23-05-2025
Matadors in the Desert: Kuwait's First and Last Bullfight
In the spring of 1972, an unlikely and flamboyant spectacle unfolded in the heart of Kuwait. For three extraordinary days, the desert nation played host to its first—and only—traditional Spanish bullfight, an event that would be etched into the country's cultural memory as a bold experiment that was never repeated.
The spectacle was staged by the Salmiya Sports Club and enjoyed high-level patronage from Sheikh Sa'ad Al-Abdalla Al-Sabah, then Minister of Interior and Defence. With full fanfare and diplomatic decorum, the arena came alive on Thursday, April 6, when a Spanish bull charged into the ring, facing off against seasoned matadors flown in from Spain. The occasion was not only unprecedented but also extravagantly symbolic, opening with the national anthems of Kuwait and Spain—a gesture underscoring the cross-cultural ambition of the endeavor.
The following two days, April 7 and 8, saw encore performances, each drawing large, enthusiastic crowds. Among the attendees were members of Kuwait's National Assembly, including the Speaker, all seated alongside everyday citizens, bound by curiosity and the thrill of a foreign tradition.
While aficionados in Spain might debate the finesse or authenticity of the performances, Kuwaiti spectators responded with visceral appreciation. The precise and dangerous artistry of the matadors—planting banderillas with practiced elegance—was met with gasps and applause. It didn't take a connoisseur to sense the drama unfolding in the ring, or to recognize the poise and peril faced by the bullfighters.
Despite the evident success and spectator delight, the 1972 bullfighting event was never reprised. Whether due to logistical challenges, cultural reservations, or shifting public sentiments, the curtain quietly fell on what remains one of Kuwait's most curious cultural footnotes.
Over five decades later, footage from that April afternoon still surfaces, showing sunlit crowds and a sand-colored arena alive with movement. The sounds of the national anthems, the flash of a matador's cape, and the power of a charging bull—these fragments endure, a fleeting and forgotten dance between two vastly different traditions.
Kuwait's flirtation with the world of bullfighting lasted just three days. But for those who were there, it offered a rare glimpse of cultural spectacle, played out in the heat of the Arabian sun, never to be seen again.
