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22-04-07, 17:09
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/04/e42196ec-db83-47a3-8ee4-0f7eb4f25141.html
http://gdb.rferl.org/9a1f4fee-554f-4837-987d-decb0400b19f_w220.jpg
Iraq: Oil Lamps Return To Iraqis' Lives
By Khamail Khalaf
Iraqi children in Baghdad study by oil lamp
(RFE/RL)
April 17, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Below RFE/RL presents a transcript of the last broadcast report of Khamail Muhsin Khalaf, a Radio Free Iraq correspondent in Baghdad who was found killed on April 5. This report was part of a program called "Generations" that was aired on April 4.
An oil lamp is a friend of the family and a companion over the generations. It is not known exactly when the first oil lamp was made, but indications are that ancient Iraqis were the first to think of illuminating their caves by fire.
"Lala" is a colloquial Iraqi name for oil lamps that first appeared during the 1940s, fell into disuse during the 1950s and 1960s, then reappeared in force as a result of the recurring electricity crises.
Al-Hajj Abu Muhammad and Al-Hajja Ghaliya Badr talked about evening discussion gatherings by the light of the lala and the gas lamp. The new Iraqi generation also talks about the lala as their constant companion during the second Gulf War, and its prominent position in various corners of the Iraqi home, as if it were reluctant to leave in view of the electrical crises.
Abu Muhammad: I was born in 1939, and from the 1940s on, we had a variety of oil lamps and lalas, and did not have any electricity. Later, they supplied us with gas lanterns. In the beginning, we relied on the lala, and lived that way for 10 or 15 years, after which they installed light bulbs. They installed lampposts and fitted them with light bulbs that they would light up at eight in the evening, or around seven; we didn't have any watches, but it was around sunset that they lit the bulbs.
In our homes we used the lala and the other oil lamps. My father told us when I was still a child that he was going to bring us a gas lantern, that uses spirits. You light the spirits and then start pumping until the gas mantle turns red, then white, as it lights up the house. We would play by this light; we had nowhere else to play. We had fun, as did the visiting neighbors. At night, they would hang the lamp and lala up on the flat roof, and sit there receiving and returning visits from the neighbors.
Khamail: The late-evening conversations would take place by lala-light, between family members and friends?
Abu Muhammad: Yes, we used to place the lalas and sit around, singing and celebrating, and participating in wedding processions; all by the light of the lala.
Khamail: How do you conduct a wedding procession by lala-light?
Abu Muhammad: We would carry the lalas and the gas lanterns up over our heads, while he [the groom] leads his bride and we shout our chants, until we reach their home. After that we would leave. They would serve us food; we would eat, they would go inside, and we would have nothing more to do with them. The bridal couple would go, leaving the bride's and groom's parents and families gathered together with all of the neighbors. Yes, they gathered by the light of the lalas; we had no electricity.
Khamail: Do you remember a particular event that involved the lala?
Abu Muhammad: One day I was passing by the bread-baking oven, where they had placed the lalas. I accidentally hit one with my hand and ended up burning my hand. My father berated me, but I complained that they had misplaced the lala, since it should be hanging by a nail on the wall. He said that they too wanted to sit around its light while they drank their tea. I told him that they already had one for that, and then I ran off to my aunt's house.
Khamail: How many lalas are there in each home?
Abu Muhammad: At least four lalas. The house would consist of an inner courtyard, and a single room in which we all slept. Later, my father built us a second small room that they used for sleeping, while we slept on this side of the house. Everything else was done in the courtyard: cooking, and heating water for the bath.
http://gdb.rferl.org/9a1f4fee-554f-4837-987d-decb0400b19f_w220.jpg
Iraq: Oil Lamps Return To Iraqis' Lives
By Khamail Khalaf
Iraqi children in Baghdad study by oil lamp
(RFE/RL)
April 17, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Below RFE/RL presents a transcript of the last broadcast report of Khamail Muhsin Khalaf, a Radio Free Iraq correspondent in Baghdad who was found killed on April 5. This report was part of a program called "Generations" that was aired on April 4.
An oil lamp is a friend of the family and a companion over the generations. It is not known exactly when the first oil lamp was made, but indications are that ancient Iraqis were the first to think of illuminating their caves by fire.
"Lala" is a colloquial Iraqi name for oil lamps that first appeared during the 1940s, fell into disuse during the 1950s and 1960s, then reappeared in force as a result of the recurring electricity crises.
Al-Hajj Abu Muhammad and Al-Hajja Ghaliya Badr talked about evening discussion gatherings by the light of the lala and the gas lamp. The new Iraqi generation also talks about the lala as their constant companion during the second Gulf War, and its prominent position in various corners of the Iraqi home, as if it were reluctant to leave in view of the electrical crises.
Abu Muhammad: I was born in 1939, and from the 1940s on, we had a variety of oil lamps and lalas, and did not have any electricity. Later, they supplied us with gas lanterns. In the beginning, we relied on the lala, and lived that way for 10 or 15 years, after which they installed light bulbs. They installed lampposts and fitted them with light bulbs that they would light up at eight in the evening, or around seven; we didn't have any watches, but it was around sunset that they lit the bulbs.
In our homes we used the lala and the other oil lamps. My father told us when I was still a child that he was going to bring us a gas lantern, that uses spirits. You light the spirits and then start pumping until the gas mantle turns red, then white, as it lights up the house. We would play by this light; we had nowhere else to play. We had fun, as did the visiting neighbors. At night, they would hang the lamp and lala up on the flat roof, and sit there receiving and returning visits from the neighbors.
Khamail: The late-evening conversations would take place by lala-light, between family members and friends?
Abu Muhammad: Yes, we used to place the lalas and sit around, singing and celebrating, and participating in wedding processions; all by the light of the lala.
Khamail: How do you conduct a wedding procession by lala-light?
Abu Muhammad: We would carry the lalas and the gas lanterns up over our heads, while he [the groom] leads his bride and we shout our chants, until we reach their home. After that we would leave. They would serve us food; we would eat, they would go inside, and we would have nothing more to do with them. The bridal couple would go, leaving the bride's and groom's parents and families gathered together with all of the neighbors. Yes, they gathered by the light of the lalas; we had no electricity.
Khamail: Do you remember a particular event that involved the lala?
Abu Muhammad: One day I was passing by the bread-baking oven, where they had placed the lalas. I accidentally hit one with my hand and ended up burning my hand. My father berated me, but I complained that they had misplaced the lala, since it should be hanging by a nail on the wall. He said that they too wanted to sit around its light while they drank their tea. I told him that they already had one for that, and then I ran off to my aunt's house.
Khamail: How many lalas are there in each home?
Abu Muhammad: At least four lalas. The house would consist of an inner courtyard, and a single room in which we all slept. Later, my father built us a second small room that they used for sleeping, while we slept on this side of the house. Everything else was done in the courtyard: cooking, and heating water for the bath.