Last Thursday (January 6), history was made when Saudi Arabian poet Nimah Ismail Nawwab held a book signing at Jarir Bookstore in the port city of Jeddah. Poetry has historically played a central role in the culture of the Arabian peninsula, going back to pre-Islamic times. But Nawwab's public book signing marked the first ever by a female poet - and seems to have inspired other young Saudi women:
Lama Younes, 21, a senior student also at Effat College, was extremely happy as she proudly showed off the copy with the author’s signature and message. “This event serves as an encouragement for all ambitious women,” she said. “I believe Nimah is a role model and I am happy that we’ve a voice that can speak on behalf of all women. This will also motivate all of us to pursue our dream project,” said Lama, a photographer who is preparing for her own exhibition of photographs.
Nawwab's new book of poetry (published in English) is called "The Unfurling" and covers hot topics like freedom, women, family, culture, faith, tradition, and change. Learn more about Nawwab here (includes her email address). Some of Nawwab's poems are available online, including "The Ambush", "Adored Essence," "The Streets of Makkah," and "Banishment." Also, listen to Nawwab read "The Longing," which is excerpted below:
Freedom.
How her spirit
Haunts,
Hooks,
Entices us all!
Freedom,
Will the time come
For my ideas to roam
Across this vast land’s deserts,
Through the caverns of the Empty Quarter?
For my voice to be sent forth,
Crying out in the stillness of a quiet people,
A voice among the voiceless?
For my thoughts, that hurl around
In a never-ending spiral,
To settle
To mature, grow and flourish
In a barren wasteland of shackled minds?
Will my spirit be set free—
To soar above the undulating palm fronds?
Will my essence and heart be unfettered,
Forever
Freed,
Of man-made Thou Shall Nots?
Hopefully, Nawwab's reading will prompt an unfurling of its own in Saudi Arabian society, prompting a new generation of women to express and assert themselves publicly.
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