LONDON: The MBC drama series “Dof’at London” is causing controversy, with the Kuwait and Iraq governments claiming it misrepresents Iraqis and undermines relations between the two nations.
Iraqi and Kuwaiti officials said the series, which features a pan-Arab cast and is streamed as part of MBC’s special Ramadan programming, “offend” the two countries’ longstanding diplomatic ties.
“Dof’at London” — which means “London Class” — tells the story of a group of Arab medical students who move to London to study during the 1980s and attempt to reconcile Arab traditions and conservative values with the liberal ideals of life in the British capital.
The opening episodes of the series has outraged some viewers for its portrayal of Iraqi women working as maids and, in one scene, being accused of theft. In another scene, an Iraqi man is shown refusing to help a group of Kuwaiti women after their money is stolen.
According to a statement issued by Iraqi officials, the show’s fictional story “would disturb the historical relationship between the peoples of the two countries,” risking to undermine diplomatic ties.
Officials from the two nations had a telephonic discussion following the airing of the episodes during which they rejected the portrayals, according to a report carried by the Iraqi News Agency.
“During a joint phone call, the Kuwaiti Minister of Information and the head of the Iraqi Media and Communications Authority reject any artwork that offends the relationship of the two brotherly countries,” the statement read.
“Kuwaiti Minister of Information Abd Al-Rahman Al-Mutairi, and the head of the Media and Communications Authority in Iraq, Ali Al-Moayyed, affirmed their rejection of everything that would harm the relationship of the two brotherly countries.”
A further statement from the Kuwaiti ministry also clarified that the series was shot outside the country and not screened on any Kuwaiti channels.
The show has triggered intense debate across social media, with Iraqi and Kuwaiti personalities weighing in with their opinions.
Taking to Twitter, Iraqi writer Sarah Quraishi questioned the idea of Iraqi women working as maids in London in the 1980s.
“The Iraqis who immigrated to London in the eighties and nineties, did any of you serve in Arab homes during that period?” she asked. “Why does Kuwaiti drama always insist on showing Iraqis in a bad light?”
In an interview on an Iraqi talk show, Iraqi cast member Thaulfekar Khadr defended the series saying Iraqi women were portrayed “with nothing but dignity.”
كيف رد الفنان ذوالفقار خضر أحد أبطال #دفعة_لندن على العتب الذي وجه لهم بعد مشاركتهم في المسلسل ؟@akhbar
— سَجَد الجبوري (@sjd_aljubori) March 27, 2023
Heba Mashari Hamada, the show’s Kuwaiti writer, also defended it, saying she anticipated the controversy because of the issues it addresses, such as sectarianism and pan-Arabism.
“We are sometimes forced to be confrontational, and ‘Dof’at London’ is undoubtedly a controversial work,” she said.
“Dof’at London” is directed by Egypt’s Mohamed Bakir and is the latest installment of Hamada’s Ramadan dramas following the lives of students in a particular city.
In the 2020 series, “Dof’at Beirut” is set in 1960s Lebanon on the verge of civil war, while in 2019 “Dof’at Cairo” portrays Kuwaiti university students travelling to Egypt for the first time and experiencing its rich cultural life.
