congratulating the artists and creatives who made it possible. Isn't that rather strange?!
