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 في حب الحجاره ومتزوقي - الحجاره In Love of Stones and Stones-Testers
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خلفيه:
تقريبا في اواخر عام 2003م نادت علي زوجتي لحضور النشره السودانيه في التلفزيون قائلة ان هنالك خبر عن خزان الحمداب... ومن عادتي ان لا اشاهد التلفزيون السوداني إلا نادرا... ولا اتابع النشره بل اكرها لانها تسبب لي ارتفاع في ضغط الدم... خاصة وقد شبعت من كذب الحكومات السودانيه لعقود من الزمن... وعلي اثر مناداتي ذهبت انتظر الخبر واتابع الاكاذيب في ملل بالغ... واخيرا جاء الخبر...
كان الخبر متعلقا بزياره قام بها بعض الوزراء من الخرطوم الي موقع الخزان... والي هنا والامر عادي ... وحقيقة لا يوجد خبر يستحق التغطيه ... ولكنه الحال كبقية الاخبار في نشرة تلفزيون السودان... غير ان موفد التلفزيون المرافق للوزراء قام وسال احد الوزراء ( احتفظ باسمه) عن رايه وكذا... غير ان الرجل وبدلا من ان يقول كلاما طيبا.. قام واشبع ارضنا شتيمة دون سبب... ( متاثرا طبعا بالبور البلقع ذلك الوهم الذي ذهب ادراح الرياح)... واستشطت غضبا، وحيره إذ لماذا يشتم هذا الرجل ارضنا دون سبب.. متهكما علي كل ضخورنا وحجارتنا ومزدريا لها... ونسي الرجل في جهله ان الحكومه ما اتت لارضنا إلا لانها تبحث عن (حجر) لتنبي عليه خزانها... إذ من نافلة القول أن لولا ذلك الحجر لما كان قيام الخزان ممكنا ابتداء... وفي شدة انفعالي لم تخزلني قريحي في الدفاع عن ارضنا وصخورنا.. فنحن قوم نصادق الصخور ونربيها ونعيش عليها وتعرفنا ونعرفها، تحمينا ونحميها وتحبنا ونحبها.... ورغم تسفاري في بلاد الله الواسعه لم اجد قط اجمل من تلك الحجاره وتلك الصخور الطيبه المعطاءه... وما اجملها وهي الان ستغير واقع السودان كما تزعم الحكومه...ولكنهم رغم كل ذلك يزدرونها ويتهكمون عليها... يا له من جهل... كان عليهم ان ينصبوا لها تمثالا في اكبر الميادين ( بالمناسبه هو في ميادين عامه في السودان؟) لتلك الصخور التي ستنير دياجير الظلام في السودان...
وجاءت Stone- Testers كرد علي ذلك الوزير الجهلول الذي لا يعرف كما اتضح من حديثه معني للارض والارتباط بها...
وهذه عديتي لكم وارجو ان تخفف عنكم الغربه ولو قليلا...
In Love of Stones
and Stone-Testers
The Government of Sudan seemed determined to inundate our land to generate electricity! For the Government those stones of the Manasir area are good for nothing but electricity generation! For The Manasir the story is different.
Here is a short brief reflecting on more than five thousands years relation with those stones and rocks (our home)).
xxxx
From the stones we build our houses, on them we cook our food, and sometimes put a big jar under a shadow of a tree to cool water so that whoever passes –by can drink free of charge.
under a shadowless tree
jubilant we rush to rest
half in the sun
half in the dust
xxxx
under the moribund tree
we set the soul free
obstinate we are,
to sweltering degree
xxxx
across the crispy sand
there is nothing to watch
shapeless stones
are part of the swatch
xxxx
the shadow of the rocks
chases the sun mirage
the single camel that passed
was the only entourage
xxxx
the water in the jar
continues to leak
the resonance of the leak
is our guitar
and no body’s tweak
xxxx
indefiniteness of the sand
the heat from the hell
rocks won’t stand
the emptiness of nature
the useless of the hand
the lawless of the law
the forgotten below
are part of the land
xxxx
when the heat becomes
unbearable at all
when the sun drops
to the height of the tall
when the heat engulfs
the body and the soul
the tiny life moves
into withdrawal
……………
To the stones we hook our animal, or use them as spring- board to mount them. From the stones we build water terraces on the shallow part of the river to make siltation behind them. To those in the middle of the Nile, we compete swimming during the mid-day break, so who gets to the tip first, as if has conquered the world.
When we quarrel with stones, we cultivate them as other people do to a fertile piece of land, though; we use some of them to help gets water to the remote ones. We do love them, so we keep them watered all the time. Some time we water them though there is no crop on them, just to ensure that they remain alive.
Occasionally, we sit down on them, and later play “Siegga” with the baby ones. Sometimes, we throw them to hit the old un-harvested date tree. Dry and hard we eat the drops.
dry and hard
we eat the drops
fresh from the tree
we eat the drops
my teeth start to hurt
no way, I can’t stop
try another hit
we want more drops
can’t you stop to eat
for a while you can wait
we don’t have a feast
it just few drops
we gonna hit again
to get the rest of the crop
all free of charge
it just few drops
tomorrow is another day
and life wont stop
just few drops
hard as stone
no salad or ketchup
xxxx
we lay down to drink
from the water pass-way
our faces in the water
carry the stains of the clay
we want to hang around
we want a rock to play
………
Later on, we move to wash our clothes on another friend rock on the riverside. Upon finishing the wash, we move on to swim.
on the top of the cliff
we play push and jump
free from clothes
clean from the sins
we just jump
together we stand
divided as we jump
in the fresh water
we always jump
welcome to the Nile
the pool of everyone
welcome to jump
we jump all the day
all the day we jump
shouting in the air
or wait to be succumb
we just jump
welcome to the Nile
all other places
are just dump
we just jump and jump
all the day we jump
……
On the stones we play football. Sometimes we get hurt, though wicked it might be, but we remain friends.
stones are very useful
as one can find
youngsters use them
as their goal signs
these are hard and difficult
to find
equal in weight width and height
the heavier the weight the
harder for farmers to steal
xxx
we go around all day
to choose stone
a lot of stone testers
will have a say
when they finally agree
we bring them all the way
some farmers steal them
straight away
some people steal stones
never care if kids play
some people steal stones
I don’t know if that can be!
Xxxx
As there are so many stones and rocks in the area, we use them as borders signs between themselves. The ones we use as signs are the luckiest ones. They become sacred and out- date other ones.
Due to the great love, some of our ancestors owned hills named after them. Though, useless it may look, but the love of the land can only be true when sticking to it and it has no value on the market books.
stones are not always bad
we use to demarcate
our prayers yard
when we got drunk
we keep distance away
or hundred yards
xxxx
very reliable,
as they have always been
they never disclose the secret
the stones have seen everyone
the stones have seen everything
they never disclose the secret
they never said what had been
though they know everything
they never said anything
……
In fact, by de facto, all the people of the area are excellent stones testers. If you don’t know the skill, you won’t make a living. One of the earliest talents that kids develop is the stone testing ability, i.e. which one suit which job?
Stone –testing is a well developed technique by which people have managed to survive. The community has over the years drawn its strength for continuity by furthering its knowledge of stone-testing science. This talent has been subjected to a critical test during the early years of the nineties, when people were burdened with heavy taxes and additional land was needed. I went visiting my village in 1994 after along period of absence, to my amazement, I noticed that a known huge rock located in the middle of the limited cultivable land was no longer there! When I enquired about it, I was told ‘ Oh.., we just knew how to get it down.” Before leaving the village in mid-eighties many schools of thoughts among local stone testers were involved – mainly – at theoretical level in what to do to get that gigantic rock down and completely remove it to open up a piece of land not more than 10 square meter. Occasionally, when a conflicting and outrageous idea emerges a group of well recognised stone-testers visit the site to decide on its applicability. In most cases such group of experts agrees on the partial applicability of the idea and resolves for further investigations. Such was the situation in the village where most of the hopes of young farmers depend on turning rocks into cultivable piece of land. By 1994 the time of my visit, a ready to harvest beautiful sorghum crop was covering the area in the place of that notorious rock.
From the stones we get fertilizers. This is the main task of prominent stone- testers. They normally go hanging at the outskirts of the villages among rocks and come back with their donkeys burdened with natural fertilizers. Stone – Tester who discovered the source of fertilizers, normally has the right to use the source as much as he needs. Once he has done, it becomes communal and all farmers flock to the place for free input. In no case the Tester is allowed to keep secret his discovery.
on big stones
we store our harvest
whether sorghum,
dates or wheat
it is always in the open air
birds animal or else
can freely have their share
xxxx
we use stones ,
to cross the many
water cascades
carefully we cross
sometimes we fall
all over wet
we get up and laugh
and continue to cascade
xxxx
under the shadow of the rock
we wait for other to flock
conspiring a lot
the stones know all the lot
the stones never tell
nor the secret is disclosed
the stones know everyone
……
The stones go deep in our life. When we get married our mums and sisters crush the dry sandal and ( mahlab) on them officially announcing the wedding preparations .On them we hold our parties. The beautiful young girls don’t hesitate to dance. Sometimes the groom stretches his legs on a piece of rock while waiting for ‘Hinnah’ to dry. As we do love stones, the groom shares his ‘Hinnah’ with the rocks.
Oh.. Um Ahmed ‘duggi’ (Al mahlab)
play and dance
and take a chance
stone-testers have no class
all are welcome to eat
and dance
stone-testers have no class
some are welcome
in open doors
some are welcome
behind doors
young and old, will
share a glass
drink local, not molasses
stone testers have no class
the meat is good
and first class
the weather is hot,
the stones are dark
stone-testers will disembark
xxxx
the stone are red dark or green
some are white like jasmine
the stone can be oval or flat
sorry we can’t play the dart
scared as we are
from a tit for tat
xxxx
the social use of stones is also reflected in stones clubs. These chatting clubs normally take place on top of rocks which are submerged on one side by the Nile waters while dry on the outer side. These clubs are normally active during holidays and religious celebrations when the out migrants return for the celebration with their families. Members of these clubs include universities and high schools students, unmarried town based employees together with their friends and local counterparts. Members of the clubs sit down mainly to watch the sunset and pay tribute to a hot and hard day that has gone by for good.
not very far away,
on the surface of the water
a pair of duck flies away
away away they fly
quack .. quack they passed by
they never reach the sky
their echo won’t die
neither they gone
nor they sigh
they turn back and come
to say hi hi
xxxx
disturbing the calm water
they safely landed
the sooner they are gone
they both fly
the higher they have reached
they gone really high
up up they go
they reach’d the sky
neither scared
nor saying goodbye
it is the joy of welcome,
and the joy is high
xxxx
on the shoulders of the hills
the lazy moon starts to rise
all the heat is gone
the stones become disguise
birds are quite
a young fox cries
the soft light comes
as the moon arises
we can’t see the water
swarm of butterflies
a cold wind blows
as if from paradise
……
Stone clubs are normally good places for local stone-testers to discuss the broad lines of their future plans. They normally ask for advice and tell their counterparts about types of failures and success encountered in their stone –testing career so far. However, a stone clubs remain primarily a socialising place as their members normally end –up planning for the rest of the night. Clubs also act as the favourite places for youngster’s gossip, wedding, engagements, divorce and latest love stories. All types of these social encounters have been narrated on the top of the rocks for hundred years.
the stones know everything
but they won’t tell anything
Part of stone-tester job is to select stones that can be used as ( Sabaloka) to help irrigate the (jarf) land which is hard to level. Most of the farmers, who normally share the basics of stone testing, do the job on their own. However some farmers who don’t have enough knowledge of the Sabaloka theory, normally ask a professional stone testers for help. On his part the professional stone-tester sees the call as a chance to prove his skills, show dexterity and silence critics. Stone –tester who undertakes such job, normally does it free of charge. In some cases the job is done to prove mastership, strengthens an existing friendship or develops a new one.
The Sabaloka technology remains a profession dominated by young stone-testers. The elders professional would have already performed similar jobs many times and need no further recognition.
A lot of farming in the area depends to a greater extent on Sabaloka technology and Sabaloka fixing. If the Sabaloka doesn’t allow the smooth passing of the water, the water level will inevitably rise in the main canal originating from the water pump. If this happens, the water will soon overflow the canal sides and eventually wash them away. Therefore, fixing the Sabaloka is a key component in stone-testing science. Any stone-tester who fails the Sabaloka test has to drop his aspirations for professionalism.
One of the main characteristics of stone-testers is that, they won’t leave their farms until stones turn hot. Those who go home before stones are hot are considered lazy and non-productive. Consequently their stone –testing ability will be subjected to argument.
no matter how the heat maybe
stone-testers will adapt
as long as stone may live
the testers will react
it takes what it gives
and gives what it takes
with stones and rocks we live
we do enjoy snuff,
sometimes we spliff
fantastic on the river bank
it takes what it gives
it gave us stones and rocks
we are the stoners tanks
stones are living creatures
though not many will forgive
it takes what it gives
xxxxxx
Unlike all other people on earth we believe that stones can be grown. In fact growing stones and rocks is a wide spread practice in the area. The farmers, particularly those who own land in the jarf, which is subjected to erosion during floods time, are well known stone-growers. Depending on the location of the land – whether near a wadi’s ( a seasonal water course) discharge or far a way; the type of stones growing changes. Any tester can tell the difference. These seasonal torrential waters are prime source of inspiration for stone-testers. When any water course ( wadi) discharges itself into the Nile, stone-testers flock and scramble to watch forces of nature fighting. Stone-testers draw much of their experiences watching the violent waters fighting with rocks. The uproar generated by the fight of nature forces is the best music testers enjoy.
we sit down to watch
water hitting like an earthquake
strong the rocks stand
they are genuine not fake
the water won’t give up
neither learn from mistakes
the fight rages on
but the water soon breaks
xxxxxx
Genrally, the people see stones growing as an unworthy thing to do. If you grow stone it implies that one day you have to uproot it to avoid over siltation in the jarf land which turns it (un)- irrigable.
to grow or not to grow
is not the same
when it comes to stones
after long years of wait
the harvest can be sour
we won’t grow stones
we won’t grow stones
they don’t give a damn
to waters or pontoon
we won’t grow stones
they neither make you rich
nor take you to the moon
they won’t have kids
neither be reborn
it is a hard thing to do
no benefit was ever borne
we won’t waste time
to reproduce stone
no such thing can be
everybody has known
stone can’t be grown
between the shadow
and the sun
we sit down to moan
they won’t listen to us
neither they groan
stone can’t be grown
if you love the stone
you r’ welcome to join
take whatever you want
they don’t cost a coin
all stones we have
are clean and virgin
we won’t trade them in
for the folly and made in
all stone are virgin
they have always been virgin
we won’t abuse them
‘cause they are part of us
we won’t throw them away
they belong to us
when we bury the dead
we put stone to cover
durable to the end
we r’ quite certain
all stones are virgin
no matter what you do
stones remain virgin
the stones belong to us
other don’t know the value
it won’t be fair
to try to value
it is the place we rest
when tired of life
we sleep in the open air
other sneak to drive
we won’t go anywhere
we will strife
long live the life
long live the life
long live the life
long live the life
[LEFT/]
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Asskouri
فيس بوك
تويتر
انستقرام
يوتيوب
بنتيريست