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5/1/1983 - A Village Wedding by Kenneth Cline

INSTITUTE OF CUKKENT WOELD AFAIK American Express haria Kasr E1 Nil illage Wedding Cairo Egypt May Peter Bird Martin Institute Current World fairs Wheelock House Wes Wheelock Street Hanover N H 03755 Dear Peter There I kinds wedding celebratiens Upper Egyptian villages decorous rowdy I recently opportunity witness decorous The invitation Ali driver during three seeing Luxor Although clothes short spare frame galabiyah All westernSzed university student Egypt With fluent command English French learned entirely tourists Ali relaxed around foreigners their level During The winter works groups Luxor summer hires himself driver conducting tourists around West iquitis So practice working But there something extra personal rapport It belief All seeks genuine friendships foreigners I consider friend On particular evening All invited young German couple attend wedding celebration Gezira QurRa Island Qurna Qurna major village acroms Luxor Our first house where Ali lives Nagat daughter Sana Gezira Berat between Nile ferry monuments Berat Shahhat villager subject Richard Critchfield Shahhat Ali nephew Shahhat mother 0mmohamed Like other houses village I Ali walls floors sporteda television arrived family neighbr watching Egyptian domestic melodrama Nagat kitchen since spoke foreign languages participation hobnobbing foreigners All explained operas A young woman scheduled marry another Her family arranged marriage their choice But woman father pposed choice deeming young unsuitable The esinin the_iuaion hvios zhhedauhter Kereth Cline Village Reporting Fellow Institute studying Egyptian peasantry L C anguished father grave suitors iindicated program would eventually father daughter seeing error As explained government Egyptian elevision state owned operatedl likes shore public ality inforcing Father Knows Best customs Butthe trend newdays people marry rather family reasons I village determined marry family likely intervene The edding about witness match arranged although neither family objected Ali We drove through narroW twisting lanes village suitable donkey travel Ali P edRenault station wagon ceremony story house Several benches placed front house About sipping smoking cigarettes chatting With walls other houses enclosing space other sides effect courtyard flood electric lights A about upright microphone erecte front ofthe gatherL The bench slpping inevitable I asked A served He replied going The describe particul ceremony religious But village weddings religious That night there Wa another celebration house featuring alcohol A objection hashish taken moderate quantities But disapproved drinking weddings He referred people otherparty dirty He their drinking would produce rowdiness ighting It obvious thanothing would happen party There pervasive sense politeness decorum The groom elatives greeted newcomers escorted their seats The their benches walkin sticks close wearing their galabiyahs known white piece cloth rapped around obstruct looking preparing listen sermon which Women usual conspicuously absent A preteen girls ground children front stage there women benches Later leaving found women sitting groups along Although could courtyard action ublic address system would When questioned about segregation Ali women having their party I still women missing something because singer brought entertain villagers isually aurally magnetic Known first Jamal singer Isna about 60kilometers Nile famous having performed since child Ali Probably early travelled piece backup singers musicians All Jamal would receive LE about night seems So little I mawoder separately would perform neighboring village following night With dapper clothes finely sculptured jamal certainly picture dignified elegance contrasting sharply rough farmer types listening Egyptian galabiyahs little baggy robes althouh quality cloth But Jamal galabiyah hemmed closely fithis short slender The color purest A orange scarf sides waist But packaging voice rideseent varieties pitch Jamal voice could communicate soaring ass_ion plummeting pathos someoneu nders A Ali religious songs Called Islam exhorting people lives CertaLuly performance remLnded go_el along anything because Jamal response routine audience He would warble curia phrase enormous dramatic intensity effect which squeezing water towel pause Stroking cheek throat while audience shouted hamdu praise toGod assalamaleiy gowithpeace orjst The bongos tamborine maintained lively rhythm Jamal phrases accordion player added excruciatingly mournful dreamy fills It struck older seemed appreciate younger Where younger lounged about benches smoking cigarettes occasionally smirking their buddies vociferous urging Jamal One patriarch Turkish pasha mustache nearly besides himself enthusiasm everal times bounded thrust Jamal doing shouting Jamal audience All translated these outbursts A child should trust should trust mother Sing again trust On other there young rushed Jamal money And groom young relatives ecstasy constantly walkinback forth front stage beaming laughing Neither bride groom appearance while there which about shortly after midnight According Ali their separate houses listening proceed Lngs The bride house facing courtyard right angle At midnight bride would leave husband house All This would actually commence their married _althouh official papers signed earlier All coupl might appearance party could promise Whether showed would relive night future years because several taping Jamal performance large cassette recorders After midnight began One breathtaking rudeness kicked motorcycle where Jamal still singing Jamal looked pained several disgusted young bench miscreant could manmuver courtyard Eoaing After All party would Jamal would singing until guests probably until German couple I decided leave But there before reached hotel One Ali friends earlier invited supper house unfortunanly already eaten hotel asked again Siyeed worked mornings guard edinet Habu RamSes mortuary temple afternoon built houses Accerding Ali mostm villag worked When Siyeed introduced immediately disappeared kitchen cacari sweet cherry colored drink alocal flower The Eive oniyeed swell cshionedcouches nairsandtriedte conversation It tough Sitting there lanky outstretched rather mournful absently about Siyeed seemed guest The problem could another language I tried couple times asking question through Ali madeilittle progress So All German couple I drank cacari mostly talked among ourselves English The I encountered Siyeed edinet Habu I greeted sabah kheer morning But asked ticket owaved through It possible trecognized I dressed diffe rently But assuming recognized which I think likely I still puzzle souree original burst hospitality So I noticed three beasts burden Egyptian villages camel amosa buffalo donkey Of thmee donkey common sight A camel useful carrying heavy bricks example buffalo proper element harnessed sauia waterwheel But nothing beats dnkey carrying produce field market Having ridden donkey Delta village I amazed single minded One animal Looking neither right maintains steady rapid direction youpointed You practically front beast Apparmntly donkey independent discovered while walking Nile ferry I theemnon Colossi massive stone igures sitting etermity honor Amenhoep II I flurry movement across canal right A black donkey trotting along between canal sugarcane fields sugarcane harvest Luxor He purposeful about passed headed towards western desert mountains urther behind mustachioed white alabiyah walked quickly holding black strap AS passed broke amiable concerned Both donkey disappeared vegetation By donkey tearing followed minutes later The donkey manmuvered around animals field grazed minute pushed He rossed canal bridge paved ahaut ahead Of turned direction A sitting undera field donkey passed started waving shouting implying I should bring beast I planted myself firmly donkey myself llision course looming poLuted The donkey broke stride I meant business immediately plunged embankment I scrambled after flurry rocks donkey galloped reach broad green expase clover field looked embankment jogging along heading towards mountains He laughed waved I waved After climbing embankment I leave descend embankment begin through field where donkey enjoying afternoon lunch Stealthily creepLug strap approached withLu anima before thedonkey bolted swung around dssed across field clattered embankment resumed journey about quarter where I still standing surely cudidate Peachtree Road Race dutifully jogged after The thing I could specks distance white still black ascending colored hiXls Gurnet hamlet Ali Mice story I related He which I along authentic rural Egyptian Aman owned donkey hopeIessly recalcitrant In despair production animal leekd about noticed which benzene faster Oe appeared filling station donkey ordered attendant benzene donkey The attendant pointed donkey lackeda pointed animal backside benzene should there So attendant stuck nozzle backside filled benzene As kicked donkey action animal filling station bullet throwi ground The thought himself Z going catch donkey filling station ordered attendant place Later fellow villagers still looking donkey Racing cried Forget about donkey match Even though Luxor boasts greatest collection temples tombs Egypt Aen Egypt elusive fragile butterfly modern setting There commercial hands trying capture The Valley Nobles wonderful paintings everMday Pharaonic times farmers collecting their harvests women listening blind harpist colors applied yesterday But paintings ganle clamoring trinket peddlers rusting their crude figurines gilded jewelry At monuments guards rarely leave alone their constant efforts wheedle baksheesh Th favorite trick point inscription cartouche Ramses thereby exhausting their knowledgeof Egyptolegy exigent One guard Ramesseum Ramses mortuary temple insult Arabic I money Look buddy I shouted grabbing wrist I bought ticket I right You tourist police His anasif I sorry emphatic sincere At least alone In villages modern conveniences trucks radios televisions Toshiba Far slipping Pha times pobably watch Dallas which image western women country But there morning staying hotels Both actually village guesthouss Ali supposed excursion monuments awoke early around breeze rushing through window kiled desire sleep After torrid languor previous afternoon breeze resurrection I walked outside courtyard asthe first light Red Sea peeked desert escarpment gently glided Nile Valley dusky misty verdure valley astonishingo I thenunderstood passionate attachment Egyptians always their leaving strip giving slicing hrough wasteland Why ramble through distant lands tended garden paradise2 courtyard I figures walkiz nrrow paths heifields thought their acestors through millenia began their Ad intoxicatingly fresh whished through fronds trees rtled leaves henna bushes sense companionship Colossi about touched through their sightless stone first itnessed years before Received Hanover