0:01ANCHOR: (Speaking Arabic)
0:04ANCHOR: A very good morning to you.
0:22TOUBY: Good morning to you.
0:24ANCHOR: Welcome to Kuwait.
0:26TOUBY: Thank you, it’s been a wonderful experience.
0:28ANCHOR: Thank you. So this is your first time to Kuwait?
0:31TOUBY: This is my first time to the area and, of course, to Kuwait.
0:36ANCHOR: And how did you like it so far?
0:38TOUBY: I love it. I loved it as soon as I got off the plane. I was a child in Florida
0:46so when I got off the plane, I thought I was home.
0:48ANCHOR: (laughs) With all the sand.
0:50TOUBY: With all the sand and the beautiful palm trees and the beautiful water. Of course
0:55I didn’t see the sky at night, but when I woke up in the morning I saw the sky, it was very reminiscent.
1:16ANCHOR: (Speaking Arabic to camera) (to Touby) Can you please tell us about your visit to Kuwait and the artists
1:37or Art in the Embassies program?
1:40TOUBY: It’s a program that I’ve actually taken part in before. And it’s a wonderful
1:46program. What it is is that they bring your work, the American embassy brings your work
1:53to their ambassador’s residence. And the paintings, mine are 6, are on exhibit there
2:04for the period of the time that the ambassador is in the country. So right now the paintings
2:12will be on exhibit for probably another year. They’ve been here for two years
2:44so far.
2:45ANCHOR: (Speaking Arabic to camera) (to Touby) So how do you think that program will make
3:20cultural interactive with the USA and the hosting country?
3:27TOUBY: Well it’s been done before in other countries and it’s been done before here
3:33but I think the wonderful part of it is that through culture we’re able to exchange our
3:40experiences and our ideas. So that when my work is here, the students, the art students,
3:49any of the Kuwaiti people can come to the embassy I believe and make an appointment
3:55and see the things the ambassador has chosen to keep in his residence. But also for Americans
4:03they come here also and they experience Kuwait and the beautiful things that the Kuwaiti
4:11people have.
4:12ANCHOR: (Speaking Arabic to camera) (to Touby) Is it for sale?
4:37TOUBY: Yes, of course.
4:43ANCHOR: It is?
4:51TOUBY: Yes, it is, and the ambassador can always connect people to one of the galleries
5:04that represents me in the States. Also there is more information, there are CDs with pictures
5:13of my work and pictures of me working and there are catalogues and the embassy has all
5:17of that.
5:19ANCHOR: (Speaking Arabic to camera) (to Touby) You have been here since Thursday?
5:40TOUBY: Yes
5:40ANCHOR: So it’s been a weekend and now it’s Sunday and you have also more four days?
5:47TOUBY: Yes, I have a lot of appointments. I’ve been to visit a number of schools and
5:52I’ll be going to Gust to see some of the students and I’ll be working with some students
5:58on field trips and I’ve also been going to galleries and seeing some of the artists’
6:04work and exchanging ideas and catalogues and other things with artists and art patrons
6:13here in Kuwait. Also there are many Americans and Europeans here and so the experience has
6:20been completely rewarding and fulfilling for me.
6:27ANCHOR: (Speaking Arabic to camera) (to Touby) How is your first impression about the art
7:02in Kuwait?
7:03TOUBY: I was quite surprised.
7:04ANCHOR: Really?
7:05TOUBY: Because I had no idea. I mean, I’ve seen Persian art and I’ve been to various
7:11countries and seen the art in Istanbul and Turkey and I’ve seen art in Morocco. But
7:20the art here is modern. The artists are quite well educated and the artists that I’ve
7:28met and the art students that I’ve met have wonderful ideas. The colors are beautiful
7:33and I feel like we have something in common, maybe because of my background and where I
7:38grew up, but somehow or other I feel that there’s a link there. I was really surprised.
7:59ANCHOR: (Speaking Arabic to camera)