Exporting Kuwaiti Culture

In my view, the greatest challenge facing Kuwait today is that we must export our culture to the world in the manner it deserves, without exaggeration or understatement. Kuwait has reached a sufficient level of maturity to declare the features of this culture to the world today: that we are not merely a nation that spends its oil on our desires and pleasures. Rather, the truth is that we possess a set of attributes that constitute the essence of our human cultural identity, which every human being on Earth should know. These include: 1. We are a people who love peace. 2. We believe in the message of charitable work, which has reached every corner of the globe. 3. We often act as mediators in defusing tensions and reconciling nations. 4. We possess a knowledge base derived from a distinguished cultural experience that has gradually grown to the present day. 5. We have friends in other countries who help us promote our culture, which shares similarities with theirs. I am referring to the Gulf states. These five attributes have become a solid foundation for building a civilized Kuwaiti culture in reality, where cultural development encompasses the development of knowledge, awareness, identity, and cultural values among members of society. Therefore, the standard for cultural development in Kuwait has been built upon a set of pathways, the most prominent of which is the level of spread of cultural institutions, such as libraries, museums, art centers, halls, and others. This standard is also measured by the attention given to protecting and preserving heritage. Despite the small geographical size of Kuwait, its echo is profound among nations, as if the population of Kuwait were many times greater than its actual number today. Therefore, it was imperative that we draw up a clearly defined plan to export our culture to other peoples, which is an integral part of the Gulf culture stemming from the culture of the Arabian Peninsula. The importance of promoting culture lies in the fact that Kuwait enjoys a wonderful cultural experience, manifested in the existence of a rich religious heritage, in addition to a rich literary heritage. This, at the same time, calls for cultural development in response to the rapid changes the world is experiencing today, which requires finding a balance between preserving national identity and benefiting from global cultural developments.