Ramadan in Rural Sudan 3/3

Ramadan in Rural Sudan 3/3 – Background to this Closing Episode

In title photo, flakes of hulu mur, soaked to make a traditional ramadan drink. Above, scenes from this extract of the Aljazeera documentary.

Background

In this closing episode, we travel with nomadic herders and get a captivating glimpse of the dignity and hardships of their daily lives during Ramadan as they tend to their animals. We share in their modest Ramadan breakfast and learn about the special customs associated with the last Thursday of Ramadan and customary phrases used at this time to bid farewell to the honored guest of Ramadan.

Sections of the episode are subtitled in standard Arabic for Arabic speaking viewers as while the lexis and subject matter are straightforward, some Sudanese terms may be unfamiliar to non-Sudanese and some speakers’ comments may be difficult to catch even for proficient speakers. While the narration is standard upper-intermediate to pre-advanced level, interviews with the herders may “feel” more challenging.

Hulu mur, a fermented food, is made from fermented sorghum bicolor flour, tamarind, dates hibiscus and spices. See TheValueofWomensIndigenousKnowledgeinFoodProcessing.pdf.

You might like to find the answers to the following questions as you watch this extract: What is raHmataat? What misconception about the herders’ way of life do city dwellers habour, according to the narrator? How are the youngsters working in herding affected by Ramadan? What does their typical Ramadan breakfast consist of? What is the name for the light meal eaten before the first call to prayer of the day? How does the call to prayer differ slightly in rural Sudan to Khartoum? What special phrase is used at the end of Ramadan, reflecting the hope that worshippers will see the joy of another holy month in years to come?

Lexical Focus

Most of the lexis in this extract is simple description of the daily routines of the nomadic herders or includes terms relating to Ramadan customs. You will hear a Sudanese dialect word for children, expressions both for to be fasting and to be exempt from fasting, graze / tend to animals, grass (for livestock), a Sudanese expression for cloth or sack bags, various terms for cooking utensils, and various words associated with the call to prayer.

Below, screenshot from this episode; camels at watering hole.

Watch the documentary here (from minute 16 to end):

Transcript

Youngsters work ceaselessly during Ramadan.

Breaking the daily fast during raHmataat.

Transcript and Notes

• 1 The narrator explains that the pace of life goes on without stopping (even in Ramadan). And it’s a fact that applies equally to everyone; the father, son, the newborn and the news of a birth.
• 2 The youngsters (Sudanese dialect word for children; shuffa’, sing; shaafi’) tend to / graze their animals.
• 3 (another term for) open country / wilderness
• 4 Over the course of the day
• 5 Hajj Othman treads the desert earth beneath his feet
• 6 His purpose/ intent (also destination) is a noble one – to provide water and
• 7 food
• 8 camel
• 9 grass / leaves / alfalfa used to feed livestock, fodder
• 10 HaSiila; outcome / result, perhaps here; the fruit / harvest; amiina; trustworthy
• 11 the fruit of experience that exceeds seven decades
• 12 shiriyyaa (to be updated) and abraay; ramadan breakfast drink; a type of hulu murr, often white in color and made from white sorghum.
• 13 bags made of sacking or cloth
• 14 plural of (13)
• 15 kettle
• 16 bowl
• 17 of course, (our breakfast is a modest affair) – literally, we don’t have much equipment / many utensils (Abu awaani; utensils)
• 18 roob; thick curdled milk, curds, buttermilk
• 19 ‘aSiidah; stiff porridge made with sorghum or millet flour, sourdough and water. and a roob stew

Below, moments from the camel and goat herders’ ramadan breakfast.

• 20 suHuur; the light meal taken before the dawn call to prayer. The speaker explains that sometimes they are too tired and weary to get up for suHuur but they always eat a lot in the evening.
• 21 caring for their livestock /to herd/ graze / protect
• 22 an exhausting occupation (shaaqqa; hard, tough, ashghaal shaaqqa; hard labour)
• 23 supplies
• 24 to go to the shop (expression used by rural Sudanese)
• 25 grazing place
• 26 place of shade
• 27 see 20, to take pre-dawn meal
• 28 kid (goat)
• 29 Error
• 30 no escape from it
• 31 a village shelter/ area used for meetings and resolution of conflicts, especially in Darfur; the area used for the Ramadan breakfast.

Below, flakes of Hulu mur that are soaked in water as a Ramadan drink.

• 32 alms / benevolence (Sadagah) for the souls of the dead
• 33 du’aa; (pl, ad’iya); invocation to God
• 34 give them food
• 35 a custom followed
• 36 the speaker explains that their call to prayer, signalling the time to break the ramadan fast is slightly different from that in Khartoum state where the mu’azzin calls to prayer based on the Omdurman broadcast.
• 37 mu’azzin and the verb
• 38 broadcast
• 39 elegant and (pleasant company/ doesn’t outstay his welcome) Note the expression dammu khafiif; he’s light-hearted, humorous, good company; opposite; dammu tagiil.
• 40 the narrator likens Ramadan to a guest who you barely perceive has entered the home when you realize that he has left. Literally; his foot barely touches the ground of your home when you are surprised by the fact that he has departed.
• 41 sermon from the pulpit
• 42 …(which gave rise to) an expression stated (to be updated) by us
• 43 Like an honored guest who you don’t want to be deprived of, the idea is “Do not take the holy month of Ramadan from us / do not deprive us of ” …..waHsha; loneliness; lee-k waHsha; I miss you very much.
• 44 for they hope / wish for Ramadan to remain with them
• 45 and they don’t want Ramadan to leave them
• 46 a mixture of joy and sorrow (asaa)
• 47 receive, accept
• 48 I`faa´; remission of sins, to extend to/ furnish the spirit / soul with heavenly sustenance.

Below, distributing the Ramadan ifTar meal.