Middle East Cultural Representation of the Region - Movie Review Example

What we learn from Middle East Cultural Representation of the Region The cultural representation of Middle East is diverse. The intricacy of the culture is a result of historical movements and civilizations that is diverse across the region. The Middle Eastern culture is a representation of the dichotomy of ancient, modern cultures and is incorporated with elements of contemporary traditions. Cuisine and the cultural dimension of Middle East are divergent throughout the region, although there are some similarities that can be drawn. Middle East region was divided into empires that engaged in constant fights over the occupation of the land. Byzantine, the Persian, the Arab and the Ottoman were the most dominant empires that influenced and directed the cultural dimensions practiced in the region. Different countries in the region, however, had their religion, customs, language, and religion. This variation of cultural dimensions left a profound impact of the cultural representation observed today. Various aspects of culture: language and cuisine were exchanged with others from countries within member region. Cuisine varies in different member countries in the Middle East. There are similarities of common dishes in the region, but flavoring techniques differs among member countries. Olives and Chickpeas are used in cooking across the region, while chicken, beef, and lamb are popular foods in many countries. The region largely practices Islamic and, as a result, pork and alcohol is not allowed in many countries. Arabic is a widely spoken language in the region. However, Arabic has many different dialects depending on different countries, which make it difficult for members to comprehend dialects from various countries. Although there is a huge variation of dialects, there is a standard form of written Arabic common to all countries. Muslim is the widely practiced religion in the region and uses Arabic language in its teaching. Iran and Israel use different official languages; Iranians use Persian whereas Israelites use Hebrew and English. Upper-class citizens of most members in the Middle East use French. The cultural dimensions of the Middle East countries are highly influenced by religion. Many institutions in the region incorporate religious aspect, where Islamic stands out to be the most influential. However, there are two sects of Muslims, Shi’a and Sunni, who have theological and philosophical differences. Israel is dominated by Jewish religion and has a different culture from the rest of Middle East countries. Christianity is still practiced sparingly in a region, bringing different culture altogether. This paper is about relating cultural perspective of Middle East observed in the novel; “The Yacoubian building” by Alaa Al Aswany, “Season of the migration to the north” by Tayeb Salih, and “Cities of salt” by Abdulrahman. And in the movies “Kilometre Zero”, “Children of Heaven”, and “The closed doors”. All this books portray similarities in the cultural dimension; bringing out elements of hardships, oppression, and conflicts. Pattern There is a common pattern evident in the movies and the novels used in this paper. The scenes have been set in poor villages or in congested urban centers where inhabitants are manifested with difficulties. In all settings, an aspect of conflict either by the ruling government or family conflict is well elicited. Women and children are the most affected by the conflicts. However, through handwork determined members of the society can overcome their hardship. Education is commonly emphasized; in all the novels and movie, education has been sourced as the main path to change ones destiny. Through education and determination the main characters in the novel have come out victorious. Common Things It is evident in the novels and the movies that a lot of hardship exists in some part of Middle East region. Most people living in this region are economically unstable and are working very hard to make their ends meet. In the Movie “Kilometre Zero”, Ako is a young man from Kurdistan, who has had the opportunity to work with the Iraq army. He is abused and vilified by colleagues in the army because he is Kurdish and comes from a poor village. He finds a chance to escape and reunited with his wife in the village of Kurdistan, but shocked to find bombardment have tone the whole village down. Nevertheless, he is happy that the war soon come to an end a new government is formed. Under circumstance of war people live in havoc, access to food and healthcare become difficult to get. Women and children suffer most since they are the most vulnerable in the society. The same can be related to the other novels and movies. In the movie “Children of Heaven” Zahra, from a poor family living in South Tehran, loses her only pair of shoe. Zahra is afraid to tell her parent of the predicament out of fear and is forced to share her brother, Ali, only pair of shoe. Sharing sometimes becomes problematic since they had to exchange when going to school, forcing her late at school sometimes (Aswānī P. 37). She coincidently notes her lost pair of shoe with a schoolmate and traces her on their way home. She meets the schoolmates’ father and return without requesting her shoe after finding that the poor man was a garbage collector and blind. In a particular setting “ Closed door” movie gives an account of Hamada, who is a child of a single mother after his father, a polygamous, divorced his mother and moved on to marry another wife. Hamada mother strives to make a living and paying his school fees. Life in school is and at his village is hard for him as he cannot find all men rude and arrogant and lack a father figure to emulate. At the adolescent age he is easily influenced to quit school, and Sheik Khaled lures him to join an extremist religious sect led by Sheik Azziz (Azmi, P. 47). “Season of Migration to the North” novel share the same aspects of hardship in the region. Unknown narrator has come back to his motherland, Sudan after spending years of study in England. The narrator encounters Mustafa Sa’eed, a villager, who shows him no adulation as the rest of the villagers. He later learns that Mustafa got the privilege of studying in Europe, but conflicted with his masters. According to Sa’eed his masters led to his downfall and life of misery. Hardship in Egyptians due to the high rise in population is revealed in the novel “Yacoubian Building” . Yacoubian is a building that was built by an American traveller. It was home of high class families and government officials before 1950s, but after the 1952 revolution the building was pre-occupied by people from the rural areas who came to urban areas to seek for employment. The building became very populated, and more poor immigrant lived occupied the rooftop of the ten-story building, which was supposed to serve as stores, creating a slum neighborhood. “City of Salt’ novel gives accounts of the hardship people faced in Saudi Arabia (Arabian Penisula). Almost the entire country is a desert, making it hard to produce enough food. The situation becomes more complicated with the oppressive rule of Sultan Khuraybit. Mudun al-milh narrates his encounter with the Sultan rule after return home after acquiring his doctorate in mining. The ruler discredits his education and does not give him a chance to work. His life home becomes miserable before landing a job in oil Exploration Company. Lesson Learnt According with the account of the novels and movies used in this paper; conflict, hardship, and oppression stand as major challenges in the Middle East. Some people in the society are not strong enough control themselves in such situations and become vulnerable to join religious sects, criminal gangs, and other illegal groups in the society. The accounts of the novels and movies give hope and direction to the marginalized group in the society. It calls for determination and perseverance in changing life situation to the better. Many people do not recognize the fruit of education in poor countries around the world. According to the novels and movies account used in this paper, Middle East villagers did not see the urgency of education in some case advising their sons to quit school. But it is imported to note that the same account proves that those who underwent through school and succeeded no matter what the circumstance improved their life and impacted the community positively. Work Cited Aswānī, ʻAlāʼ, and Humphrey T. Davies. The Yacoubian Building. New York: Harper Perennial, 2006. Print. Azmi, Ahmed, Gabriel Khoury, Marie-Françoise Mascaro, Marianne Khoury, ʻĀṭif Ḥatātah, Mahmoud Hemeida, Sawsan Badr, Manal Afifi, and Ahmed F. Selim. The Closed Doors. Cairo: Misr International Films, 2007. Children of Heaven. Dir. Majid Majid. Perf. Zahras. Iranian family drama film, 1997. Film. Kilomètre Zéro. Dir. Hiner Saleem. Perf. Ako, 2005. Film. Georges, Emilie, Fabrice Guez, Alexandre Mallet-Guy, Hiner Saleem, Nazmi Kırık, Eyam Ekrem, Belcim Bilgin, Ehmed Qeladizeni, and Nazar Selami. Kilometre Zero. New York, N.Y.: First Run Features, 2008. Munīf, ʻAbd -R, and Peter Theroux. Cities of Salt. New York: Vintage Books, 1989. Print. Plant, J. F., V. R. Johnston, and C. E. Ciocirlan. Handbook of transportation policy and administration. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2007. Print. Salih, Tayeb. Season of Migration to the North ;the Wedding of Zein. London: Quartet Books, 1980. Print. Read More