By Neenah Saad
As the Kuwaiti identity gradually becomes more exclusive, the country’s rich heritage and culture visibly burns out in the souls’ of the youth. Evidently, Kuwait’s history is orally focused, and is commonly passed down by stories from grandparents, or family banter. But how can we, as a growing society, ensure the pride of our identity remains strong?
Globalization inevitably occurs due to the various social media platforms we use, causing new styles and characters to develop in Kuwait. These personalities may not commonly be accepted by the traditional Kuwaitis, leading to alienation of the current youth. According to Ali Jaafar, a member of the youth: “We’ve begun to point fingers at each other asking who is more Kuwaiti than who.
But, we don’t even know what being Kuwaiti means.” A lot of the current generation do not fit in the mould of the term “Kuwaiti”, and society is commonly rejecting this concept. Yousef Abu-Ghazaleh, a working archivist based in Kuwait, stated: “For a lot of people, the Kuwaiti identity is a very gatekept concept. When presenting yourself, cultural sensitivities must be kept in mind.” The idea of conservative customs forces the youth to feel uncertain of their ‘Kuwaitiness’, as a consequence of not fitting the stereotypical mould. The youth’s passion for their country may gently die down on account of not feeling Kuwaiti enough.
“To have the right attachment to our identity, it must come from within,” claimed Hussain Sana, a journalist. Despite culture being passed down by textbooks, it must be embraced by our growing generation; it must start with them. Kuwaiti culture has developed over time due to a number of external, international influences such as TikTok, Western media (like Hollywood and Broadway) or international trends.
However, it does not necessarily mean its progression is negative. Regularly, as each country expands, its culture expands with it. Nonetheless, the nation’s past isn’t forgotten, and instead is embraced through heritage sites and cultural centres. The rising generation continues to consume an array of international media, and this allows their culture to grow. In spite of that, this does not justify the neglect of the historical culture of Kuwait.
Treasuring the traditional culture of Kuwait should be carried out modernly, whether it is through trends or current fashion. Culture should be spoken in the language of the youth – to grab their attention, they must understand you. Yousif Al-Manaa, a director and scriptwriter, expressed during an interview that since everything is a trend, it must take a lot of planning to spread awareness of Kuwaiti culture and identity. “If you go back to our culture, the love for our country and everything that it has given us, and make it a trend, people will begin to understand it and feel it all over again.”
In addition to this, traditional values and small habits must be appreciated, and passed to the current youth in Kuwait. Hana Sulaiman, a fifteen-year-old student said: “I personally do not know how to respond to the blessings and words stated before food. Even if it is not too tied into Kuwaiti culture, the little things should be appreciated too.” Although they are very miniscule phrases said in daily life, they must still be held dearly and taught to kids.
Ultimately, the nation’s culture is changing progressively, and with it, heritage must be preserved. Furthermore, the youth must strive to maintain the culture’s strength within the population, and the elders must accept the advancing generation. Laura Al-Awadi, a seventeen-year-old student stated: “To be Kuwaiti is to be a community, and to have an unspoken bond with everyone around you.”
