大象传媒

11 November 2019

Nadia and Sahar are two young women who are Welsh and Arab.

Here they compare notes on their lives, their culture, and Welsh cakes with an Arab twist!

Nadia: I’ve noticed as well, Welsh and Arabs speak very fast. Like, when I’m in England and I’m talking I’m always told to slow down. But then I know when my dad comes over and he speaks, he’s always too fast as well so I’m telling him to slow down.

My dad is from Libya. My dad moved from Libya to Wales when he was about 18 to study. I put on my social media ‘half Arab, half Welsh’ because I guess I’m half ‘n’ half aren’t I?

Sahar: I was born and raised in the Middle East and I moved to Cardiff when I was a teenager. You know, since I came here, people appreciate and respect time a lot. In the Arab culture, it’s not like this. If you’re going to meet somebody you don’t say ‘Oh, meet me at 6 o’clock’. No, ‘Meet me after the sunset prayer’. And that can be 10 minutes after, 15 minutes after… God knows!

Nadia: You’ve just answered the question of why my dad’s always late for me then!

Sahar: When we have guests over to the house, the whole family have to come together and rotate around that guest. And I don’t find that in the Welsh culture as much, but I do it anyway.

Nadia: If someone comes to my house I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, go make yourself a cup of tea!’ You know what I mean?

Sahar: You can’t do that!

Nadia: Over there it’s like ‘No, I’ll do it for you’.

Sahar: That’s the thing, the house has to be ready all the time for the guests anytime.

I’m an Arab Welsh Muslim and I feel proud of all these three identities. There’s no conflict between them at all. In fact, I feel like I’m privileged because I can take the best of each of these identities.

Nadia: If I say to someone I’m half Arab they’re like, ‘Oh, so you’re a Muslim then?’ And I’m like, ‘Well, no!’ I went to a Christian school but then, at the same time, I got sent to Arabic school on the weekends.

Sahar: The Arabs are amongst themselves very, very diverse. You have Arab Christians, Arab Muslims, Arab Jews - and a lot of people don’t appreciate that. They think if you’re an Arab you are Muslim, that’s it, and it’s not true.

Both: They just assume.

Sahar: And you get stopped in airports!

Nadia: Like me, I got stopped in an airport recently and I got questioned. I had my passport taken off me and everything and I was just like *crying*! My mum just wanted me to come home, it was awful.

Sahar: What is your favourite Arab cuisine though?

Nadia: Right, in Libya, they used to make makarona and it was basically like lamb…

Sahar: That’s Italian influenced, but yeah, yeah…

Nadia: Makarona, it was like lamb pasta, it was beautiful! But I don’t like couscous, I hate couscous.

Sahar: Come on, this is your thing!

Nadia: No, I don’t like couscous, I’ve never liked couscous.

Sahar: That is a north African thing!

Nadia: They used to give it to us and they’d go 賰賱賷 賰賱賷 賰賱賷 and I’d be like ‘No, don’t give me no couscous!’

Sahar: 賰賱賷 means ‘Eat’! Do you know what, I’m impressed actually.

Nadia: I know two words – I know ‘eat’ and ‘money’!

Sahar: I love Welsh cakes, but I don’t like the raisins. What I do is actually Welsh cakes with dates, and dates is a big thing in Arab diets. I actually made some… These are some of the Welsh cakes…

Nadia: I’m on a diet, but I’m eating them… Banging!

Sahar: Do you know this? Do you know the little cups, yeah? [Sahar holds Arabic coffee cups.] So this is how you hold it, you have to serve it in the right hand. There you go…

Nadia: Ah, lush!

Sahar: Can you smell it? It’s one of these things that you either really like or really hate. So you can have Arabic coffee with Welsh cakes and dates – and it’s the best thing ever!

Nadia: I wonder if I can dip it in?!

Sahar: Now, I don’t do that!