ShareKUWAIT: Spanish is the official language or one of the official languages of 20 countries in Europe and Central, South, and North America, with more than 540 million native speakers, making it one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. Arabic speakers seem close to the Spanish language considering the history between Arabs and Spain, as the Andalusian Islamic conquest from 711 AD to 1492 spanned 800 years.
There are 4,000 Spanish words of Arabic origin — for example, Albondiga (hazelnut), Aceite (oil), Arroz (rice), and Azucar (sugar). Although it is a phonetic language, meaning it is pronounced as written, there are differences in the Spanish language, although few, in dialects between regions and countries. There are Spanish language enthusiasts in Kuwait who can learn the language in many centers, one of which is Kuwait University’s Department of Community Service and Continuing Education.
Kawthar Al-Qallaf, a student who loves to learn new languages, started with Spanish because she has many friends from Puerto Rico, a country in South America, speaking the language. Al-Qallaf thinks learning Spanish will help her understand the Porto Rican culture, and talking to her friends in their mother tongue will allow her to know them better. “The Spanish language was a start for me because, in my mind, Spanish is the first step to learning Portuguese and French languages,” Al-Qallaf said. Anfal Al-Houli took a Spanish class while she was in college.
Al-Houli found herself drawn to the Spanish language and started to watch movies and shows. After learning Spanish, Al-Houli wants to learn French or Italian to keep herself familiar with another culture through the language. She did not stop there; she applied for online classes and finished level one. Al-Qallaf and Al-Houli were studying level one online. They are both at level two in the Kuwait University Department of Community Service and Continuing Education, taught by Dr. Afrah Mulla Ali.
Dr. Mulla Ali, a graduate from the University of Salamanca, the oldest university in Spain, 900 years old, was the first Kuwaiti and Arab woman alumni of the Spanish University. “Teaching is a beautiful hobby for me, and more people have been interested in learning Spanish in the past few years,” said Dr. Mulla Ali, who has been teaching Spanish since 2012. She believed the number of enthusiasts of the Spanish language in Kuwait would increase because it is “beautiful, musical, and worthy to learn.”
Dr. Mulla Ali advised those who want to learn Spanish to be confident in learning a new language. “It is not hard but not easy, and they will love the sound of listening to Spanish,” she said. The Spanish Ambassador to Kuwait, Miguel Moro Aguilar, said Kuwait was a pioneering country in the cultural realm in the Gulf region. In an interview with KUNA, Aguilar said Spain boasts a rich cultural background and that both countries share a common history, which makes cultural cooperation “natural and fluent.”
Aguilar said that Kuwaiti and Spanish societies share many interests, such as music, flamenco, gastronomy, cinema, and sports. “The cultural cooperation the Spanish Embassy has developed with Kuwait has been very successful and has led to a better understanding between both people,” he said. “We appreciate the work of the National Council (of Culture, Arts, and Letters), Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyah, Al-Babtain (the Central Library for Arabic Poetry), the National Library, JACC (Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Center), and many other actors in the cultural sector of Kuwait because, without their continuous support,” Aguilar said, this cooperation would not be possible. Spain combines tradition and modernity, and it shows in its cultural landscape.
“That is the reason why the cultural activities implemented by the Embassy have been so diverse, ranging from flamenco, classical guitar, and bel canto to promising young writers in Spanish or a conference regarding the first circumnavigation around the world carried out by Magallanes and Elcano.” Regarding the Spanish language, Aguilar said, “We are delighted to see how interested the Kuwaiti people are in our language. It is another example of how close we are as countries.
“Private initiatives have satisfied the demand for learning Spanish, and just very recently, we acknowledged an official examination center for the DELE (Spanish Language) examinations in Kuwait within the French Institute. Lastly, the Embassy is eager to participate in fairs and festivals regarding Spanish culture and tradition, such as Feria de Kuwait or the coming soon People’s World Forum at Kuwait University.” — KUNA
