GUST celebrates National and Liberation Days of Kuwait

Festivities include musical performance

KUWAIT CITY, Feb 17: GUST marked the occasion of the National & Liberation Days with week-long festivities organized by the Office of Student Life, in collaboration with the Student Association. The celebrations rounded up a host of activities including the announcement of Club of the Year, the complete redecoration of the campus in the style of old Kuwait, and a spectacular performance of nationalism inspired musical featuring original music and songs composed for the occasion.

All festivities were attended by GUST’s President, Professor Walid Bouhamra, BoT members, GUST management including VP of Academic Affairs, Dr Fahed Al-Sumait, VP of Professional Development and Community Engagement, Dr Ahmed Al-Darbas, and HR Director, Nawaf Al-Khalaf, as well as crowds of students, staff, and faculty; all to show their support.

GUST also had the honor of welcoming special guests to the festivities, including: Ambassador of Somalia to Kuwait, H.E. Abduallah Mohammad Adawa, Professor of Political Science at Kuwait University, Dr Ghanem Al-Najjar, Cultural Affairs Officer at the US Embassy to Kuwait, Nelson Wen, and Country Director of Kuwait at the British Council, Michael Gordon.

In honor of Kuwait’s history, the campus was redecorated into a mini Mubarakiya Souq creation, to reflect Kuwait’s past. The main campus concourses were adorned with traditional wooden arches named after Kuwait’s old renowned areas, lit doorways, and windows. What’s more, pop up stalls reminiscent of those from the pre-oil days were set up, with craftsmen such as basket weavers, gold crafters, perfumers, and artisans emphasizing old Kuwaiti professions added to the atmosphere.Also set up on campus was a wall, with graffiti created by a GUST student reminiscent of the famous wall in the actual Mubarakiya Souq which features various characters and references to Kuwaiti culture. GUST’s mascot was also involved in the activities, joining the buzz on campus dressed in traditional Kuwaiti clothes. Flags were raised all over campus, and the atmosphere on campus exuded feelings of nostalgia to emphasize the Kuwaiti spirit.

The week of celebrations kicked off with the National Anthem & Flag Ceremony by the student-led Technology Club, whichwas then followed by a Treasure Hunt organized by the Office of Student Life, which 10 teams participated in. It was a fun start to the week as the teams rushed around campus finding clues and solving puzzles which were inspired by Kuwait. Immediately after, the Office of Student Life celebrated GUST’s most active and contributory student clubs by awarding the Club of the Year to the Public Relations Club due to their outstanding event organization, and honored the Management Club as the Social Club of the Year for their ability to connect with the student body in a creative, effective manner.

The second day of the festivities also started with a flag ceremony, and also saw GUST open its doors to close to 30 different schools which were welcomed