Did you know there’s a book about a Kuwaiti-Filipino that’s apparently quite famous in the Middle East and it even has a TV adaptation? 👀
- The Bamboo Stalk (ساق البامبو) by Saud Alsanousi tells the story of José, the son of a Kuwaiti father and a Filipina mother, as he grows up caught between two cultures and struggles with questions of identity, belonging, racism, class, and what it means to call somewhere “home.”
As a Filipina married to a Kuwaiti, living in Kuwait, and with half-Kuwaiti children, I was immediately intrigued by the premise of this book. A Kuwaiti-Filipino protagonist caught between two identities, two cultures, and two places that never fully accept him felt like something I couldn’t help but be curious about.
One thing I struggled with was how the Philippines and Filipinos were portrayed. At times, I felt that the book paints Filipinos as poor, miserable, and inferior. I know the novel is addressing real social issues but the Philippines is not defined by poverty and misery. It’s a whole more than that! Maybe I’m simply more sensitive to this portrayal because I’m Filipino myself, and I know that makes me somewhat biased.
Interestingly, I also noticed how the novel portrays some of the negative and toxic aspects of Kuwaiti culture and society. However, these seemed to be presented in a more discreet and subtle way. Maybe the author is somewhat biased too, but his courage to raise those issues are admirable.
I really liked how the author incorporated Jose Rizal’s quotes and weaved pieces of Philippine history throughout the story. The novel tackles so many important issues: racism, poverty, politics, misogyny, social class, cultural expectations, and the toxic norms that exist within both societies.
But above everything else, I felt devastated for Issa. It’s difficult to imagine what it must feel like to be rejected by the land and people around you, to be cast away from one place and never fully accepted by another; to feel as though you have no land you can truly call your own, to grow up carrying a name and an identity that never quite feel entirely yours.
From childhood, Issa is caught between his Filipino roots and his Kuwaiti identity, growing up with a constant sense that he belongs to neither world completely. He spends much of his life searching for the place that might finally resemble him, searching for his roots while everything around him constantly reminds him that he is a stranger - both in the place where he was born and in the place he supposedly belongs to by blood. That part of his story really broke my heart. I also admired Issa’s inner thoughts, reflections, opinions, and observations throughout the novel. His perspective is what made the story feel so personal and intimate.
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