“Defeat Saadak” and “Good Morning”.. Navigating Tripoli and its dialect

The Friends of Theater Forum in Bakir Street hosted, over the past two days, a critical symposium organized by the Libyan Society for Arts and Literature, on the books “Your Saadak and Her Sisters” by the writer Farida Al-Hajjaji, and “Good Morning Tripoli” by the writer Jamuna Madi, published by Dar Al-Rowad, during which research papers were presented by the writers Youssef. Al-Ghazal, Asmaa Al-Usta, and Ahlam Al-Kamishi, directed by Professor Amal Sassi.

In the context of her talk about the book “Good Morning Tripoli,” researcher Asma Al-Usta pointed out that the year 1987 witnessed the issuance of Resolution 290, which prohibits the writing of the colloquial dialect in Libyan newspapers. This is one of the reasons why proverbs and songs of knowledge and heritage in all its diversity were absent from newspapers by virtue of prohibiting the publication of the colloquial dialect. By virtue of her residence in Tripoli, the writer Jamaouna was able to collect many pictures of her surroundings and precious proverbs, and supplemented them with poems she wrote, documented in her aforementioned book.

Customs and traditions
Al-Usta mentioned part of what the writer mentioned in her publication, saying, “The old city has narrow streets and wide hearts. Memory opens the locks of its doors, which are on the verge of oblivion.” In another description of one of the merchants, she says, “The old man got up, trembling in his yellow suit, searching for his glasses… and she continues: Then he opened the door of his shop.” The distress that cannot bear the presence of two together.”

She added that Jamouna was able to document part of the customs and traditions of the ancient city, as well as the details of the doors and their handles, in addition to her narration of the world of girls and their skill in mastering some handicrafts such as embroidery, etc.

She also stopped in her book about the pioneers and pioneers of the ancient city, and the first teachers who taught her the art of sewing, such as Mrs. Kamila Al-Qara Manli, Nermin Ben Arhouma, and she did not miss examining the difference between the robes of Jewish and Arab women, as the former is distinguished by the presence of a square design while the latter is distinguished by lines.

It demonstrated the researcher’s ability to trace the development of the city’s social history and monitor its features at events and parties, documented by the names of well-known figures such as Al-Taher Zaqlot, the most famous bridal decorator in Tripoli, as well as her documentation of the prevailing musical custom in each period and the names of its artists, along with the diversity of the recipient’s taste and the fashion of using electronic devices available at all times, reflecting the spirit of And the culture of that time.

Artistic memory
She added that the writer Jamaouna developed her memory on the songs of the artists Salam Qadri, Muhammad Al-Jaziri, Abdul Latif Haweel, Khaled Saeed, Ali Al-Qabroun, and in addition to mentioning the names of the actors as well, she stops at the character of Saeed Al-Nalouti, who is the father of the painter Ali Qana, and the owner of a café known as Saeed Café located at the bottom of the tower. The hour, and it does not miss linking writers and authors with their places of residence, such as the writer Ali Fahmi Khushim, who lives in “Shalaka” street, and the poet Ali Sedqi Abdel Qader in “Ashmal” street.

In her paper, researcher Asma Al-Usta moved on to talk about the book “Tah Saadak and her Sisters,” commenting on the phrase “Vocabularies of the Libyan Dialect” as being a Tripoli dialect and not a Libyan dialect because the latter means comprehensive of all the vocabulary of the cities and regions of the country, which does not apply to the content of the book’s material, in addition to listing some Proverbs without referring to the source, and she also praised Al-Hajjaji’s ability to describe the aesthetics of “Al-Hosh Tripoli” in its details.

Self-vision
Journalist Ahlam Al-Kumaishi said in her paper that the two books represent a model of documentation with a personal vision, as the first, “Tah Saadak and Her Sisters,” monitors the dialect spoken in the city of Tripoli, while the second, “Good Morning Tripoli,” examines the places, flags, and social rituals prevalent at that time.

Stopping at the author of “Tayh Saadak,” she points out the beauty of the phrase of his introduction, in which Al-Hajjaji says, “To Libya, which I left one day and did not leave me for a moment,” as an emotional feeling that combines today and the moment. Al-Kamishi does not hide her observations about the title of the book, as it represents a subject of astonishment for her, as the sentence deviates from The usual or common style, it is a phrase used to criticize someone in his presence and address him in a dry manner, and it also summarizes the content of praying against him for lack of luck.

She added that the context of the documented social material is identical to the cover painting by the late artist Mohamed Al-Zawawi of a woman sitting in front of a mirror holding a file that she passes over her tongue, which means that her session will be full of backbiting and gossip. The book constitutes a revelation of the reality of the meaning of words and their uses, especially what relates to the world of women or what happens in sessions. Women’s.

Al-Kamishi presented a number of comparisons, citations, and interviews included in the book between the word, its meaning, and the stages of its development in the social field.

A book that never gets boring
The writer Youssef Al-Ghazal describes the publication of “Good Morning Tripoli” as a book that does not tire, as the writer documented in it aspects of social and cultural anthropology. It can also be classified as something similar to comprehensive autobiographical literature, as it makes time and place a topic in the book, as it deals with people’s lives and the memory of the place. Jamouna reviews on The first-person narrator tells the stages of her life and details of the environment she experienced in the old city.

Al-Ghazal included excerpts from zajal texts in which the writer sings of her love for Tripoli, expressing her longing and nostalgia for her hometown, and by mentioning some beautiful songs from the sixties, he comments by saying: “The song is the natural storehouse of expressions, and the writer’s task lies in making the word alive with the progression of time,” adding The development of the meaning of words requires us to keep up with their meanings, understand them, and understand the backgrounds of the names they bear.

He presented part of what the writer documented of extinct phenomena and street vendors, such as “the seller of orchids, beans, roses, safflowers, and Indian figs,” in addition to her discussion of children’s songs such as “This is a lamp and a lamp,” “O moon of my glory, travel and come,” which are songs that shaped the conscience of the artists Mohamed Sidqi.

Ahmed Sami and others, in which the artists embodied the state of representation between their reality and their culture.

Al-Ghazal believes, when referring to the book “Taha Saadak,” that the author wanted the title to broadcast Libyan specificity, and that its material talks about Libya specifically, and in its content it undermines the prevailing familiarity. It also brings us closer to the issue of the differences in vocabulary among them at the local level on the one hand, and draws a mental comparison with its counterparts on the other hand. Arab level.

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