Growing up Bedouin

JORDAN | Thursday, 4 July 2013 | Views [314] | View Smaller Image

The current generation of kids will experience a transition from nomadic to urban living but for the time being the freedom of a simple lifestyle offers a great deal of opportunity for spontaneous soccer matches. The sharp gravel consists of granite, quartz and various other sole destroying minerals but these boys play with all the fervour of a world cup match at the smallest opportunity.

The Jordanian government is increasingly pressuring the Bedouin to adopt an urban existence and along with the allure of consumerism and ostensible affluence that it promises the Bedouin are slowly being drawn from their nomadic lifestyle. Building a school in the area occupied by this tribe has encouraged the families to take a more permanent living arrangement. The appeal of a culture bent on consumerism is both literally and figuratively just over the next hill. As the children grow into young adults they learn by contrast the value of the relaxed and simple lifestyle they’ve always known. At the same time the perceived rewards of the high stress and competitive world that they’re being pushed and pulled towards provide a decision that this generation will have to make.

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The characters in this image all come from different families however in an afternoon spent chatting at one of their houses you would not guess it. This is a long developed characteristic the Bedouin are typically very proud of. “You, me, him, no matter.” The intimacy of the families comes, they tell me, out of necessity. Nomadic tribes depend on each other for myriad aspects of their lives. This is a quality evidently passed on to the current generation. As the Bedouin are absorbed into the urban populace perhaps the love-thy-neighbour attitude will start to fade. These kids insist that they will always be this way and with any luck the legacy will last. In the meantime they are providing a lasting impression on those who take the time to understand them.

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Growing up Bedouin

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