AUK Library has played a significant role in preserving Kuwaiti historical stories through their renowned Oral History and Documentation Project (OHDP). Sponsored by Kuwait Projects Company (KIPCO), OHDP is the first comprehensive program to actively conduct oral histories in Kuwait on a wide range of topics and themes, in order to preserve the voices, memories, and experiences of generations of Kuwaitis and non-Kuwaitis.
The aim of OHDP is to build up a large collection of oral testimonies and documentary evidence from a diverse range of people on various aspects of Kuwait's history. The importance and urgency of this project lies in the dearth of information and resources available on Kuwait’s history since the pre-oil era. The aim of the project is to develop an archive of recorded interviews that will serve as a valuable resource to the AUK community, researchers, and the general public.
Currently, the OHDP is focused on recording the life histories of those born before the 1960s. These recorded interviews explore the memories of individuals who experienced the drastic shift in Kuwaiti society with the advent of oil, as well as their experiences of major events such as the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and the Gulf War in 1991.
Oral history is a research methodology in which people’s accounts are collected and documented to fill in any missing information from written history in order to preserve Kuwaiti heritage. For a region where written testimonies are comparatively scarce, OHDP provides a substantial archive of oral histories that can serve to widen the field of historical research on Kuwait, particularly in the areas of economic, social, and cultural history.
University Librarian, Asma Al-Kanan, explained the origins of the project and its easy accessibility, “AUK is a pioneer in launching this project. The idea started from the AUK Center for Gulf Studies (CGS), and was later moved to the library to be officially launched in 2020 when the interviews were posted on the project's website and made available to all individuals. It is not limited to university affiliates or even Kuwait. Interested people from all over the world can benefit from it, which helps communicate the history of Kuwait to the general public and researchers who need information and historical references. What also distinguishes our project is the fact that our interviews are in both Arabic and English.”
The interviews are extensive in nature and require 3 to 4 visits for completion. Thus far, a total of 22 interviews have been published on the OHDP website, and the Library is currently working on conducting more interviews.
The project includes interviews with many prominent personalities, including engineer Sarah Akbar, who reflected upon her story as the first woman to work in the oil field; and Ms. Louloua Al-Mulla, who talked about her childhood in the 1940s and her feminist political work with the Women Cultural and Social Society in the 1980s. Former Secretary General for the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, Mr. Abdullah Bishara, spoke about the discovery of oil and British presence in Kuwait; and Former Minister, Mr. Muhammad Al-Sanousi, discussed his role during the occupation and the efforts made to rebuild Kuwait after the liberation.
The oral history & documentation project team consists of the project manager, Reem Al-Ali, and the project coordinator, Abdulaziz Al-Mahmeed. Library staff members archive and classify the documents, and publish the interviews on the project’s website. The interviews are also indexed in the University Library in order for interested individuals and researchers to access them.
The University Library does not just organize and arrange content; they create it. These interviews are considered one of the primary sources for research, which helps researchers to benefit from this information.
The Library plans on expanding this project. “There are many plans that we want to implement in cooperation with parties inside and outside Kuwait, including participating in exhibitions and events. This includes collaborating with the Contemporary Art Platform so that the Kuwaiti community is introduced to this project, and the content that was documented by the narrators is reviewed. We also aim to establish activities inside the University campus, teaching students oral history as an important research method through academic curricula,” stated Al-Kanan.
AUK is keen on initiating projects that serve the country and preserve its history and heritage, so that Kuwaiti history reaches the world. It also works to support research production to contribute to the progress and development of the country.
You can benefit from these interviews by visiting the OHDP website:
https://oralhistory.auk.edu.kw/gallery
AUK librarian, Ms. Asma Al-Kanan