«Тахиййат»: Сборник статей в честь Н. Н. Дьякова

m 32 n Herman Bell and Ré Phillips The career of Wardi could be compared with that of the African-American singer Paul Robeson who is widely viewed as a human rights activist of heroic stature. Robeson has been well served in the field of scholarly writing. The phenomenon of Wardi has yet to be well presented. The prominent role of women was very much in evidence at the First Nubian Culture and Tourism Festival in Wadi Halfa and Khartoum. Among the musical performers present were the three Balabil [Baláabil] : Hadia, Amal and Hayat. These three singing sisters, the daughters of Talsam, had for more than 40 years confirmed the custom of Nubian women performing at public occasions. The performance of singer Zikrayat Welwelee, daugh- ter of the performer and composer Saleh Welwelee, supported this position. The author (Ré Phillips) also performed as a guest singer at this occasion. During the festival, thousands of women, men and children came to cel- ebrate the many performing artists in a vast amphitheatre under the stars. The original town ofWadi Halfa was submerged beneath the river (21°54′ N, 31°17′ E) . In 1964 it had been flooded by the waters of the High Dam near Aswan. The people of the town and many surrounding villages had been trans- ported by rail more than 1,380 kilometers away to an unfamiliar region in the eastern Sudan far away from the Nile. A few inhabitants remained near old Wadi Halfa. The flooded region is still remembered today as a Paradise Lost, a phrase that has been expressed in the Nubian language with its mediaeval script as ΠΑΡΑΔΕΙCΟC ΔΑΠΠΟΛΙΝ [ faradíisos dáffolin ] 1 . Some Nubians are now returning. A new town known as Wadi Halfa has been constructed in a location nearby (21°47′ N, 31°22′ E). This Wadi Halfa has been built around “station number one” 29 kilometers to the southeast on the railway that took the original inhabitants away in 1964. The newWadi Halfa now has considerable potential for the development of cultural tourism. One of its assets is that it is a relatively healthy place to live, as the whole region is still free of malaria. Its people have a tradition of hospi- tality and a lengthy experience in welcoming travellers from abroad. Guests to Wadi Halfa have often commented on their sense of security and on the consid- eration with which they are treated. A favourable situation such as this is often confirmed in the Nubian language with a metaphor referring to the fruit of the date palm: Féntig alaga “It’s just like date(s)” 2 . There are many reasons for the 1 Bell (2009). High tone in Nubian is indicated by an acute accent. Thanks to Halim Sabbar for the following comments: f aradнisos (noun) + dбffo (adjective) + li “is the” + n (confirma- tive), i. e., “It is indeed the Paradise Lost.” 2 With reference to the fruit of the date palm: Féntig alaga: fénti “date” + g (object mark- er) + alag “like” + a (copula). Thanks to Halim Sabbar for confirmation of Nubian phrases, toponyms and tone patterns.