8 Jasmyn vir die sensuurpyn ٨
Thursday, 14 February 2013 by onsreis
Kom ons begin met ‘n oomblik van stilte vir Mohammed ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami, die Katari digter wat verlede jaar lewenslank tronk en dus die ewige duisternis toe gestuur is. Sy misdaad? Hy het in die lig van die Arabiese Lente, ‘n gedig ‘Jasmyn’ geskryf waarin hy se almal wat onderdruk word, kan hulle met die Tunisiërs vereenselwig. En dus, per implikasie, het hy die plaaslike emir beledig. Want dié onderdruk almal hier, soos die geval in al die buurlande. (Omdat die ‘verhoor’ in geheim was, weet niemand wat werklik aangaan nie, maar die boodskap is duidelik…) Onlangs het een van al-Ajami se broerskinders aan ‘n TV realiteitsreeks deelgeneem, in die hoop om die “familie-skandvlek” ‘n bietjie skoon te vryf.
“Jasmyn” (vertaal uit Arabies)
Knowing that those that satisfy themselves and upset their people
tomorrow will have someone else sitting in their seat,
knowing that those that satisfy themselves and upset their people
tomorrow will have someone else sitting in their seat,
for those that think the country is in your and your kids’ names,
the country is for the people, and its glories are theirs.
Repeat with one voice, for one faith:
We are all Tunisia in the face of repressive elites.
We are all Tunisia in the face of repressive elites.
The Arab governments and who rules them are, without exception, thieves.
Thieves!
The question that frames the thoughts of those who wonder
will not find an answer in any official channels.
As long as it imports everything it has from the West,
why can’t it import laws and freedoms?
Why can’t it import laws and freedoms?
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/41246042-3a2f-11e2-a00d-00144feabdc0.html
http://consortiumnews.com/2012/12/12/qatars-hypocrisy-on-freedom/
In ‘Don’t they Know it’s Friday – A Cross-Cultural Guide for Business and Life in the Gulf’ skryf Jeremy Williams die volgende onder die hofie ‘Censorship’: “Gulf Arabs employed by government departments to oversee media output sometimes comment that expatriate editors … over censor … These foreigners probably take an over-cautious approach towards Gulf censorship in order to safeguard their careers. The effect is that Gulf censorship is often more rigorous than many Gulf nationals, and their leaders, actually require.”
Ek daag hom uit om hier te kom kyk na die realiteit, want as jy onmoontlike spertye gegee word, met mense werk wat heeltyd van plan verander of te bang is om besluite te neem, en gedurig dinge op die laaste minuut uitgooi ‘omdat hulle kan’, dan begin jy ook maar later om net die mees vervelige, veilige kopie uit te spoeg. Want ongeag wat dit is, als moet deur ‘n falanks, en meestal onbeskikbare, mense goedgekeur word.
Hier op Qatar Foundation (mini-land in Doha met 9 internasionale universiteite, tremstelsel in aanbou, tientalle navorsingsentra, TV, radio, futuristiese konvensiesentrum, hospitaal ens ens) is ‘n groot werksessie, met baie studente van oral wat kom kuier. Uiteraard se hulle net positiewe dinge oor die werksessie en Katar, soos een vrou van Tel Aviv Universiteit. Watter universiteit? Tog nie die een in Israel (wat nie bestaan) nie?! Jammer, die aanhaling kan bly, maar sy word net ‘n student. Die ironie, uiteraard, is dat sy ‘n Arabies-Palestynse student is, maar mense hier mag nie weet hulle swot in Israel nie….
Vorige jaar het Katari student gekuier in Duitsland in Pole. Een word aangehaal dat sy na ‘n besoek aan die Nazi konsentrasiekampe vir die eerste keer van die geskiedenis gehoor het, en nou werklik verstaan hoe die Jode gely het. Dalk waar en verlig en en, maar die sensorsker het haar totale kommentaar gereduseer tot “Ons het Duitsland en Pole besoek, en dit was baie interessant”.
Maar dan gebeur die volgende. In dieselfde week. In Katar. In die kulturele hoofsetel van die land, genaamd Katara. Jewish pianist wows crowds at Katara, http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/222092-jewish-pianist-wows-crowds-at-katara.html al was daar heelwat teenkanting en ongelukkigheid
‘n Student van Pakistanse afkoms, wat meeste van sy lewe in Doebaai gewoon het, skryf oor hoe gelukkig hy in Katar is. Maar hy wonder of hy die Verenigde Arabiese Emirate (waarvan Doebaai deel is) se nasionale dag moet vier, want hulle weier om hom burgerskap te gee. “Ek word soos ‘n toeris in my eie land behandel,” kla hy. Eers is die artikel in, toe uit. Want? Want waaroor hy ligweg krities is, is waar van al die Golfstate, insluitende Katar. Jy kan vir dekades hier werk, geld maak, werksgeleenthede skep, die land opbou, vlot Arabies praat. Maar jy sal omtrent nooit-ooit ‘n burger kan word nie – of met plaaslike mense (veral die vroue!) kan trou nie. Kataris kan emigreer en deel word van ander lande. Maar dit werk nie omgekeerd nie.
Foto en artikel van Arabiese vrou en argitek, ook weer positief oor Katar en die werk wat sy hier doen. Nee, die foto is te uitlokkend. Dis net ‘n gesig en lang, los hare. Dit moet uit. ‘n Paar minute later moet die hele artikel sommer uit. Want ons kan. Daar’s ‘n vals bomdreigement (toevallig tydens die eksamens) en drie van kampusse word ontruim. Dus, almal weet daarvan. Maar mag dit in die koerant? Nee, te negatief. Ditto vir ‘n klein brandvoorval waarvan almal ook weet. Dus, ons gee geen antwoorde op die wie, wat en veral waarom nie. So niemand stel belang om die koerant te lees nie.
Een artikel het verwysing oor Westerse tegnologie wat vir plaaslike mense aangepas en aanvaarbaar gemaak is. Dit word as ‘n groterige aanhaling gebruik om die teks te breek. Aanhaling moet uit (g’n verduideliking), maar mag in die storie bly. En dis ‘n plaaslike meneer wat die gewraakte opmerking gemaak het…
Of by Qatar Foundation is daar ook ‘n glasmuur met ‘n glasdeur (als erg simbolies) waarop die gegradueerdes se name aangebring is. Of nee, wag..wag… slegs die Katari gegradueerdes se name. Die feit dat meeste studente en professors en werkers in hierdie land (weens die klein inheemse bevolking en groot kapitalistiese drome) van elders is en die plek opbou, word verswyg. So ook op televisie en in die media in die algemeen. ‘n Totale wanbeeld wat g’n sin maak nie.
Ons stylgids spreek die volgende: “It is not the custom here to take responsibility for, or change, what someone else has said, no matter how badly expressed. This is particularly the case with the ‘approved’ word of high-ranking or otherwise important Qataris, especially those connected to QF!”
En gegewe die grootse planne vir land, is dit onmoontlik om die regstellende aksie vir Kataris (wetlik verpligte ‘Qatarization’) toe te pas. En wie wil werk, as jy as deel van jou geboortereg basies skatryk is? Soos hierdie artikel oor ‘n maatskappy hier: As part of its Qatarisation efforts, Qatalum recruited 15 Qataris in 2012, taking the ratio of nationals working in the company to 4.9 percent, a senior Qatalum official told reporters at a press conference. “We have plans to achieve the 50 percent target by 2020. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/222121-qatalum-recruited-15-nationals-last-year-aims-at-50pc-qatarisation-by-2020.html
Maar laat dit inheemse media jou ‘n idee van ‘n paar dinge gee. En vir baie van hierdie goed hieronder, is daar weer totaal teenstrydige dinge wat gebeur of toegelaat word. Bisar, soos altyd. En die media-ligpunte is http://www.justhere.qa/ en http://dohanews.co/
Straf daai indirekte verwysing na iets wat elke dag oral in Katar se hotelle en werkplekke gebeur
The Supreme Education Council (SEC) has taken punitive action against a teacher of English language and a subject coordinator for including objectionable references in a question paper. The teacher included some questions that indirectly promoted drinking and free interaction between men and women. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/223197-teacher-punished-over-offensive-question-paper.html
Swaar straf vir dronk Moslem (sy geloof word duidelik genoem)
A criminal court has sentenced a man to a year in jail and fined him QR1,000 ($274) for creating nuisance after drinking aboard a Qatar Airways flight that was bound for Doha. The man, who was in his mid-30s, was hugely drunk and misbehaved with air hostesses. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/222112-man-jailed-for-drunken-revelry-aboard-qatar-airways-flight.html
Die bedelaar gevaar (iets wat ek omtrent nooit ooit sien)
The beggar menace is on the rise in the country, with alms-seekers getting bolder and venturing into newer areas to carry on with the illegal practice, little fearful of law enforcement officials. They were earlier restricted to begging in front of mosques http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/223196-beggars-back-on-streets-without-fear.html
Ai, die mans
More than 30 percent of visitors to psychiatry clinics in Qatar are women and a majority of them face problems with their husbands, say health experts. An increasingly large number of women are seeking treatment for psychological problems resulting from social pressure and family disputes, http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/222810-30pc-of-psychiatric-patients-are-women-experts.html
Mense drink naskeermiddel, sowaar
The Ministry of Environment has imposed new regulations for the import and sale of alcohol-based perfumes like cologne to prevent misuse and potential health hazards. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/222659-tough-curbs-on-alcohol-based-perfumes.html
Nuuswaardig?
The relevance of the ‘majlis’, the traditional hall in homes where family members and friends sit together, is gradually diminishing as the issues and challenges faced by young Qataris are not taken up in them, say young Qatari men. This is also in part because youngsters prefer to spend time with gadgets such as smartphones and tablets rather than with their family members in a ‘majlis’, some elders complain. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/222545-gadgets-driving-qatari-youth-away-from-majlis.html
Maar dis waar hulle die ‘ware nuus’ kry
More than a third of Qatari men surveyed about media usage habits said they relied on their ‘majlis’ (the outer portion of a traditional Qatari home where guests, including relatives, friends, colleagues and neighbours are entertained) to get day-to-day information and news. A vast majority of Qatari women (who have no access to the ‘majlis’), on the contrary,…. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/223195-a-third-of-qatari-men-rely-on-majlis-for-news.html
Ses maande in Katar ۺ 