Shaikhah Al Kindi is self reliant. That’s her strength. Yet living alone has its challenges – she is worried that her roof might fall in, and about how she can build a new house. Amid the modern villas her way of life is vanishing.
She has been through four divorces and worries that the roof of her home is about to collapse. But Shaikhah Al Kindi likes to maintain a positive attitude to life.
Mrs Al Kindi, 65, has lived in Al Bathnan in Fujairah for more than 30 years, sandwiched between modern villas and an older neighbourhood.
There are not many visitors these days, but Mrs Al Kindi understands the importance of hospitality, serving her guests the best food she can find. She has made self-reliance part of her personality.
“Usually, I like to do house chores on my own,” she says. “I just don’t like burdening anyone.”
Eventually she sits cross-legged on the floor while the kitchen utensils dry in the sun outside.
“You see the water-damaged ceiling of my house,” she says, pointing at the roof. “It’ll collapse any moment.”
Her story was first documented by the Emirati photographer Reem Saeed in her book Hidden Jewels: A Visual Documentation of 75 Villages. It is a way of life that would be recognisable to Mrs Al Kindi’s parents and grandparents. But it will soon disappear.
After a while, she gets up for a tour around her house. The room next to her bedroom is furnished with an old metal frame bed and some traditional Arabic-style seating directly on the floor.
“This is my nap room,” Mrs Al Kindi says. “I don’t sleep here at night because the room doesn’t have a lock. I am scared to sleep here.”
Living alone has its challenges. A few months ago, she was locked in the kitchen.
“I thought maybe someone locked me from outside. It turned out that the door stuck in locked position. My neighbour helped me out. I was really scared.”
Her home consists of two small bedrooms, a bathroom, a store room, a small sitting hall and a kitchen. About five years ago it was damaged by bad weather.
“It was raining harshly and the storm was heavy,” Mrs Al Kindi says. “It startled me and I was really scared.”
For entertainment, she turns on an old LG television and watches Bedouin dramas.
“I watch TV every day until I fall asleep. I turn it off in the morning,” she says.
Fujairah Municipality has given approval for a new house to be built for Mrs Al Kindi, but things have not gone entirely to plan.
“The house is close by here,” she says. “I have been given Dh150,000 to build the new house.”
Her new home consists of two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen and store room. “I asked for an extra room for the servant. In this old age, I can’t survive without a helper.”
After approving the plans the authority asked her to find a contractor to start work. Mrs Al Kindi cannot read or write and this has made it difficult for her to find the right builder.
“I am very grateful for the Fujairah Government for the house approval,” she adds. “But tell me, where can I find a contractor who’d build a house for Dh150,000? Everything is getting expensive in this country and I am alone.”
She has had help at home in the past but found one servant very rebellious. Mrs Al Kindi couldn’t control her and flew her back home.
“The other one had a hygiene issue. I used to be her servant instead,” she says, laughing. “I would clean up her dirt. At this age – imagine.”
But she says the time has come for some help at home.
“I do all the house chores and I enjoy cleaning and keeping things tidy,” Mrs Al Kindi says. “But I am becoming fragile and I need a helping hand.”
Life has never been easy. Her parents died when she was a child and she was raised by her grandmother.
“My granny raised me in the absence of my parents,” she says. “I got married at the age of 14. The relationship didn’t last for a long time.”
Her husband divorced her because she was unable to have children. “He wanted children and I was unable to produce any.”
Then she indicates to her right. “My first husband lives next door with his wife and children,” she says with a laugh. “I got remarried later. Again the husband wanted children. He divorced me later.
“All of my marriages were a failure,” she says with a smile. “Currently, I am with Salem who has another wife too.”
Her present husband visits her often and sometimes they have meals together.
“He hasn’t visited me since 10 days for some reason. I am upset with him,” Mrs Al Kindi says.
He gives me Dh2,000 monthly. The budget is not enough but I can’t blame him. He has other responsibilities apart from me.”
She has never been to school. Those years were spent gathering kindling, herding the flocks and cooking. “I am illiterate, which makes my situation even more difficult,” she says.
For now, Mrs Al Kindi’s main concern is being able to afford a new house where she can live the rest of her live in security.
One of the high points of her day is the contact with Umm Abdullah, her next-door neighbour and friend, dropping by for a visit. Umm Abdullah speaks highly of her friend.
“I have been friends with Shaikhah since 1993,” Umm Abdullah says.
“In those days, we had many neighbours from India, Egypt and other nationalities. Most of them left to go to other neighbourhoods. Now it’s only me and Shaikhah.”
While complaining about her living conditions, Mrs Al Kindi, also gets caught up in her friend’s difficulties.
“Umm Abdullah is originally from Oman,” explains Mrs Al Kindi. “She was promised citizenship at the time of Sheikh Zayed, but things have been pending since then.”
Umm Abdullah has lived in Fujairah for 30 years and she has 12 children.
Some have moved to Oman because there is not enough space in her home. “If you see Umm Abdullah’s home, you’ll be terrified. They’re glued to each other when sleeping,” says Mrs Al Kindi.
“See, our life is very harsh,” says Umm Abdullah. Her husband is paralysed and she receives 200 Omani rials (Dh1,908) a month from the Oman Charitable Organisation.
“I have been waiting for the citizenship for years. I hope Allah makes our case easy.”
Umm Abdullah is also illiterate. “I spent the money provided by the charity on my family.”
Both praise Allah for what they have and say their situation is better than those who have nothing.
Despite the hardships, the two remain positive and try to live life to the full.
“Yesterday, I roamed around Sharjah with my other friends,” says Mrs Al Kindi. She also walks around the neighbourhood regularly.
At meals, she usually eats with Umm Abdullah. They discuss life and find comfort in each other.
“Whenever I have a problem, I seek out Umm Abdullah. She’s always there to help and support me,” she says. “Praise Allah for a great neighbour.”
Asked about her daily schedule, she says: “Usually in the morning, I make coffee, Arabian bread and vermicelli and egg omelette.”
As for today, she says shyly: “I have a wedding. So I’ll be leaving home around 8pm to join the celebration.”
aalhameli@thenational.ae
