KUWAIT: The National Democratic Youth Association, in cooperation with the Women's Cultural Social Society (WCSS) in Kuwait held a seminar at the WCSS premises in Khaldiya on Sunday evening to celebrate International Women's Day. The guest speakers were four successful Kuwaiti women, each renowned in a different field.

In the field of medicine, Dr Rana Al-Abdurazzak spoke about how she made it during the era of the 1980s when Kuwait was becoming more conservative than ever before. Lawyer Kawthar Al-Jouan talked about the Kuwaiti judicial system and the hardship women had to go through before gaining their political rights. Radio and media personality Amal Abdullah talked about being one of the first female media personalities in the 1960s. Kuwaiti playwright Annaam Saud spoke in brief about the role of women in the literary Kuwaiti scene.

The inspirational speeches of the four women were welcomed by the audience, most of which were by young men and women. "I am delighted to see that most of the audience members are in their twenties. We need young, aware men and women these days, we need a generation that understands tolerance and respects the differences in others," said lawyer Al-Jouan, the first of the speakers. The role of women, she says, began in the early years of the country's formation. Women at home were responsible for the upbringing of the men who built the country and participated in its development.

Women proved to Kuwait and to the whole world that they are equal citizens, as the Constitution says, during the 1990 Gulf War. Women sacrificed their lives for Kuwait and fought side by side with the men for the freedom of their country," she said.

Al-Jouan noted that women were not given their rights during the early stages of Kuwait's development because the social circumstances did not allow that. "There was never a religious debate when it comes to women and their rights. The issue was always social norms and circumstances," she says, expressing her amazement towards the way people utilize religion nowadays to 'rob' women of their rights.
Dr Rana Al-Abdulrazzak, a member of the World Health Organization(WHO) and a blood transfusion expert in the Ministry of Health said that during the late 1980s, when she was a student in university, society's perception of a politically-active girl was quite negative.

Many girls during the university election campaigns asked not to have their last names printed on posters. This was the situation with many families in Kuwait," she said reflecting on her own personal experience.

Al-Abdulrazzak said that her success in her career reflected negatively on her social successes. "As women, we are expected to sacrifice our career for the sake of marriage or children," she said. Speaking about her personal experience, Al-Abdulrazzak considers herself lucky to have met a life partner and a husband who is "not afraid of my success.

She urged all women to never give up on their dreams and aspirations. "If other women can be successful, why can't you?" she said conclusively. Radio host Amal Abudllah's speech was a reminiscent of the old days, during which Kuwait flourish. "During the 1960's, I remember how books used to be circulated in our neighborhood.

When a neighbor travels to Lebanon or Egypt in the summer, where books are abundant and the culture is rich, they always came back with a novel or a poetry book that we took turns to read," she recounted to the audience.
In the 1960's, when Abdullah began working for the radio for the first time, there were a handful of Kuwaiti women who also worked as radio series actresses and announcers.

Many were defeated by the social restrictions. Soon, women from other Arab countries were applying for jobs in Kuwait, and Kuwaiti women shunned the opportunities of this thriving business away," she said.

Television and theater actresses faced the same dilemma; many have embarked on the journey only to stop at an early stage, said Abdullah. "I urge all women to keep fighting. The struggle is ongoing but we are leaving a mark and making history," she said.

Concluding the seminar with the literary scene, playwright Annaam Saud, Creator of the classic Kuwaiti radio series 'Habbaabah' praised the attempts of Kuwaiti women at enriching the literary scene.

Playwrights, poets, short story writers and journalists in Kuwait have contributed a lot, and faced slander and harsh criticism but they continue to write and innovate," she said. She noted that while the product of Kuwaiti female writers might be scarce in comparison to that of the Kuwaiti male writers, it leaves its mark and has its audience. - Kuwait Times