A Letter from Kuwait
by Viv Quarry (www.vivquarry.com)
The first thing that strikes one on arrival in Kuwait - apart from the heat and the sunshine - is that something seems to be out of place. The roads are invariably three-lane motorways outside the cities, and the cars are either very fast and modern or the huge American versions. And yet, behind the steering wheels are people dressed in the white head-dresses and Arab 'dishdash' as worn by the Sheikhs we see on the TV. It's as if a giant time machine has whisked an ancient culture straight from their camels into the 21st century.
The population of Kuwait is around 2 million, but a strange feature is that it is one of the few countries where immigrants outnumber the locals. 90% of expatriates are from Palestine, the remainder are Indians, Iranians, Pakistanis, Americans and British. The vast majority live within 10km of the Arabian Gulf.
The landscape is generally flat, arid desert, which is transformed during the short winter months when grasses and flowers provide a brief display of colour. Several problems arise from the inhospitable climate and geography. Kuwait has virtually no natural reserve of drinking water, and this has to be purified or distilled from sea water and delivered daily by tanker. Furthermore, the country is only able to produce a tiny proportion of the foodstuffs it needs, so the rest has to be air-lifted in. I was amazed at the range of western commodities on display in the supermarkets, all packaged with brand names in English and Arabic. In contrast, a few streets away are the old souks, where gold and clothing stalls are crammed together and everyone is expected to bargain like mad!
There are no political parties here; the government is controlled by the two ruling families. The Emir head of state is the 13th ruler of his dynasty, while the Prime Minister comes from the other ruling family. To maintain a balance of power the position of Emir and Prime Minister alternates between the two families.
Kuwait has the highest per capita gross national product in the world. So that if the wealth of the country were equally distributed, everyone in Kuwait would be richer than anywhere else. To be fair, the government has done more than many others to redistribute the immense wealth derived from oil revenues. Health care is of a high standard and free to all, as is education up to and including university level. Houses are built and given free to Kuwaitis. Close historical ties between Britain and Kuwait ensure that most Kuwaitis are generally sympathetic towards the UK, and the Arab traditions of open friendliness and hospitality towards strangers are much more genuine here than in many North African states.
Injustice does exist. Many families have Filipino housemaids who are badly paid and frequently abused. The position of women generally is often characterised by repression and hypocrisy. Adultery can be punished by a seven-year sentence. Foreign newspapers and videos are censored, with references to Israel blacked out and the Sun's Page 3 girl given a felt tip bikini!
It would be wrong though to over-emphasise these negative aspects of life in Kuwait as it is situated in a politically sensitive region and oil has only been exploited since 1934. The stresses and strains of developing at such an incredibly fast rate, plus the handicap of a population diverse racially and culturally must cause problems for the government. Coupled with the climatic and geographical situation it can't be all that easy, and I think the Kuwaitis are coping very well as a nation and are generally to be admired.
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Editor's note: Viv is teaching at a Military Language School, with textbooks published in 1950!!
This article was printed in a local magazine, edited by Viv's Mum, called 'The Farmborough and Priston Link' in January 1989.