Arabic Calligraphy

Culture Entry #2
Will Orman

The origins of Arabic calligraphy lie in the desire of Islamic leaders to avoid using images to represent God or his creations, as this practice might have led to idolatry. Calligraphy is also considered to be inherently imbued with religious significance because the Qur’an was written in Arabic. For these reasons calligraphy is used in almost all forms of Islamic religious expression to this day.

There are various types of scripts with particular characteristics that distinguish them. Kufic writing, which is more commonly found in mosques in the western Arab world and also on ancient coins, can be identified by a somewhat geometric style and a focus on horizontal lines. It is now primarily used for decoration, usually with less readability.

Cursive styles, which are more legible and easier to write than Kufic, were first developed in the 10^th century in a movement spearheaded by Ibn Muqla Shirazi, a Persian official in the Abbasid Caliphate. There were originally six different scripts, though some of them are more difficult to distinguish between for lack of examples in ancient texts. The most common was Naskh, which was eventually used for the Qur’an and is the basis of modern print.

Thuluth, which means one third, can be identified by the sloping style of each letter, and it is named for the principle that one third of each letter must slope. 

Other scripts include Tawqi’ and Muhaqqaq, each of which have miniature versions, Riqaa’ and Rihani respectively. Tawqi was used primarily to sign official acts, and Muhaqqaq was often used to duplicate loose sheets of the Qur’an. The word muhaqqaq means consummate or clear, and was originally used to describe particularly well-executed calligraphy.

Tawqi:

Muhaqqaq:

To circumvent the issue of visual representation, some calligraphers produced calligrams, which could be human-like figures using written words like Allah and Muhammad woven into each other, as well as animals with religious significance and various man-made objects such as boats and mosques. This practice is connected to Muslim mysticism and is found in many other countries surrounding the Arab world, such as Turkey, old Persia, and India.

Professional calligraphers generally do not acknowledge calligrams as appropriate usage of calligraphy, but this form of expression continues to be very popular. A graduate from my high school in Nashville, Everitte Barbee, moved to Beirut and makes calligrams on commission, focusing on such projects as representing the entire Qur’an with different images and occasionally on social commentary about the Arab world. 

http://everitte.org/

Sources:

http://www.arabiccalligraphy.com/classic-types/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_calligraphy

http://islamicart.com/main/calligraphy/index.html

http://everitte.org/

Emily Caccam: Culture Portfolio

Culture Entry #2: Five Broken Cameras

Emily Caccam

While sifting through the Netflix documentary section, I came across Five Broken Cameras, a 2012 documentary film that shows the first-hand accounts of Palestinian resistance movements from the perspective Emad Burnat, a Palestinian farmer living in the West Bank village of Bil’in.

Burnat bought his first camera in 2005 originally for family videos. However, that same year, Israeli settlements began spreading onto Bil’in farmland, extending beyond the borders established in the 1967 Peace Agreement with Egypt. When Bil’in villagers responded with non-violent protests, Burnat began documenting the evolution of the movement. Over the course of about five years, Burnat cycles through five cameras, each of which is broken in conflict during the protests (and thus inspiring the title behind the film title). Structured around the first five years of Burnat’s youngest son, Gibreel, the film highlights how integral violence and conflict is in these bordering villages.

One of the most memorable parts of the film was when Gibreel says some of his first words: wall, cartridge, and army. While I was excited when I recognized the term “al-jeysh”, I was also saddened that this precious little child’s first memories of the world were those of war.

I was also fascinated to learn that the co-director of the film is Guy Davidi, an Israeli filmmaker. In fact, Davidi wrote the script for Burnat’s narration and did the majority of the editing. I was surprised to see that an Israeli was so vocal about a very anti-Israeli issue. This fact highlights that many different cultures – not just Palestinians – want Israel to return to the 1967 boundaries.

Overall, I found the film to be extremely interesting and well executed. It is definitely a personal favorite and I suggest that anyone interested in the Israeli-Palestine conflict to watch it. While it is obviously a one-sided film considering that it is made by a Palestinian protester, it offers a unique perspective to an important international issue that too many people are uniformed about. I suggest that people interested in learning more about the conflict should watch this film and a pro-Israel film shortly after to get a well-rounded understanding.

Julia Schryver: Mounir Fatmi, Redefining Contemporary Arab Art

Mounir Fatmi

Mounir Fatmi is a Moroccan artist who works with multi-media designs. Though he is currently working in paris, his works are closely related to his life in Morocco, The Middle East, Islam, and the Arabic language.  Mounir has been able to create masterpieces that start a conversation between modernity and tradition and how religion has changed over the passage of time.  His work had been shown all over the world and he is one of the most famous Moroccan artists working today.  

Fatmi is famous for the global quality of his work, where he discusses worldly themes dealing with themes of terrorism, religion, acceptance, and nationalism.  A controversial but respected artist in the Middle East and North Africa, Fatmi is quickly becoming an extremely important figure in the Arab Contemporary Art scene.  

Though the meanings behind his works are not always so clear, the ambiguity of his works aid in the starting of conversations.  Fatmi's work called the Paradox, shows verses from the Quran cut out of the saw of a steel cutter. The juxtaposition between religion and machine create an interesting discussion of modernity while demonstrating the artists own qualms about his faith. Fatmi's most recent pieces reflect his interest in continuing this discussion.

Another example of Fatmi continuine the conversation between tradition and modernity can be seen in his work Maximum Sensation where the artsist covered skateboards with traditional prayer rugs.

Mounir Fatmi is still in the early stages of his artistic career but he is already proving to be a top contender in the art world. He has the potential to help bring attention to more North African and Middle Eastern artists that deserve to be seen by the rest of the world.

Cultural Entry #2 (Alexandra Blankman)

Throughout my first year at Boston University, I have sought out Arab restaurants throughout the Boston area because of my love for Middle Eastern cuisine. Most recently, I came across a Middle Eastern café in Cambridge called Sofra Bakery. Specifically, Sofra’s Bakery is a fusion of Turkish, Lebanese and Persian foods. The bakery was incredible! My friend and I ate from the Meze bar, which included many small plates that we shared with each other. Specifically, we ate a date-braised turnip, muhammara, mujadara and hummus. This classic Middle Eastern dish made me think about how the food fits into the greater Arab culture. I did some research and realize that an Arabic cuisine is more than just a meal. In fact, the whole concept of the meal is based on the idea of hospitality. An Arab meal should always be one of joy and warmth. There are many customs of an Arabic meal that is indicative of this kind of generosity. For example, the host of the meal will generally invite guests to taste each dish and encourage them to take things from each plate to enjoy all of the flavors. This is how the tradition of many small plates within the same meal, or Mezze, came into practice in Arab culture. It also shows me that a country’s food is not only a reflection of its culture but also of its history. For example, I couldn’t help but notice that whipped feta and tzatziki was on Sofra Bakery’s menu. I associate these foods with the Greece and the Mediterranean. However, these foods infiltrated Arab culture because of the continued interaction between these regions over centuries. It is for this reason that Arab cuisine also incorporates some influences from Turkish, Spanish, Italian and French food. In turn, all different types of cuisines from around the world have been influenced by Arab cuisine. In fact, the Arabs introduced Artichockes, Bananas, cherries, coffee, dates, strawberries, sugar, grapefruit, eggplants and rice to the Western world. All of these foods eventually became staples of the Western diet. It is for this reason that a country’s food can tell us so much about a country’s culture and history, http://www.canadianarabcommunity.com/arabiccuisine.php

Chris Hourani Cultural Entry #2

Chris Hourani Socialism and Islam Since becoming independent from colonial powers, many of the relatively young Islamic nations have struggled to find a balance between western economic ideologies and religion. Although existing in a predominantly capitalist world, the Muslim world has found socialism to be most compatible with the Islamic religion. The Prophet Muhammad advocated for social equity and some of his companions went as far as to promote the redistribution of wealth from the ruling classes to lower classes during the Uthman caliphate. The amiable attitude towards socialism stems from the egalitarian nature of Islam amongst social groups. Islamic socialism can also draw roots from Muhammad’s rule in Medina, creating a quasi-welfare state. This relationship between ideology and religion can be seen in modern nations with significant Muslim populations. This historical friendliness toward socialism manifested itself in many of the young countries with Muslim majority populations after the decolonization of World War II. After independence from France, the Algerian FLN, which led the fight for independence, had to decide what type of government to implement. They chose to accept socialism as the official economic system of Algeria while having Islam be the official religion. Similarly, the nationalist Neo-Dustur party in Tunisia was tightly knit to trade Unions such as the UGTT during its struggle for independence. As a result, they too chose to adopt a pseudo-socialist economic policy. This pattern repeated itself in other countries. The Socialist party in mostly Muslim Azerbaijan had a sizeable influence over that country’s politics. What really makes this phenomenon interesting is the fact that even after adopting socialism, these countries were not black listed as communist nations. With the U.S.-Soviet dichotomy ever present in the early years of these countries’ modern history, they were able to avoid bumping heads with either superpower. They chose to follow and stick with the non-alignment and were able to navigate the treacherous waters of diplomacy during the Cold War without any major conflict arising from economic ideology. In the wake of the Arab Spring of 2011, many people from the West have stated that Western-style democracy and capitalism is the best form of government and economic system for the revitalized nations. Although this may seem logical and morally right from the perspectives of many Westerners, it cannot be neglected that religion, generally playing a larger role in the society of Muslim countries, plays and will play a major role in the decision of what road to take in those countries. Sources: Islam, the Straight Path by John Esposito Modern Algeria by John Reudy A History of Modern Tunisia by Kenneth J. Perkins

Cultural Entry #2 Taylor Resteghini

In searching for a place to study abroad that would complement my Arabic studies, I have become interested in learning more about Morocco. The BU study abroad program is specifically located in Rabat, a large city with a mix of old and new structures. The program includes service projects like teaching English or internships in both the summer and school year. All levels of Arabic classes are offered as well as additional classes on history, Islam, politics and foreign policy. I decided to do some background research on the history and culture off the country.

The capital city of the Kingdom of Morocco is Rabat, although the largest city is Casablanca. Moroccans are predominately of Berber (indigenous North African) and Arabic decent. The Berber people have been living in North Africa for centuries and lived in the mountainous areas but in more recent years many have moved to the cities for work. The official languages of Morocco are Berber and Arabic. The distinctive group of Moroccan Arabic dialects are collectively called Darija. A lesser amount of the population speaks French, Spanish and English. Before its independence in 1956, Morocco was divided into French and Spanish zones. In the 1960s, Hassan II suppressed domestic opposition. Human Rights Investigations confirmed a large number of rights violations cases. However, Hassan's son and current leader, Mohammed VI, has introduced less restrictive economic and social policies. He revised the constitution in response to "Arab Spring" protests, and appointed a new government in 2012. Some have protested against the failure to meet some democratic and economic expectations, but the country overall is experiencing improvement.

The currency in Morocco is called the Dirham and its main products include minerals, seafood and citrus. Green tea with mint and sweetened with sugar, called Maghrebi green tea, is a popular beverage. The most famous dishes include couscous, pastilla, and harira. Chicken is the most widely eaten meat. 

Morocco offers many site-seeing opportunities. Older cities commonly have mosques with beautiful towers (minarets), busy bazaars, old medieval medinas and fortresses (kasbahs). The university called al-Qarawiyin was founded in the city of Fes and is debated to be the oldest university in the world. Many mosques do not allow entrance to non-Muslims, except for some restored ones in Smara and Casablanca. The most popular sport there is soccer, so you could probably find a soccer game or two to watch and enjoy.

While the conservativeness of the culture depends on where you travel to in the country, it is important to respect the ideas of modest dress and courteousness in public. Traditional views have been somewhat challenged and discarded by the younger generations living in the cities. Overall, Moroccans are generally friendly and welcoming of visitors, given the nature of the country’s roots in travelling and diverse cultures. I am excited to do more research and possibly, when I become more fluent in my Arabic speaking, travel to this beautiful country.

CULTURE PORTFOLIO 2
Shanti Kapoor

RAMADAN

                The tradition of Ramadan started from the Qoran.  It is one of the five pillars of Islam.  It is one month of the year in the lunar calendar when you fast from fajer prayer ( (صلاة الفجرto magrib prayer (صلاة المغرب), so fasting from sunrise to sunset.  It is not considered fasting if you do not pray during the whole month.  

Because it is lunar calendar, each year Ramadan is twelve to thirteen days earlier than the year before.  During Ramadan families come together in praying and breaking the fast every day.  There is a wide sense of community during this month.   During Ramadan in majority Muslim countries restaurants, cafes, and shops are all open much later. 

Breaking the fast is called iftar افطار and occurs at sundown.  This is when Muslims refrain from eating in order to empathize with the less fortunate.

Hunger also reminds Muslim to repent .

There is also popular culture (pop culture) that surrounds the month of Ramadan. TV shows and  fashion both become ways to celebrate the holy month. There are shows that only air during Ramadan and clothes decorated with more design that symbolizes the spirit of Ramadan.

Ramadan is also characterized by specific foods that are eaten during the month, usually  during iftar. It is customary to break the fast with dates, but different countries and regions have different traditional foods they eat during iftar. Iftar’s counterpart, suhoor, is a meal eaten before sunrise. The foods eaten during this meal are less specific but can be from family to family.

During this past summer I was lucky enough to experience Ramadan in a Muslim country, Morocco.  I was living with a host family and Ramadan was a very important time not just for my host family but for the entire community.  People, usually the female head of the household who will be doing the majority of the cooking, start preparing for Ramadan weeks in advance.  My host mother saved money and made meals much smaller in the weeks prior in order to have the extravagant meals once the holy month arrived.   A few days before Ramadan began my host mother would be cooking and preparing foods all day, especially sweet desserts which could last for the entire month.  At around 6 or 7PM we would all gather in the salon and wait for the last hours of the fast to pass, usually watching TV.  My host mother would be busy in the kitchen preparing for iftar.  When it came time to break the fast, my family would pray and we would start by eating dates and Moroccan soup, then the main meal followed by many desserts.  After iftar I would usually go into the city to shops or cafes with my host siblings and friends and enjoy the night before returning home and perhaps taking a nap before suhoor.  Experiencing Ramadan in Morocco was a great experience. 

Photo of the first Iftar my host mother made:

                                                                                                   

Cultural Entry #2: Andrea Stinson

Andrea Stinson

Cultural Portfolio: Arabic Movies

Movies are a part of Arabic culture. Approximately 3 out of 4 Arabic films are Egyptian films. There are several film festivals that take place in the Middle East. One being the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), which was established in 1976. At this film festival awards are given, the best being a Golden Pyramid, the award for best film. Other prizes include the Silver Pyramid Prize and Naguib Mahfouz Prize. Sometimes the festival will be used to make political and cultural statements by adding references and ideas within the films. The CIFF is the biggest contributor to the growth of networking and production of films coming from the Arab world.

The CIFF though still popular, is becoming less popular than festivals such as the Dubai International Film Festival which are more extravagant. Awards at the Dubai International Film Festival include: the Muhr Emirati, Muhr Arab Short, Muhr Arab Documentary, Muhr Arab Feature, Muhr AsianAfrica Short, Muhr AsiaAfrica Documentary, Muhr AsiaAfrica Feature, FIPRESCI Short, FIPRESCI Feature, and EmiratesNBD People’s Choice Award.

The last couple years the festivals have suffered as political turmoil and low cinema admissions are making them less popular.

Sources

UK Hot Movies, Cairo Film Festival

http://www.ukhotmovies.com/film-festivals/cairo-film-festival/information.html

Dubai Film Festival, Industry and Films

http://dubaifilmfest.com/en/

Cairo Film Connection

http://www.cairofilmconnection.com/

Culture Entry #2: Arghileh

Being of Lebanese descent, I have had many opportunities to travel to Lebanon and observe their lifestyle, which is much more relaxed than the lifestyle of your average American. One thing that many Arab people enjoy when they are trying to relax is argileh (also known as "hookah"). It is a water pipe that is used to smoke flavored tobacco, which is called shisha. It comes in a variety of flavors including mint, apple, grape, and other fruit flavors. The shisha is vaporized and the vapor passes through a water basin, which is the base of the hookah. This base is glass and comes in a variety of colors, often times with some sort of design on it. Hookahs with very intricate designs can cost hundreds of dollars. The pipe is the body of the hookah, which is usually made of stainless steel. Rubber hoses are connected to the pipe and the ends are made of wood with a mouthpiece made of metal attached to it. A clay bowl at the top of the pipe holds the shisha, which is often covered by tin foil that has holes poked into it. Hot coals are used to heat up the shisha and are placed on top of the tin foil if present or directly on unflavored tobacco. The water pipe itself can also be called a "sheesha." Smoking argileh is very popular in the Middle East but its popularity has even spread to North America where there are many hookah cafes and lounges.

In Lebanon, all of my cousins and aunts and uncles smoke shisha. It is an activity that is done in groups which makes it a part of the daily social life of many Arab people. The most common time to do so for them is after a large meal and especially late at night. They would sit outside, drink Turkish coffee, and smoke their argileh. You do not have to be 18 to smoke shisha like in the United States where you must be 18 to purchase tobacco or go to a hookah cafe. The varieties of flavors are more common in America than they are in the Middle East. Most people smoke the mint or "double apple" flavor or sometimes even unflavored tobacco. When a guest who smokes argileh arrives at the house, members of the household will usually offer to prepare one for them. When you go to a restaurant in the Middle East, you are usually able to order a hookah with your meal. Many parents in the United States disapprove of their children smoking hookah, but most of my cousins in Lebanon actually smoke argileh with their parents.

While smoking argileh is an enjoyable pastime and a part of Middle Eastern social life, it can be very harmful. It has many risks in common with cigarette smoking. It delivers nicotine to the body just like cigarette smoking and when the tobacco is burnt, it becomes just as toxic as cigarette smoke. For this reason, it is important to smoke shisha in moderation to avoid getting cancer and other health problems.



References:
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/tobacco_industry/hookahs/
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~ztomasze/hookahmanual.html

Cultural Entry #2: Beirut, the "Paris of the Middle East"

- Ian Rollins

Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, has changed quite a bit over the past 200 years.  The “Paris of the Middle East,” a popular moniker for the city during its golden age, was a safe-haven for Western tourists wishing to experience the exotic wonders of the Middle East with all the comforts of a modern, European metropolis.

Before Lebanon’s liberation from French colonial rule in 1943, Lebanon and the surrounding territories were part of the Ottoman Empire.   The French Mandate came into effect in 1920 as a result of the defeat of the Central Powers in World War I.  The city, a stunning combination of Ottoman and Imperial French architecture, was a seaside paradise with beachside cafes, glamorous resorts, and cool temperatures made it a highly desirable destination for wealthy Westerners and Arabs alike to vacation in.  The nearby Lebanese mountains offered a relaxing retreat from the city with quaint villages and the centuries-old Lebanese cedar forests, renowned for centuries as a source of quality lumber.  Along with the city’s numerous attractions, Lebanon’s financial institutions made it a desirable location for investment.

Conflict amongst the various religious groups, however, pushed the country into a violent civil war, which lasted from 1970-1975.  It was this war that first wrought havoc on the gleaming capital that was Beirut.  Following the Civil War, the city was essentially divided between the various Christian and Muslims neighborhoods.  After a few years of relative stability, warfare broke out once more in 1982.  Chaos once again reigned in Beirut as Israeli forces occupied the city.  It was during this time that horrific atrocities occurred in the Sabra and Shatila Massacres.

Following the withdrawal of Israeli, and later American, forces, and life within the city began to return to normal.  Sectarian tensions do occasionally flair up, however. In recent years, efforts have been made to revitalize the city.  Foreign investment from both the West and the wealthy Gulf States has led to a rebirth of the Beiruti social scene.  All Beirutis, however, don’t embrace modernity as many lament the loss of the city’s historic charm being replaced by contemporary investment.

Sources:

Antelava, Natalia. "'Ugly Beirut' Struggles to Survive Peace." BBC News. BBC, 05 Oct.

2010. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8665696.stm.

Friedman, Thomas L. From Beirut to Jerusalem. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux,

1989. Print.

Kaplan, Robert D. The Arabists: The Romance of an American Elite. New York: Free,

1993. Print. 

Emma Glynn's Culture Portfolio #2

The Arabic Language and its Dialects

The Arabic language is a Semetic language that has 12 dialects and is spoken in 28 different countries by over 200 million people world wide. It is believed to have spread along with the spread of Islam and through nomadic peoples. Those who read the Quran and converted to Islam began learning it and speaking it.

Arabic is a diglossia language which means that the written form and the spoken form are different. Modern Standard Arabic, or MSA, is written and understood by everyone in the Arab world but the dialects are what is spoken. MSA is mostly used in formal settings such as government documents or public  broadcasts. It is the only form of Arabic with a grammar system that is explicitly regulated and used as a national language. All other dialects of Arabic simply have a sense of what is “grammatically correct” or incorrect.

Most of the Arabic dialects can be written fairly similarly and share much of their vocabulary. On the other hand, some dialects are so fundamentally different that they are unintelligible to one another. For example, a native Moroccan speaker would probably not be able to understand a Levantine speaker. That is partially because the dialects are so different, and partially because they are less commonly spoken forms. Egyptian, on the other hand, is much more popular in the Arab world due in no small part to their presence in international movies and television.

Some common dialects are Arabian, Egyptian, Lebanese, Moroccan, Iraqi, Andalusian, Palestinian, Yemeni, and Sudanese. Arabian Arabic contains the subdialects: Bahraini Arabic, Gulf Arabic and Hejazi Arabic. Most dialects are separated by nation and region. However, there are multiple ways in which to separate the dialects. Another common way is Maghrebi, Egyptian, Levantine, Gulf, and Iraqi. Those are more loosely separated by region, and create broader look at the different forms.

The Hindu Arabic numeral system is another thing that is uniform across the Arab world. It began with ancient scientists and mathematicians and eventually grew into every day use. It is a list of ten symbols and uses all the same rules as any other base-10 number system.

http://www.foreigntranslations.com/languages/arabic-translation/arabic-dialects/

http://www.cs.jhu.edu/~ccb/publications/arabic-dialect-id.pdf

Habibi Rasak Kharban: The Middle Eastern Story of Forbidden Love

This past week a friend of mine and I went to a film screening of Habibi Rasak Kharban graciously screened by the class The Imagining of the Middle East. I walked in not knowing what to expect, and ended up watching a beautiful film about two young persons in Gaza not being able to be together because of the unnecessary laws and hindrances of the Israeli/Palestinian world.

The film begins with its male lover, Qays, in a college classroom reading Sufi poetry, the poetry from which the original love story told in Habibi is from. Once Layla, the female lover, hears Qays reading their relationship begins to form. They realize they share a similar love of literature and poetry as well as a similar perspective on life and they absolutely must be with one another at all times. But they leave college in the West Bank and return to Gaza, the place that will force one another away from each other at all times. Gaza's traditions and worries imprison them and ultimately disallow them from being together.

Habibi's content impacted me so largely that I sought out more information on the film and the storyline on the internet, where I learned that the film is a modern adaptation of the ancient Sufi poem about the lovers Layla and Qays, Majnun Layla, “Possessed by Madness for Layla”. The poem’s origin traces back to a short, anecdotal poem in ancient Arabia which was later expanded by the Iranian poet Nizami Ganjavi as the third of his five narrative poems, Khamsa.

In the Iranian poem Majnun falls in love with Layla and composes poems about his feeling for her, poems that are obviously speaking about her. In the film he tags Gaza’s walls with these poems that mention her name. In both works Qays becomes known as Majnun because he has been possessed by the love he feels for Layla. Qays asks Layla’s father for her hand but he is rejected because he is considered a madman in the community. It would be a scandal for Layla’s father to allow for the marriage when Qays is reputed to be mentally unbalanced.

Soon after Layla must marry another man, against her will, and both are plunged into sadness. Qays runs away into the desert where he is seen reciting poetry to himself and writing in the sand with a stick.  Layla moves to Northern Arabia with her husband where she soon dies, perhaps out of heartbreak. Majnun is later found dead near Layla’s grave where one can find carved on a nearby rock three verses of poetry dedicated to Layla,

” I pass by these walls, the walls of Layla

And I kiss this wall and that wall

It’s not Love of the houses that has taken my heart

But of the One who dwells in those houses”

I especially enjoyed watching Habibi Rasak Kharban because it introduced me to the Middle Eastern equivalent of  the Western world’s, Romeo and Juliet, the narrative poem that also discusses tragic, youthful love.

http://www.habibithefilm.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Layla_and_Majnun

-Culture Portfolio 2- اليسا شاينر

For this portfolio, I explored a bit of Arabic popular music. My research turned me to Assi El Helani’s

Assi El Helani

Oud

“Lebnani”.  Mohammad El Helani, known popularly as Assi El Helani, is a current Lebanese artist. Assi was born in Jdaydeh, which is just about 20 minutes outside of Beirut. Of poorer origins, he has 13 brothers and sisters in his family of which he is the third youngest. His mother was a member of the Ali Shirwan tribe and his father was a member of the Malekshahi tribe.

On the musical side of things, Assi studied for five years at the Higher Institute of Music in Lebanon where he majored in Oud performance and Arab vocal techniques. Currently, he is a judge on the show “The Voice: Ahla Sawt” and is very involved in humanitarian issues.

His song, “Lebnani” was released in 2008 right after the 2008 Lebanese elections in which an independent candidate, Michel Suleiman, won. (Suleiman is currently the president of Lebanon). According to a couple of sources, the song was an instant hit for it was a source of Lebanese pride and nationality.

In a very catchy and upbeat song, the lyrics go:

غطي الشمس بفي جبينك
“Cover the sun (light) with the shade of your brow
بيحقلك وطنك دينك
Your country and your religion are your rights
لو هالدني سألت مينك؟
قلن انك لبناني
If this world asked, "Who are you?" Tell them that you're Lebanese”

It is very interesting to note that even though I do not know a lot of Arabic, and I certainly cannot claim to understand the Levantine dialect, as I was listening to the song, I could pick out certain words that I recognized. Additionally, one does not need to know any Arabic to watch the video and understand the motif of national pride in the music. Without understanding most of the words, I could still feel that sense of nationalism evoked through the stunning images of Lebanon and the heartfelt lyrics.






sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assi_El_Helani

http://www.thearabicstudent.com/2009/11/assi-el-helani-lebnani-w-lyrics.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanese_presidential_election,_2008

Culture Entry #2- Gretchen Anderson

Dreams of Trespass- Fatima Mernissi

I recently read a book called "Dreams of Trespass" by Fatima Mernissi, which is a sort of memoir of her childhood in Morocco in the 50s and 60s but also a commentary on ideas like the harem and hudud (or "frontier", also "border"). Mernissi grew up intrigued by the harems that she spent her life in. She lived in a harem in Fez with her paternal grandparents, her father and his brother, and their wives and children, as well as many divorced and widowed aunts, servants, and guests. She would also visit her maternal grandparent's harem out in the country.

The book tells of her various adventures and about the daily life in a harem (or in her specific family harem). She tells of her close friendship with her cousin, Samir, which grows apart as they each get older and begin to realize the differences in their gender. She tells the difference between each harem: how the one in the country does not have walls, but her grandfather has many wives so they must be careful to please him or else they may not get to spend nights with him. The harem in the medina of Fez has walls and the women are not allowed to leave, but within the walls they express their desire for freedom in many ways. Her cousins, Chama, loves drama and theater, and she acts out many plays and shows her desire for a modern opportunity to leave the harem and explore the world outside. She tells stories of strong women who are able to escape the hold of men. Mernissi's Aunt Habiba is a divorcee who must therefore abide by the tradition of the house that Lalla Mani (Mernissi's grandmother) demands while the women embroider traditional patterns for their qamis's, but in the secret of her upper floor room, she embroiders birds and modern designs that symbolize her passion for flight and desire to see more of the sky than just that which is visible above the courtyard and the terrace.

Mernissi writes in a satyrical way. She tells stories and shares information that grabs the reader because her style is so playful while she addresses a serious topic. She pokes fun at the way the characters in her family behave and she makes jokes about her own behavior and thought processes as a child. However, her book is a commentary on the life of a woman and how women must always be aware of the hudud, or the invisible line that they are not allowed to cross. In the medina harem in Fez, that line is a physical wall, or boundary, that the women cannot pass. In the harem in the countryside, that line is more abstract and scares her because she is not sure how she is allowed to behave. In the context of this book, it is interesting how she explore the meaning of the hudud and the definition of a harem while she is just a young girl. She and her cousin Samir investigate why the harem is a place that their relatives feel it necessary to live. They explore the differences between the traditional way of life and the modern way that the French and Americans and Germans live. It is a super interesting book to read because she leaves room for the audience to engage in her life and have their own thoughts about the hudud.

My favorite quote comes from the character Mina, a servant woman who escaped her kidnappers and ended up living in the Mernissi harem. When young Fatima asks her how she will know which side of the frontier (hudud) she is on, Mina replies, "if you can't get out, you are on the powerless side"(242).

This was a super interesting book to read because of the beautiful way that Mernissi portrays her childhood. It is beautiful, but laced with the disappointments and lack of freedom that tradition and the hudud bring. I found myself completely in love with Morocco (I can't wait to go there in two months for study abroad!), but I also saw an interesting perspective on feminism and women's position below men in the 50s and 60s in a Muslim country.

Mernissi, Fatima. Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Pub., 1994. Print.

Culture Portfolio #2

Sudan is a large African country with many geographic extremes. There are almost 600 tribes located there and they all speak Arabic. Sudanese cuisine combines the backgrounds of the people who have had colonies in Sudan.

Hospitality is very important in Sudan as it is in other Arab countries. The Sudanese are known for their coffee - they fry the beans and grind them with cloves and spices.

Sheep are slaughtered in the honor of important guests and then many dishes are prepared.

The most important meats are lamb and chicken. Rice is the most popular starch and the Sudanese also make Kisra which is an omelette- like pancake that is a part of the Sudanese dinner. There are an infinite amount of vegetables both fresh and cooked. Okra lamb stew is also an important Sudanese dish. Fruits are peeled and cut in small slices for dessert, a custom that is done in all Arab countries. However, the Sudanese also love sweets and one of the most popular desserts is Creme Caramela.

In  Africa, it is very important to show concern and respect for one's guest. As a guest enters a Sudanese home, he/she is immediately offered Abre or Tabrihana, which is a nonalcoholic fruit drink only slightly sweetened so that it does not ruin his/her appetite. This is a symbolic gesture that welcomes the guest home from his/her long journey.

Dinner is served on a low table that has nothing on it. Guests are given pillows that are decorated with ostrich feathers. An important ritual in Sudan is the pouring of water over the hands of the guests from an ewer and having the water fall into a copper basin. Large cloths to cover that knees are used as napkins.

Dinner starts with soup, brought out in individual bowls on a huge, round, decorated copper tray. The large tray is placed on the table. Spoons are offered to the guests.

After the soup has been eaten, the tray is removed and another tray is brought in with all the dishes of the main course resting on beaded doilies. There are about five or six dishes. Spoons may be used but the Sudanese usually use Kisra or Khubz to eat their dishes with. Four dishes are individually served which are the soup, the salad, the Shata and the dessert.

http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Cookbook/Sudan.html