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Kathrina in one of Arabikalam Classes |
Whilst Arab intellectuals compete to imitate the Western mindset, the Swiss Sindbadah (female Sindbad) Kathrina Redmann explores the unspoiled Egyptian culture in her book Sindbadah’s First Journey: Stories from Cairo. The book, most of which is an elaborate account of the holy month of Ramadan, navigates through Cairo, its slums and people. The author takes great interest in the humble haberdasher whose small kiosk faced her apartment in Egypt, the garbage man, the door attendant and other simple persons in whom she finds true significance.
Kathrina Redmann was born in 1949. She studied Figurative Art before she began writing poetry and fiction. Having learnt Arabic in Zurich with the help of an Egyptian teacher, Essam Abdul-Mohsen, she visited Egypt for the first time in 1993 to improve her Arabic by immersing herself in the heart of Egyptian society. Fortunately, the last month of her three-month stay in Egypt coincided with the holy month of Ramadan and its marvelous nights.
A Large Fanous at ArabiKalam
Being excessively fond of the month of Ramadan, Ms Redmann hangs a large Fanous (a special Ramadan lantern) at the gate of her own school called ArabiKalam in Zurich, Switzerland, at which she teaches Arabic. IslamOnline paid a flying visit to the ArabiKalam School in Zurich to listen to the story of the large Fanous and know more about the literary woman who adores Egyptian culture and the special month of Ramadan.
When asked, “What did you know about the month of Ramadan before you visited Cairo?” Ms Redmann made it plain that her knowledge was limited to the voice of the German radio announcer that said annually, “Today is the first day in the holy month of Ramadan, the month of fasting for Muslims worldwide!”
She knew that during Ramadan Muslims stop eating and drinking from dawn until sunset. She remembers, “I waited impatiently to find out what Ramadan was like and the secret behind the spiritual happiness which I saw in the eyes and hearts of the Egyptian people. I saw fantastic decorations and lanterns in the streets and asked people whether fasting had been hard for them. Their answer was utterly amazing, ‘It’s delightful,’ they said.”
From the Balcony
From the balcony of her rented apartment in Ahmed Orabi Street, she watched as the monstrous daily congestion in the streets of Cairo increased terribly before the Maghrib Adhan (the sunset call to Prayer), everybody running to have their iftar (meal to break the fast) on time and women carrying food-laden trays to the mosques. When she saw all people eating together at the same time, she was dazed by the mutual love and solidarity among relatives and non-relatives alike. What really fascinated her was that the crowd invited her to share their iftar with them.
Ms Redmann felt the great difference between the Muslim festival—Ramadan--and Christmas in Switzerland. She reflected that Christmas festivals should establish social solidarity, not just gather the members of one family. As people invited her to have iftar with them during Ramadan, though she was not their friend nor relative, Ms Redmann asked herself: “What is the secret of this month which makes a foreigner like me experience an extraordinary feeling of spiritual purification and public enfoldment?!!”
A Miracle after Iftar!
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| Ms Redmann hangs a large Fanous (a special Ramadan lantern) at the gate of her own school |
After the iftar begins, Ms Redmann resumes, a miracle happens. Unusual quietness prevails over all the streets where neither person nor car moves, a scene that proved to her that religion represents the most influential aspect in the Egyptian culture and that it overwhelms the everyday dealings of the masses.
What confirmed this reflection is the situation she encountered when she wanted to travel by the 5 p.m. train from Cairo to Alexandria. Arriving at the railroad station, she surprisingly found out that the passengers, most of whom were foreigners, were waiting impatiently for the train driver who had gone to have his iftar!
Kathrina Redmann looked at the situation from a totally different angle to that of her fellow foreigners. She did not shriek with repugnance at the “carelessness” and “laziness”, because she understood the true meaning for an Egyptian to respond to the call to Prayer and to have his iftar after a long day fasting. This indicates that the Egyptian people take great pride in its religion, which prevails over any other aspect of its life.
Shoukry: The Humble Haberdasher
Ms Redmann recounts one of the most interesting experiences she had during Ramadan. She says, “Shoukry, whose small kiosk faced her apartment in Ahmed Orabi Street, had never stopped smoking before Ramadan. I wondered what he would do during the holy month!” She watched him, sitting outside the kiosk, listening all day long to the Qur’an on the radio and never touching a cigarette. She realized that religion is the most influential aspect in the lives of Eastern people and that it does miracles for them.
She expresses her astonishment at the delight and satisfaction the humble Egyptian people always show, particularly during hard times, due to the comforting influence of religion. An Egyptian breadwinner, though unable to get the daily foodstuff for his children, always mumbles a magic word,”al-hamdu-lillah,” (praise be to Allah). As a learning experience, Ms Redmann will always be indebted to the Egyptian people and to the holy month of Ramadan.
Swiss Students have their Share
Ms Redmann revealed that she bought the large Fanous (lantern) hung at her school gate from Khan Al-Khalili, the famous bazaar in Cairo, where she spent the last night of Ramadan. She hung it at the school gate, she explained, so that prospective Arabic language learners would know that her school is not only for teaching Arabic but for navigating through the Egyptian culture and, particularly, through the month of Ramadan.
One of the most exciting experiences Ms Redmann gets her students go through is the experience of living the rituals and customs of the holy month. She makes Kunafa (a special Ramadan sweet) and serves it to her students. She has a collection of small medal-like Fanouses bought from Cairo and gives one to every student.
Because of her interesting technique in presenting the Egyptian and, in particular, the Ramadanic culture to her Arabic language learners, more and more of them join her ArabiKalam school everyday. Ms Redmann admits that the month of Ramadan has been a real blessing for her school.
New Regions in My Soul
When asked why she had chosen the sailing profession as a metaphor for the title of her book Sindabadah’s First Journey, she answered that sailing symbolizes her daily discovery of new regions within her soul. She begins the book with a comparison between the Egyptian and European cultures. She highlights the fact that people in this Eastern civilization possess a wonderful spirituality derived from their religion, something that is missing in European civilization.
Written in German, the forty stories the book contains depict the difference between the two civilizations and the charm of the Eastern world. Ms Redmann, at the end of the interview, asserted to us that she greatly loves the Eastern civilization and its people.
For more information about the ArabiKalam School, Ms Kathrina Redmann and her contact details, please visit her web site at: www.arabikalam.ch
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