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Biography & Autobiography Personal Memoirs

My Mother, My Teacher

A Memoir from Western Sahara

by (author) Bahia Mahmud Awah

translated by Dorothy Odartey-Wellington

Publisher
Modern Language Association of America
Initial publish date
May 2024
Category
Personal Memoirs, Literary
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781603296458
    Publish Date
    May 2024
    List Price
    $32.95

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Where to buy it

Description

A memoir of traditional and postcolonial life in North Africa

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.

First published in 2011 as La maestra que me enseñó en una tabla de madera (The Woman Who Taught Me on a Wooden Slate), this edition includes the first complete English translation and a new epilogue by the author featuring further remembrances of his mother and examples of her poetry.

About the authors

Contributor Notes

Bahia Mahmud Awah is a Hispano-Saharawi writer, poet, and humanist. He holds an MA in anthropology from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, where he is currently completing a PhD. He is a member of several international organizations, including Antropología en Acción and Centro de Estudios Afrohispánicos. He has published numerous articles in both academic and cultural venues in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.