‘Maskagena' is a book by Heba Othman, recently published by Dar Al-Masry, that discusses the problems of Nubia, its citizens, and the High Dam project, which resulted in their dislocation. The title ‘Maskagena' is the Nubian translation of the Arabic, Islamic greeting ‘Al Salam Alykom,' said the author. One of the chapters is entitled "Flood Before the Dam, and Displacement After," and introduces the first man who thought about building the Aswan High Dam. He was a Greek architect, with shaggy hair and peculiar eyes. Othman said former President Anwar Sadat thought the Greek architect was crazy because he insisted on the necessity of blocking the Nile River in Aswan with a high dam. Nevertheless, the Egyptian engineer Mahmoud Younis was mandated to study the idea and after confirming that it could work, the High Dam was built. The Nubian displacement occurred through many phases, Othman added. The first phase took place when the Aswan Dam was constructed. The building of the Dam caused a great artificial lake with a high water level. This lake flooded a great part of the Nubian's agricultural land, forcing them to withdraw and establish their villages in other areas above the water level. The second displacement took place after the heightening the Aswan Dam, which caused the water levels to increase again in the artificial lake. The Nubians withdrew to different areas higher even higher than the rising water levels. The third phase was because of the same reasons. Othman criticized Sadat for thanking then president Gamal Abdel Nasser in a speech after the end of the High Dam construction and taking credit as the man who thought of the project. She said Sadat ignored the people who were forced to leave their homes without moral or financial compensation. Othman mentions the Toshka Project in her book. She said the word ‘Toshka' refers to two Nubian villages, whose people were forcefully relocated. It includes two parts; the first is ‘tosh,' a kind of medical aromatic flowers; and ‘ka,' a word for home or place. The name gives the idea, even if a little jokingly, that the project is in Nubia only because its name, she explained. The name is Nubian, but the economic and social aim is purely for Egyptians. Othman addressed another Nubian problem in her book, the ‘Kagbar' Dam, a project that Sudanese Nubians protested against. She said the dam would cause the same problems as the Aswan High Dam. However, Nubians learnt the lesson the first time; they are refusing dam construction to the extent that they threaten to use weapons if the Sudanese government insists on building it. The book includes details about Sudanese Nubians' problem with the ‘kagbar' dam. ‘Maskagena' mentions the Nubians' advantages and disadvantages, the problems of Aswan Governorate, Christian Nubians, the history of Nubia, Nubian cafes in Cairo, and other issues.
