By fully immersing yourself in someone else’s story, and at the same time being open to sharing a glimpse of your own narrative too, you can easily find a sense of belonging and togetherness around a group of strangers whom you just met. With this in mind, Fatemah Al-Habib started "Qesati”, a community based in Kuwait providing a safe space for people to connect through the art of storytelling.
"Every person has an inspiring story to tell, if you really look into it; every person has something to teach you, only if you listen to them,” Habib said. Qesati invites guest speakers from different backgrounds and fields of expertise, such as doctors, artists or athletes, to share their distinctive experiences. Every story highlights a key message the guest speakers aim to deliver through the reflection of their own journey, whether it’s with finding their passion, learning to stay persistent, reaching self-acceptance, and more.
At the core of humans, there’s always a need for this kind of communication, as the stories that we absorb can be powerful enough to shape our thought processes in much the same way a lived experience does. "As we get engrossed in our own lives, we tend to forget that our struggles are someone else’s struggles too, and that we’ve never been alone,” Habib noted.
She believes that it’s always healthy to learn from others how they managed to deal with moments of hardships. This alone makes Qesati’s sessions a lifechanging experience, bringing people to relate to one another despite their differences.
One of the people attending Qesati’s sessions and events since the very beginning, Ahmed El-Sayed said: "Qesati has grown to be the activity I look forward to the most on my weekends in Kuwait. You get to hear interesting and often heartfelt stories of people from all walks of life. You get to have deep conversations on topics of importance for everyone. You get to become friends with fellow attendees who share your hunger for knowledge and connection. Qesati has touched hundreds of lives over the years.”
Another person who’s attended some of Qesati’s sessions, Zainab Dashti, shared her opinion about her personal experience. "It’s unique in nature, as unlike normal talks or lectures, this is more intimate, where the audience is part of the conversation and can join in anytime. It creates an open environment that’s engaging with dynamic discussions,” she said.
As Qesati embraces all the forms of storytelling that go beyond mere discussions and dialogues, it holds different events that gives people the chance to express themselves in their own unique way, for instance, by participating in art workshops, engaging in meditation sessions or showcasing their talents in music or poetry during open mic nights.
Habib acknowledged that the idea of storytelling goes back to the Stone Age. She noted it’s an integral part of our daily lives, where we subconsciously practice it in every little detail — in the movies that we watch, the books that we read or the podcasts that we listen to. It even happens all the time with our friends, family or even strangers, where one basic question that is asked every day such as "How are you?” can trigger people to distill all the events of their day in one short story.
Stories have always been used to educate, entertain and inspire, as well as having played a critical role in shaping us as communities and nations. Qesati is just one of the stories that we live every day, and Habib aims that with this community, she can influence as many people as possible to craft their own narrative in a way that can leave a real impact on the world.