Culture of Kuwait describes the cultural aspects of the Kuwaiti society and is part of theEastern Arabian culture.Kuwaitipopular culture, in the form of dialect poetry, film, theatre, radio and television soap opera, flourishes and is even exported to neighboring states.[1][2] Within theArab states of the Persian Gulf, the culture of Kuwait is the closest to the culture ofBahrain.[3]
Atheatrical play titled "Fateh Masr" at Al Mubarikya school in the 1940s
Kuwait has the oldestperforming arts industry in the Arabian Peninsula.[4] Kuwait is the main centre ofscenographic andperforming arts education in the GCC region.[5][6] Many famous Arab actors and singers attribute their success to training in Kuwait.[7] The Higher Institute of Theatrical Arts (HIDA) provideshigher education in theatrical arts.[6]
Kuwait's television drama industry is the largest and most active Gulf Arab drama industry and annually produces a minimum of fifteen serials.[8][9][10] Kuwait is the main production center of the Gulf television drama and comedy scene.[9] Most Gulf television drama and comedy productions are filmed in Kuwait.[9][11][12] Kuwaiti soap operas are the most-watched soap operas in the Gulf region.[8][13][14] Soap operas are most popular during the time ofRamadan, when families gather to break their fast.[15] Although usually performed in theKuwaiti dialect, they have been shown with success as far away asTunisia.[16]
Kuwait is known for its home-grown tradition oftheatre.[17][18][19] It is the only country in the Gulf with a theatrical tradition.[17] The theatrical movement in Kuwait constitutes a major part of the country's cultural life.[20] Theatrical activities in Kuwait date back to the 1920s when the first spoken dramas were released.[21] Theatre activities are still popular today.[20]
Kuwait is frequently dubbed the "Hollywood of the Gulf" due to the popularity of its television soap operas and theatre.[22][23][24][25] Theatre in Kuwait is subsidized by the government, previously by the Ministry of Social Affairs and now by the National Council for Culture, Arts, and Letters (NCCAL).[26] Every urban district has a public theatre.[27] The public theatre in Salmiya is named after the late actorAbdulhussain Abdulredha. The annual Kuwait Theater Festival is the largest theatrical arts festival in Kuwait.
Tabla player at the 8th International Music Festival in Kuwait
Kuwait is the birthplace of various popular musical genres, such assawt andfijiri.[28][29] Traditional Kuwaiti music is a reflection of the country's seafaring heritage,[30] which was influenced by many diverse cultures.[31][32][28] Kuwait is widely considered the centre oftraditional music in the GCC region.[28] Kuwaiti music has considerably influenced the music culture in other GCC countries.[33][29]
Kuwait is home to variousmusic festivals, including the International Music Festival hosted by the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL).[38][39] TheSheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Centre contains the largest opera house in the Middle East.[40] Kuwait has several academic institutions specializing in university-levelmusic education.[41][42] The Higher Institute of Musical Arts was established by the government to providebachelor's degrees in music.[43][41][42] In addition, the College of Basic Education offers bachelor's degrees in music education.[43][41][42] The Institute of Musical Studies offers music education qualifications equivalent tosecondary school.[43][42][41]
Kuwait has a reputation for being the central music influence of the GCC countries.[44][33] Over the last decade of satellite television stations, many Kuwaiti musicians have become household names in other Arab countries. For example,Bashar Al Shatty became famous due toStar Academy. Contemporary Kuwaiti music is popular throughout the Arab world.Nawal El Kuwaiti, Nabeel Shoail andAbdallah Al Rowaished are the most popular contemporary performers.[45]
Kuwait has the oldestmodern arts movement in the Arabian Peninsula.[46][47][48] Beginning in 1936, Kuwait was the first Gulf country to grant scholarships in the arts.[46] The Kuwaiti artistMojeb al-Dousari was the earliest recognizedvisual artist in the Gulf region.[49] He is regarded as the founder ofportrait art in the region.[50] The Sultan Gallery was the first professional Arab art gallery in the Gulf.[51][52]
The government organizes variousarts festivals, including theAl Qurain Cultural Festival and Formative Arts Festival.[59][60][61] The Kuwait International Biennial was inaugurated in 1967,[62] more than 20 Arab and foreign countries have participated in the biennial.[62] Prominent participants includeLayla Al-Attar. In 2004, the Al Kharafi Biennial for Contemporary Arab Art was inaugurated.
In 1958,Al Arabi magazine was first published, the magazine went on to become the most popular magazine in the Arab world.[64]Ismail Fahd Ismail was one of the first Kuwaiti writers to achieve success in the Arab world, authoring over twenty novels and numerous short story collections.
Kuwaiti folklore contains a wealth of mythical figures that were often used in cautionary tales for children and young men. These tales intended to encourage children to perform chores they would otherwise be reluctant to do, or to keep them off the streets during the night. Some of these include:[65]
Hemarat Al-Gayla: Adonkey-woman hybridcreature said to follow children who ventured outside alone during the day. The purpose of this tale was to scare children into staying indoors during the hot summer afternoons.[65]
Tantal: A tall, black man with disheveled hair, carrying a large staff, known to strike his victims. He was used by parents to frighten children from wandering out at night.[65]
Al-Seolu: A tallNubian slave with elongated teeth, known for kidnapping andcannibalizing children. This figure became especially popular after the disappearance of a child in 1910, with local lore stating that Al-Seolu ate the child.[65]
Um Al-Sa'af Wa-Alleef: A grotesque woman who could fly using apalm frond. Although not overtly harmful, she was used to frighten children into compliance.[65]
Al-Duaidea: A supernatural figure who conjures a mystical glowing ember that disappears when approached.[65]
Bu Darya: A malevolent and colossalhalf-human half-amphibian who preyed on those out at sea. He was meant to symbolize the dangers awaiting sailors on the high seas.[65]
Several Kuwaiti museums are devoted toIslamic art, most notably theTareq Rajab Museums andDar al Athar al Islamiyyah cultural centres.[75][76][77][78] The Dar al Athar al Islamiyyah cultural centres include education wings, conservation labs, and research libraries.[78][79] There are severalart libraries in Kuwait.[80][78][81][79]Khalifa Al-Qattan's Mirror House is the most popular art museum in Kuwait.[82] Many museums in Kuwait are private enterprises.[83][76] In contrast to the top-down approach in other Gulf states, museum development in Kuwait reflects a greater sense of civic identity and demonstrates the strength of civil society in Kuwait, which has produced many independent cultural enterprises.[84][76][83]
Kuwaiti cuisine is a fusion ofArabian,Iranian, andMesopotamian cuisines. Kuwaiti cuisine is part of theEastern Arabian cuisine. A prominent dish in Kuwaiti cuisine ismachboos, a rice-based dish usually prepared withbasmati rice seasoned with spices, and chicken or mutton.
Seafood is a significant part of the Kuwaiti diet, especiallyfish.[85]Mutabbaq samak is a national dish in Kuwait. Other local favourites arehamour (grouper), which is typically served grilled, fried, or withbiryani rice because of its texture and taste;safi (rabbitfish);maid (mulletfish); andsobaity (sea bream).
Kuwait's traditionalflatbread is calledkhubz. It is a large flatbread baked in a special oven and it is often topped with sesame seeds. Numerous local bakeries dot the country; the bakers are mainly Iranians (hence the name of the bread, "Iraniankhubuz").
TheKuwait men's national handball team is controlled by the Kuwait Handball Association. Kuwait has achieved handball success at both the national and club level. The sport is widely considered to be the national icon of Kuwait, although football is more popular among the overall population. Kuwait is also the founding member of the Asian Handball Federation, the Asian Championship and Club Champions League.
Kuwaiti society is markedly moreopen than other Gulf Arab societies.[91] Kuwaiti citizens are ethnically diverse, consisting of both Arabs andPersians ('Ajam).[92] Kuwait stands out in the region as the most liberal in empowering women in the public sphere.[93][94][95]Kuwaiti women outnumber men in the workforce.[96] Kuwaiti political scientist Ghanim Alnajjar sees these qualities as a manifestation of Kuwaiti society as a whole, whereby in the Gulf Arab region it is "the least strict about traditions".[97]
TheDewaniya has existed in Kuwait since time immemorial. In the old city of Kuwait it was the reception area where a man received his business colleagues and male guests. Today the term refers both to a reception hall and the gathering held in it, and visiting or hosting a dewaniya is an indispensable feature of a Kuwaiti man's social life. Dewaniya became a fundamental part of Kuwaiti life. Hence, it has become a mark in their traditional daily life.
Qarqe'an is an annual celebration, observed in Kuwait, that takes place between the 13th and 15th nights ofRamadan. Gergee'an is marked with children dressing in traditional attire and going door-to-door to receivesweets from neighbours, whilst also singing traditional songs. The tradition has existed for hundreds of years and deeply rooted inKuwaiti culture.[98]
Although the celebration of Qarqe'an shares superficial similarities with theHalloween custom oftrick-or-treating, practiced in some western countries, Qarqe'an has no connection with horror and no associated origin with Halloween.
Kuwait produces morenewspapers and magazines per capita than its neighbors.[99][100] The state-ownedKuwait News Agency (KUNA) is the largest media house in the country. The Ministry of Information regulates the media industry in Kuwait. Kuwait's media is annually classified as "partly free" in theFreedom of Press survey by Freedom House.[101] Since 2005,[102] Kuwait has frequently earned the highest ranking of all Arab countries in the annualPress Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders.[103][104][105][106][107][108][109][110][111] In 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2014, Kuwait surpassed Israel as the country with the greatest press freedom in the Middle East.[103][104][105][106][110] Kuwait is also frequently ranked as the Arab country with the greatest press freedom in Freedom House's annual Freedom of Press survey.[112][113][114][115][116][117][118]
Kuwait has 15 satellite television channels, of which four are controlled by the Ministry of Information. State-ownedKuwait Television (KTV) offered first colored broadcast in 1974 and operates five television channels. Government-funded Radio Kuwait also offers daily informative programming in several languages includingArabic,Persian,Urdu, and English on theAM andSW.
^Ali Alawi."Ali's roadtrip from Bahrain to Kuwait (PHOTOS)".Archived from the original on 2016-04-17. Retrieved2016-07-05.The trip to Kuwait – a country that has built a deep connection with people in the Arabian Gulf thanks to its significant drama productions in theater, television, and even music – started with 25 kilometers of spectacular sea view
^ab"Shooting the Past".y-oman.com. 11 July 2013. Archived fromthe original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved5 July 2016.Most Omanis who get to study drama abroad tend to go to Kuwait or Egypt. In the Gulf, Kuwait has long been a pioneer in theatre, film and television since the establishment of its Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts (HIDA) in 1973. By contrast, there is no drama college or film school in Oman, although there is a drama course at Sultan Qaboos University.
^abAl Mukrashi, Fahad (22 August 2015)."Omanis turn their backs on local dramas".Gulf News.Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved5 July 2016.Kuwait's drama industry tops other Gulf drama as it has very prominent actors and actresses, enough scripts and budgets, produces fifteen serials annually at least.
^"Closer cultural relations between the two countries".Oman Daily Observer. 20 February 2017.Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved26 May 2017.The Kuwaiti television is considered the most active in the Gulf region, as it has contributed to the development of television drama in Kuwait and the Gulf region. Therefore, all the classics of the Gulf television drama are today Kuwaiti dramas by Kuwaiti actors
^Rubin, Don, ed. (1999)."Kuwait".The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre. Vol. 4: The Arab world. London: Taylor & Francis. p. 143.ISBN978-0-415-05932-9.
^Badley, Bill. "Sounds of the Arabian Peninsula". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.),World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp 351–354. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books.ISBN1-85828-636-0
^Sajjad, Valiya S."Kuwait Literary Scene A Little Complex".Arab Times. Archived fromthe original on 2014-11-29.A magazine, Al Arabi, was published in 1958 in Kuwait. It was the most popular magazine in the Arab world. It came out it in all the Arabic countries, and about a quarter million copies were published every month.
^"Press Freedom".Archived from the original on 27 September 2015.Since 2005, Kuwait has earned the highest ranking of all Arab countries on the annual Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders.
