Housemaid Planned electricity Barca take the jumps from charges ‘sharply’ lead; Enrique the 6th floor7 reduced, MP9 says confirms47 exit Min 12º Max 24º FREE www.kuwaittimes.net NO: 17156- Friday, MARCH 3, 2017 The women of Maha Al-Asaker SEE PAGE 3 Local FRIDAY, MARCH 3, 2017 PHOTO OF THE DAY Local Spotlight 17 million gallons of water wasted in 2 days By Muna Al-Fuzai [email protected] ast week I wrote about the national celebra- tions and predicted that water will be sprayed Lin the streets, which is a negative phenome- non. The national celebrations have turned into a water festival. What is the connection between the two? Nothing! It is shameful that we celebrated in this fashion a national occasion in which many families remem- ber their loved ones who sacrificed their lives for the nation to protect its land. But now the memory of those heroic martyrs no longer exists, except for reports about water guns, quarrels and the terrible congestion in the streets. The question remains - what is the wisdom of all this? And what have we learned and how much have we lost? We have lost the opportunity to teach our kids The new Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Center (JACC) seen at night. — Photo by Ghazi Qaffaf / KUNA why we are celebrating the national and liberation days. How should we think about this issue for the future? Isn’t water a blessing? I don’t think any of these ideas have been mentioned during the IMPRINT national days. The ministry of electricity and water issued a statement in the press that water consumption Why I won’t protest Trump during the celebrations reached 17 million imperial gallons, equivalent to the daily consumption of 17,000 houses, each consisting of 10 members. By Nejoud Al-Yagout This is a loss of KD 170,000 to the state budget, at a time when the government is calling for reducing [email protected] water and energy consumption. The problem is not in the abundance or lack of water, but how to present the concept to the minds of our children, which stresses the impor- did not come all the way to Earth to fight Trump, the is internal healing. A fight for equality will continue to tance of maintaining water as a blessing we need devil or dictators. I came here to transcend the Trump backfire, and there will always be a form of resistance. to preserve. Water wasted this year confirms that Iinside of me, the devil within and the thoughts within Because it is the law of nature. this negative phenomenon is expanding and get- me that are dictators at best! In fact, if thoughts were So perhaps, introspection can assist us in ascending the ting worse. The interior ministry worked hard on judged, I would be on death row, surely! And we all know status quo. How about we stop protesting and ask our- this occasion against violators of traffic laws, with that if each of us directed as much energy as we do selves: What is it inside each and every one of us that has 1,800 ticketed for frivolity, recklessness and block- toward Trump on ourselves, we would witness the most created such divisiveness? What is it inside of us that ing traffic. Also, 45 brawls almost lead to loss of life rapid of awakenings. judges another person based on skin color? What is it One of the strangest things I noticed is that Trump is a inside of us that has given birth to ideologies that sepa- or bloodshed. trigger for many. And citizens from countries with strin- rate human beings into categories? The conditions were not good at the municipali- gent laws against immigrants and refugees tend to voice Instead of teaching people divisive scripture, we could ty as well. An official source said that its members their discontent the loudest. I wonder why people are not resurrect the scripture within us all, the inclusive scripture seized 23 ‘machineguns’ loaded with water from addressing the issues in their own countries. Is it because that is divine. Our global shift of consciousness is already street vendors, in addition to lifting 34 tons of they fear being imprisoned, so they find it easier to in fast gear because of all the people around the globe garbage from the main celebration sites in the cap- express their angst at America, the land of the free? who are looking within for answers, but we are delaying ital alone. It is necessary to prevent the abuse of Furthermore, I wonder why most of us do not address the the process by constantly blaming governments, leaders water just the way the law prohibited the use of issues within our own selves. Are we terrified of breaking or the rich for issues lurking within the recesses of our foam sprays. free from our self-made prisons? own minds. The ministry of electricity and water does not Yes, expressing our angst can shed light on matters, Evil exists because we are collectively misaligned with have a law that punishes consumers if water is but we have to make sure that we include ourselves. If our our divinity. And we have all heard of the tipping point. If wasted for any reason. Even when water is wasted protest is directed only against an outer force, then we are enough of us are geared toward something - in this case by washing cars, it can only issue a warning and in denial. Evidently, protests usually stem from noble ascension - it is bound to reach a critical mass and eventu- alert the owner, but nothing more. intentions, but we seem to be getting nowhere. It almost ally become the new way of the world. And what took seems as though we are forcing people to tolerate us eons in the past will take the shortest time ever because of Water is a great blessing, as people are dying of instead of teaching one another how to find the love with- the Internet. thirst in areas nearby. These young people will nev- in us, a love that needs no coercion. This is why hate Most importantly, it will take a lot of courage to leave er understand the importance of respecting the crimes keep increasing. When we suppress a person’s behind old ideological matrices, since our belief systems grace in which they live as they’re not going to inclination towards bigotry, it will explode in time. We can are so ingrained within us. But it is bound to happen, learn the meaning of National Day except that it is never force another person to accept us or give us rights. because we are all awakening. In the meantime, we can a water festival. We in Kuwait do not have rivers or Yes, many strides have been made because of protests. remind ourselves that we are not here to protest against lakes - we get water from the Gulf after desalinat- Women and minorities have now become active partici- an external force, but to protest the parts of us that see ing it, which costs a lot of money to the state, and pants in the workforce, but those against any cause will others as inferior. So perhaps a peaceful protest against we are responsible for this extravagance. The find ways to attack eventually. This is why women are still ourselves is way overdue! national holidays must be an occasion to think, not regarded as equal in many parts of the world and peo- thank and learn. ple of color and minorities are still attacked. What we need Nejoud Al Yagout - Photo by Djinane Alsuwayeh FRIDAY 03 MARCH 2017 Local Self Portrait of the Artist Photographer Maha Al- Asaker in her bedroom. The women of Maha Al-Asaker By Athoob Al-Shuaibi Notwithstanding, the most difficult challenge for me - after getting those Kuwaiti women to agree - was to portray hen you peek into the closet of a young woman, them in a non-abrasive manner.House sanctity is highly mostly you'd find posters, mementos and pictures exalted in Kuwait. Neither strangers nor relatives are wel- Wof besties. It's a life stage that ends with maturity. come to enter the most intimate and private room of the But Kuwaiti artist and photographerMaha Al-Asaker was an house, despite the friendliness and generosity at the door- exception. She would stick a list of goals with estimated way," Maha told Kuwait Times. dates for accomplishing them. She knew just what she "For this reason, this ongoing project aims to embrace wanted, planned constantly to discover the limits of her the differences in the lives of women of Kuwait and weak- capabilities and ended up working in New York. en the social barrier between us and other women of the The photographer's journey of self-discovery and under- world. On a personal level, every time I photograph one of standing is heartily reflected in her art. Lately, Maha them and listen to her story, I invisibly continue my quest checked off one of her goals - an art documentary project in the hunt for self-discovery secrets, wondering who I am about Kuwaiti women in their bedrooms. and what I would've become if I was born somewhere Maha suffered from the difficulty of letting go the mem- else," she said. ory of her father's tragic death in 2006 in a car accident. Maha is planning to visit Kuwait this year to work on her List of Publications She struggled to find a way to express her feelings of grief, project.