After cruising aboard an Egytian Airline from Abuja, Nigeria, for eight hours and landing safely at the Kuwait International Airport, simply referred to as KWI, my negative impressions about the oil-rich small Arab country fizzled out, even at my first feel of the country.
I had nursed a lot of negative impressions about the tiny oil-rich country all my life. Would you blame a first-time visitor like me? Pardon my initial wrong judgment. It is typical of a first time visitor. Your negative or positive impression about a place may not change until you are there yourself.
After my visit, I started wishing that my new Kuwaiti friend, Niyaz, could also visit my country, Nigeria, some day to see things for herself to reverse her low opinion about the country.
The decision to spend part of my 2013 annual vacation in Kuwait was borne out of curiosity to explore and see things for myself. My fear of being ignored and looked down upon as an unwanted guest from a black continent of Africa and, indeed, Nigeria in particular, through possibly hidden resentment and snobbish glances at me gradually dissolved into strong confidence and courage, following my sudden discovery of Kuwaiti with black skin! My initial fear had arisen from the fact that racial discrimination the world over has been a serious issue; an embarrassing nightmare.
Socio-culture
Kuwait, which has about 10 per cent of the world’s oil reserves, with a population of about 2.7 million, is a country with citizens who are naturally lively, courteous, friendly and quite accommodation. And the foregoing attitude is in tandem with my own unreserved, communicative and interactive nature. Hence I found myself blending and relating well with my hosts so much so that I developed sudden affection for the country and its people.
If you have too much love for money, men and women, do not go to Kuwait, because you would be tempted. Men and women mix freely. A typical Kuwaiti man or woman spends money lavishly, and Kuwait remains the best and the cheapest place for shopping in the world. The average Kuwaiti man and woman is given to a flamboyant lifestyle. They like talking big and hardly leave Kuwait for other countries to seek employment, except for further studies or holiday.
Armed with enough money, they can easily fund their social lifestyles. Who says the Arabs don’t party? It is necessary to repeat the warning: do not go to Kuwait if you have a self-control challenge with money, men and women because you might be in trouble. Little wonder the country has a very high number of foreign nationals.
Both men and women tend to have equal rights and freedom. The women, who are commonly seen in their black attire or ‘abaya’ with or without the head cover, do most of the things their male counterparts do. Unlike most other Islamic societies, their women occupy political offices, drive their own cars and engage in business activities like their male counterparts. Some of the women even believe that they work harder than the men.
Miss Niyaz, an official of Bayan Palace, the seat of power and official residence of the Amir of Kuwait, said: “My dream is to visit Nigeria, which is in Africa, but I am afraid of the news I hear about Nigeria every day concerning corruption, bombing and insecurity.”
But after educating her properly about Nigeria, Niyaz said: “I am surprised and happy to meet a person like you to change my ugly perception of Nigeria.”
She added: “Some of our men tend to be lazy. Our women are more hardworking than some of our men. I wonder if you have the same experience with your men in Nigeria. But we are still very proud of our culture.”
The writer visited one of Kuwait’s biggest and most popular malls, called ‘Avenue’, where all the designers often meet. Besides, my visit to one of the country’s local old markets, Al-Mobarakia, in Kuwait City, the country’s capital, exposed me to some of the local delicacies of the people, and I did not hesitate to savour or help myself to some of them. Some of the most enjoyable Kuwaiti delicacies include the traditional flat bread called khubz, normally served with Mahyawa fish sauce and biryan, prepared from rice with spices. It was gathered that biryani is the national cuisine of Kuwait.
Every meal served is usually accompanied with pure natural green tea in a small glass cup, an equivalent of a cup we popularly refer to in our local parlance as ‘short’, used in serving our local gin commonly called shepe, ogogoro, kai kai or Sapele water. In fact, I had more of the delicacies in the hotel I lodged in: Courtyard Marriott Kuwait City. Interestingly, they would serve you in one fell swoop a minimum of five delicacies and maximum of 15; an illustration of the prosperity and affluence of the country.
It was understood that the Kuwaiti revel in affluence so much so that they hardly do menial jobs. They leave those for foreign nationals.
Commenting on life expectancy of the average Kuwaiti, a Kuwaiti government official who identified himself simply as Mr. Khaled, said: “Our men have lower life expectancy than women due to comfortability and lack of physical exercise. It is the opposite in Nigeria where you see both men and women on their feet walking, jogging and engaging in all kinds of physical activities. Nigerian men find the time to go to the gyms in spite of their tight official schedules.”
Economy
Until my visit to the country, I did not know that the Kuwaiti currency, Dinar, written simply as KD, is the highest in value in the world. 1 KD, for instance, exchanges for N600, 2.16 pounds and 2.59 Euros respectively. At the Bureau de Change in old market Al-mobarakia, you can see the nation’s currency openly displayed in showcases.
Right from the Kuwait International Airport, you begin to see the names of famous designers, ranging from the designers of jewellery to those of perfumes and clothes, with Arab translations. I also gathered that even though the country’s 80 per cent gold is 22/24 carat, it is where you can buy the cheapest gold and diamond.
The minimum wage a public servant earns monthly is equivalent to N1.5 million and it is tax-free. Tax-free wage is not enjoyed by Kuwaiti nationals only but also by foreigners who work in the country. The banking system and the national policy governing the ownership and use of motor vehicles is very favourable and encourages people living in Kuwait to acquire new cars with very flexible payment terms that make it difficult to find old cars on the roads.
The commonest brands of cars are mostly the latest American cars, from Lamborghini and Ferrari to BMW, Toyota to Ford. Kuwait is among the 10 richest countries in the world with high income economy, according to a World Bank report.
Housing
It is also gathered that in every 15 years, houses are demolished and replaced with new ones.
Nigerians in Kuwait
The total population of Nigerians resident in Kuwait, according to my findings, stands at about 500, as at today, including professionals and artisans. Investigations further showed that they are so handsomely paid that they are not interested in returning to Nigeria or going to any other country of the world.
Nigerians there are obviously not complaining. Apart from being economically comfortable, they are accepted heart and soul, appreciated and respected by Kuwaiti people, as they continue to live and work within the ambit of the country’s laws.
The special regard the Kuwaiti society has for black people is believed to have stemmed from the uncommon bravery and commitment the blacks in the US Army and the Allied Forces displayed in reclaiming the independence and sovereignty of Kuwait from Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, which occupied it in the 90s, during which 773 Kuwaiti oil wells were destroyed.
Kuwait, which got its independence in June 19, 1961, was annexed by the deceased and ex-president of Iraq who was chased out of Kuwait and humiliated out of power by the United States and Allied Forces in 1991. He died shortly after.
The media
The Kuwaiti media is regarded as the most vocal and transparent in the whole of the Middle East. In 2013, Kuwait was adjudged the 77th freest country in the world for journalists to operate, out of 179, according to Reporters Without Borders, in the Press Freedom Index list. Thus, Kuwait remains the freest regarding the freedom of the press in the Middle East region.
Some Kuwaiti citizens are very excited about Nigeria, agreeing to the fact that this most populous black nation is, no doubt, the giant of Africa. Hence it is part of their life-time dream to visit Nigeria.
According to Bandar Al-shellahi, Managing Director, Kuwait News Agency, “I have travelled all over the world but have not come across a Nigerian journalist. I look forward to meeting one, and even visiting the country someday, for I believe also that Nigeria is the giant of Africa because of its enormous positive impacts on its continent and on the globe in general”.
Religion
As would be expected, majority of Kuwaiti people are Muslims, and very good ones for that matter. They exemplify true love and peace, even towards people of other faiths. Kuwait has a native Christian community with a large number of expatriate Christians estimated at 450,000. Indeed, there is no difference between the faithful of the two religions in Kuwait, as they mix freely.
