LOCAL VOICES
ARABIA HAS LONG LOOKED FOR INSIGHT
OUT OF AFRICA
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AFRICA AND THE GULF IS DEEP AND ENDURING SAYS WAEL AL SAYEGH
ILLUSTRATION BY VESNA PESIC
W
ith a massive 64 per cent of the world’s total Arab population and 45 per cent of the Arab League housed on the African continent, it’s no surprise how deep the relationship between my ancestral homeland and Africa runs. The traditional dhows of the Persian Gulf, their white curved sails contrasting with the light, bright blue of the Arabian sea, carried sailors, pearl divers and fishermen and were mostly manned by African crews. In fact, much of the music and folk dances of the Arab world can be traced back to Africa. In the Maghreb region, Stambali and Gnawa music clearly display West African influences. The Liwa performed in the UAE, the Mizmar in Saudi Arabia, the Fann Al Tanbbura heard in Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman — these are all
East African contributions to the heritage of the Persian Gulf. Africa has — as far back as pre-Islamic times — provided us with many of our pioneering heroes. Long before the world was introduced to Shakespeare’s Othello there was the great sage Antar Ibn Shaddad, the son of an African mother, who climbed the tribal ladder of society through his brilliance as a fearsome warrior on the battlefield, and off it as a legendary poet. Antar was the first person in the Arab world to render the colour of one’s skin irrelevant. Bilal Bin Rabah was the first black African slave to convert to Islam. His bravery in embracing what was then a dangerous and revolutionary concept made him an easy target for his master, who wished to make an example of him. Abu Baker Al Sidiq, one of the companions of the Prophet 37