My last adventure was a good example of how things can get out of control. If I hadn't had a ‘crew’ with me, I’m
not sure if I would have had the energy to survive. I filmed a moulid—a religious procession that ends in
singing and dancing. It was in a small village with tiny alleys and streets and I got caught right in the middle of
the procession as it was coming down this little alley. Men were waving swords and some men were sticking
long metal skewers through their faces!--(we're talking about body piercing to the extreme here!). The crowd
was thick and I immediately was swarmed and separated from Essam and Mohammad. People were fascinated
by me (even more than the men sticking metal skewers through their faces) and I became the focal point.
Women were stroking me and pulling my hair (not viciously—just out of curiosity). Some were trying to
maneuver me into their houses (to have me as a guest—not anything threatening--don't worry). The young man
we hired as a driver suddenly became my bodyguard (we had never met this kid before). Originally he was just
along for the ride and didn’t care about what we were doing—he sat around on the sides drinking tea—but he
saw that I was in a critical situation and grabbed me and did some crowd control and got me to a safer place to
film. I was never in any real danger, but I’m not so sure how long I would have been trapped in the mob if he
hadn’t come to my rescue.
It was a great adventure, though. I got some amazing film. But it was also my most exhausting filming so far. I
really worked my toosh off. I was constantly running, some times running backwards while I filmed them
coming towards me. Sometimes jumping up on balconies to get a good shot over the heads of the crowd. And
even the filming itself was tiring. I would stand in a weird position hanging over a balcony for long periods of
time until my arms and legs ached. Sweat poured from my face. I’ve never sweated that much in my life.
Essam would wipe my face with tissues to keep it from going into my eyes and periodically held a bottle of
water to my lips—I got so dehydrated from the sweating. Something was happening at all times for hours and I
pretty much kept the camera running the whole time so I wouldn’t miss anything. The tripod was useless
because I had to keep moving—so much was going on.
When it was all over (about 5 hours) the crowd became a frenzy again and I was being pushed and grabbed
again. Essam and I got separated, it happened fast while he was grabbing my equipment. I was the official
guest of the shiek, and suddenly his son grabbed me and shuffled me into an alley, through a door, and shoved
me hard into an empty room and slammed the door. I just crumpled to the floor, so exhausted. Suddenly the
door opened and Mohammad was shoved into the room. He, too, crumpled to the floor. We just looked at each
other and didn’t say a word—too tired. Then Essam, too, was shoved in. The crowd outside was loud and kind
of scarey—even trying to get in the window. Finally it died down a bit, but not much. The shiek’s mother came
in (98 years old) and invited me to spend the night (it was her house). Essam looked at me in horror (he’s
gotten to hate my research adventures—they’ve become a tiring series of travels—and I tend to accept all
invitations so as not to appear rude or snobbish). But I was filthy and tired and couldn’t wait to go home, so I
declined. She cried. It was so overwhelming. She begged me to stay. I kept hugging her and finally she
accepted my refusal. Finally, we were smuggled through a back door and through some back alleys where our
driver was secretly waiting. I felt like a rock star or something. Suddenly the crowd found us and surrounded
the car. We slowly made it through the streets to the main road and off we went. No one had talked until then.
It was almost like we were all in shock—maybe just exhaustion. Then Mohammad looked at me and said,
“good, Cheri?”. (meaning the filming). “Yes, very good” I smiled. (very good indeed!--I got the most incredible
film).
I still can’t stop thinking about the whole thing. It was an amazing festival. One guy even ate a glass and
swallowed it. He was in a religious frenzy and proving that he was so close to God that he felt nothing. That’s
what the guys who were sticking metal skewers through their faces were doing, too. I also got some good
shots of a women’s gathering. An old woman was singing and playing the tabla and all the village women were
sitting around her. Young girls danced. It was great!
I can't wait until my next adventure! love, mom
Subject: Body Piercing