Marrakech Series | Musical Chairs | An impromptu tour of the Kasbah leads me back to questions around the nature of North African street socials. It has been a thing and continues to be a thing since the region’s pre and post colonial liberation periods. Men drag their wooden stools and ideas from corner to corner in pursuit of a conversation. They speak of politics and daily struggles, family woes and causes for celebration. Depending on cultural and religious etiquette,Read more
Month: February 2018
Book
Recommended reading on poets that speak hybrid languages: bint il neel I no surprise it was your father started it taught you allah’s word and said sing daughter sing a bird you sang from your belly to soar over all of egypt in the delta’s villages muwlads weddings ramadan breakfasts you flew your voice no surprise it was god started it put a burning in your mouth and said open up and sing you were young and a novelty voiceRead more
Poem
Re: Process of writing poetry | The Journey Not the Destination | (Bismillah*) When I don’t understand a magical inquisition is ignited (courageux*) soul search search engine sweet wonder yonder ponder test but not judge see yet practice empathy pick up book put it down naturally curious enlightened yet delirious tabs virtual bookmark physical bookmark stop writing cross it out start again trace it in (Ya Allah*) when I don’t Understand a magical inquisition is ignited (suffisent*) either way (AlRead more
Photograph
Sti Fatma Series | The Very Real Side of Tourist Entertainment | My mother and I find ourselves serenaded bank side of a waterfall footpath as we tuck into lunch in the middle of a hiking excursion of the Sti Fatma mountains. The sound is upbeat and airy, with the thud of the bendir (frame drum) played by the gentlemen on the right. In full traditional attire (or Djelleba as they call it locally in most Moroccan regions) he nodsRead more
Poem
Re: the vagabonds we meet in travel |It Was Nice Knowing You | She was fascinated by anybody’s ability to capture emotion in spoken or written word a systematic lyric or a consuming melody what a gift to decipher what a joy to be as precise as traveling light and sound frequencies gravitational pulls that keep us grounded when we have nothing left (walou*) but the love we must give to another under these flickering street lights a broken heartRead more
Book
Recommended reading on the theme of alternative narratives to popular Western literature and a counter novel of Albert Camus’ The Stranger from an Algerian perspective: Mama’s still alive today. She doesn’t say anything now, but there are many tales she could tell. Unlike me: I’ve rehashed this story in my head so often, I almost can’t remember it anymore. I mean, it goes back more than half a century. It happened, and everyone talked about it. People still do, butRead more
Poem
Re: Social Displacement | Finding Yasmine | Wish I was called something earthy something flirty something alternative not alternatively spelt so I don’t have to explain the missing J missing May spring bloom when I am supposed to be as pretty and fragrant as my name. Image: Motorcycle Migration and Baggage, Tassoultante, Morocco. Copyright © 2018 Yasmine Bendjoudi. All rights reserved.Read more
Yasmine Bendjoudi 