Manama: Bahrainis came together on Tuesday night, rolled up their sleeves and sat down together to talk.

After months of political violence which had gripped this small island kingdom causing at least 30 deaths and leaving hundreds more injured or in jail, the long-awaited National Dialogue sessions began in earnest.

More than 300 delegates from trade unions, political societies, NGOs and prominent individuals representing business and religious bodies, along with a bloc from the expatriate communities, will be meeting three times a week in the coming months.

Last night's sessions began with discussions on political societies, the reality of competitiveness in Bahrain's economy and ways to boost it; how to improve women's and childrens' rights; and youth affairs. The discussions are being held behind closed doors in a bid to ensure the talks are open, honest, and what's said by the parties isn't used against them in the court of public opinion.

That court of public opinion has been busy here in the months since the crisis began, handing out sentences in communities polarised by the protests.

Yesterday, in an office furniture store on Palace Street in the heart of this city's downtown, no one was buying. No one was even looking. It's been that way for months now.

It is not the recession. It was the expression.

Business woes

Its owner is a prominent Manama Sunni businessman. At the height of the anti-government protests in February and March, the owner went on local television and expressed his opinion on the crisis.

Since then, his business has bottomed out. Before, his business was frequented by Sunnis and Shiites alike. Now, the shop is shunned by Shiite shoppers.

Near the Shiite village of Karranah is a large, modern supermarket. At the height of the gatherings at Pearl Roundabout, the store supplied the anti-government protesters with food and drinks. Before, the business was frequented by Sunnis and Shiites alike. Now, the store is shunned by Sunni shoppers.

These are but two small examples of the challenges facing the delegates. And it's one of the reasons why it's important those deliberations be open, fair and conducted without fear of recrimination.

That's the main reason why the organisers of the National Dialogue won't be releasing details of who said what.

Last night's economic workshop focused on Bahrain's economic competitiveness and ways of strengthening it.

The economic discussion was to also focus on ways to improve tourism and make Bahrain more attractive to visitors.

Tourism revival plans

The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry is but one of the bodies backing the Bahrain summer festival — a effort to try and bring visitors back to Bahrain and increase footfall in local malls. One chamber official said that retail sales have rebounded by 75 per cent since the height of the crisis, so things are looking up.

The Bahrain Grand Prix had been a huge draw for visitors to the kingdom. It was cancelled in May after being initially rescheduled for later in the Formula One calendar, but its teams were reluctant to travel hear because of the unrest. Getting the race up and running again will boost the tourism figures. But its needs a stable political climate for that to happen.

And only talking through differences and finding common ground will move Bahrain forward.

When Sunnis and Shiites again feel comfortable walking the common ground in office stores and supermarkets, you'll know that the National Dialogue was a success.

In the meantime, there's plenty more to talk about.