Nubians - Moved Away or Pushed Away?

Now, why would West Africa be in the picture when the title clearly states Nubians?!

Patience is a beautiful thing!

A good few years ago, there was a straw that broke the camel's back for me when a shaykh asked if I'd like to have Arabic lessons. Sounds all good up until now, right? Except without assessing me or doing so much as a needs analysis, as I do with my English language learners, the shaykh (non-''Black'') just assumed that I was starting from ground zero. I asked if he does an advanced level. It stopped right there. The shaykh never got back to me. This is not, unfortunately, an isolated case for ''Black'' women learning Arabic, particularly ''Black'' Muslim women. Now don't get me wrong, I'm well aware that for many ''Black'' sisters Arabic has been/ is a foreign encounter. On the other hand, for so many other ''Black sisters, Arabic happens to be their first or additional language which I try to bring to the surface in my podcast ''Black'' Woman Speaks Arabic.

Therefore, I do believe, through first hand experience with other ''Black'' sisters whom have approached me or whose stories I've heard of, that there are many ''Black'' women who were once-upon-a-time hungry for Arabic & who have now gradually shied away, silently holding a dim but burning flame despite the exposure to educational trauma. A residual passion or thirst to acquire the Arabic language tends to linger. Interestingly enough, the flame never seems to extinguish. Perhaps due to an echo that rippled throughout time from the past and carried itself from generation to generation?

Haven't you ever wondered what kind of languages our ancestors pursued in the very distant past? Like what languages were the most popular and sought after? Today, it's no secret that the English language ranks first place in the global stage with the demand for English lessons being at an ongoing all time high followed by Mandarin, Hindi & Spanish. The Arabic language falls within the top 10 most spoken & is sometimes ranked 4th or may come in 6th place.

The average African today can speak anywhere between 2-4 languages. What if I were to say that hundreds of years ago ( and may I argue pre-Islamic era ) Arabic was one of the languages not foreign to West Africa? In doubt?

Last month, many of us in the African diaspora in the UK gave ourselves permission to celebrate not just excellence or achievements but our mere existence in face of intersectionality via Black History Month. One of the ''Black'' historical figures that nearly always pops up is Mansa Musa, and his famous spiritual journey from Mali in Africa to Mecca in the Arabian peninsula with a large caravan carrying a significant amount of gold to the extent that when distributed threw off Egypt's economy. In order for a caravan to make such a journey, a route of travel would have had to exist making a connection between West Africa & then Arabia.

OK, now Nubia. An ancient kingdom said to have extended from south of Egypt to Sudan. Nubia is to many tribes as the African continent is to many languages, and in addition to the native Nubian tongues, the Arabic language is no stranger.

Living in Egypt, I got to see how many Nubians in search for better work and in pursuit of higher education would migrate from the villages & into the towns or the city. Where in the city, there was not only a different mode of lifestyle that required an adjustment to, but in order to integrate well into society and to avoid mockery due to the difference in their Arabic dialects, Arabic would take precedence over the native tongue to the extent that many elders in fear that their children would undergo ridicule as they did, would avoid passing down the Nubian language to them. The bottom line being Arabic is a native tongue of many Nubians today.

However, do all Nubians exist in Egypt & Sudan?

Not all Nubian migration was voluntary. As Nubian scholar & feminist Fatma Emam highlights when dam projects were being built in Egypt on multiple occasions starting in the early 1900s requiring the displacement of hundreds of Nubian families who were coerced into moving into shanty settlements with a false promise of return to their homeland. An entitlement that has been denied till this very day.

There were more Nubian migrations...to Uganda & Kenya where their Arabic dialects were further influenced.