I get invited to many conferences, and I attend as many as I can. I usually choose among them those that benefit me the most in my work. Some are worth the trouble of travelling, but others are a waste of time. Yet I usually console myself with those badly prepared events with the fact that I often find friends, colleagues, and experts there, with whom I meet on the sidelines and end up benefiting from these encounters more than from the scheduled sessions. I returned to London two days ago from the 12th session of the Arab Media Forum, and I found that the event combined the best of all worlds: That is, its sessions were beneficial, and the conversations with other participants between the sessions were also invaluable. The conference was also of the highest professional caliber in choosing its subjects and the speakers. I found that a participant will find what he wants at the conference if he is interested in digital technology, youths and their aspirations, the Syrian tragedy, talk shows, or even the Islamophobia industry. A session about satire in the media was moderated by colleague Tony Khalifa, and brought together Bassem Youssef, Bader Saleh, Khalaf al-Harbi, Sami al-Riyami, Mohammad Fathy, and Hind Khulaifat. It was an enthusiastic session that the audience met with applause, cheers, and laughter, so all I add here is to say that what appears as satire is in fact journalistic honesty, as journalists usually convey the clowning of the government which makes readers or viewers laugh. In addition to the above, there were a record number of attendees at the session, and I estimated that there were about 1,000 participants there. They overcrowded the conference hall, and many could not make their way in. I have participated in the conferences of the Arab Media Forum since its inception, and I believe that the most important reason for its success and growth, which made it the key event for Arab journalists in every Arab country, is the fact that it is personally and directly sponsored by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Ruler of Dubai, Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, and Prime Minister. He always attends the opening and closing ceremonies, when the awards are distributed to the winning journalists. I was very much pleased that colleague Hazem Saghieh won the award for Best Newspaper Column, since he is one of the finest Arab intellectuals. I was also pleased that my friend Hamdi Qandil won the Personality of the Year Award, which is tailored to fit him. We sat with Sheikh Mohammed before the opening ceremony, and the conversations focused on the concerns of the nation, and a new book he penned titled “Flashes of Thought, Ideas and Opinions Inspired by the Government Summit 2013," with additions from the experiences of the author who told us that he is a poet, not a writer. I requested from him his poem on Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, to which Prince Khaled Al-Faisal had responded. He had given me both poems as a gift, and a colleague requested them from me to copy them but did not return them. The conference reached the age of maturity. But most of all the conference for me means the young men and women in the organizing committee, led by dear sister Mouna al-Merri, the head of the committee, and Mariam bint Fahed, vice president. They both appear like two sisters and I usually tease Mariam by asking her about her “little" sister Mouna. In such a conference, I cannot record all the names of those I encountered. So I choose Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Sheikh of Al-Azhar, who opened the conference, and our brother Nabil El-Araby, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, the former Algerian Minister of Culture Mohieddine Amimour, former Jordanian Minister of Information Rakan al-Majali, and colleagues from Lebanon, Egypt and the Gulf. Before everyone there was Amina Khairy and Badria al-Bashr, two among the best writers in Al-Hayat, and I was doubly pleased to also see the Jordanian satirical writer Hind Khuleifat. I also met colleague Joumana Ghuneimat, editor of the Jordanian newspaper Al-Ghad. I had followed her work without having made her acquaintance. Finally, as usual in such conferences, I received a number of books, including “Flashes of Thought" from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, and found it to combine some of his experiences in government and life, and records other ideas worthy of discussion. I will probably go back to the book soon to present it to the readers. Colleague Badria al-Bashr also gifted me her books “The Marriage of a Saudi Woman," “Najd before Oil," and “Diaries of al-Asha Street." I will start reading the last book and return to it with the readers. Friend Abdullah al-Madani also gifted me his two books “Biographical Portraits from the Far East," and “What Kumar Made But not Abdul-Fadil." If I review some of these books for the readers, I would hope that they find time to read what I chosen for them. Life is not all about football and Turkish soap opera after all. [email protected]
