The American University of Kuwait (AUK) is making waves with its new implemented idea. Their new collaboration is one to preserve important events from people who have stories to tell about the history of Kuwait. In an effort to achieve this, they have partnered up with KIPCO to record life history audios from people who are familiar with our beautiful country and its history.
The Library at the AUK has recently launched a project called the Oral History and Documentation Project (OHDP) with KIPCO – the Kuwait Projects Company (Holding) as its collaborator.
The project is an initiative by AUK’s Center for Gulf Studies and is led by its former Director, Dr. Farah Al Nakib. Recently, its first set of life history interviews with pioneers in Kuwait has been made public, marking the introductory launch of the project.
The OHDP was established to actively conduct and record oral histories on a wide range of topics and themes, in an effort to document the generational experiences of Kuwaitis and non- Kuwaitis. The launching of the OHDP website marks the culmination of a four-year collaboration between AUK and KIPCO, which has supported the project since its early stages of planning.
The overarching aim of the project is to develop a substantial archive of recorded interviews that will serve as valuable resource to researchers, students and the general public. The OHDP interviews can be accessed through the OHDP website: oralhistory. auk.edu.kw.
Ms. Asma Al Kanan, a University Librarian at AUK said: “It is not uncommon for libraries to nurture such projects. Libraries have always been places where content is created, shared and preserved for generations to come. We are very proud to launch the Oral History Project in Kuwait and make it available to the public through the latest technology of audio recording and archiving. All of this would not have been possible without the strong support of KIPCO and the university administration, as well as the dedication of the project team led by our project manager, Ms. Reem Al Ali.”
Ms. Eman Al Awadhi, Group Communications Director at KIPCO also commented: “KIPCO is delighted to be supporting this important AUK initiative, the Oral History and Documentation Project. As we all work together to realize the vision of the future of Kuwait, we must look to lessons learnt from the past. Here rests the importance of preserving the voices, memories and experiences of the many men and women who have made significant contributions to shape this nation.”
The OHDP is currently focused on recording the life histories of those born before the 1960s. The recorded interviews explore the memories of individuals who experienced the drastic shift in Kuwait’s society with the advent of oil, as well as their experiences of major historical events such as the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
History is being created and recorded as we speak, and AUK is definitely one of the first pioneers to take that step. In a generation where technology is so accessible and versatile, building archives that will be looked back upon is crucial. History class just got a lot more interesting!
For more information visit the AUK website. Follow them on social media to stay up-to-date with their news on Instagram @auk_kuwait, Twitter @AUKTweets and at The American University of Kuwait on Facebook.
