I have always believed in human values as the basic principle of respect and coexistence between the different cultures living on this planet. Some people came from the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean, while others came from the Red Sea or the Black Sea. The languages and traditions we see in our cities today are the result of this mixture.
There is no language in the world today that does not incorporate new words. In the case of the Hassanian language spoken in the Western Sahara, it is written in the Arabic script and contains words of Sanhaya origin, the Berber groups that introduced the dromedary to Africa. An animal that served as a means of transport for long journeys from oasis to oasis.
There are no people in the world who do not use this word. The Saharawis did so through long poems, which they memorized and preserved from generation to generation. In these poems, the story of a well, a mountain, a woman or a man was written.
The Sahrawi poet Husayn Mawlut, who has an extensive collection of poems in the Hassaniya, is a clear example of this type of poetry rooted in the past, a short verse or tala, the development of a poem through a specific theme, which serves as a source of inspiration.
Hussain Mawlut, in his poem „The Hairstyle of Braids”, makes a precise description out of beauty and highlights tradition as a poetic object in the following verses:
Her braided hairstyle
What one wants
It’s real,
Because there is no hairstyle
It seems,
When she
She grows like hair.
Some flowers hang from her tresses
They shine beautifully,
Near the necklace of solid stones,
near pearly hair,
It is a braided hairstyle
A hairstyle that rejuvenates the soul.
The poet evokes Western Sahara from the regions of Tris and Jemur, words of Sanhaya origin, like most nomadic names. That is where the language of Beni Hassan and Sanhaya enrich each other. Words such as tilimsi or tamura, all related to wells and water collection after rain, are part of the Hasan language, which has its roots in the Xanagus language.
The encounter of one person with another has always brought new words and knowledge which help to change the language. Today the word spoon or radio is part of the Hassaniya and has its own specific pronunciation when used by Saharawis.
Today, unfortunately, Hassania is in deep decline among the new generation of Saharawis born under Moroccan occupation. Academic system lacks knowledge of Hasaniyah and its poets. Knowing the poets of a language is essential to preserve the essence of each word and to keep alive the memory of a people.