The head of the Philosophy Society, Dr. Abdullah Al-Mutairi, asked; On why the story of the siege of the city and the consequent disasters did not turn into a popular memory in Saudi Arabia; The fact that the story did not enter the popular memory with reference to the following situation: Many people of my generation or those after them did not hear about these events until recently, and many did not hear about them at all, and those who heard about them heard in general terms, not in detail.
He explained that he is watching the series (Safar Berlik), which deals with the last period of the rule of the Ottoman Empire in Medina, the Levant and other regions, indicating that (Safar Berlik) means the political decision taken by the Ottoman authorities in 1914 AD; With the compulsory recruitment of all Muslims to participate in the First World War, and within these events occurred the famous siege of the city, and the consequent deportation, famine, and innumerable humanitarian disasters. He emphasized that he is not talking here about historians or those with a special interest in history, but rather about the collective consciousness. The fact that major events usually reach the popular memory directly through general culture and its representations in literature, education and media.
Al-Mutairi believes that we have begun to enter a slightly different situation through literary works on the events of (Safar Berlak), the siege and some historical lectures, in addition to the Ramadan series, which represents an important entry into mass art.
His promise is an essential and influential factor in dealing with popular memory, to generate a question: So what happened recently to open such windows? and he answers; Of course, the reasons are many; One of them is that the window on history opened after the ideological grip on it loosened. By ideological grip, I mean here an ahistorical vision of history driven by religious or political bias. What this ideological fist has done is obscure the first event: hunger, death and forced departure. Families torn apart and selves shipped off to participate in a war they know nothing about. The ideological grip covers all of this to keep in the scene only what it deems important.
He pointed out that in the case of "Safar Berlak" it was important that the Ottoman state was the state of Islam and that rebellion against it was a departure from the legitimate ruler, and thus the conversation moved to theological conflicts that move away from what happened with every new sentence uttered, and in contrast there is a different history represented in a return to what An event not necessarily to justify it or put it in a more general context but to approach first what happened.
And he said; This does not necessarily mean that this history has nothing to do with politics or ideologies. Every historical work is necessarily related to all of this, but it does mean that this history preceded all of this, or at least that it realizes that what happened cannot be absorbed in ideological interpretations. Thus, he goes beyond the goals of ideologies as well, through his work on returning to the first experiences and stories in their first occurrence, before they were understood or of clear significance.
added; Here history meets art, philosophy and literature. At the level of the first experience that reveals the human condition and the dilemma of living, and this different window on history is not confined to major human tragedies such as the siege of the city and “Safar Berlak”, but it extends to life in its breadth that transcends ideological frameworks.
And it goes on that tomorrow we have the history of arts, fashions, words, foods, colors and flavours. A history of the Samaritan, the Daha, the step, the Qalta, and the Ardah. A history of kabsa, mantu, harees, and a pinch of land buried in embers. A history of the shemagh and head band and camel strains. A history of words, torrents, plants, and urbanization. A history of the songs of sailors and peasants, the hymns of nomadic Bedouins, and the tears of those who pray. A history of old roads, cars, perfumes, hairstyles, youth fashion, car accessories and bicycles. A history of palm trees, sidr trees, rams, and the valleys and waters they dug over the centuries. A history of folk remedies, for snuff, sweetness, and bitterness. For koi and folk legends that carried with them hopes for healing. A history of lullabies and salesmen's calls. A history of wet waterskins, Walid the woodcutter, the feet of the farmer, and the accounts of the shops.
Stressing that in all of this, the previous life is achieved and succeeds in filtering ideology, so that the popular memory lives on and what enters into it from people’s perception of themselves, their lives, and their relationship to the land and the people who preceded them on it.
He remarked on minor breakthroughs in these windows on history, and it seems that with them we need a wider space for historical studies stemming from broad perceptions of man, life and human existence. Studies that go beyond the direct narration of political events to life in its broadest sense. Such a history would have an important impact on society's relationship with nature, history, and the land. This relationship, which is bet on strengthening the bonds of belonging, love and giving, is also capable of working in the opposite direction to the tendencies of self-bias and racist and neurotic closures.
As in these areas of history, there is an essential human commonality that many rely on to welcome new visitors to this land, whether from visitors or from the new generations that are born every day. One of the tasks of each generation is to welcome the newcomers, and the welcome is nothing but that the self is a link between the newcomer and the place with all its stories and history.
Presented by: Ali Al-Rubai @Al_ARobai
