THE announcement of the winner of the first Arab-British Culture and Society Award, at a ceremony held at the Arab-British Center (ABC) in London last Wednesday, came as a welcome development for the community of several hundred thousand Arabs in Britain. The £5,000 (about SR38,000) prize was awarded to Al-Saqi Books. In addition to the cash prize, ABC will provide the winner with opportunities and support for its work. As the center's chairman Christopher Segar said at the awards ceremony: “At a time when news of the Middle East is so often of war, cruelty and closed minds, we have reminded the British people of the humanity, creativity and openness of Arab culture.” ABC launched the award last November, to reward “an individual or organization that, in the opinion of the judges, has made an outstanding contribution to the British public's knowledge and understanding of the life, society and culture of the Arab people.” In all, 62 nominations were submitted by the deadline of Feb. 29. The entries were in general of such high caliber that, in addition to selecting a winner, the judges very highly commended four other entries: the Palestinian singer, musician and broadcaster Reem Kelani; the Iraqi documentary filmmaker Maysoon Pachachi; the British Curator of Middle Eastern Art at the British Museum Dr Venetia Porter, and the British co-founder of Banipal Magazine and Banipal Books Margaret Obank (who is also secretary of the Banipal Trust). Nominations were open to candidates of any nationality working in any field, and had to be accompanied by a statement of up to 400 words describing the nominee's achievements and impact on the British public. Applications could be submitted either directly by individuals and organizations that wished to be nominated, or by third parties. The chairman of the judges, Sir Marrack Goulding, a former British diplomat who has served as undersecretary general at the United Nations and as warden of St Antony's College, Oxford, was prevented by illness from attending the awards ceremony. Fellow judge Robert Irwin, the author, scholar and Middle East editor of the Times Literary Supplement, stepped in to replace him. Irwin said: “There were some very impressive nominees, but the judges agreed unanimously that the prize must go to Al-Saqi for its outstanding work in promoting knowledge and understanding of so many aspects of Arab life – first from its bookshop in Westbourne Grove and since 1983 through its pioneering publishing company as well.” He added that Al-Saqi “has always maintained the highest standard – literary, artistic and intellectual – with a fearless determination to ensure that serious issues and ideas that some might be reluctant to acknowledge were thoroughly explored.” In addition to Goulding and Irwin, the six-member panel of judges comprised Palestinian medical doctor, writer and activist Dr. Ghada Karmi, a research fellow at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, Exeter University; the Egyptian ambassador to the UK Gehad Refaat Madi; research associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London University Dr Shelagh Weir, an authority on Palestinian and Palestinian and Yemeni culture; and Brian Whitaker, former Middle East editor of the Guardian, and now an editor of that newspaper's Comment is Free section. Reem Kelani was very highly commended because her “wonderful artistry rooted in the rich musical tradition of Palestine has delighted so many audiences in the UK.” Margaret Obank, the judges said, “has worked tirelessly to make Arab literature available to British readers, particularly modern poets and novelists who illuminate the experience of intellectuals in changing Arab societies.” The judges praised Maysoon Pachachi for her “vivid and insightful films” which have “shown British audiences how Arab people see the world around them.” Dr. Venetia Porter was recognized for the way in which her deep knowledge of Arab culture through the ages has enabled her to stage “such brilliant exhibitions.” It is striking that all four very highly commended entries are women. And it was a Lebanese woman, Mai Ghoussoub, who co-founded Al-Saqi books, which comprises the Al-Saqi Bookshop and Saqi Publishing. Ghoussoub and her lifelong friend André Gaspard founded the bookshop after they settled in London in 1979 as refugees from the Lebanese civil war. Ghoussoub's sudden death in February 2007, at the age of 54, cut short a career in which she had combined publishing with writing and sculpture, and had made numerous links and friendships on the British cultural scene. Al-Saqi bookshop has been located since its inception at 26 Westbourne Gove in the Bayswater area of West London, an area popular with Arabs. The bookshop expanded from selling Arabic books to including English titles, and became a center of Arab life in London, catering for Arabs resident in the UK as well as for travelers keen to obtain books banned in their own countries. In 1983 Saqi Books was launched, and in 1987 the sister company Dar Al-Saqi was founded in Beirut for publishing in Arabic Summarizing the experience of the launching and judging of the Arab-British Culture and Society Award, ABC chairman Christopher Segar said he and his fellow trustees had been “thrilled by the number, variety and quality of the nominations. This is the first year and we have achieved everything we set out to do. We have shone a spotlight on and, I hope, encouraged the many talented and creative individuals and organizations, who are bringing the richness and variety of Arab culture and life to the British public's understanding and enjoyment.” Segar added: “We have also, I am confident, established that this prize must indeed be an annual event...so we will be inviting nominations for the 2009 award later this year.” __
