Mawasim al-Qarabinمواسم القرابين

This is a novel whose chapters we witness every day—a story whose details we are part of, whether we realize it or not. It is the story of those whom their homelands have cast out, compelling them to master the art of dwelling within perpetual transit.
Saleh Dima’s journey begins in Somalia, unfolding within a narrative that transcends all conventional metaphors regarding migration and asylum—metaphors of the suitcase, the fence, and the passport. For what migrates here is not merely a displaced individual, but an entire homeland—an identity that ceaselessly re-embodies itself through the very act of wandering. It is the novel of the "Homeland-as-Body"—a body whose limbs have been torn asunder. From Kismayo to Nairobi, and on to Jeddah, Saleh Dima paints in his novel the portrait of the eternal refugee: a figure whose times and places may shift, yet who remains, fundamentally, the refugee—roots suspended in mid-air. Wherever his feet may land, he carries his ghosts with him and offers up his sacrifices; for it is not enough for the refugee simply to settle himself in a physical place to escape the scents, tastes, sensations, and sounds that have indelibly clung to his very flesh.
It is a symphony of sorrow and an eternal quest for the unattainable; yet, it is also a carnival of delight—for refugees, too, possess the right to love, friendship, play, dance, and celebration.
The novel *Seasons of Offerings* (Mawasim al-Qarabin) was awarded the Asma Siddiq Prize for the Debut Novel during its second cycle in 2024.