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Kathrina in one of Arabikalam
Classes
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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
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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
