Driss, who still has a lively interest in politics, surprised us with the following remark: “Only Hikler could have ordered the destruction of that wall.”
“No, Father, Hitler is dead,” I said, thinking it was advisable to correct him.
“That’s only what they tell us. It seems he’s still alive. But God knows best.”
“Believe me, Father, he died when I was still crawling around on all fours.”
“If you say so. .”
Entertained as I was by this exchange, it only served to make Ghita’s absence more painfully felt. I thought about what she might have said in these circumstances. The sweet wind of her presence brought a smile back to my lips. Written by both our hands, it’s only fitting that our story comes to a close by giving the last words to her.
“Pahh, is that the only news they could find to tell us! A falling wall. . it can’t have been built very solidly. The walls of Fez are still standing after all.”
Créteil — Fez
May 2000 — June 2001
ENDNOTES
1Expert in Islamic law.
2Walled Jewish quarters in Moroccan cities, originally set up to protect its inhabitants from pogroms.
3Laâbi’s note: Neggafate is the plural of neggafa, women who more often than not are of black ancestry, and who provide a number of services. They are responsible for the bride from the ritual grooming right up to when she is led to the altar, where they proffer advice suitable to the occasion, including tips on various erotic techniques.
4Habib Bourguiba (1903–2000) was Tunisia’s first president after independence from the French and led the country from 1957 until 1987, when his newly appointed prime minister, Zine El Abidine ben Ali, used a number of medical reports to declare Bourguiba unfit to rule, at which point he was deposed. Ben Ali was of course later the first leader to be overthrown during the Arab Spring in 2011.
5Laâbi’s note: The ellipsis isn’t meant to censor the word. The point was to demonstrate how the people of Fez pronounce words, usually dropping the first consonant, where instead of saying qaf they will say af.
6Minor ablutions are washing the face and hands up to the elbows, the feet up to the ankles, and rubbing water on one’s head. These are usually performed before prayers. Major ablutions are washing the entire body and must be performed after sexual intercourse.
7The nationalist leader of the Democratic Independence Party, formed in 1946 as a splinter from Allal al-Fassi’s Istiqlal Party.
8Khattabi (1880–1963) was a Berber political and military leader during the Rif War (1921–1926), who initially defeated and chased the Spanish out of northern Morocco but was later destroyed by the French. He was exiled to the island of Réunion and kept under house arrest from 1926 until 1947. He later sought asylum in Egypt, where he died.
9The “yellow spirit,” a jinni that loves perfume, music, and dance and leaves laughter and happiness in her wake. When she takes possession of an individual, she sharpens their wit.
10A Moroccan myth: a spirit that can inhabit the bodies of women or take the shape of women. In southern Morocco, Aïcha Kandisha takes the form of a goat, while her shapely, alluring legs remain human. In the north, however, Kandisha has the body of a woman but the legs of a camel. She entices men and then tears them apart.
11Gnaoua are descendants of former slaves brought back by the Moroccans after they conquered Timbuktu. They have a rich cultural tradition where music occupies a large place.
12A hadra is a ceremony where participants go into a trance while music plays around them. A specific color is worn to attract specific spirits.
13A low-ranking civilian officer appointed to represent a certain district as an informant and council assistant to the municipal authorities.
14Laâbi’s note: The month before Ramadan when children often play with firecrackers.
15Notaries for religious marriages.
16Students.
17“I swear to God!”
18A body of Islamic scholars that interprets sharia law.
19Laâbi’s note: Joha in classical Arabic, Goha in Egyptian, Khodja in Turkish, Guisha in Albanian, Giufa in Sicilian, Odja in Greek, Djahan in Maltese, etc.