Performing in the Present: Reviving the Spirit of Kuwaiti Bahri Music Past
Kuwaiti Bahri music was shaped by sea-trade and cultural exchanges with civilizations from Zanzibar to the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, Iran, India, and Sri Lanka. With the creation of the State of Kuwait in 1961, Kuwaiti bahri music ceased to exist as a dialogic, fluid, and living musical tradition; and transported the realm of heritage performance. As a musician, applied ethnomusicologist, and direct descendent of the bahri people of Kuwait I am working towards reviving the dialogic spirit of Kuwaiti bahri music-past by engaging with the Mayouf Bahri ensemble, who from 1936 to the present continue to be a staple of Kuwaiti Bahri music.