Documenting the Jordanian narrative today is neither a cultural luxury nor merely an academic duty; it is a vital national necessity imposed by rapid transformations that affect memory, identity, and meaning. Living nations have often grown accustomed to not taking the initiative to write their own story, leaving the space open for others to write it on their behalf—yet the sun cannot be hidden with a sieve. Even so, such narratives are frequently reduced or distorted to serve fleeting agendas or reprehensible interests.
The national narrative is founded on more than a single chronological sequence of events; it is the product of historical, social, political, and cultural experience. Since the establishment of the state, Jordanians have shaped their image and reputation through deeply rooted values and principles, grounded in perseverance, patience, and belonging. The narrative is nothing more than a serious and systematic attempt to restore due recognition to the Jordanian story as a mirror of its history and an encyclopedic record of the path of its state and society. If this narrative is not documented with scientific awareness and critical rigor, it remains vulnerable to oblivion, fragmentation, reinterpretation outside its true context, or distortion that may eventually solidify into an accepted tale.
Documenting the nation's memory at this moment is an urgent matter, especially in light of what the world is witnessing in terms of ongoing attempts to manipulate the historical trajectories of certain states. Social media—given its speed, reach, and low cost—has been exploited to produce alternative narratives, some lacking accuracy and others deliberately bypassing facts or stripping them of their substance. Within this open space, the absence of a documented Jordanian narrative can create a dangerous vacuum, quickly filled with confused information or truncated accounts.
Today's younger generation, which did not live through pivotal moments in the history of its state, needs a living and truthful national narrative—one not presented as rigid rhetoric, but as a compelling human story that explains challenges, highlights achievements and outcomes, and acknowledges mistakes without diminishing the value of the overall experience. The organizers of the North Amman Cultural and Community Forum did well in recently holding the event “The Jordanian Narrative – Documenting the Memory of a Nation," which affirmed that the national narrative is not merely a recounting of events, but a process of intellectual and cultural construction and documentation shaped by people's experiences, the stories of place, the sacrifices of generations, and the transformations of the state from its founding to the present day. It also emphasized that the Jordanian narrative is not a single-colored or single-meaning image, but a multi-colored mosaic of geography, people, and experiences. Documenting it means preserving this diversity within a unifying national framework that strengthens belonging and identity by safeguarding national memory in order to create hope.
In conclusion, documenting the Jordanian narrative now is an act of cultural sovereignty aimed at protecting national memory. It must be sustained and refined, as it is one of the most important tools available to society for understanding itself. For if memory is not written in its time, it will later be written against its own will.
