Dr. Hind bint Turki Al-Sudairy in her memories with her late father, Turki Al-Sudairy

2023-05-05 02:00:00

“Al-Jazeera” – localities:

On Tuesday, May 2, 2023, the Ghazi Al-Qusaibi Chair for Developmental and Cultural Studies at Al-Yamamah University organized a lecture for Her Excellency Dr. Hind bint Turki Al-Sudairi, in which she talked about her new book, entitled “Why a Book Was Here.” The meeting was moderated by Her Excellency Dr. Wadha Al Za’ir via “Zoom”, while she is in Canada, as she is a specialist in women’s affairs through her doctoral dissertation, which revolves around studying the difficulties in the lives of Saudi women.

His Excellency the lecturer started the conversation by defining the book and defining its literary genre and its distance from the personal biography, which many people confuse with memories when they read the book. The book is specific memories of one character, the author who recounts her memories with her late father, Turki Abdullah Al-Sudairi, may God have mercy on him.

The lecture explained that memories have features that distinguish them from the rest of the literary branches, as they are real stations in the author’s life that are filled with grief and feelings, and it is difficult to separate them from the author’s personality. However, the views and experiences presented stem from a personal perspective to a large extent, and are informal and also specific to specific periods. The lecturer explained that the book “He Was Here” begins with her father, the late Turki Al-Sudairi, and his birth, and ends with the moment of his departure. She declared: The moment of departure is the eternal end of the continuation of building memories, so the narration stops in the presence of death and eternal departure.

Then the lecture mentioned that the book – as well – takes some writing of the personal biography, which is a must for the reader to know who is this person who caused an earthquake within the entity of his daughter with his departure, how he lived, grew up and learned, and what is the essence of the relationship with this daughter. And she went on to say: The life of Turki Al-Sudairi, the edifice and the first media educator, could not be familiar with all its aspects, even if I were his daughter. Writing about this great man requires a wide knowledge of the social, economic, political and other aspects of our country, the Kingdom, over the course of forty years, and this is something I admit that I I can’t do it alone.

The lecturer continued in her sequential conversation about her memories with her father: What can I write about Turki Al-Sudairy? This man, who occupied a large space in cultural and media life, has no competitor like him in his absence. It is a name associated with the Saudi and Gulf press, occupying several sites, and warring with explicit and pseudonymous names, but he remained a solid patriot who believed in his principles and was loyal to his profession and colleagues of the profession. He was close to him and always asked about him during his illness.

The lecturer added about her father: Many lamented him after his death, even those who were hostile to him at some point could not hide his grief over the departure of the knight. He worked in two fields, both of which were not satisfactory to his family, namely sports and journalism, and he left his governmental work with guaranteed income in municipalities to devote himself to his beloved journalism. Journalism was a fertile field for him to advance and transcend imitation. Among his acclaimed achievements is the Saudization of the editors of Al-Riyadh newspaper 100%, and he was proactive in that, and made it the newspaper that many, men and women, dream of joining. He took everything new and useful to the media, so the website of Al-Riyadh newspaper ranked first and won an award thanks to his support.

The lecturer confirmed that one of her father’s efforts was that he helped women to assume the position of editor-in-chief in Al-Riyadh newspaper for the first time in the Kingdom and also preceded some neighboring countries. She explained in detail that the woman in the life of Turki Al-Sudairi has a long, rooted story that stems from his relationship with his mother, whom he missed throughout his life and even at the moments of his death, and he was always talking about her, as for him she was the father, the mother, and the entire family. and extended over time. The lecture stopped at her position when she presented a paper on his articles in a foreign country, and the hall was listening silently and reverently as she received wonderful metaphors and beautiful literary formulas that ideally present the mother. Since the paper was in English, the audience demanded more information about the author, as they did not know Arabic.

Then the lecturer added that there are studies and research that were written about his daily column “Liqa’” in dissertations for master’s and doctoral degrees, and she said: I cannot be aware of his journalistic additions or his achievements on the practical or human level. There are many who have written about him and his works and achievements, and my writing will remain short of familiarity with all aspects of his work.

The lecturer indicated that her father had a poetic taste, whether in vocabulary, painting, or scenery, and this made him interested in popular poetry, as he made a page for him in Al-Riyadh newspaper, as this type of poetry was neglected before that. This poetic taste is what prompted him to compose several books whose titles and topics he chose from his articles. This is what I am working on now, trying to preserve as much as possible his personal coordination with Dr. Amin Sido.

The title of the book is “Why was a book here?” I wrote to keep it as a rope and an artery that gives me strength until I meet it in a better world. I live on our memories, whether it was a smile, sadness, or anger, and I recall them with all their feelings, and with great regret when I remember that I may have made him angry. She concluded her lecture by saying that this book is also an expression of my pain and grief, in which I broadcast my loss and the emptiness of my soul after it. Memories, of course, are part of the normal human being. My fear is that what is left of it will be lost, and I am a weak person who is exposed to disease that may one day lose my memory, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s.

The lecture was discussed and commented by the audience, who remembered the late Turki Al-Sudairy, the late Saudi journalist, may God have mercy on him, and enumerated his merits, stances, and achievements in the Saudi media in general and in the press in particular, and demanded that there be a work that bears his name so that media professionals, media students, and researchers benefit from his efforts and media approach.