Kuwait: Video Campaign to Teach Citizens about the Constitution · Global Voices
Mona Kareem

Logo of "Sout Al-Kuwait" group
To mark the 49th anniversary of the Kuwaiti constitution, a group of activists decided to remind citizens of the different clauses of the constitution. Under the theme of Tadry [ar] (Did you know?), Sout Al-Kuwait (Voice of Kuwait) produced six videos, each spanning a few seconds, explaining to citizens six select articles from the constitution.
Formed a few years ago by a group of activists and young liberals, Sout Al-Kuwait aims at promoting awareness regarding democracy and civil rights. The group meets regularly and communicates through social media to organize different events geared at targeting a wider audience and educating them about democracy, the constitution and civil rights. Their work comes at an important time as the Kuwaiti political sphere gets more and more tense as the parliament continues to clash with the prime minister.
On the 11/11/2011, Kuwait celebrated the 49th anniversary of its constitution which was the first constitution in the Gulf region, alongside its parliament that came to life as the first parliament in the GCC back in 1963.
Sout Al-Kuwait's team independently worked on producing the following videos, which have all been uploaded to YouTube, to commemorate the occasion.
The first video explains Article 29, which states: “All people are equal in human dignity and in public rights and duties before the law, without distinction to race, origin, language, or religion.”
The second video focuses on Article 17, which stipulates: “Public property is inviolable and its protection is the duty of every citizen.”
The third tackles Article 33, which states that: “Punishment is personal.” It explains: “Did you know that if your neighbour is a thief, his son should not be punished for his crime.”
Article 35 is the focus of the fourth video. It says: “Freedom of belief is absolute. The State protects the freedom of practicing religion in accordance with established customs, provided that it does not conflict with public policy or morals.”
The fifth video focuses on Article 44, which says: “Individuals have the right of private assembly without permission or prior notification, and the police may not attend such private meetings. Public meetings, demonstrations, and gatherings are permitted in accordance with the conditions and manner specified by law.”
And the last video pays attention to Article 48, which reads: “Payment of taxes and public fees is a duty in accordance with the law which regulates exemption of small incomes from taxes in such a way as to maintain the minimum standard of living.”