If you haven’t heard of Bibi Salem Al Sabah, then you are in for a treat! If you have heard of her, then there is even more to get excited about. Bibi is a wondrous human being who loves to celebrate all things Kuwait, this includes stickers, cards and of course, books! Not only does she create these little gems that are cultural delights, she also is a part of the women’s Olympic Committee in Kuwait, which has the aim of achieving equality in sports for girls and women. Her passion for Kuwait runs deep.
Bibi grew up in a diplomatic family and this is a big part of her identity. She attributes the way she sees and interacts with things inthe world to her transient upbringing, which has resulted in an unquenching curiosity and a desire to discover new things and places.
She tells us “growing up, we celebrated all the Kuwaiti events abroad. Baba told my four brothers and I from a young age that I am not only the Ambassador of Kuwait, your mother and the five of you are too. We took it seriously! We celebrated everything about Kuwait! When we moved back I realized I see Kuwait in a different lens than people that have lived here all their lives. I wanted to continue and document it in a whimsical way so that it is never forgotten.”
Bibi started coming up with great projects and books to share the beautiful Kuwaiti culture in an approachable way for the younger generations. In 2015, she launched her first project that was a Ramadan Activity Book. The ABC’s of Kuwait is Bibi’s latest project, and the one that is closest to her heart; it is her love letter to Kuwait. If you haven’t read it yet, you should. It is a book that will delight you. What we love about the book (well, what don’t we love about it!) is that the book shares little nuggets of information that you know, but also little nuggets of information you probably did not know, and that warm your heart when you read them. The book evokes feelings of nostalgia somehow, while still being contemporary. As you turn each page you are delighted by the beautiful illustrations by Nada Dalloul.
Although we all learn the alphabet pretty early in life, and we all know that A is for apple and B is for ball, it is now time to relearn them Kuwaiti style. Did you know that A is also for ‘al abraaj’, which represents our water towers which are a national landmark, and also arfaj, “the national flower, which grows on a bush and without a rain shower”. We sure didn’t!
The inspiration from the book came from Bibi always entertaining her friends with anecdotes about Kuwait. For her, the next natural step was for her to write some of them down. “I picked ABCs because I had 26 letters to work with, or else the book would be never ending! I have self published all my books, here in Kuwait. As soon as Nada, the illustrator, and I finished the final draft, I took it to the National Library of Kuwait to get it a copyright. After the approval, we sent it off to print here, at a local printer,” Bibi explains. Since 2015, Bibi has been using Nada as her illustrator for all her projects, and they are all sprinkled with a little bit of magic.
It is so important that the Kuwaiti culture be celebrated and kept alive through the youth, we love the work Bibi does. She tells us that “I am a lover of life, travel, people and experiences. I work in education and health promotion. Being that my passion is culture, I am working on a series of books celebrating Kuwait.”
The hardest book Bibi feels she has worked on has been the National and Liberation Day one: 25/26 Feb. The book had to be factually correct about a period in history, but since it was geared towards the youth she didn’t want to overwhelm them with information. It was a delicate balance and she didn’t want to focus on the gruesome parts, but at the same time she did not want to omit history. She also wanted to make sure she reflected the war as Saddam’s war and not blame Iraq. She does a beautiful job writing the book.
It is no secret that Bibi loves books, but she is a voracious reader and is a part of four book clubs! But what you may not know is that Bibi loves rice – she can eat it for literally every meal she tells us. She also is a yoga and meditation teacher, but she doesn’t teach, she considers herself a forever student of life. We are a little in awe and sure you are too!
TRUTH OR DARE QUESTIONNAIRE
How would your mother describe you in one word?
I just asked mama, she says “marvelous”
How would you describe your mother in one word?
Selfless
What is the most ridiculous question you’ve ever been asked?
If i lived in a 2 storey tent
What is the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?
Gifted Bette Midler a bottle of dihin oud I had in my bag
What is your theme song?
Feekum Tarab – Miami band
What word in the English or Arabic language do you wish you had invented?
Wanasa
Where would you like to live?
I love living in Kuwait
What is your dream retirement location?
A house by the sea, with a forest in the back and a téléférique to take me to the city
What is the first famous quote that comes to your mind?
Que sera, sera (whatever will be, will be) – Doris Day
Which animal best describes your perfect partner, be it in business, or in life?
A dolphin. They’re affectionate, intelligent, playful and highly adaptable
Do you miss anything from your childhood and if so, what is it?
I sometimes miss the carefree days of my childhood when I could play outside all day and let my imagination run wild!
If you could change your name, to what would you change it?
I like my name. Short, original (outside of Kuwait) and easy to remember
How would you describe your handshake, in one word?
I feel like I should say firm
What is the toughest part of your character?
I don’t give up easily
Who is your favorite historical figure?
Ibn Batutta
What in the world do you least desire?
Suffering of any kind, for anyone
What do you think is lacking in the world, which [if there were more of it] would make the world a better place?
Empathy
Why do you think most people who do, like you?
I’m easy going and up for anything!
Finish this sentence: “Happiness is…”
Being surrounded by loved ones
You can follow @beesideas on Instagram to get a sneak peek into the wonderful world of Bibi! And get your copy of the ABC’s of Kuwait from @cycokw @ecruonline @little_bees_books.
