Two dates remain deeply etched in my memory. May 16, 2005, and May 17, 2009. The first date marks Kuwait’s parliament passing the law for women’s rights to vote and run for office, while the latter saw the official election of women into Kuwait’s National Assembly. Both dates represent a long journey toward solidifying the active role of Kuwaiti women in society. Women’s suffrage meant that for the first time ever, the voices of female Kuwaitis are finally heard, and they can make a difference to everyday life for local communities as elected officials in various government posts. It took four years of arduous work to see women in government, and the journey is far from over. The same notion can be said for women in other parts of the greater MENA region.
I do recognize that change needs time, but I also believe that there are clear hindrances that aspiring women in Kuwait and the wider region need to overcome.
Without getting into spidering political or social discussions here, we want to focus on the logistics instead, and pose these two questions: What does it take to reach mass audiences in Kuwait? How could women in Kuwait run successful election campaigns?
With the coronavirus pandemic, traditional methods of reaching audiences have evolved toward online platforms. The rise of the number of live sessions on our Instagram story feeds can be daunting, and trying to keep track of official information about local female candidates running for office these days can be tricky, especially that rumors shared on social media are a dime a dozen.
Enter Mudhawi’s List, Kuwait’s first independent platform that is positioned to help women running for elected office positions by connecting them with volunteers and in-kind donation providers to run successful election campaigns.
They’re all about the virtual logistics, in this case, getting women the right support to help them achieve their goals. I spoke to one of the platform’s co-founders, Leanah Al-Awadhi, about the aims of Mudhawi’s List to learn more, “Our definition of elected office positions range from parliament seats to the municipal council, coops, student unions, boards of sports clubs, NGOs and beyond. We are interested in bolstering the number of females in leadership and policymaking positions in this part of the world. The fifth United Nations Sustainable Development Goal is to “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”, we aim to address and tackle this universal challenge through our platform, initially on a local and regional level.” The platform is founded by Dr. Al Anoud Al Sharekh, Asrar Hayat, Dalal Bouresli, Iman Dashti, and Leanah Al-Awadhi.
Leanah also told me more about why the name Mudhawi was picked, and this is to intentionally give the platform a voice that is deeply rooted in strong local female values. Mudhawi is a common traditional name, denoting the wise Kuwaiti woman who supports her fellow sisters in all of their endeavors. Mudhawi brings to light the issues that matter. The name is heartwarming, and it reminds me of all the meaningful conversations I usually enjoy when attending regular zewarat at the homes of my female Kuwaiti friends. Everyone usually wants to help whenever I ask a question, big or small.
Mudhawi’s List is a platform to help women rise, and the account is already garnering a major organic following on Instagram. You can find up to date information about current female candidates running for seats in parliament in Kuwait’s National Assembly. I especially enjoyed the “Day In the life of a candidate” video segment. You’ll also find valuable research on the representation of women in politics in Kuwait and the GCC, and information on the value of having women in government and the positive impact this has on societies. When I asked Leanah about where this information was sourced from, she informed me that the platform is supported by a team devoted to gathering the rich content that is shared online, thanks to research directors Abir Al Mutawa and Zainab Al Sammak.
Currently, Mudhawi’s List is helping women run for various elected office positions in Kuwait such as Member of Parliament in the Kuwait National Assembly, Member of The Kuwait Municipal Council, Member of The Co-Operative Society Boards, Member of The Kuwaiti Student’s Unions, and Member of The National Sports Committees. All of these are key roles in shaping everyday Kuwaiti society, and logistically, Mudhawi’s List is helping the women running for these various roles through their social media presence on Instagram and Twitter where women are fairly promoted and given a podium to share their views. In turn, I do hope that their work encourages more women to run and to be present to make a change.
For more information, follow @Mudhawislist on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and mudhawislist.com.
