Musk Endings 2020: Salilat al-Arrafah, Examples of Libyan Women’s Literature
In the spirit of the Sudanese poet Najat Elias, Dr. Ishraga Mustafa Hamid dedicates “Salilat al-Arrafah, Examples of Libyan Women’s Literature” to the spirit of Sudanese poet Najat Elias.
The idea was planted by Najat, who motivated Ishraga, that her creative project would not be complete unless she filled her soul with the fragrance of the poems of Libyan women poets. The idea began with the translation of these poems, which would not have seen the light of day had it not been for Hawa Al-Qamoudi, the poet, who filled the lungs of places with the fragrance of the poems of the descendants of Al-Arrafa. The idea that started with the translation of these models did not leave her in the spirit of Najat Elias, who lived three decades of her life in Libya and was a mutual friend of hers.
Najat passed away and her impact remains in opening for me the gateway to these gardens, gardens of visions, ideas, and attitudes towards the universe and existence. Believing that literature has a social responsibility is one of the objectives of the Sidra Project, on which I am working on networking, and that the poem is a spirit of solidarity by supporting the printing of this publication through (the Violet Creative Salon), founded by the Qatari poet Samira Obaid, who believed in my anxious thoughts and made them a foothold in the path of great dreams. Thank you to Al Reem Publishing House and its director, Imad Abu Madin, who supported this project, as did the Violet Salon for Cultural Creativity.
Thanks to Souad Al-Shuwayhidi, a descendant of Al-Arrafa, who gifted us with the cover art. Thanks to the Sudanese visual artist Bakri Khader who designed the cover and the book, and to Mr Omar Al-Saem for proofreading. It is the Musk of the end of 2020 – in press – and what a musk it is. With this book, Dr. Ishraga Mustafa Hamid expresses her solidarity with all our peoples in their plight and for a better reality and a dignified life worthy of human beings.
It is a project that confirms that in the space of the poems is a human being and that our cause is united by a common destiny for the sake of humanity.
Voice of Mendy 
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