Camel Chic of the Week: Poetry on Wheels

A star needs publicity and poetry is the equivalent of a camel’s press release. Once upon a time, a camel’s renown was spread through performances of at a fireside majlis by bards like . Fireside recitations still happen but there are faster ways to get the message to the masses. Poetry shared through SMS and BlackBerry networks has become old hat. This season there’s a new trend: windscreen poetry. Here are some rough translations: Stealing the love of the Gulf / Excuses will not be useful / She will do the right thing / When you have a duty you do not look back / Do it before the appointed hour Al Wafiya, The Loyal One - It is time to fulfill the promise Oh People of Dhafra, we have toured with Mahueba The new badge of honour for youth at camel festivals is a decal of poetry across the windscreen, beside or between photos of prized camels. A verse of poetry on the car is equivalent to wearing the jersey of a well loved team: a proclamation of loyalty and unity. Judging is a small part of beauty contests. More important to owners is the parade to and from the judging stands, where owners blast music from 4x4s as fans dance around camels to intimidate rivals and attract prospective buyers. Having poetry on the windscreen is another way to advertise. This is desirable even if the camel is not for sale because a camel’s value is based on the highest bid it has received. As bids increase, so too does an owner's prestige. Poems are penned for the specific camel. Verses may contain threats to pulverize the competition but also give practical specifics like age, origin and ownership that help the resale of the camel. Take Tayala, a camel beauty queen. Her fame and subsequent value at the Baynunah Camel Beauty Festival did not come from good looks or natural talent. It came from her fans, who had her name scrawled across their vehicles. Tayala the beauty queen parades down Millions Street at the Baynunah Festival outside Madinat Zayed. By the time the Al Dhafra Festival started a month later, the idea had spread. It is not just about marketing. Camel beauty pageants are increasingly popular with Gulf youth who use customised cars to assert identity. While policy makers talk about the disappearance of national culture, the youth of Al Gharbia are at the garage, picking out which camel photo looks best on the windscreen. No matter how tough competition / We have made a covenant to win with brilliance Al Makhofa, The Frightening One: There can be no doubts about Makhofa / God has specifically created her for this challenge / She was born for this purpose, to win / When she is in the stands, all are excited with anticipation that she will run, as though she’s counting the stars and galaxies The Frightening One of the Gulf On a Friday night during the Baynounah pageant, a who’s who of Madinat Zayed teenagers cruised around the city, pulling up for fruit cocktails at the local cafeteria. Each windscreen had the name or photo of different camel. The craze originated at National Day celebrations where motorists parade lavishly decorated vehicles emblazoned with poetry, photographs of the sheikhs and the occasional teddy bear. Windscreen poetry is illegal but police turn a blind eye at festivals outside urban centres. Do not expect to see windscreen poetry in the city anytime soon. This phenomenon is distinctly Western Region. In the city, bards are in shorter supply. Time and again, Emirati and Arab friends had the same response when I asked them to translate: “This is too bedu for me”. Wadibish, an Al Dhafra winner, whose name can be translated as, 'I want you'. Waheeda, The One and Only.