Bernd Radtke
مستر بيرندراديتك
إعادة صياغة التراث وعرضه على خارطة الموقع بدأت
منذ زمن ليس ببعيد ، فكانت التجربة ناجحة بكل المقاييس ، فبعد ذلك الجهد المشرّف ،
لابد وأن يمرتراث هذه الأسرة عبرترجمة للموروث الشعبى إلى لغات عدة ، وبشفافية حتى
يتسنى للقائمين والدائبين على التجديد فيه ، إلى أن يصلوا به إلى شعوب العالم ،
وبعد أن إمتدت يد الحفظ إلى التراث فلملمت من شتات غُيّب فيه الكثير ، فلم يبق إلّا
أن نسيرإلى حيث يمكن أن يقدم للعالم ، ويتسنى لهم معرفته ولا سيما أنهم توّاقون
لمعرفة المزيد عن هذا التراث ، فى بداية عملنا ومشوارنا الطويل والذى يمتد بنا ،
كنا نقصد أن نبلغ بهذا الموقع العالمية بتاريخنا وتراثنا وعاداتنا ، وإن كنّا
أحياناً لا نلقى بالاً للمحلية وخاصة نطاق دائرة إدارة الموقع ، فلم يكن أبداً
جهالة منـّا أوعدم إكتراث ، ولكن كنا نطلب حُسن الإستيعاب وحسن الظن والصبر ومداومة
قراءة صفحات الموقع ، حيث بات من المؤكد لنا أن من يتابعـوننا على مستوى العالم
أكثر بكثيرممن داخل الوطن العربى أو داخل مصر .
* فى ( 12/9/2010م ) تلقينا إيميل على
إدارة الموقع من ( مستر بيرند وزوجته كريستين ) يعّرف نفسه بكل إحترام وتم رفعه على ( صفحة تعليقاتكم ) ، ويقول أنه قضى وقتاً
هنا فى جزيرة عليوة فى الثمانينات ، فى ضيافة الأسرة الطحاوية وخاصة فى
ضيافة المرحوم الشيخ (سليمان عبدالحميد عليوة الطحاوى وزوجته الألمانية
مدام هيلجا الطحاوى) ، وعكف على عمل سجلات لخيول الطحاوية وكان أغلب إهتمامه بخيل
المرحوم الشيخ / سليمان وكذلك خيل الحاج (أبوستة) سليمان حميد قويطة صميدة الطحاوى
، وإعتمد على ذاكرة الشيوخ وأخذ يدوّن ، وكان يساعده فى ذلك الأستاذ ( فوزان سليمان
حميد) ، وكان كل مبتغاه من وراء ذلك أن يسجل هذه السلالات ضمن المنظمات العالمية
وخاصةً منظمة الخمسة الأمريكية ، وذكر أنه حارب سنين طوال . فلما لم يوفق عقد
النية على عمل كتاب يجمع فيه كل هذا الجهد ، فكانت المفاجأة لنا وله أن عثرعلى
الموقع ، فبدأ التواصل وطلب منا المعاونة الوثائقية والتاريخية ليتمكن من إنجاز
كتابه على أكمل وجه ، تشاورنا وقمنا بالرد على رسالته بكل سرور وأريحية وتقدير
ونقلنا رسالته إلى مدام هيلجا فرحبت وطمأنتنا وذودتنا بهذه المعلومات التى لم تكن
على خاطرنا ، فكتبت رسالة له باللغة الألمانية ونقلت له كل وجهات نظرنا فى ما
يطلبه منا ووضع أسس للتعامل فيما بعد ، أيضاً تبادلنا معه أرقام الهواتف وتم
التخابرالمباشر معه وكذا مدام هيلجا الطحاوى ، طلبنا منه ملفاً مكتوباً عن
مجهوداته بخصوص خيل الطحاوية والمراسلات التى تمت بينه وبين المنظمات العالمية
وخاصةً منظمة الخمسة الأمريكية ، لنعرضها على موقع الطحاوية أثناء تعريف زوّار
الموقع بضيوفه الكرام ، لم يألو جهداً وفاجأنا بكم كبير من المراسلات والمقالات
حتى إلى محافظ الشرقية الأسبق ، علمنا فيما بعد أنه بفضل الله سبحانه وتعالى وبفضل
الجهد المبذول على الموقع وما يجمعه من وثائق ، فوجئنا بموقع عالمى معني بالخيل قد
زار موقعنا وأخذ منه ما يدعم خيول الطحاوية أمام المنظمات العالمية وقد أشار إلى موقعنا
فى أكثر من مكان داخل الموضوعات التى تخصنا ، فوجئنا أن المستندات والموقع قد دفعا
بالمنظمات العالمية للقبول بخيول الطحاوية وبأغلبية ساحقة ، على العموم ما
سنعرضه ليس إلّا قليل من كثير ، ونبشركم بإن المفاجآت السارة تتوالى ولنا ولكم أن
نستمتع جميعاً بكل جديد .
* من يكون مستر بيرند وزوجته كريستين ؟
Bernd Radtke
Born in Silesia, 1944
Refugee to western Germany and school there.
In the 1960ies High School in USA
Then University in USA.
Studies :Literature ( English, and German
literature ) and Animal Behaviour.
Thesis in Literature.
With Kirsten singing with King's Men five and tours
USA.
Then Belgium, singing as duo , first to sing here
in prisons,
several records. Tours through Europe.
Manager of Berlitz Schools Of Languages in Antwerp
and Brussels.
1975 Exploitation Manager of Music Company.
Starting breeding Arab horses.
In the early 80ies with work for registration of 44
El Tahawy Arab Horses
of Bedouin origin.
1983 to 1990 trying ( in vain unfortunately)to get
the Tahawy horses
recognised by WAHO and EAO
Music tours for Jeunesses Musicales de France and
in Europe
Then until 2005 working as expert and professor(
among others for
European Commission for disabled / Handicapped
people)
Then up to now int'l projects inMusic and nature
and ecological projects
bringing disabled and nondisabled people together .
Received the European Environment Prize in
Environment.
The King Boudouin Foundation Award for Restoration
of Braives Chateau
and Work with Blind.
Kirsten writing and singing two CDs with her own
songs .
re: Book about El Tahawy horse Breeding :
2010 Helping al Khamsa organisation in USA with
information and pedigrees
of the Tahawy registration time, in order that al
Khamsa could recognise
the el Tahawy mares Folla, Futna and Bint Barakat
of the Hamdan stables
for the American territory al Khamsa organisation.
Now we are preparing a book about the El Tahawy
horses and traditions
and life in Sharkia with pedigrees of 44 horses (
Sheik Soliman
Abd el Hamid Elliwa al Tahawy and Sheik Haj Abu Sitta.)
Preface by Helga
el-Tahawy
When I settled in Egypt in 1956 and met my husband Sheik Soliman
Abdul Hamid
Eliwa el-Tahawy, whom I married in 1959, I knew little about the
desert, about the
Bedouin or about horses.
As time went by, I became interested in their
history, and since then the legacy and the future
of the Tahawy horses has absolutely involved and fascinated me.
The Tahawy had fought side by side with
Mohammad Ali’s troops in Egypt against the
French. As a gesture of deep gratitude,
Mohammad Ali presented them with fertile land
in the east of the Nile Delta. They had brought
with them their own horses. They were tough,
fast, and full of stamina, pure desert-bred horses
that were meant to be ridden. It was the cardinal
rule to keep their breed asil, which means pure.
Even after the motor car had found its way to
Egypt, the Tahawy continued to breed their asil
horses out of love for them and in accordance
with their Bedouin traditions. There was enough
land and desert to keep and feed them without difficulty. Every
weekend, races for
Tahawy horses were organised in Geziret Saoud, first on Tahawiya
territory, and later
in races in Cairo and Alexandria. The race days were a popular
pastime, and an opportunity
for horse lovers to meet and exchange views. Many Tahawy sent
their horses to
these races and with the most successful asil they continued to
breed.
From the 1960’s Arab horses became more popular in the west and
particularly in
the United States and breeding them became big business.
However, only the ‘beautiful’
horses were at a premium and coveted: those with ‘dished’ faces,
and bred only for
their looks in the show ring. The pure desert Arab horse had no
such exaggerated ‘pike
head’ (as the Germans call it), for such an exaggerated ‘dish’
above the nostrils meant
less air supply, and this in turn meant less speed and
endurance.
The Egyptian state stud, El Zahraa, began issuing pedigrees but
only for Arab horses
of their own breeding, of course, and sold their stallions and
mares for high, perhaps
even inflated, prices abroad. Only three Tahawy mares, horses
belonging to an influential
non-Tahawy, succeeded in being recognised by the state stud.
In the 80’s rules for races were changed; to only two categories
henceforth: Asile arab
horses and thoroughbred of different races. Since the Tahawy had
no papers they were
not recognized for the asile races and had to compete against
the thoroughbred bred
(English thouroughbred).
Over short distances the desert arabs had no chance to win
against the thoroughbred
horses. Without any gains at the races and profitable sales it
was difficult, even for
wealthy Tahawy to keep their horses. Only some typical desert
arab horses were sold
for a pittance to Saudi Arabia where they enrichen the breeding
there.
For centuries, the Tahawy had passed on their pedigrees by word
of mouth from father
to son, although there were many old thumb-printed and stamped
certificates. My
husband had an outstanding memory and could recite the ancestors
of his horses going
back many generations.
In 1980, Kirsten and Bernd Radtke visited us from Belgium and
became fascinated
by our horses. My husband asked them whether they would be
interested in establishing
for the very first time a preliminary Tahawy studbook of our
horses and those of
other neighbours of the Tahawy who bred asil horses.
Kirsten and Bernd took very seriously the invitation to register
the most important
horses at the time and, with Soliman’s unique experience and
knowledge, they meticulously
compiled the pedigrees, photographs and descriptions, all the
while carefully
following World Arabian Horse Organization (WAHO) stipulations.
During the years that followed, they published many articles in
magazines in various
countries and maintained their stand for the recognition of
these horses, in spite of
years of frustrating correspondence with WAHO and the Egyptian
Agricultural Organization
(EAO).
The authors understood the importance to the Arabian breed of
these pure bred
desert horses and their bloodlines.
The efforts to have the horses registered and recognised
continued, and a delegation
from El Zahraa State Stud was invited to examine our horses here
in Geziret Eliwa
and to give their opinion regarding official recognition. I have
to state that, regrettably,
there was no great interest in accepting the invitation , since
most of the delegation’s
members had in the meantime become breeders themselves from the
stock of El Zahraa.
I am convinced that they feared the threat of any sort of
competition, but that, of
course, is for others to judge. However, we formed the distinct
impression, and remember
the Bedouin I live with are astute and canny observers of people
and their behaviour,
that the delegation arrived with their minds already made up. It
was obvious even to
me. Hardly any questions were asked and the gentlemen conversed
with each other
over irrelevant trivia. Afterwards they enjoyed our hospitality
and disappeared without
comment. And that was that.
We were all shocked to the core. So much for the expertise of
breeders of asil horses!
This also was at a time when there had already been warnings by
experts that the
recognised studs, breeding their stylised ‘beautiful’ expensive
show horses, urgently
needed bloodline refreshment, which, of course, the Tahawy
horses could readily provide.
In the meantime, the number of asil Tahawy horses has declined
further, partly due
to the younger generation’s dwindling interest in horses and
their preference for cars
and motorbikes. Keeping horses these days, here at the edge of
the Salhiyah desert,
has become an expensive and
time consuming hobby.
I have succeeded in keeping
three asil mares after the death
of my husband. My neighbours
and other Tahawy still own some,
although it is difficult to estimate
how many. Fortunately, in the
meantime, the Tahawy have
gathered a small herd of their ancestral
horses for breeding.
It is a sad and depressing story
and all because a unique opportunity
was missed. Whether this
results from ignorance, competitiveness,
self interest or indifference,
it is difficult to say.
However, even at this late
stage, it is not too late to preserve
this outstanding gene pool and
to pass it on to our future generation
as a legacy of a past way
of life that has now largely been lost.
Meanwhile, I am extremely thankful to Kirsten and Bernd Radtke
for their unflagging
efforts over the years to achieve recognition for the asil
Tahawy Arab horse.
Helga el-Tahawy
Geziret Eliwa, Egypt
May, 2012
