Getting information about what is culturally appropriate as a western woman living in Oman can be a bit tricky. I have had some conversations with the women about the changing nature of Islam in its more liberal attitude towards women, however on the surface I dont understand how this is played out in public life. Of course I am so new here that I am, I’m sure, blind to the nuances that would give me a better insight into how the gender relations are actually being conducted. It would be the same for an Omani woman coming to Melbourne and wrongly assuming that women are treated equally to men in every respect, when we of course know that they are not. Talking to women here briefly, I am excited about learning more – the kind of equality that they speak about is the kind of equality that our feminist mothers were concerned about – freedom to speak, to vote, to act, to work, to drive a car…it’s fundamental stuff.
We went to the Muscat Festival in February and it was awesome! They had cultural dance and music from different regions of the gulf, camels, goats, donkeys, people cooking on traditional stone stoves, old women selling essences and oils. I bought some from one woman – she was great – she had this fantastic stuff that looks like bark shavings but smells divine when you burn it on charcoal – I think it’s called medhenet – and she ushered me over and grabbed my hand and then proceeded to place the smokey incense burner under my arm – I was a bit worried initially but actually she was showing me how the Omani apply under arm deodorant in its traditional form. I walked away after thanking her but then had to go back and buy some because I smelt amazing – even if I say so myself.
One thing about the festival that really fascinated me was a concert that was being held on one of the stages. Granted, the Sth East Asian plate twirlers were pretty sensational and very polished, but what was more fascinating was that the crowd was separated by gender with a steel gate. And there was a security guard patrolling the back of the audience checking that no men strayed into the women’s seating area. The segregation was reinforced for me when sitting on a ledge watching a UAE dance performance (men twirling guns and sticks). An Omani man came to sit a metre away from me and beckoned his son (about 8yrs) to sit between me and himself. The boy shyly shook his head and wouldn’t budge, until the father slid over next to me and offered him the seat on the other side. One wonders about the impact of unmitigated agency (i.e. masculinity) in such a society. Yet you don't feel any undercurrents of aggression or rumblings of testosterone waiting to explode to the surface. In fact it’s quite the contrary. Perhaps this is the role of traditional customs, like music and dance, where men huddle together close in movement and are much more open with each other than your average Australian man would dare to be.

Masaala for now
Josie