My Mother, My Teacher
SynopsisPlot
Separated from his family in the aftermath of the failed decolonization process in Western Sahara, Bahia Mahmud Awah was sustained by recollections of his mother. In this memoir, he describes her sacrifices, her optimism, and her deep love. His family's experiences exemplify the larger story of loss and displacement in the region even as his story shows how shared memories can nourish community and culture across generations, even in exile. Incorporating poetry in Hassaniya, the traditional Saharawi language, the work highlights the role of language in shaping identity and resisting colonialism.
Story
About this book
Bahia Mahmud Awah's memoir recounts growing up in Western Sahara and being separated from his family during the failed decolonization process that uprooted Saharawi communities in the mid-1970s. At the center of the book is his mother, whose presence shaped his understanding of language, culture, and endurance. Awah describes her sacrifices and her steady optimism during years of displacement, drawing on memories that held him together when distance from home was at its sharpest.
The memoir incorporates poetry written in Hassaniya, the Arabic dialect traditionally spoken by the Saharawi people. Through these poems, many of them his mother's own, Awah explores how language carries identity forward even in exile. The work connects one family's story to the broader pattern of loss and scattering across the region, showing how shared memory and oral tradition sustain a community when its territory remains contested.
First published in 2011, this edition presents the first complete English translation alongside the original text. It also includes a new epilogue by the author with additional recollections of his mother and further examples of her poetry.
