“Jamal, the Guardian of the Walls”: A Wedding Story That Evokes Kuwait’s Old Memories – Sarmad

(KUNA) – The Americani Cultural Center hosted on Friday the puppet play “Jamal Hami Al-Sour” (The Camel Who Guards the Wall), aimed at children and families, as part of the “Summer Cultural 18” festival organized by the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters. The play, presented by Energy Creative Company, revisits aspects of life in Kuwait during the pre-oil era, when the city was a commercial coastal hub and a key node for maritime and overland trade, with camel caravans serving as a vital artery for commerce and goods transport.

For her part, author Huda Al-Shawa said in a press statement that using puppets to narrate social history to children transforms historical events, facts, and information about ways of life in past Kuwait into an engaging, lively visual experience. She noted that children are naturally drawn to puppet characters, empathizing with them and absorbing the human values embedded in the dialogues and events. The goal, she explained, is to entertain while emphasizing interactive learning.

Al-Shawa added that, as a writer of children’s literature, she strives to foster historical and cultural awareness among the current generation by drawing on the local environment in storytelling. Through the theatrical performance, children can see landmarks from their city’s past—such as the traditional neighborhood (fereej), mud-brick houses, the market, the city wall, local wildlife, and characters they can identify with—thereby strengthening their connection to their roots and heritage and helping them better understand contemporary life.

The play explores the role of Kuwait’s city wall and its gates in protecting the city and its inhabitants, noting that they were closed at night and opened in the morning, reflecting details of daily life in old Kuwait. The story centers on “Little Jamal,” who finds himself facing a new responsibility: carrying and safeguarding goods during a journey with his parents and a camel herder through the city of Kuwait.