In one of the districts in Ma'an there was a park that was to be opened which had been worked on for months by the devoted people of Ma'an, Mercy Corps, the governorate and its officials of Ma'an, as well as with support from the United Kingdom as represented by the presence of Mr. Edward Oakden CMG British Ambassador to the United Kingdom for Jordan.  

This was one of those very robust and colorful ceremonies in which honor and humility played big roles in subtle ways; whether it be through dress or body language, this was a beautiful dance of cultures.

We were in an area that was relativity safe, but there had been a handful of frightful rumors swirling about the shadowy depths of Ma'ans alleyways. The security was tight, every inch of land inside the parameters of the park had been stationed with a professional bodyguard trained in not only weapons but also in hand to hand combat.

Throughout Jordan Ma'an is one of the places with slight risk when it comes to things such as sleeper cells and extremists. There's a few places that some Mercy Corps coworkers told me to drive by in order to just to see how it was: armed militants walking the streets past posters bearing ISIS sentiments, and to get the reinforced Mercy Corps vehicles for that trip just in case. Needless to say I didn't go. There were other stories wherein the people in a certain district in Ma'an had kicked out Mercy Corps after they built a school, forbidding them from coming back.

THE PARK & IT'S AMENITIES

BRITISH AMBASSADOR EDWARD OAKDEN

THE WELCOMING PARTY

CUTTING THE RED RIBBON

It is always a pleasure to bump into Arthur, the other photographer who is assigned to go out on assignments with Mercy Corps. His professionalism and understanding of the world of photography was indeed refreshing, especially when we could cover an entire event and yet not show up in each others photographs. 

I, of course, chose to include him in my frames because bumping into Arthur as we were both haphazardly sent on assignments in the desert was indeed an integral part of my experience at Mercy Corps.

FORMALITIES & FESTIVITIES

After a quick rise for the Jordanian and English anthem, the influential people began speaking. The head of the Middle Eastern branch of Mercy Corps gave a speech flowed by the mayor of Ma'an and then the ambassador of the United Kingdom.

This was quickly followed by a large number of men lead by a very young boy who was ready to perform acrobatic dances. They looked to be having the time of their life as their courageous dance moves drew in the audience members; the joyous energy was infectious. This was indeed a celebration of color, sound and motion.

THE MANSAF FEAST

The Mansaf meal is one of the most important in Jordanian culture; it is indeed Jordans national food, beloved by all and endowed with enough cultural and historic symbolism to fill the pages of an encyclopedia. Mansaf is used on happy and on sad occasions, and a good hint to know is that; when the head of the sheep is placed upward as shown in the photograph above it represents ‘farha’, or in other words celebration. It is on its side during funerals and other depressing affairs.

The meal is eaten with the hands, and the eater should use the goat milk, rice and sheep meat to create a wondrous ball of food in order to delightfully feed themselves. Indeed it is an experience not just a feast, though a feast of kings none the less.

Traditions and symbolism change throughout the land of Jordan so it is always wise to know where one is and who is the majority tribal family in that region. For example in some areas the host must never eat before his guests in order to show his humility and his empathy to his fellow brethren, while in other areas and among other households in front of a different social audience one must always wait until the head of the house eats or by cracking the skull of the sheep open and either eating from it or offers his most beloved guest the chance at first bite.

It does not end there; as every organ has its own respective symbolic representation. The brain and eyes, for example, are always considered a delicacy and must be treated with the utmost respect. These organs are usually given to the one most dearest to the heart of the host, or if the gathering is in honor of one of the guests, the guests gets his pick of eyes or brain.

Now, in certain parts in Jordan it is customary for a host to feed his guest, or even friends among friends to feed each other out of a sign of love and wishful well being towards each other. It is often very rude to reject another man or woman's offer to be fed during the feast at hand.

AFTER FEAST TALKS, WITH KNAFEH!

After the festivities, it was time to engage in a democratic town hall meeting. With the customary desert, 'knafeh'. The meeting was held by selected community leaders of Ma'an (selected and trained by Mercy Corps officials) and the government of Ma'an and with the supervision and support of the British government. It was held in order to project the future success of the park, and also discuss how to successfully prevent dangerous loitering, drugs, and gang-related activities.

The meeting covered many topics ranging deep within the psycho-social demographic of Ma'an to the myriad of economic and environmental influences around. It also covered topics such as what further aid was needed from the United Kingdom and Mercy Corps in order to ensure the continued prosperity of the Ma'ani youth and the Ma’an park.

The meeting was run by the community leaders in Ma'an; between the community leaders, the government officials of Ma'an and the English representatives. The topics flowed freely in a room of peers who were equally bewildered at the stunning achievement they have all created together.

SPECIAL THANKS TO...

It is thanks to the community leaders of Ma'an, the representatives and field operatives at Mercy Corps, and the generous support of the United Kingdom, that the future generations of kids have a beautiful park to grow up in and make wonderfully saturated experiences.