Haidar's Corner

In this engagement I would like to closely look at the issue of documentation in African cultures. When I say documentation here, I refer to the whole gamut of media, tools and methods used intrinsically to record  cultures and realities. This ranges from artifacts to buildings to literature.   History they say is a narrative couched in the subjective view of the narrator. And he narrates what he sees through 'his' lense to narrate the story. All over the world we have narratives that  have more or less been accepted as 'history' of peoples. But we may well ask how authentic are these narratives? Are there missing links?   Indeed Africa has been a victim of plunder and rape as much from foreigners as from her progeny.   From artifacts to people, from the Cape to the Horn and the vast stretch westwards across the Sahara touching the banks of the North Atlantic, Africa's essence has continually been pilfered. Quite unsurprisingly, Africa languishe...

What do you say When souls are eternally paired And memories are seared What do you say When thereafter sun sets And dawn brings no light What do you say When all has been said And there's no road ahead What do you say When heart freezes like snow And tears refuse to flow Only time will tell Eating away like termite Grinding away like rocks Melting away like ice Dripping away like oil Blowing away like wind Whispers become screams Silence turns deafeningly loud Maje Amin 201607122326hrs

Contemplation of illusion Elusive is the aspiration To yearn is to befriend despair Whetting thirst with dust Eternity erases all As surely as footfalls in a desert Images drawn in clouds Gone with blink of eyes Yet ego and vanity must feast Their bowels howling And naught fills Except quenching earth So search for sky's end There, you will find it. Haidarwali 201607121346hrs

There are things Gladdening To lonely heart ... Like occasional strolls Up and down Memory lane's paths Moments In mind's vault Treasure troves buried Under routine's monotony Like a souvenir Each contour holds Feelings Edges still sharp Reminders each unique Attached to senses Sight, touch, aroma, sound The flavors mix Mind's tongue savors Heart yearns, dreams For another visit To paradise lost. Haidarwali 201607060632hrs

I am not what you think rather something else that transforms; changes ... like shapeless clouds clay, cement and lava before they harden like steely iron, sturdy as rock that water wears and weathers dissolving and dissipating like whispering wind forcefully bypassing till all is lost but eerie echoes reverberating, reflecting like light's luminescence glinting its piercing gleam final flash pervading into blinding darkness Haidarwali 201607032125hrs

As if valley floods Creeping, seeping As if clouds gathering Blotting, enveloping As if a burst dam Gushing, spraying As if genie or spirit Possessing, controlling As if a scenic landscape Overwhelming, moving Like no other 'sense' Feeling is an essence of Being Haidarwali 201607030859hrs