December 201020

“... to mature, grow and flourish in a barren wasteland of shackled

minds” - The Longing

Nimah Ismail Nawwab had a privileged upbringing – and we are not talking materialistic comforts.

Born to parents with eclectic taste, who were ahead of their time in terms of attitude and convic-tions, they provided the foundation on which Nimah could build her future.

A published poet, descended from a long line of Makkan scholars, Nimah is unafraid to sound her opinions, however controversial they might be. At the same time, she is willing to see the opposing point of view. Like she does on the niqab (veil).

“Has she missed a prayer?Has she been a disobedient daughter?Cheated, lied, stolen,

Beaten a child, an animal, been cruel to another soul?

What did she do?Her scarf slipped,An unforgiveable transgression,In the eyes of the controller.”

Gentleness Stirred

Nimah does not wear the niqab, neither does her mother who lives in Makka. She has strong view of cultural practices overshadowing religious ones. Yet, in another poem in the collection Unfurling she tries present the view from behind the veil.

“Some think I am hidingUnderneath my long black cloak---Does my cloak, my masked visage

Long viewed by outsiders with pity,Barricade me from the world?Or does it open up vistas of wonder...”

The Hidden Layers

She was invited by VCU-Q to speak to and interact with the students. The above was one of the poems that came up for discussion. The kind of emotions and views that the veil elicits is amazing, says Nimah.

“I was trying to envision what it was like for wom-en who do cover their faces. It is just not about the physical, but all the emotional aspects of niqab. At that time, I didn’t have a single friend who wore the niqab, so it was challenging to write about it.”

But in this poem, the niqab is spoken of as a mat-ter of choice, but is it really? “When I talk to them, it is amazing, how many have made that choice. Each individual has a reason. For some it’s family or soci-etal pressure, some it is a choice, some it is religious. The last I have my reservations about – but there are

worldwidewomen

A Journey

Through PoeTry

Saudi poet Nimah ismail Nawwab SpeakS of her paSSionS outSide of poetry and the art of giving. in converSation with

VaNi saraswathi.

2010 December 21

different schools of thought on that. Even in the Hajj you are not expected to cover you face – but you see them veiled, and it’s very strange.

“It’s a matter of choice – whether it’s the veil, the abhaya or the hijab.”

In the generation her mother came from, it was not the norm to be unveiled. Yet, she chose to do so. Her mother, she says, was ahead of her times in more ways than one.

“I don’t want to use the word ‘progressive’. But it’s little things – she exposed us to healthy food, she was into exercising, was a teacher before she got married. She lived abroad with my father, who was a professor (in Edinburgh, after which he returned to Saudi Arabia and joined the private sector).”

Her mother has also affected Nimah in another major manner that defines who she is today.

“Over 25 years she has been volunteering every day. She would spend time either at a hospital or with orphans or volunteering as an art teacher. I am into volunteering as well – particularly youth empower-ment. I headed relief efforts in Jeddah, when there was a huge flood, combining the efforts of various groups, because I was very much into organising, and I like structure. This helped me mentor a lot of the young people. I identified the strengths of the volun-teers, and channelled them in the right direction.”

She relates this passion to growing up with a mother who believed in giving.

“That comes from belonging to a middle class fam-ily. We were not rich. My father is a self-made man.”

Her parents have been the most important influ-ence in her life. “I owe my parents everything. I may have moved on, but the seeds were planted by them. I know I am doing that as a parent now. My father exposed me to writing - he used to read Shake-speare to me. He exposed me to classical music, to photography.”

She realises the kind of mentoring that her parents extended to her is not freely available to a large sec-tion of the youth today. Which is why, she takes great interest in mentoring young writers, artists, and stu-dents. “I help them network, put them in touch with each other. We have a lack of mentorship and a huge gap between the generations in the Gulf region as a whole. The gap between the younger and the older generations is getting wider and wider, and we need to take note of that.”

Her son and daughter – for whom she had put her career pursuits on the backburner – study abroad.

As a Saudi and Muslim studying in the West, they have a challenge of not only maintaining pride in their identity, but also in conveying the right response to uncomfortable queries. There are difficult questions being asked of Arab youth, and not all of them are equipped to answer or react properly to it.

Her kids’ exposure to global culture is what holds them in good stead, she says. “They are avid readers,

and they meet people whom I associate with from around the world. I never ask people three things – their age, faith, marital status. These are personal questions. We debate, get them to meet people, ex-pose them to diversity. You learn a lot from the older generation, just as my father allowed me to meet his peers, I do the same with my children. Whether they are in agreement on the views or not, at least they are aware of different streams of thought.”

“Will they be understood,Their talents appreciated,Their ambitions fulfilled,---Or will they be controlled,Belittled--Unable to grow and bloom.”

The Coming

What she writes in her poem is what takes up a lot of her time in reality, with mentoring.

“The youth are exposed to things different from what we were. Their challenges are different. And if they are unable to understand that, we cannot hold a dialogue with them. It is not about debating the rights and wrongs, but to accept that the life they lead is different from what we understand. I do that through my mentoring.”

In her packed day, late into the night is when she finds time to write poetry. She writes in English, be-cause: “I always write in English. Think in English. Dream in English. I know this because my husband tells me I speak in English when I am dreaming.”

Her poems are not about herself, or of her experi-ences, and her favourite muse or themes are to do with war, political discord, the Palestinian intifada... “Writers, poets, artists, their mindset is such that they can work and be true to themselves. Even if they feel there are limitations and boundaries, that impede their work, they will still continue to give.

“I’ve been asked why I don’t write about myself. Until about a year ago – when I started writing my spiritual pieces, that’s when I felt I was writing about myself. My connection to God.”

That is the next thing to expect from her, a book of poetry on spirituality, and the sequel to Unfurling Nimah heading relief efforts for flood hit jeddah