A couple weeks ago, at the recommendation of a Jordanian blogger, I discovered a great Jordanian rock band called Jadal. Today I’d like to share one of their music videos with my readers. The song is Salma, and it is a prayer and blessing for the guitarist’s niece.
What does this have to do with national security? Those who study national security issues can fall into a dangerous trap: by focusing so intensely on those issues, we can lose sight of everything else. This is especially a danger when we study regional affairs from afar. We lose perspective on the lives of ordinary people, viewing an entire country and its people through the lens of national security concerns. In actuality, these issues may be of only marginal importance in the lives of citizens. To cite one example, Islamic terror was so far removed from my experience in Jordan that it almost seemed irrelevant.
Understanding the lives of ordinary people is an important corrective to this bias. The big national security issues obviously matter, but we need to place them within an accurate human context.
I like this video because, in about three minutes, it beautifully captures so much of ordinary life in Jordan. This is a society where the country’s top rock band writes a song of blessing to a sister and niece; where a group of shabab (young men) who are out cruising will take along a three-year old niece; and where enjoying the happiness of children is considered one of the highest pleasures in life. So next time you read dire news from the Middle East, think back to Salma and realize that she represents 95% of what I saw and experienced in Jordan.
LYRICS (translation found online and is a bit rough in places)
Call her Salma, oh sister!
Give it up and go for it!
Baby Salma, if she cries, she would complain the first second!
Salma, I wish your eyes see good things, see your mommy praying, see and hear everything good just don't worry or care... your uncle is singing!
Baby Salma will cry, will fill our homes with joy , and with the loudest voice she will say " I LOVE YOU MOMMY "
Salma, my eyes are waiting...to see your eyes and wish you.....
Wish you long life , oh Salma!...
Life that i wish for you!
Life that i wish for you!
Wish you long life , oh Salma!
Salma, I wish your eyes see good things, see your mommy praying , see and hear everything good just don't care... your uncle is singing!
Salma, my eyes are waiting, to see your eyes and wish you.....
Wish you long life , oh Salma! Life that I wish for you!
Salma, my eyes are waiting....to see your eyes and wish you.....
Wish you long life , oh Salma! Life that I wish for you!
Salma! my eyes are waiting!!
What does this have to do with national security? Those who study national security issues can fall into a dangerous trap: by focusing so intensely on those issues, we can lose sight of everything else. This is especially a danger when we study regional affairs from afar. We lose perspective on the lives of ordinary people, viewing an entire country and its people through the lens of national security concerns. In actuality, these issues may be of only marginal importance in the lives of citizens. To cite one example, Islamic terror was so far removed from my experience in Jordan that it almost seemed irrelevant.
Understanding the lives of ordinary people is an important corrective to this bias. The big national security issues obviously matter, but we need to place them within an accurate human context.
I like this video because, in about three minutes, it beautifully captures so much of ordinary life in Jordan. This is a society where the country’s top rock band writes a song of blessing to a sister and niece; where a group of shabab (young men) who are out cruising will take along a three-year old niece; and where enjoying the happiness of children is considered one of the highest pleasures in life. So next time you read dire news from the Middle East, think back to Salma and realize that she represents 95% of what I saw and experienced in Jordan.
LYRICS (translation found online and is a bit rough in places)
Call her Salma, oh sister!
Give it up and go for it!
Baby Salma, if she cries, she would complain the first second!
Salma, I wish your eyes see good things, see your mommy praying, see and hear everything good just don't worry or care... your uncle is singing!
Baby Salma will cry, will fill our homes with joy , and with the loudest voice she will say " I LOVE YOU MOMMY "
Salma, my eyes are waiting...to see your eyes and wish you.....
Wish you long life , oh Salma!...
Life that i wish for you!
Life that i wish for you!
Wish you long life , oh Salma!
Salma, I wish your eyes see good things, see your mommy praying , see and hear everything good just don't care... your uncle is singing!
Salma, my eyes are waiting, to see your eyes and wish you.....
Wish you long life , oh Salma! Life that I wish for you!
Salma, my eyes are waiting....to see your eyes and wish you.....
Wish you long life , oh Salma! Life that I wish for you!
Salma! my eyes are waiting!!
4 comments:
Great music, thanks for sharing (and for the translation). We really don't pull out of the zoom often enough in our endeavor to pinpoint security issues. Losing the forest for the trees seems to be a lesson that we're destined to learn over and over again.
Thanks for the translation! didn't sound as cheesy as I thought it would..
You helped many fans.
you made The person who wrote and composed it proud again, take my word for it.
Thank you for the comment! It's a great song, and I meant what I wrote: it embodies so much of what I love about Jordan. If you are in touch with the band, please let them know how much I appreciate them. My wife and I often listen to the album when we're in the car, and reminisce about our time in Jordan. I hope Jadal releases another album!
JadaL is releasing a new album soon
Send regards to your wife :)
and contact facebook.com/jadalband for anything ;)
Post a Comment