IWG celebrated Kuwait National and Liberation Days on Sunday, 11 February 2024, at the Crowne Plaza. To mark this special occasion, guests arrived in Kuwaiti attire.
A Kuwaiti-corner specially constructed as a replica of a traditional Kuwaiti house and shop was greeted with delight by attendees who enjoyed the experience of traditional Kuwaiti lifestyle represented by the authentic furnishings and handicrafts.
The event commenced with the national anthem of Kuwait.
Mrs. Antonia Dimitrova, President of IWG and wife of the Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria, welcomed the distinguished attendees and in her opening speech congratulated HH the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and the people of Kuwait on the occasion of National and Liberation Days and extended the very best wishes of the IWG Executive Board and members for the continued prosperity, peace and progress of Kuwait.
Mrs Layla Boulos, IWG Public Relations Coordinator, was master of ceremonies and introduced the culturally rich program commencing with a talk by Ms Maysa Al-Mutawa who spoke about the history of Kuwaiti woman’s clothing.
She opened her very informative talk by saying, “the dresses that you are going to see today represent Kuwait’s tradition and story over the ages. Despite globalization, Kuwaiti women continue to wear these dresses on many occasions, sometimes tweaked for the times, but always preserving the allure of our mothers and grandmothers”.
The wonderful presentation on Kuwaiti traditional clothing included various Abayaas, young girls with Bokhnag and a re-enactment of a traditional Kuwaiti wedding with the bride adorned in traditional jewellery and wearing a Kuwaiti Thob embroidered in gold thread.
Mrs. Ameena Al-Mutawa, who served as the bride, also gave an enlightening presentation on the different pieces of bridal jewellery that she wore.
Primary students and their teacher Miss Heba-allah Gomaa, from the British School of Kuwait performed various traditional dances. The beautiful choreography was meticulously done by Mrs. Anwar Alhasan and the costumes by Mrs Dalal Alshatty.
The event continued with two very interesting presentations, the first by Mrs Dana Al-Jouder who spoke about the physical aspects of the old city of Kuwait. She showed some rare images of the city, the old gate and city wall and spoke of the various changes that have taken place over the years with modernization.
Eng Maha Al-Baghli, Founder of Safira CSR Co. spoke eloquently of corporate and social responsibility and women’s empowerment. She stressed the importance of the promotion of entrepreneurship and sound business practices amongst Kuwaiti women and youth.
In closing shields of appreciation were presented to the esteemed speakers and certificates of thanks to the participants and performers.
An outstanding Kuwaiti buffet prepared by the chefs of Crowne Plaza was enjoyed by the attendees.
