MBI Al Jaber Foundation at the Seminar for Arabian Studies: Screening of ‘Voice of the Sea’ by Abdulrahman al-Salimi and Eric Staples
Voice of the Sea
The MBI Al Jaber Public Lecture at the 50th Seminar for Arabian Studies was held in the BP Lecture Theatre at the British Museum on Saturday 30th July. Instead of a formal lecture, a film preview about Omani Seafaring, ‘Voice of the Sea’, produced by Abdulrahman al-Salimi and Eric Staples, was shown, followed by a Q & A session.
‘Voice of the Sea’, a one-hour documentary exploring Oman’s long relationship with the sea, provides an historical narrative of Oman’s maritime past from the Bronze Age to modern times. It examines and gives details of Oman’s rich boatbuilding tradition, as well as the different types of dhows that were used, and documents Oman’s participation in the dhow trade in the western Indian Ocean via the voices of those who lived through it. Interviews with the older generation of Omani sailors, fisherman and boat builders are interwoven with actual footage of dhows sailing in the mid-twentieth century. This invaluable historical footage, taken by Alan Villiers and others, has never before been shown on film and provides the spectator with new and unique visual sources, bringing Omani seafaring history to life!
Director of ‘Voice of the Sea’ David Willis and Producer Eric Staples responded to a series of interesting questions from an appreciative audience, who then retired to a drinks reception provided by the MBI Al Jaber Foundation.
The MBI Al Jaber Public Lecture is part of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, a three-day event organised by the British Foundation for the Study of Arabia (BFSA) and supported by both the British Museum and the MBI Al Jaber Foundation, a British registered charity which aims to promote cultural dialogue and exchange between the Middle East and wider world.
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