Culture of Kuwait
Kuwaiti popular culture, in the form of dialect poetry, film, theatre, radio and television soap opera, flourishes and is even exported to neighboring states.
[4] Kuwait is the main centre of scenographic and performing arts education in the GCC region.
[8][9][10] Kuwait is the main production center of the Gulf television drama and comedy scene.
[8][13][14] Soap operas are most popular during the time of Ramadan, when families gather to break their fast.
[17] The theatrical movement in Kuwait constitutes a major part of the country's cultural life.
[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).
[28][29] Traditional Kuwaiti music is a reflection of the country's seafaring heritage,[30] which was influenced by many diverse cultures.
[38][39] The Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Centre contains the largest opera house in the Middle East.
[44][33] Over the last decade of satellite television stations, many Kuwaiti musicians have become household names in other Arab countries.
Nawal El Kuwaiti, Nabeel Shoail and Abdallah Al Rowaished are the most popular contemporary performers.
[57][58] Other notable Kuwaiti artists include Sami Mohammad, Thuraya Al-Baqsami and Suzan Bushnaq.
Taleb al-Refai, Laila al-Othman, Taibah Al-Ibrahim, Najma Idrees, and Fatimah Yousif al-Ali are also among the pioneering writers.
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.
[67] The Abdullah Salem Cultural Centre is the largest museum complex in the Middle East.
[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.
Other local favourites are hamour (grouper), which is typically served grilled, fried, or with biryani rice because of its texture and taste; safi (rabbitfish); maid (mulletfish); and sobaity (sea bream).
Kuwait is home to many football clubs including Al-Arabi, Al-Fahaheel, Al-Jahra, Al-Kuwait, Al-Naser, Al-Salmiya, Al-Shabab, Al Qadsia, Al-Yarmouk, Kazma, Khaitan, Sulaibikhat, Sahel, and Tadamon.
The sport is widely considered to be the national icon of Kuwait, although football is more popular among the overall population.
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.
Qarqe'an is an annual celebration, observed in Kuwait, that takes place between the 13th and 15th nights of Ramadan.
[99][100] The state-owned Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) is the largest media house in the country.
[101] Since 2005,[102] Kuwait has frequently earned the highest ranking of all Arab countries in the annual Press 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.
Government-funded Radio Kuwait also offers daily informative programming in several languages including Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and English on the AM and SW.
