Morocco and Poetry

The story takes place in the bright Morrocan sun. One see’s, beautiful brightly colored houses of stone or white washed cement. These crude structures often painted yellow, light blue, or pink, embellished with simple hand painted designs & surrounded by scrubby dwarf fig trees, are sure signs that one has entered the Western Desert.

The land is dry their. The flora & wild flowers disappear during the hot summer months. The soil is hot and arid. An occasional camel might come

strolling by. Camels are one of Earth’s most amazing creatures when they are seen in there original habitat. Down further a bit, one might see a small herd of

sheep or goats as they nibble on clumps of grass along the side of the dirt road. Along side the road herding the animals you might see an old man wearing a white turban & gondorra crouching along side the road waiting patiently for his animal friends. An old woman might bounce along on her donkey, with a large hand woven basket resting on the animals back end. Occasionally, a women walks by with her face covered in a black head cloth that doubles as a veil. She might walk by with a large bundle on her head, an infant on her back sitting quietly, & a couple of children running along her side. The Arabic language fits the situation perfectly: This is the environment of the Bedouin people.

The Bedouin use poetry to express their secret thoughts. "Poetry is the

discourse of intimacy. Sharing poems, like exposing ones' natural weaknesses, marks the absence of hashan between individuals". The expression of sentiments in their poetry gives meaning to their everyday lives. This is a very romantic kind of courtship.

Poetry between men & women is a cultural practice. It is a very thin line

when dealing with romance, courting & true intimacy. The Bedouin cultures' romance lies in the sharing of poetry. Poetry is a

fragile area that is associated with weakness, vulnerability & intimacy. It seems to me a very romantic way of courting. I find this romance to be very exotic. I mean, we all dream of romantic, old ways of courtship. This is it!

I come from a Lebanese family whom I love & respect very much. We have

much honor in our blood lines & this stems from our Middle Eastern heritage. There are so many similarities between my culture & the Bedouin. For example, we watch out for who we let into the family. If someone in my family wants to get married they better make sure that the rest of the family likes the partner. If not, it will bring troubles. It is a respect thing! Every one in my family cares about what their relatives think: Everyone's opinion is valued. If it is part of the traditional ways of living: i.e., money, a good spouse, & family – then watch out! "One Bedouin man told me there were three common causes of insanity all having to do with loss; when someone dear dies, when you are rich & suddenly lose everything, when you cannot have the one you love. These are the very things people sing about, which suggest that poetry..." is to be taken very seriously.

"The Bedouins describe households by the phrase "We eat from one bowl."

Personally, I know very well what they mean; on my travels in Northern Africa I

experienced this kind of bonding. I was in the middle of Morocco with a group of Arabic men dining one evening. It was late & I was in the middle of the Western Sahara Desert in a small place in the middle of nowhere & we ate from one bowl. It was a memorable experience. There I was sitting cross legged along a small table. With a communal pot in front of us all. We all ate together. This is something at that time I had never done before. At the time I was worried about germs and was raised differently about eating from another’s plate. However, their I went with the flow and ate communally for the first time. The experience will be everlasting.

I think the Middle East is a place of high family codes of honor etc.,

"Bedouins still cling to both the ideology of honor & poetry as symbols of their noble past. It remains to be seen for how long." Although, there has been plenty of

change. The traditional ways are kept somewhat: For example, the nomadic lifestyle had to change, when modernization happened. In the past a mans' tent would not include women. The women would have their own tent. It was the way things have always been (traditionally) in their male dominated society. However, now women are just in another room in the house. In conclusion, there has been many changes in Bedouin society from the days of old. However, even with the changes of modernity, there are still many parts where things have not changed for several thousand years. You can pretend you are in the days of Christ. In most of North Africa still, today, there is no such thing as toilet paper. It is hard to imaging. But it is true. I was shocked to look at the hole in the ground and the bowel of water next to it to clean my self. This is the desert. This is the way it was for millenia. Furthermore, it will be interesting to see where these Arabic societies are heading in the future.

-Joshua Finley

Quotes from "Vieled Sentiments" by Abu - Lughod