Arab Spring

I thought some of you might enjoy this article by my friend Brian, reflecting on the Marrakesh bombing (which I think most of you have heard of by now), the death of Osama bin Laden, and what we're apparently calling "Arab Spring." Brian is fluent in Darija, is a Muslim, and has done an amazing job of integrating himself into Moroccan society, so I think he has a unique, interesting, and insightful perspective on things.

Poor baby

In Darija, məskin* (for a man) or məskina (for a woman) means "poor." It can be used to mean "without money," as in Ana məskina, "I'm poor." But it can also be used much in the same way we would use "poor baby" in English (pobrecito/a in Spanish). Much like the English phrase "poor baby," məskin(a) can be used as a declaration of true pity, a term of playful mockery, or a term of endearment. Really, I think it can be used for all three purposes at once.

My friend LW told me that her maid Amina refers to me as məskina (as in, "I saw the məskina at the souk yesterday") because Amina has this idea that I, poor thing, can't eat anything. I can see where she would get this idea. I think that, when LW has asked Amina to cook a meal to which I have been invited, she has instructed Amina to leave out meat, eggs, and Knorr (pronounced "kənor"; that's what Moroccans call all bouillon, a much-relied-upon ingredient in a suprisingly large percentage of Moroccan cooking).

And, lest you doubt LW's claim that Amina's name for me is məskina, I can say that it is, indeed, what she calls me in person as well as in my absence.

Ana məskina, apparently.




*I'm using pseudo-phonetic spelling here.

In case you're wondering...

Reaction in Morocco to Osama Bin Laden's death: http://riadzany.blogspot.com/2011/05/osama-bin-laden-dead-reaction-in.html.