Mythological Tuareg Gods in Ibrahim Al-Koni's Work
2015; Issue: 35 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1110-8673
Autores Tópico(s)African Studies and Geopolitics
ResumoThis article examines the Tuareg myths which form a large part of Libyan novelist's Ibrahim al-Koni's work. It focuses especially on the role Ancient Egyptian Religion occupies in his fiction and essays. It analyzes in particular two novels: Anubis and The Seven Veils of Seth. The author relies on the theories of Northrop Frye, Pierre Brunei, John Vickery, and Eric Gould who emphasize the archetypal nature of literature and its connection to mythology. The author demonstrates how al-Koni's genius transforms the myth into an enduring literary piece. Finally, the article elucidates seminal symbols in al-Koni's fiction. ********** Tuareg writer Ibrahim al-Koni is considered one of the most prominent and prolific writers in Arabic today. Born in 1948 in the south Libyan Desert, al-Koni grew up in the Ghadames Oasis at the edge of the Red Hamada. Initially educated in Libya, in his native language Tamasheq, al-Koni later learned Arabic. This article offers an interpretation of the role played by Tuareg mythology in al-Koni's oeuvre, though given the density and complexity of this mythology, I limit my research to Tuareg gods. Specifically, I examine these gods in four of al-Koni's novels, namely, The Seven Veils of Seth, Anubis, The Bleeding of the Stone, and New Waw: Saharan Oasis, though I occasionally refer to his other novels Tibr (Gold Dust) and Marathi Ulis (The Elegies of Ulis) and to the many essays that the author has written. A complex syncretism of ancient Egyptian and ancient Libyan myths, regional belief systems, rituals, cosmologies, and magical and animist beliefs coming from sub-Saharan and Equatorial Africa as well as Egypt, Tuareg mythology is also blended with Sufism and Islamic mysticism. Yet the presence of Tuareg mythology in al-Koni's fiction exceeds by far the Sufi-Islamic dimension. (1) Indeed, the majority of al-Koni's novels are devoted to the Tuareg myths: In addition to the novels examined in this article, one could cite novels such as al-Bi'r (The Well), al-Majus (The Magi), and Bayt fi-l-dunya wa bayt fil-hanin (A House in this World and a House in Nostalgia) as evidence of Tuareg mythological influence on al-Koni's writing. Here, I focus on the complex ways in which al-Koni weaves the myths of his people, the Tuareg, and recreates them through a system of literary symbols and metaphors where the universal and the local meet. I emphasize that al-Koni is first and foremost a writer of fiction for whom the imaginary realm constantly recreates reality. Having experienced firsthand the rituals and beliefs prescribed by Tuareg mythology, al-Koni brings these alive in his fiction. (2) In his novel Marathi Ulis, al-Koni underscores that the place you have lived in remains with you forever (18), and some critics read this move as evidence of alKoni's sense of his mission to safeguard the myths of his people before modernity sweeps away their legacy (Fahndrich 333). This speaks to the contemporary concern that the Tuareg heritage might be absorbed into a stricter Islam unless the Tuareg defend their traditions. (3) Indeed, nomadic activities are dwindling in most parts of the territory where the Tuareg move--i.e., across Algeria, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Libya--and many among the younger generation migrate in search of jobs or for political reasons (see Kohl). In addition, it is becoming almost impossible to herd due to the changes in the environment and the exploitation of uranium mines, especially in the Niger. This has led to one of the most striking changes in this nomadic way of life: the Tuareg's use of modern vehicles in which they smuggle trade or carry animals and which they use when they move across borders (Kohl 452) (4) A majority of the Tuareg people today are unemployed, poor, and lacking resources, all of which compels them to look for jobs in cities such as Tripoli, Benghazi, or Algiers. Those who stay behind wait desperately for the international aid to arrive from Niger, Mali, or Algeria (see Bonte and Claudot-Hawad). …
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