
Kuwaiti Writers Association keen on showcasing literary works: official
MUSCAT, April 27: The Secretary General of the Kuwaiti Writers Association (KWA), Humaidi Al-Mutairi, expressed the association's enthusiasm for participating in regional and international cultural events and forums to promote Kuwaiti literary works and creativity. Speaking to KUNA at the 29th Muscat International Book Fair, Al-Mutairi noted that this marks the first time the KWA has participated in a book fair outside Kuwait since its founding in 1964. He described the participation as a significant shift in the association's approach and activities.
Al-Mutairi explained that the KWA's new strategy of engaging in international exhibitions is driven by a commitment to supporting its members and promoting their literary and cultural works on a broader scale. He expressed pride in the association's involvement in the fair, which coincides with Kuwait being selected as the Capital of Arab Culture and Media for 2025, a recognition that highlights Kuwait's ongoing contributions to the cultural and literary fields.
At the fair, the KWA is showcasing the literary and cultural works of its members through a designated booth. These include a variety of publications such as literary, cultural, and critical books, research studies, scientific works, and other notable writings.
Al-Mutairi also praised the organizers of the exhibition for their cooperation, which facilitated the association's participation. He noted that this collaboration reflects the strong fraternal ties between Kuwait and the Sultanate of Oman, particularly in the cultural and literary sectors. Additionally, Al-Mutairi commended Oman's vibrant cultural and intellectual movement, which he said underscores the country's rich civilizational heritage.
Looking forward, Al-Mutairi expressed hope that this participation would expand the reach of Kuwaiti books and make them more accessible to readers in Oman. He added that the KWA intends to repeat this experience at future Arab book fairs, aiming to further serve Kuwaiti writers and authors.
The 29th Muscat International Book Fair, which began last Thursday, features 674 publishing houses from 35 countries, including Kuwait. The fair, which runs until May 3, includes a variety of cultural and literary activities.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Kuwait Times
10 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Kuwait's ‘Visionary Lighthouse' draws crowds at Expo 2025
OSAKA: Kuwait's pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Japan — dubbed the Visionary Lighthouse — has been attracting long daily queues since opening, thanks to its captivating blend of heritage and innovation. The pavilion showcases Kuwait as a country where tradition and progress coexist, using culture as a bridge for dialogue and understanding. Visitors journey through Kuwait's past, present, and future across two levels. The first floor explores the nation's rich heritage and traditions, while the second presents its aspirations through cutting-edge technology. Four exhibition halls use immersive features and AI to bring these stories to life. At the heart of the pavilion lies The Pearl, a symbolic space honoring Kuwait's historic pearl-diving legacy. A video circulating on social media, showing visitors interacting with Kuwaiti desert sand inside the pavilion, has helped drive interest. 'We saw the clip and came to try it ourselves — it looked fun,' said two young women waiting in line. A visiting family described the experience as magical: 'The planetarium felt like lying under the stars in the desert... We hope to return.' OSAKA: Visitors enjoy the different attractions at Kuwait's pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Japan. — KUNA photos On Friday, a Kuwaiti folklore troupe energized the stage in celebration of the visit by His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. A group of five women told KUNA they loved the performance. 'Kuwaiti music is so rhythmic and beautiful,' one said. 'We didn't know much about Kuwait, but the music created a sense of connection,' added another. Minister of Information and Culture Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi said the pavilion offers a rich, multidimensional experience. 'It reflects Kuwait's future ambitions while honoring its authentic identity — a blend of cultural openness and deeply rooted values,' he told KUNA. Expo 2025 Osaka runs from April 13 to October 13 on Yumeshima Island under the theme Designing Future Society for Our Lives, with sub-themes including Saving Lives, Empowering Lives, and Connecting Lives. The expo focuses on innovation, sustainability, and cultural exchange, with around 160 countries and nine international organizations participating. More than 28 million visitors are expected. Kuwait's participation continues a historic legacy — it was one of just four Arab nations represented at Expo Osaka 1970, the first world expo held in Japan, which drew over 64 million visitors. — KUNA

Kuwait Times
2 days ago
- Kuwait Times
Memory, belonging and the power of storytelling
In a literary landscape often dominated by narratives from elsewhere, Mai Al-Nakib has emerged as a distinctly original and resonant voice from the Gulf. A Kuwaiti writer and academic, Al-Nakib bridges the personal and the political, the local and the global, with rare finesse. With a PhD in postcolonial studies from Brown University and two decades of teaching English and comparative literature at Kuwait University, her scholarly foundation is as formidable as her creative one. Her debut short story collection, 'The Hidden Light of Objects', earned international acclaim and won the Edinburgh International Book Festival's First Book Award. Her novel, 'An Unlasting Home', is an ambitious and layered exploration of identity, memory and the impermanence of belonging — an urgent meditation in today's increasingly fragmented world. In this interview with Kuwait Times, Al-Nakib opens up about her early discovery of storytelling, the intellectual traditions that shaped her voice and the creative architecture behind her fiction. As she prepares to reintroduce 'The Hidden Light of Objects' to a new generation of readers, we delve into the themes that define her work: Displacement, legacy, language and the ever-elusive idea of home. Kuwait Times: When did you first realize you wanted to become a writer? Mai Al-Nakib: I've always been a voracious reader, and there came a point — around the age of nine — when I realized that I, too, could make words do interesting, unusual, even powerful things. I started keeping a diary, writing everything down. But more than simply recording daily events, I began narrating them — turning them into first-person tales, with dialogue, description and plot. That was the start of my writing life, and it never stopped. Mai Al-Nakib KT: Why did you choose fiction — specifically short stories and novels — as your medium of expression? Al-Nakib: Fiction allows writers to invent and imagine alternatives to the present and makes it possible for readers to inhabit versions of life other than their own. This experience can remind us of our shared humanity. Short stories and novels each do this differently, but both offer powerful ways to experiment with possibilities and connect with others. KT: Which writers or thinkers have most influenced your voice and worldview as a storyteller? Al-Nakib: Literary writers who shaped me early on include Kundera, Kafka, Anais Nin, Rushdie, Joyce and Marquez. In my early twenties, it was Woolf, Beckett, Proust, Assia Djebar and Kanafani. Philosophers and intellectuals who influenced me include Bergson, Deleuze, Barthes, Spinoza, Nietzsche, Benjamin and Edward Said. These — and many others — have made me the person I am. KT: What does home mean to you? Do you feel rooted in a particular place, or does your sense of belonging shift with time and context? Al-Nakib: I recently wrote an essay on exactly this question titled 'Home Is Elsewhere: On the Fictions of Return', published in The Markaz Review. For some of us, the notion of home is a moving target, changing over time. For far too many, the physical persistence of home is not guaranteed. It can disappear overnight. How we respond in the face of such precarity determines our sense of home. For me, home has to do with the people I love and my sense of care for others and for our planet. What else is there? KT: How does 'An Unlasting Home' explore the idea of belonging through family, memory and identity? Al-Nakib: As the title suggests — and as is the case for most of the characters in the novel — homes can sometimes be unlasting. As a result, we may be forced to reckon with a sense of displacement and not belonging. There can be value in this, difficult as it is. The protagonist, Sara, is who she is because of the women who came before her. Their pasts are mirrored in her present. In her quest to reconnect with her geographical and genetic inheritance, Sara weaves their memories and experiences together and comes to better understand her own fraught relationship to home. KT: What were the biggest challenges you faced — creatively and logistically — when writing and publishing this novel, especially considering its themes and scope? Al-Nakib: The biggest challenge in writing 'An Unlasting Home' was figuring out the best form to accommodate the sprawl of the story: Seven women, many family lines, various places, different historical periods and so on. Once I decided to divide the novel into three parts, narrated polyphonically and shifting between past and present, I had found the solution. In terms of publication, I was lucky to have interest from publishers in the US and UK. KT: You're republishing 'The Hidden Light of Objects' — can you share the story behind its original creation and why you decided to bring it back now? Al-Nakib: 'The Hidden Light of Objects' was published by Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation in 2014. It won the Edinburgh International Book Festival's First Book Award that year. After Bloomsbury UK and Qatar Foundation dissolved their publishing agreement, my book went out of print. Happily, Saqi Books — who also published 'An Unlasting Home' in the UK — decided to republish 'The Hidden Light of Objects'. It will be released on June 5th with a beautiful new cover. I'm thrilled to have this book out in the world again. The stories — set mainly in the Middle East and focused on quiet, overlooked moments in a region often overwhelmed by geopolitics — remain timely.


Arab Times
3 days ago
- Arab Times
Kuwait Pavilion at Expo Osaka attracts large crowds
OSAKA, Japan, May 31: Since its opening last month, the Kuwait Pavilion at the 2025 Expo Osaka has attracted large numbers of visitors, many of whom have had to wait in long queues to enter the site. Named the "Future Lighthouse," the pavilion showcases a rich cultural display that blends Kuwait's authentic heritage with modern elements, reflecting a nation that honors tradition while embracing progress. It also highlights culture's role in fostering dialogue and understanding between countries. Two women in their twenties, waiting in line at the pavilion, told KUNA they were drawn by a social media video showing visitors touching sand inside the pavilion. "It looked fun, so we decided to come today to experience it ourselves," they said. A visiting family described their experience as "wonderful," especially enjoying the planetarium exhibit that simulated lying in the desert. "We hope to come again," they added. The Kuwait Pavilion spans two floors: one dedicated to the country's heritage and traditions, and the other illustrating its aspirations for the future. Visitors embark on a journey through Kuwait's past, present, and future across four exhibition halls that combine traditional themes with advanced technology. The intersection between the two floors is called "The Pearl," a tribute to Kuwait's historical pearl diving industry and maritime heritage. Each section tells a unique story through interactive displays and artificial intelligence. On Friday evening, the pavilion's stage was enlivened by a performance from the Kuwaiti folklore troupe, coinciding with a visit from His Highness Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. The performance drew great enthusiasm from visitors. A group of five women told KUNA they greatly enjoyed the show. One said, "Kuwaiti music sounds rhythmic and beautiful." Another added, "We didn't know much about Kuwait, but this music made us feel connected to the country." Minister of Information, Culture, and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi previously told KUNA that the Kuwait Pavilion features rich, multidimensional content reflecting both Kuwait's heritage and its future ambitions. The pavilion's design emphasizes creativity and innovation while highlighting Kuwait's cultural openness and core values. The 2025 Expo Osaka is being held on the artificial island of Yumeshima in Kansai, Japan, from April 13 to October 13. The expo's theme is "Designing a Future Society for Our Lives," with sub-themes including "Saving Lives," "Empowering Lives," and "Connecting Lives." The event aims to tackle global challenges through innovation, sustainability, and cultural exchange, showcasing new scientific and technological achievements. More than 160 countries and nine international organizations are participating, with over 28 million visitors expected. Kuwait was among only four Arab countries to participate in the 1970 Osaka Expo — the first expo hosted by Japan — which attracted over 64 million visitors.