ZAYED UNIVERSITY’S AL KHARAREF STORYTELLING CLUB was created to enrich the legacy of the Emirati storytelling tradition and contribute to the revival of this important cultural heritage within the United Arab Emirates.
Last year, the Club in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation exhibited Story Mile a collection of 48 original fables and folktales, written by students from the Academic Bridge Program, illustrated by College of Arts and Creative Enterprises majors and translated by ZOWD volunteers into the language of its characters, Emirati dialect.
The tales, which are soon to be published in a book, share not only the storytelling traditions of the Emirates, but have also introduced other key aspects of Emirati culture. These latest stories are creating new footprints in Emirati’s storytelling foklore, while preserving and reintegrating 24 archetypical traditional characters researched by Master Storyteller Abdul Aziz Al Mussallam and designated by the Department of Culture, Heritage and Information as genuinely Emirati back into the cultural landscape.
Hamda, who lived with her mother, was a kind girl with a good heart. Her father had died two years earlier. One morning, as her mother sat weaving, she said, “I want to ask you something. I have a cloud of questions in my mind about a man called Abu Ras.” Her mother replied, “Oh Hamda, your questions never end! OK, I will tell you.”
The mother started to tell the story. “Abu Ras is half human and is the guardian of the souk. He has a big head, a donkey’s leg and a lion’s paw. He scares people from stealing and catches thieves from behind because he is embarrassed by his ugliness. Now, I have answered your question.” Hamda nodded. “But Hamda,” mother added, “there is something I haven’t told you. One day, Abu Ras saved your father from the robbers, but he died before he could thank him. I cannot do that because he is so ugly.” Hamda’s mother stopped suddenly and suggested the little girl go and play with her friends. Hamda could not stop thinking about Abu Ras. She began to look for him everywhere, so she could thank him for helping her father.
One day, there was a thief in the souk. Abu Ras heard the screams. Elsewhere, Hamda also heard the sounds. “This is my chance to talk to Abu Ras,” she said to herself, so she started running. At the souk, people were surrounding the robber. “Where is Abu Ras?” she thought. It was a long, dark alleyway so there was no place to hide. Just then, Hamda spotted a small, dark slit and headed towards it.
There, she saw a shadow. “Wait! Please can I talk to you? I know everything about you. Please, can I see you?” asked Hamda. The shadow came closer. “Thank you for helping my father. You are so kind,” said Hamda.
Abu Ras replied, “You are very beautiful and very polite,”, before asking her name. When she replied, Abu Ras said, “What a pretty name. I will never forget it. Goodbye.”
by Aisha Mohammed Al Mahri
(ILLUSTRATOR) Eman Abdulrahman Alali
