Ma-Mahy

Ma-Mahy Is Nubian four Roots, the definition of roots is the part of the tree that attaches it to the ground typically underground providing water and nourishment for the plants.

For Nubians the land and the Nile have been a source of pride and heritage, for thousands of years, all the Nubian traditions and customs revolve around those two elements. Growing up in the city all I can remember is the stories that my mom and dad kept telling us about their days growing up in the Village, stories about a magical place where the Nile meets the desert In a magnificent majestic scene.

My parents made sure that we grow up to appreciate the land of our ancestors, that’s why from an early age made sure that we spend every holiday and vacation there. I remember my first Eid there, we had this tradition of visiting our ancestor's graves the first morning of Eid, it’s where the entire village; men, women, and kids of all ages get out to the desert where the graveyard is to pray for our Dead relatives and have Eid prayer, this tradition is rooted In the old Nubian pagans' religions that got adapted to Islam, In it, they visit the grave every Eid and sprinkle maize seed on the top of the grave and stick palm leaves on the headstone. They carry on with reading some prayers asking God to bless the soul of the dead person.

I never got to see my Dad’s parents, but I always had to visit their graves with my dad and he always reminded us that his dying wish is to be buried next to them and for us to visit his grave and pray for him every year, And I see this as my dad’s way of planting our roots more and more into the Nubian land. A land that is threatened of drowning underwater After the construction of the (kjbar) dam, my village, and 22 other ones are expected to be wiped out from existence, decades of memories along with the legacy of my ancestors who survive the toughest conditions holding on to their land.