WORDS AND INTERCULTURE

Ghorba as a feeling and existential sensation of the migrant

Ghorba , a word in the dialectal Arabic of the Maghreb area, resonates like a distant echo: full of emotions, it evokes the challenges and experiences of those who live far from their land and their homeland. It tells of roads traveled in search of new opportunities, of a chosen or imposed exile. It is the shadow of a distant home, the sound of a familiar language .

In both music and literature, this term becomes a powerful means to express the emotions of those who experience foreignness and invites us to reflect on the meaning of belonging, even when our roots are thousands of miles away.

Ghorba encompasses a mix of feelings such as nostalgia, exile and sadness, describing the condition of those who live far from their homeland. Derived from the root gh-rb, which recalls strangeness and distance, ghorba is associated with migratory experiences, becoming a key term to describe the lives of those who leave their country in search of opportunities or to escape conflict.

Deeply linked to the experience of migration , ghorba offers a valuable key to understanding the concept of interculturality . In an intercultural context, understanding the meaning of ghorba is fundamental in order to create bridges between different cultures : from a feeling of isolation, it can become an opportunity for dialogue and intercultural exchange, becoming a driver for interaction and a resource for enrichment.

In the Maghreb, ghorba is a concept deeply rooted in culture and everyday language. Often evoked in family contexts, in the most intimate conversations and in personal reflections, ghorba also finds space in Algerian music, where it accompanies the stories of migrants and the difficulties of adapting to new realities. This music embodies the pain and nostalgia of those who leave their homeland, but also the hope for a better future. Artists such as Rachid Taha have recounted, through their lyrics, the pain of foreignness and the illusion of finding happiness elsewhere. The song Ya Rayah , in Italian Oh tu che parti , with its invitation to reflect on departure, is addressed to all migrants who find themselves in the West (West, in Arabic is rendered with the term Gharb which shares the same root as ghorba ) torn between nostalgia for their country and the impossibility of returning without bringing with them a story of success. Even though the song is over 20 years old, its lyrics are still relevant today and remind us of the story of many migrants today:

“Oh you who are going away, where are you going? You will travel and then you will return

How many naive people have regretted it before you and me

How many overpopulated countries and empty lands have you seen? (..)

Oh emigrant, in the high countries, how many sacrifices do you have to make?

When we talk about ghorba , we enter a profound intercultural dimension, confronting one of the most shared human experiences in the contemporary world: migration.

Article written by Veronica Polizza, INTERSOS Lab intern, Oriental University of Naples