Bahrain: The times they are a-changin’… · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Many of Bahrain's bloggers are either lamenting or advocating change of one kind or another this week, whether concerning family celebrations, employment practices, political priorities – or even footwear!
Change is inevitable?
We start with a photo by Ammar, highlighting the changes taking place in Manama:
Celebration sabotaged
Cradle of Humanity discovered some changes at home this Eid, and wonders if Bahraini society as a whole is changing:
“Not exactly” was mum’s reply when I complained why we were to have an Eidless Ramadan this year. “We are having Eid, we are just not having Eid lunch”. “So what is it we are having for Eid then, mother?” She herself seemed rather distressed but tried hard to appear otherwise. She composed herself; “some of your aunts are leaving for a short break during the holiday” she explained. Both my paternal and maternal side of the family decided that there were too few of them to hold a feast for Eid. “We can go out for lunch, with your brothers” she proposed. I was still sore and annoyed and did not hold from stating that the idea did not appeal to me, and that I felt that my Eid was sabotaged- by everybody. […] It is moments like those that I feel that my society is caught up between its collective past and a newly introduced individualistic trend.  While I do not mind either ways of life, I indeed mind having to do with no Eid plans- thinking there would be the usual collective one- only to find out four days ahead that there won’t be, since everyone is having their own little plan or vacation. I would have loved a short city break somewhere, but how could I have left the grand annual gathering that follows the holy month? If I had done that then all would have complained- I wasn’t even considerate enough to put an effort to attend something that only comes once a year.
In need of change
Mohammed AlMaskati feels negative about the situation in Bahrain:
نحن البحرينون حقيقةً شعب مسكين، شعب تقبل الصفعات الواحدة تلو الأخرى، طعناً في كل مبادئه و قيمه، شعب سجن أبنائه، و عذب أولاده، و شردوا و قتلوا في سبيل مبدأ و مطلب.
We the Bahrainis are in truth a poor people, who receive blows one after another, in a challenge to all their principles and values. A people whose sons have been imprisoned, whose children have been tortured, were expelled and killed for the sake of a principle and a demand.
You can read his ideas for change here.
No entry
Mahmood reports on an incident earlier this week, and has an interesting solution:
…the third largest island in the Bahraini archipelago – Umm Al-Na’asaan – has been reserved by his majesty to the exclusive use of his military for training purposes. Add to that the southern half of the island which has been so reserved too, and you get the idea of why land prices are so astronomical that a middle class Bahraini citizen can no longer afford to even dream of owning a house or a small plot to plant his roots in.
Looking a bit further in to this issue, I find that people in Malkiya and surrounding villages were preparing a day trip, a picnic to Umm Al-Na’asaan island to celebrate Eid. That resulted in those villages being surrounded by riot police on land, and the coast guard on sea which has reportedly even dragged their boats away from the coast to prevent them from launching them. […] I’m not sure why they’re complaining really… Canada, Australia, New Zealand and even India are open and available for easy enough migration. What are they waiting for?
Ebtihal Salman writes about the same incident, and wonders if there's any chance the issue will be solved politically:
هل سيهتم نواب الشعب الكرام بالتساؤل عن حقيقة مصير ثلث مساحة البلاد…
Will the honourable deputies of the people be interested in asking for the truth regarding the destiny of a third of the country…
Work woes
Butterfly has been looking at what makes a large number of Bahrainis move abroad to work:
فكرت في عدد الكفاءات التي غادرت ومازالت ستغادر هذه الارض .. في عدم التقدير والتقزيم والتهميش الذي يمارسه بعض المسئولين على موظفيهم البحرينيين…
I thought about the number of competent people that have left and are still to leave this land… about the lack of appreciation, the demotion, and the marginalisation used by some employers regarding their Bahraini employees…
Put up or…
Desert Bloom, on the other hand, thinks people should leave Bahrain! She is fed up of hearing complaints and thinks people should use their energy to create positive changes:
What I don’t understand is that people hate the Bahrain’s government so much why don’t they just leave?? Here are the government trying to do what is best for the country and YES there are corrupted people in it but I DARE YOU to show me a country that hasn’t any! … There is a lot of energy in the Bahraini people why don’t they use it towards something good for the country??
Not just words
Still on the subject of change, Ali Al Dairy looks at the influence that books can have:
ليست الحوادث وحدها ما يغير وجه الحياة، فالكتب لا تقل فاعلية في تغيير الحياة وتاريخها عن الحوادث السياسية، بل إن الحوادث السياسية تجد أحياناً في الكتب ذريعة لتغيير وجه التاريخ
Events are not the only things that can change the face of life; books are no less effective in changing life and its history regarding political events. Indeed political events sometimes find in books a pretext for changing the face of history.
Lower yourself…
Finally, Cookie would like women to change what they put on their feet:
break your heels.. really stop I know high heel’s shoes are cute but healthy 50 years old lady is cuter
Game on
We finish with a photo by Yagoob, showing that some things will probably never change: