Kuwait's Vintage Treasures

TRANSCRIPT
Kuwait's Vintage Treasures

NARRATOR:
In Kuwait City, there’s a small shop that feels like you’re stepping back in time. It’s called Nawader, and it's full of things from the past. The shop owner, Mohammed al-Banay, has been collecting these antiques for more than 30 years. He says it’s more than a shop — it’s like a museum.

SOUNDBITE - Mohammed al-Banay:
"It's a small museum where I collect devices, documents, glassware, vinyl records, cassettes, cartridges. They're from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s."

NARRATOR:
Mohammed didn’t always work with antiques. He started as a photographer.  Then he began collecting vinyl records. Now, he has around 100,000 of them. Most of the records are from the Gulf region and other parts of the Arab world. Many people visit his shop to find memories. They like to see items from their past, like old cameras and radios. Some visitors say the shop helps protect the past. They don’t want these things to disappear. Young people are also starting to take an interest. The shop’s Instagram page has thousands of followers. Mohammed says social media helps him share the past with a new generation.

SOUNDBITE - Mohammed al-Banay:
“Every now and then when I check up on the museum I find pieces that I haven't seen, I clean them up, I put them on display for people to see and I take pictures of them and put them on Instagram.”

NARRATOR:
From vinyl to Instagram, Nawader connects the past with the present. In a world where technology is always changing, shops like this help us remember our history — and keep those memories alive for the future.