LONDON: The Bait Al-Sha’ar: A Mobile Cultural Space event was launched within the Kuwait Cultural Week in the United Kingdom as part of Kuwait’s celebrations on the 125th anniversary of the Kuwaiti-British partnership. This event, organized by the Kuwait Al-Sadu Society at the Kuwait Embassy late Monday, highlighted the role of the Bait Al-Sha’ar (a tent made from Camel’s hair) in promoting values of Kuwaiti cultural heritage and hospitality, providing opportunities to enjoy, learn about, and participate in some Bedouin arts like Sadu weaving.

The organizers of the event, led by the society’s representative Rawan Al-Otaibi, provided free brief guided tours and workshops on sadu weaving, with the participation of the two Kuwaiti craftswomen Sharifa Bo Shalfa and Sitha Al-Marri. In a statement to KUNA, British Ambassador to Kuwait Belinda Lewis praised the event, saying that it showcased the ancient traditional craft of weaving, practiced by Bedouin women in the past, and the various materials used in it.

Traditional old Kuwaiti art of Sadu weaving.

In a similar statement, Sharifa Bo Shalfa told KUNA that the celebrations of the 125th anniversary of the Kuwaiti-British partnership provided a good opportunity to highlight the Bedouin culture in Kuwait to the exhibition’s visitors and the craft of weaving Sadu, which was used in the construction of Bait Al-Sha’ar, inhabited by families in the desert. The opening of the exhibition, which continues until September 6, was attended by the Dean of the Arab Diplomatic Corps, Ambassador of Bahrain to the United Kingdom Sheikh Fawaz Al-Khalifa, the UK Ambassador to Kuwait Belinda Lewis, and several ambassadors and senior officials. — KUNA