At My Kuwaiti Table

The AMKT make a welcome return to the airwaves with an episode recorded pre-Covid.  Chaitali and Lavinia talk to Shafiqa Al Mutawa, philanthropist and owner of Spring Flows Foundation, a charitable organisation selling vintage and designer clothes for charity. The team sample fashionable vintage gems whilst tucking into a delicious spread of machboos and kupa.

AMKT has the delightful Dr Zainab Al-Meraj sharing our space this episode and she has bought us the tastiest of blackcurrant and apple crumbles to get us talking tech, female entrepreneurs, mentorship, and motherhood! We hear how this Kuwait University Assistant Professor, founder of Tech Maker Kuwait and lead on Google Developer Kuwait, aims  build technical communities to benefit all.

AMKT is excited to host the enlightening artist Shurooq Amin for a brave conversation about life, art, activism, education and poetry.  The lady whose name means Sunrise opens up to Chaitali B Roy and Lavinia and kicks of the 2020 AMKT season in style, with homemade mince pies, not unlike the Kuwaiti Mamoul, to feast upon.

A festive seasonal special - this week the AMKT team host AMKT whilst tucking into Sicilian Cannoli (not Cannelloni). We talk about our journey as podcast hosts and creators and we talk about our audio adventures in Kuwait.  Enjoy!

AMKT brings you a vibrant talk about art education at the prestigious Dar al Athar al Islamiyyah Cultural organisation. This episode we join Chaitali B Roy and Lavinia Davenport as they talk with Dr Susan Day, the Education Director of the Dar museum.  Susan proudly tells of her work to create four successful museum-based education programmes.  Susan brings us, undoubtedly the best oat raisin cookies in town - apart from her mother's of course - which we munch into as we talk up a storm.

Welcome back to AMKT for the second series. And what a welcome we had - a table laden with Japanese culinary delights.  So please join, Chaitali B Roy and Lavinia Davenport as they meet with Keiko Mutoh, owner of Kei Japanese Restaurant in Kuwait City. We hear about Keiko's childhood growing up in Kuwait, moving back to Japan for studies and then returning to Kuwait to run the the restaurant and establish more venues.  Stay tuned and enjoy the audio feast.

Our AMKT encore episode, join Chaitali B Roy and Lavinia Davenport as they talk traditional Arabian handicrafts with Zeri Crafts founder, owner Laila Al-Hamad. Whilst enjoying ginger tea and a delectable date cake hear how Laila moved from working with the UN and took to reinvigorating the traditional craft scene in Kuwait - preserving Bedouin handicrafts and techniques. She also is an avid supporter of rejuvenating Kuwait's old buildings and supporting heritage projects in the region as a whole.

Join us for a special mid-morning feast courtesy of Zainab Garashi, Chair of Kuwait's Engineers Without Boarders for tales of inspiration in the world of engineering. Listen to Chaitali B Roy and Lavinia Davenport as they talk buildings, women in the industry and sample the delicious offerings that Zainab bought for us to try from her friend's restaurant Horoof!

We welcome the creative force that is Diana Sfeir to AMKT this week. Diana is a theatre designer, actor and teacher as well as heading up her family construction and design company M.S.G. Growing up in Lebanon and then relocating to Kuwait in her teens Diana brings a taste of home for us to try with halloumi, and a Lebanese pizza called Manoushi, with fragrant zaatar. Diana talks about her journey to where she is now - acting and production designing for top shows in Kuwait.

Dr Al Anoud Al Sharekh, researcher on youth and gender demographics, Arab Feminist theory and an advocate for Women’s rights joins Chaitali B Roy and Lavinia Davenport this week. This enlightening half hour covers Al Anoud's life and studies. She talks about taking on the challenges many women face and advocating for their rights, most specifically heading up Abolish 153, which looks to campaign for the abolition of the honour killing code from Kuwait's penal code.