I Saw Ramallah - Mourid Barghouti
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I Saw Ramallah is a memoir written by Mourid Barghouti is an emotionally impactful and intellectually stimulating piece of literature. Barghouti, a renowned Palestinian poet, takes us on a profoundly intimate voyage to his birthplace of Ramallah, following thirty years of exile. His encounter involves the process of reacquainting himself with something he once knew, but also experiencing the sorrow of what has been changed, as he struggles with the alterations that have impacted both the territory and its inhabitants.
I Saw Ramallah was written in Arabic in 1977 and it was beautifully translated into English in 2000 by Ahdaf Soueif. This is the first prose work of Mourid Barghouti. This work attained Palestinian Prize in 2000 for poetry and got Naquib Mahfouz Medal for literature in 1997. This work is also translated into many languages including Spanish, French and Italian.
I Saw Ramallah is a work that combines elements of an art memoir, an essay, and a prose poem. It provides a unique blend of storytelling, reflection, and poetic expression. The book offers a vivid and introspective account of the author's experiences in Ramallah, Israel. It delves into the complexities of identity, culture, and personal growth. The narrative is rich in descriptive language and thought-provoking insights.
The author's writing style is both engaging and profound, making it a compelling read for those interested in exploring the intersection of art and personal narrative. The text discusses the author's observations of the changes in Palestine, intertwined with his personal impressions. The author also mentions that he is prohibited from referring to his hometown as his legal residence.
Mourid Barghouti was born in Deir Ghassanah on 8 July 1944 near Ramallah on the West Bank, four years before Israel got its Independence. His original name was Ra'aytu Ram Allah. After finishing his schooling in Deir Ghassanah he went to Cairo University, Egypt, to study English Literature and graduated in 1967.
While Barghouti was in Egypt the historic Six-Day War of 1967 broke out in his hometown. In a matter of days, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) took control of the whole West Bank, resulting in Barghouti and numerous others being displaced and prohibited from returning to their homes.
The story of his life commences with Barghouti's persistent attempts to reenter Palestine, only to be met with refusal. He has refuted the claim of having encountered his family. He is deprived of his own life, to some extent.
Barghouti endures an astonishing thirty-year period of exile. He journeys across the globe, moving from one country to another, but never experiences a sense of belonging in any of them. He grapples with his identity, continually failing to find an answer.
As a result of the Oslo Accords, many Palestinians, including Barghouti, were granted entry permits to the occupied territories. This significant yet melancholic homecoming sets the stage for Barghouti's sincere and emotionally evocative memoir, "30 Years in Ramallah" which was renamed later as I Saw Ramallah. It is an intense lyrical account of the poet's return to his hometown. The memoir is divided into nine chapters: The Bridge, This is Ramallah, Deir Ghassanah, The Village Square, Living in Time, Uncle Daddy, Displacements, Reunion, A Daily Day of Judgement.
The narrative commences at the Allenby Bridge, which, to his dismay, continues to be predominantly governed by Israeli authorities. Barghouti rightfully calls the first chapter as 'The Bridge' as he makes a move to return to his homeland after thirty years through the Allenby Bridge. Seeing the bridge he says:
"It is no longer than a few meters of wood and thirty years of exile"
Barghouti explains his innermost feeling while he stands in the bridge to cross to his homeland. He notoriously calls the bridge as a "Bridge of No Return". He says:
"How was this piece of dark wood able to distance a whole nation from his dreams"
Barghouti experiences not a temporal anomaly, but rather a distorted perception of his own connection to a location that he had envisioned diminished by unfamiliar symbols and the visibly damaged landscape. The disquieting sense of uneasiness and incompleteness sets the tone of the memoir which explores not just the physical violence of occupation, but also its capacity to deprive Palestinians of their most basic and mundane sense of identity and belonging. The bridge represents the political, phycological, cultural and conceptual elements.
The subsequent chapters from the second chapter "This is Ramallah" recounts Barghouti's encounter with his homeland after thirty years. As Barghouti moves from the bridge to Ramallah, then to his village, and finally back to Ramallah, he records his impressions, compares his memories with current reality, and, most importantly, begins to weave in the crucial stories of his life in Egypt, his subsequent deportation under Sadat, and his existence in Hungary, where he lived, worked, and wrote for many years.
In Ramallah, Barghouti finds himself to be a stranger in his homeland. He finds himself to be in a foreign landscape instead of being at home. His years of displacement has changed his overall perceptive. Before entering Ramallah, Barghouti carries within himself thirty years of expectations. He has carefully preserved his homeland image in his heart. Though he anticipated some change, his real encounter proves to be different. His image of his homeland in his heart was shattered by the present harsh reality of life in Palestine. Barghouti is left alone with pieces of his identity shattered among the sands. Throughout his life, from his college days, he has encountered change. Change was his constant companion, while he tried to preserve the image of his homeland in his heart. Now, his last memory of home in his heart is broken, as he could not resist the impacts of time. For the past thirty years Barghouti has carried his homeland image through every country he lived, but now he is left in despair. He says:
"I tried to put the displacement between parenthesis, to put a last
period in a long sentence of the sadness of history, personal and public
history. But I see nothing except commas. I want to sew the times
together. I want to attach one moment to another, to attach childhood
to age, to attach the present to the absent and all the presents to all
absences, attach exiles to the homeland and to attach what I have
imagined to what I see now".
Barghouti is greeted by unfamiliar territory and not his homeland. He is compelled to reconcile his old perception with the current reality due to the significant amount of changes that have occurred. The author has endeavored to elucidate the discrepancy in memory that has followed a sorrowful trajectory in his remembrance, always yearning for a reunion with his home.
I Saw Ramallah, thus, has become a narrative that presents tales from the past and the present. Barghouti records his impressions and compares it with his memories and presents a realistic deliberation. The memoir contains numerous observations of the daily hardships experienced by the author's own family and the individuals he encounters. Additionally, it is also filled with poetic and articulate depictions of the profound impact of dislocation on an conscious individual.
Barghouti in I Saw Ramallah also explores his union with respected Egyptian scholar Radwa Ashour, detailing the arduous circumstances that compelled them to endure a separation of 17 years while raising their son Tamim. The narrative is haunted by the tragic truth of Mounif Barghouti, the author's older brother, meeting an unexpected and brutal end in Paris. For Barghouti, his brother's death symbolizes the agonizing intersection of personal and political aspects in the lives of Palestinians.
I Saw Ramallah also chronicles additional instances of brutal deaths. The assassination of the renowned cartoonist, Naji al-All, who had a strong friendship with Barghouti, is discussed in multiple locations, along with the killing of Ghassan Kanafani in Beirut. Barghouti's portrayal of these relationships evokes a profound sense of sadness and has a strong emotional impact. He avoids dramatization and instead depends on a deep compassion.
Even amidst the horrifying situation, he manages to discover small moments of love and humor. The inclusion of these life-affirming elements adds a sense of maturity and profundity to this memoir.
I Saw Ramallah is a perceptive and eloquently written work that unapologetically explores the sense of normalcy and enjoyment that may be found even in exile. His level of honesty in explaining the reality is remarkable
The most notable aspect of I Saw Ramallah which received the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature in Egypt, is its original composition in a language other than English. The translation by Egyptian novelist Ahdaf Soueif is not only persuasive, but also exhibits elegance and, occasionally, astonishment. Soueif, who composes her works in the English language, has rendered an irreplaceable contribution by presenting us with this uncomplicated yet poignant literary masterpiece. It enhances our comprehension, humanizes our perception.
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