Real art and creativity are the only victims

By Tayseer Nazmi

In the Jordanian government spokeperson weekly meeting 

which was held in the royal cultural centre on Monday May 31st.2004 , it has been clearly announced that the government will not abide by the results and the recommendations of the three days' meeting (1st.-3rd. June)which will deal with the national cultural affairs in Jordan. Such a statement stir the question not of politics and future policies of the Kingdom but it questions the whole culture that includes both the history of the Kingdom at least during the last 58 years and the adopted cultural life in Jordan whether in edu. Or in media. This, also stir the question of realities on the ground in what is called the body of culture in Jordan. Those who benefited a great deal and still from the ministry of culture, will support to keep on it .Some others who find themselves more talented want to let it pass with its employees since they are ambitious of higher salaries and distinguished governmetal services. The third faction is somewhat aware of the skills and experiences they’ve acquired and intending to share the private sector with their investment and trade.

 Those who are really concerned and those who are really productive and creative are worried about the question of freedom and doubt if the government can last more than a moderately done short story or an accelerated show that had been made only for the sake of money. The margined makers of art will not be so optimistic about the whole dilemma created by festivals and meetings …so and so ..because they already know that the big trap is waiting not far behind. Real art that deals seriously with the core of social and political + economical sufferings as an outcome of hidden facts of history  will be the only victim of any so called reform process ( suggesting, of course that there will be such a process in deed). So what is the question ? let’s see tomorrow if it will bring equality, justice and freedom together or it is meant to be just an old fashioned propaganda .

II

Quantity not quality and tribes more than culture

Not only the agenda of this meeting ( conference) with its indications that is questionable but also the nomination of its attendants. What the planners are aiming at and on what basis of evaluation had the names of the participants been decided ?

If we examine the body of culture in Jordan we will discover some astonishing statistical realities such as the number of so called cultural institutions, societies, associations, unions etc.(280) whatsoever named, that receive financial support for not a neutral aim of developing culture but for other different reasons and targets from the ministry of culture, the municipality of greater Amman  and from other sources, sometimes could be from outside of Jordan. This is only one side of the picture concerning teams or groups operating through foundations and institutions that believe in collective work and elections to some extent that smell democratic for political reasons rather than cultural ones. Another side of the picture concerns individuals, since culture in great part of it is a reflection as well as a personal production of creativity in some arts like literature and thought. We may put it here in the phrase; quality not quantity. In this situation you can ask why some of them are paid and have a very high income while the really talented and well cultivated and educated ones are struggling just to eat, smoke and sleep forgetting, of course, if they have time and chance to produce art and culture. “Why”, many deserted art and culture or even reading and writing or at least to be an attendant of fine arts is the core of a serious question here. The lack of justice ! visiting courts for trivial silly reasons ! being detained just because you are contemplating a view or an incident for instance !

The lack of freedom ! or the need of 100 fils to reach home in peace ? It is not kiddingly if we say that sometimes all the previous reasons could gather in one. The oneness here is not the real reason for deteriorating culture or spoiling a state of mind but is an outcome which is not seen unless you check if this person’s case or family not destroyed yet. In 1973 Tayseer Sboul shot himself dead. Before that Ghaleb Halasah was shot to be out of Jordan and fortunately he found himself in Egypt where he learned and experienced how to write better than before. The ordinary citizen in Jordan knows little about these two literary men. Instead he knows by heart some singers and poets of no significance. The political elevators pushed some men of culture in Jordan to what they don’t fit for, and the result could be more than 20 books bearing one’s name but no one book or text of them could obtain the approval of creativity or of form from outside the Jordanian borders. Some of the privileged  turned to active marketers for their “ Complete Works” and I can swear that they didn’t read even the complete works of William Shakespeare  not to mention other modern names of the previous century  or even the 19^th. We could mention names here and proofs but the structure of society in Jordan and the taboo of dialogue . I mean the mental dialogue of thought even in press) will not enable us to do this or discuss ideas, especially if the bearer of the ideas subjected to dialogue belongs to a big or small tribe. The ministry of political development is putting this fact and these realities in mind when approaching the theme of tribes’ law.

The law which still runs in parallel with the judicial law applied in courts and mostly both laws are effective even in a road accident. You have to imagine then what is the kind of culture we are conferencing to deal with or enter-act !

III

Bounding Culture with geography and politics

with place and time

The common defect of the talkative sheets of paper delivered mostly by phd. Certificates bearers( obtainers) who work as teachers at the Jordanian universities is that intended geographical limits inside the boundaries of Jordan after the end of 1967’s war. Culture could not be tackled according to changing boundaries unless it is so limited and poor one. Avoiding critical realities about the mutual (Palestinian and Jordanian) history and country makers, the speakers neglected, blatantly, events of the near  history of the Jordanians before June 5^th. 1967 . They also dare not speak about any controversial point in this modern history nor did they dare to go far in the past; ( B.C.) Many commentators like Mr. T.Nazmi pointed with courageous hints and gestures the missing theme of creativity which he said could not be limited to political and geographic boundaries since it is deeper than the history of countries and related to the human civilization and to mankind in general if we are going to measure it on creativity and progressive standards  as well on human basis. This opinion has its admirers and those who are hostiles to it already and haters. Nazmi , by the way, is considered Jordanian by the Palestinians and margined as Palestinian by the Jordanians. Actually he is missing both just because he was brought up in Kuwait since 1959. So, he is lost by 3 Arab countries if not 4 counting Iraq of Saddam.

But, in his vision to the future and his passionate deep strong voice Nazmi affected and impressed the attendants and most of the participants since he dared to cross borders that the lecturers couldn’t do. In the last hour the prime minister Mr.Faysal Al-Fayez  attended to listen(accompanied with minister  Mrs. Asma Khader) to what the attendants and participants would say ,demand and express. Al-Fayez ( in Arabic means the winner) promised clearly the coming reforms , some during a week, and announced that only 15% of the population are opposing his government while 85% are keeping silent and need to be activated to express themselves. These percentages indicate that the prime minister has his own calculations which are not understandable in maths. If these percentages are precise and correct, what is the percentage of military and security officials without considering other government officers including the senior officers who are voting always with the government ? Do they need to be motivated to express political will ?

And “if”, are they with or against ? One should wait more than a week to see if the meeting ( conference) was serious or not ,and if any decisions are to be made or just  a start summer night dreams!

Dropping culture and facts of history or destroying writers or  margined ones will not support democracy nor solidify a regime .Neither will it help president W.Bush or president Sharon.

IV                                        The Size of Abeyance

What was astonishing in discussing national Jordanian culture and the future of arts and culture in the Kingdom of Jordan is the size of abeyance.

Previous ministers of culture did not attend the conference .Some of them avoided the fact that they don’t match nor had been fit to the job and the post. The same happened with those who engaged the job of head cultural departments in the press nor did journalists or editors. Moreover, the members of parliament did not attend, although they are in their parliamentary holidays and most of them claim being the representatives of Jordanian people. The general managers of both Jarash festival and Amman’s international theatrical festival were also absent. Other theatre or so called artists and directors and groups or theatrical teams did not even pass to overlook the scene. What  a united one in the vision of the future ? Promising ? We hope so.

عزرا

إلى محمود في حيفا

تيسير نظمي

أحسست به يدخل البيت قبل أن أغفو بلحظة، وكنت أعلم أنه يعلم لذلك تركته يستريح قليلا في غرفة المكتب فهو يعرف أنني لا أستقبل منذ سنوات غيره وليس لدي غرفة لاستقبال أحد كان. ذهبت إلى الحمام كي ألقي على نفسي نظرة فلا يجوز إن كان قد جاء لتأدية عمله المضني السريع الكريه المحتوم أن أستقبله هكذا وأنا ذاهب للنوم، فلم يأت بأية حركة تدل على أنه في استعجال من أمره لمقابلتي ومن ثم المغادرة على الفور. فكرت في الحمام بأسباب مجيئه خاصة في مثل هذه الأيام التي لا يفرغ فيها لثانية واحدة في الأربع والعشرين ساعة المضنية منذ الأزل. قلت لنفسي مبتسما كم في تأخره لدي واستراحته النادرة من بركة ورحمة من العلي القدير. وحالما دخلت عليه بالسلام الذي يخصني وجدته يجرب أقلامي واحدا إثر آخر متأففا من عدم صلاحية أي منها. رد تحيتي بمثلها قائلا: شلوم. مقتضبة وحاسمة كعادته فهو لا يقبل المزاح ومتجهم دائما منذ وفاة سيدنا آدم، لا بل منذ مقتل هابيل وعدم إيقاع أية عقوبة بأخيه قابيل، وهو هكذا على رأس عمله ولم يحظ منذ ذلك الحين بإجازة عمل وإن حظي بالتفرغ الإبداعي، إذا صحت الأقاويل في مصر أو العراق عندما خط بيديه أول الكتب أو المخطوطات التي نسبت إليه. سألته من باب اللياقة والكرم العربي القديم وبشاشة الضيافة إن كان بحاجة لأن يشرب شيئا فابتسم ابتسامة العارف المدرك أن لا شيء أصلا لدي يشرب فحتى المياه مقطوعة عني ثلاثة أيام في الأسبوع بفضل عناية صاحب البيت المؤجر الذي يسكن فوق وربما ما جاء من أجله الضيف العزيز بعد أن ناهز – أمد الله في عمره – على الثمانين من عمره.

قلت له – ونحن البشر كثيرا ما نحب الكلام ونؤثره على الأفعال-: أنت تعلم إذن أن لا شيء لدي لضيافتك فهل تسمح لي بالوصول للسوبر ماركت القريب لشراء علبة أو زجاجة؟ فلم يرد لكنه حدجني بنظرة فاحصة رغم الإعياء البادي على محياه.

كررت سؤالي هذه المرة بالإيماء احتراما لطبيعة عمله التي تقتضي السرية التامة والتي هي أصعب من العسكرية التي ترهقه كثيرا وربما تثير حتى الاشمئزاز.

فقال: تستدين كي تلحق بي لعنة إلى أبد الآبدين يا حفيد إبليس؟

قلت: إبليز إبليز ...حاشا أن يكون هذا ما قصدته لكنني مشفق عليك فأنا أعرف أخبارك من القنوات الفضائية وربما قصدت أن تستريح قليلا خاصة وأنني قرأت مرارا ما قد نسب إليك وما ينسب حتى اليوم وأنت تعرف أن مصادر المعلومات لدينا محدودة بعد ارتفاع أسعار النفط.

فقال: أعرف أنك كنت أيضا ستجلبها باردة!

قلت: أجل وهل لي أن أثقل عليك بتحمل حرارة غرفة المكتب في هذا الصيف الحارق.

ظل صامتا وقد تغيرت ملامحه فهو الوحيد الذي لا يستطيع بفعل تكوينه أن يصرح أو يشكو من أقداره بعد أن ضجر من مهنته أيما ضجر لدرجة بات فيها يحسد الموتى على موتهم. ظل صامتا صمتا ثقيلا ما أثقله من صمت ذاك صمت المغلوب على أمرهم إن هم تكلموا أو أعربوا عن وجهة نظرهم فقدوا أعمالهم أو طردوا شر طردة مما يظنونه ملكوت النعيم ولاحقتهم اللعنات إلى يوم الدين. ورغم ذلك سألني برفق:

ماذا تريد مني قبل أن أغادرك ؟ فقلت فورا:

أن تكون زيارتك المقبلة والأخيرة في الصيف في مثل هذا التاريخ إن شئت أو بالأحرى إن شاء الله.

فقال: لماذا؟

قلت: لأن معظم أقاربي يأتون الأردن في الصيف من السعودية والكويت وأميركا ولا أريد إحراج أحد كان في الأردن بمسؤوليات التجهيز واستخراج المعاملات الرسمية وإبراز بطاقة الأحوال المحتجزة أو جواز السفر وتسديد أجور النقل والحفر والضريبة وإكرامية المقرئين وما شابه وأنت سيد العارفين.

قال: وجارك؟ جارك الحانوتي؟

قلت: تعرف أنني لا أكلم أحدا في هذا الحي كوني أعيش عازبا في هذا الحي العائلي بامتياز. وربما إذا قررت أن تجيء دون أي تمهيد لذلك قد أتسبب بفعل الرائحة بمضايقة الجيران بعد أسبوع من مجيئك.

قال: تعرف أن القرار ليس بيدي ولست أنا من يعرف به إلا قبل ثوان معدودات من التنفيذ.

قلت مختتما: ها أنا أجبتك عما أريد فإن استطعت إلى ذلك سبيلا فهذا هو ما أريده فعلا دون أدنى تأخير.

نظر لي نظرة فاحصة، وبعد تردد قال: يا لك من فلسطيني أصيل ، هل قلت لي أن ديانتك الإسلام ؟

بقيت صامتا تاركا له تقدير ذلك أو حسب الاختصاص.

قال متشككا: اليهودية ؟

بقيت أيضا صامتا.

قال مبتسما: المسيحية؟

ونظر إلى ما حوله في غرفة المكتب وإلى بعض زجاجات فارغة.

ثم قال وهو يهم بالنهوض: البوذية الهندوسية أم أنك كما يشاع عنك من بقايا الإتحاد السوفييتي؟

قلت مكررا: أترك الأمر لحسن تقديرك...لأنك لم تجبني أنت أيضا إذا ما كان إسرائيل شاحاك محقا أم لا.

نظر إلي نظرة متأملة فاحصة مدققة وظل صامتا ولكنه كم كان حزينا يا الله كم كان حزينا وبائسا مثلي وقد قال كل ما لديه، واختفى. دون أن يقول عذرا قال ما لديه وأخ ت ف و

الأردن- عمان – 17/7/2007