Saudi women find their 'online voice'

Following in the footsteps of the revolutionaries calling for change across the Middle East, women in Saudi Arabia are using the online medium of social networking sites to strengthen their political voices. The Women2Drive campaign, initiated by women’s rights activist- Manal al Sharif has generated a massive online following, having been launched on social media sites Facebook and Twitter. The campaign called for women to stand up to the law and get into the driving seat on June 17th 2011.

Portraying videos of al-Sharif driving a car, the original Facebook page was swiftly deleted by authorities, but a new page was launched by supporters contributing to the cause in order to keep the initiative going. Since releasing videos of her driving cars in Saudi Arabia, al-Sharif has been arrested, detained, re-arrested and released on bail, on the condition that she does not drive and does not speak to the media regarding the campaign.
1990 saw a similar uprising in Riyadh, with dozens of women getting behind the wheels of cars in protest of the law. This resulted however, in a one day imprisonment, the confiscation of their passports, and some of the women losing their jobs.
The social scene is changing. These women are resolute in their aim and are using the strength of their online voice, their online presence to change the driving laws in Saudi Arabia. Facebook and Twitter are increasing the accessibility to information on such a huge scale, that they are making so much possible. Of course this can be both good and bad, rallying support in massive numbers- but it also provides opportunity to make a change. But will their voice be heard? And will it make a difference?

Friday 17th June 2011 saw a handful of women driving in Saudi Arabia, but it was certainly not a matter of history unfolding before our eyes. Police were told to turn a blind eye that day; this lack of acknowledgement simply highlights the fact that they do not intend to listen. And to what? It turns out that this 'online voice' was merely a facade; there was no power of assertion behind it for many so-called supporters of the campaign- just empty words.

Andrew Marr talks London Underground

I just want to give a quick shout out to Andrew Marr for his creative use of language, likening Tube travel to an "urban heart attack." Yes that's right, the London underground system is in serious danger of a cardiac arrest if things don't change; I'm talking smaller portions (of people) and healthier ingredients (doesn't translate). I would certainly appreciate less of the 'armpit-in-face' gesture if at all possible.

Time to unclog the "clogged-up arteries feeding the beating heart of London." Who needs TS Eliot when we have the poetry of Andrew Marr? I love it.

hehe

TS Eliot's Widow Joins 'Get London Reading' Campaign

Valerie Eliot, widow to one of the greatest poets of the 20th century has joined the campaign to get London reading, by donating £1,000 to fund two volunteers. She describes reading as a human right, deserved by everyone. And I couldn't agree more; without reading, one is blind to their surroundings. Never mind novels; think street signs, newspapers, not to mention those all-important health wheels on food packaging. I would certainly feel less guilty eating cheesecake if I couldn't read the ingredients. But that's besides the point. The ability to read is equivalent to the ability to breathe. Actually, no it isn't, I just wanted to sound really philosophical for a moment. But let's face it, it is pretty damn important. And did you know, Valerie Eliot met TS Eliot at Faber and Faber where she worked as his secretary?! Saucy. So there's hope for me yet.

T.S. Eliot (1888–1965). The Waste Land. 1922.

The Waste Land

I. THE BURIAL OF THE DEAD

APRIL is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
Winter kept us warm, covering
Earth in forgetful snow, feeding
A little life with dried tubers.
Summer surprised us, coming over the Starnbergersee
With a shower of rain; we stopped in the colonnade,
And went on in sunlight, into the Hofgarten,
And drank coffee, and talked for an hour.
Bin gar keine Russin, stamm' aus Litauen, echt deutsch.
And when we were children, staying at the archduke's,
My cousin's, he took me out on a sled,
And I was frightened. He said, Marie,
Marie, hold on tight. And down we went.
In the mountains, there you feel free.
I read, much of the night, and go south in the winter.

Our Digital Voices

So all of a sudden so many of us have a voice. A voice that we didn't necessarily have pre-digital, pre-social media, pre-Twitter.

It's ironic that one feels a greater sense of security in voicing their opinions and their feelings in an online setting, in spite of the fact that these thoughts are very much open to the world to see and judge. Yes that's right, I am a hypocrite, hiding behind my persona as 'the blogger.' But the freedom for discussion, for debate is liberating, particularly in societies where this may be more difficult to achieve in an open setting. Of course, it works both ways as it also opens you up to scrutiny.

The blogging phenomenon has created some of the most innovative and inspiring writing, because of this idea of liberation, the freedom to say what you think. Personally I think people should say what they think more often, rather than skirting around the issue. Of course there is no need for rudeness, but etiquette and political correctness just go too far in my opinion (with exceptions of course) and I think people need to be more to the point in what they say. I am all for a please and thank you, and holding the door open is always nice, but "I don't mind" just doesn't get the decisions made. Another pet hate: "But it's been 43 minutes and he still hasn't text back." So text him again. Words. Digital words. It is all down to words. And if Tom, Dick or Harry don't have any words for you then expend your time and your vocabulary elsewhere. In light of being politically correct it doesn't necessarily have to be a Tom, a Dick or a Harry. There could be a Carlos, an Ahmed or a Sunjay in the mix.

Gotta love a bit of old school Nokia.

I know a lot of debates over digital communication centre around the fact that people are no longer communicating face to face, instead separating themselves by means of a digital screen, throwing words into the ether of cloud technology. And yes this is totally true, but social media and digital communication have also done a lot of good, in terms of marketing for example. Consumers learn about their products digitally, and producers simultaneously learn about their audiences and who they are marketing to. Amazon, Google- they know what we want and that is why they are so successful. I may despise Google from a publishing standpoint, in their aim to create the largest digital library in the world, trying to bypass copyright laws left right and centre. However, we all use Google because Google can provide the information we want, when we want it, and pretty much wherever we want it. The term 'Google it' speaks volumes about their success as a company. I only wish I had invented it.

The 'Get London Reading' Campaign

On a pleasantly subdued Monday rush hour journey home, not only was I thankful for my own personal space on the tube, but I was pleased to see a highly positive Evening Standard headline: Get London Reading. Yes please. Sometimes my ambitions to save the world from self-destruction, to create world peace and to persuade doctors to provide Haribos free on the NHS grow weary in the face of such gloomy headlines. Alas, this news story we can actually do something about.

The aim is to gain a network of volunteers who will go into schools to support those children who are struggling to read. The campaign is joining forces with charity Volunteer Reading Help (VRH) in their mission to reduce dramatic illiteracy rates in the capital. They are in great need of volunteers however, and a means by which to fund them. Yes the old money issue once again. So VRH are also seeking donations from the public to fund readers. In total, a donation of £500 will be matched by a school in order to fund volunteers to the programme. Not a bad idea at all. And even more inspiring is the collaborative involvement of companies such as PricewaterhouseCoopers and Random House who actually allow their employees time off work, fully paid, to read with children in local schools for a certain amount of time each week. Bloody fantastic is all I can say. Such a great initiative, because it is all about commitment- committing to the child and their reading progression, to see them through the process and watch them grow and improve as their reading skills flourish.

It's hard enough to get a job as it is! Unemployment rates are highest in the 18-26 year old category, and apparently we are the 'lost generation' in terms of employment opportunities. So what lies in store for these kids who can't read? Reading gives us value in our surroundings, understanding of our selves; it gives us a sense of escapism from realities that we may need to take a step back from. Words feed the imagination and without them, life is just a little bit dull.

It's a good cause so get on it: standard.co.uk/getlondonreading

(And no, nobody paid me to right this article. I am just a sap for a bit of altruism, particularly on a Monday).

Sometimes Translations Just Don't Quite 'Translate'

I think the importance of translation in literature is a little underestimated.

This is because literature is the voice of a nation, of a society and its people. Translating these literary works into our own languages can open up an entirely misunderstood world of voices. Or simply bring contentious issues to the forefront of debate, issues that would have been left untouched and lost to the world, had the work not been translated. But is it this simple?

At the London Book Fair this year I attended a seminar about the translation of Arabic literature into the Germanic languages. But it wasn't just a process of literal translation. Instead, it was necessary to get at the hidden meaning, to express it fully, which was deemed an almost impossible task at times. Not only does the Arabic language hold meaning in its language, but in its presentation; it is symbolic in its representation of meaning.

Certain letters are highlighted either above or below by a symbol which will place a particular type of emphasis to be highlighted when reading this word. The literal emphasis placed on the pronunciation of the word will further add to its meaning, something often lost in translation through lack of an equivalent symbolic value. And therefore in the process of translation, often the meaning does not quite 'translate.' It is all about the flow of words, the sound they make; the physicality involved in the actual pronunciation contributes to the literary flow of words. So to capture this meaning, this essence of a culture, is all part of the task of translation. And all part of what makes it such an important and necessary task.

Translation will give us insights into those cultures stricken by censorship, or those simply undiscovered for their literary greatness. Where there is controversy, there will always be some form of literary documentation, be it a diary, a poem, a letter or a series of codes. And translation will bring these words to light and help these voices out of repression in order to generate a greater understanding of a culture, its past and its present.