PHILIP CIANTAR
Nostalgia,
History and Sheikhs in the Libyan ma'luf: Contemporary Meanings in the
Shadows of the Past
by Philip
Ciantar, Mediterranean Institute, University of Malta
SUMMARY: A particular musical tradition's
meaning in society is not only related to contemporary thinking, contexts,
events and practices but also to past memories of events, individuals, places
and the echoes of past performances.
Sometimes, such memories are even transfused by such a strong sense of
nostalgia that they stand in as history itself rather than as a snapshot of
it. This is particularly the case with
musical traditions, such as the Libyan ma'luf, that are necessarily
newly "made" in each performance event, and which rely on oral
history rather than on written sources.
In Libya, contemporary meanings attributed to this tradition are
strongly embedded in accounts of renowned and dedicated sheikhs composing and
editing text, performing in zawya (Sufi lodges), teaching the tradition,
evaluating innovations (and sometimes even opposing them), giving a helping
hand in state-subsidized projects of preservation, reciting ma'luf in
the middle of a market and even asking for particular texts on their death-bed.
These nostalgic accounts are understood by many as being the authentic history
of the Libyan ma'luf. The present
paper will examine the various processes by which today's performances of the
Libyan ma'luf are perceived and experienced in the nostalgic shadows of
the past.