The Red Sea coast town of Dahab, meaning “gold”, was a fishing village before it was transformed into a tourism resort. It takes its name from the colour of its beaches. Located 100 km north of Sharm El-Sheikh, Dahab embraces its visitors with nature's grace from every direction. Framed by majestic mountains, its beaches are a diving and snorkelling paradise for visitors from all around the world. But beneath all this beauty lies a traditional society on the path towards modernity. The day in Dahab starts at six o'clock. It is then that local mothers get up to prepare breakfast for their children before school, feed the poultry and cattle, and then find time to visit siblings and neighbours. At noon they prepare lunch and then nap until their children are back home and ready to review their studies. At sundown the family, and sometimes neighbours, gathers around the fire to drink tea. Unmarried young women help out with the housework before going to their own work elsewhere. Vocational skills are more important than an academic education in the Bedouin community. Twenty-seven-year-old Samah Allawi is the first Bedouin woman in Dahab to start her own business. She is considered more modern in her attitudes than other young women her age. Allawi is unmarried, has more education than most Dahab Bedouin, and did not meet with objections from her family when she opened a nursery. “I teach children to read and write in Arabic and English, and I help them learn basic mathematics. As a result, when they enter primary school they will know a little rather than nothing at all,” she said. Although Allawi's nursery barely makes enough to pay the rent, this young Bedouin businesswoman is struggling for what she believes in. She was educated in her hometown until middle school and then went to a technical high school in Al-Tur, a city close to Dahab. She attended the Workers' University in Ismailia, graduating after two years, and then decided to study something she loved. Today, she is two courses away from graduating in business management from the Open University in Al-Tur. “Some families do not let their daughters complete their high school education,” Allawi said, adding that some young women drop out of school when they get married. A technical school was opened in Dahab just three years ago. Other than this local school, any person wishing to go on to higher education has to travel to Al-Tur. Allawi lives in the Al-Asala district, home to 75 per cent of Dahab's residents. Many girls in her community practice handcrafts in the afternoon, like crochet, acquiring skills from their mothers. They grew up watching how to draw henna tattoos and weave thread bracelets, and these skills are passed on to them. Girls are also taught how to bake Bedouin bread and how to take care of their homes. “It is rare to find working mothers. Maybe only ten per cent of mothers work,” Allawi said. Most women stay at home, looking after their houses. Those who graduate from university usually work in teaching, social welfare or other government jobs. Allawi herself made several attempts to apply for a job at a school or the electricity department, but was turned down. “They prefer outsiders over locals,” she said, blaming employers for discriminating against local residents. Her family is supported by her father, who is a fisherman. He is also responsible for bringing enough water from neighbouring wells to last them for a month. Allawi's work does not prevent her from helping out with household chores. She goes to her workplace at 8:30 am and leaves at 1 pm, helping her mother before and after her nursery work. She is also among the lucky ones, for in general once girls hit puberty they are obliged to cover their faces and bodies when in the presence of men who are not their relatives. “Some extreme families may not even allow girls to go out to buy groceries,” Allawi said, explaining that her family had never held such views. “Some eight years ago the Bedouin started to become more aware of the importance of education. More people than ever want to go to college because tourism is not as flourishing as it was,” Allawi says. The writer is a freelance journalist.
