By Durkhanai From the soulful melodies of the rubab to the somewhat electric rhythm of sitar to the throatal singing of nur sur, music is a part of the culture, deep in the blood of those who are South Asian. Each separate style of music is tied to a language, to a religion, to an…
Tag: culture
Friendship and Sense(lessness)
By Meša Bismilâhir-rahmanir-rahim! This story begins with the opening line of each of suras, like the book Death and the Dervish, and will tell you a tale of one of the most important books ever written in Bosnian. It is a confession of Meša Selimović, a writer from the city of Tuzla, Bosnia & Herzegovina,…
The Dawns of Allah’s Mercy
By Lamija O Ramadan Don’t be in a rush to leave, for sins are heavy and hearts are ill Allow me to host you as you deserve. unknown Ehlen ve sehlen, ya sehri Ramadan are the words you can see on almost every mosque in Bosnia&Herzegovina when the month of Ramadan comes. Our most beloved…
Moorish Feminine Poetry
By Soultana Imagine boundless dunes Piles of ebony sand Under a glowing moon Illuminating the land From which tents arise Colorful, diverse in size People diverse in color All bound by family ties Watch the sand changing sheets To get covered in a golden veil As the sun rises to greet The squinting faces…
A Story of the Aladza
By Meša After long 27 years, one of the most interesting and unique mosques of Bosnia and Herzegovina will finally be revived. Turbulent historical story, architecture and Islamic art describe this sacral object of unutterable significance for every good person who values art, creativity and differences. This is a story of a mosque, people and…
Ferhadija Fairytale
By Lamija I raise this glorious Oratory in the name of AllahBenefactor Ferhad – Bey, the helper of the believersWith a thirsty sword he engraved in marble his heroic nameWith the war intake, that good man raised the endowment Sipahi, when arrived to the building, told it the chronogram: In the name of Allah, this…
Methods of Creating History: The Somali Oral Narrative Tradition
By Casho Whenever I brought up the subject of readable Somali history to my father, I was always met with a steady grumble. Books written about Somalia’s past, at least in my father’s eyes, could generally be placed in two categories: foreign undertakings penned by colonial agents and other European scholars, or biased historical accounts…
Sarajevo: Where the East Meets the West
By Lamija Every story about Sarajevo is a story about love and romance, about sacrifice and sorrow, about heartache and despair, about anguish and joy, about loss and gain, about the past and the future. And who tells the stories better than the writers? Something that Bosnia and Herzegovina does not lack is writers. In…
A Mauritanian Celebration
By Soultana Left cheek pressed to a warm pillow, I woke up to the absence of light outside the window facing me. It took me a little while to remember where I was because this wasn’t my room. It was a weekend which meant I was at grandma’s; it was customary for my extended family…
I am from a land
By Durkhanai I am from the land of five waters. Five waters run in my veins, course through my blood. Where rice fields and Chitrali topis coexist, where melodic voices and metaphorical phrases flow through the tongue, where garments are long and loose and colorful. I am from a land of voices multiple. From a…
