Salwa Jarrah
Salwa Jarrah | |
|---|---|
.png) Jarrah at a book talk in 2012 | |
| Born | Salwa Jarrah 1946 (age 77–78) |
| Education | Al-Hikma University, Baghdad (BA) |
| Occupations |
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| Parent | Zanoun Jarrah |
Salwa Jarrah (Arabic: سلوى جراح; born 1946) is an author and former BBC Arabic broadcaster.[1][2][3][4][5] Jarrah was born in Haifa, Mandatory Palestine, to a family from Acre, Mandatory Palestine. She grew up in Basra, Iraq.[2][6][7]
Career
[edit]Jarrah graduated from Al-Hikma University (Baghdad) with a bachelor's degree in English in 1977.[7][8] She began working with BBC Arabic as a broadcaster in 1977, where she wrote and presented several programs.[7] Notably, Jarrah led the BBC Arabic program "About Sex, Frankly," funded by the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, which centered on women's issues and sexual education and was described by the BBC as "the first of its kind to air in Arabic."[9] According to BBC News, the program "provided useful advice with the help of highly qualified experts and doctors" and addressed sexual issues considered to be taboo in the Arab world.[10] Jarrah also hosted the program "Oasis," the BBC Arabic equivalent of the BBC Radio program, Desert Island.[11] She interviewed the Egyptian film director Youssef Chahine and the Syrian diplomat and poet Nizar Qabbani as part of the program.[7][11] Jarrah also interviewed the singer Sabah in 1986.[12]
Jarrah, along with fellow broadcasters Madiha Rashid Al-Madfai and Huda al-Rasheed, is credited as being part of a "trend of feminisation" of BBC Arabic which, during its zenith, "cultivated the loyalty of millions of listeners in the Middle East and North Africa."[5][10] In 2018, BBC Arabic's 80th anniversary, the BBC hailed Jarrah, Al-Madfai, and Al-Rasheed as "pioneers" in the BBC Arabic Service and women's broadcasting and journalism in the Arab world.[10] That year, Jarrah participated in a BBC program celebrating BBC Arabic's "80 years of broadcasting."[1] In 2023, after 85 years, the BBC ended its BBC Arabic radio service due to budgetary concerns.[13]
Since retiring in 1999, Jarrah has authored several Arabic novels, including "Fifth Season" (2005), "Rocks of the Shore" (2007), "Insomnia" (2009), "Image in Still Water" (2014), "Narrow Doors" (2016), and "When Tales Intertwine" (2020).[2][4][8][11] In 2019, Jarrah published an autobiography, "Scattered Papers" (2007), describing her childhood, family life, career, and connection to Acre, the Palestinian city where her family lived before being displaced in 1948.[14][15] Her niece, Huda Asfour, is an academic and oud musician.[16][17]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "BBC Arabic celebrates 80 years of broadcasting". BBC. 2018-01-26. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
- ^ a b c جحا, جورج (2015-12-14). "سلوى جراح.. عن الذكريات المتبناة والأوطان البديلة". Reuters (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ "Oman discovers that 'The Beautiful Has Come'". gulfnews.com. 2001-01-24. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
- ^ a b "سلوى الجراح". BBC News عربي (in Arabic). 2018-01-26. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
- ^ a b Msaddek, Houcine (2021-01-01). "BBC Arabic (1938-1995): Soft Power or Reithian Practice Abroad?". Revue Française de Civilisation Britannique. French Journal of British Studies. XXVI (1). doi:10.4000/rfcb.7056. ISSN 0248-9015.
- ^ Palestine, Times for (2024-04-18). "My Grandmother's Wardrobe, Keys, And Tears". Times for Palestine. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
- ^ a b c d Jarrah, Salwa (2011-12-01). "Excerpt translated from Insomnia". Wasafiri. 26 (4): 67–67. doi:10.1080/02690055.2011.607653. ISSN 0269-0055.
- ^ a b فُسْحَة (2017-04-13). "لقاء مع الروائية سلوى جراح | حيفا". فسحة - ثقافية فلسطينية (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-11-28.
- ^ Populi. United Nations Fund for Population Activities. 1994.
- ^ a b c "رائدات بي بي سي عربي: نساء كسرن النمطية وتحدين التابوهات". BBC News عربي (in Arabic). 2018-01-26. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
- ^ a b c "إعلام العراق بين جيلين – DW – 2013/10/18". DW (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-11-28.
- ^ Msaddek, Houcine (2020-12-06). "BBC Arabic (1938-1995): Soft Power or Reithian Practice Abroad?". Revue française de civilisation britannique. XXVI (1). doi:10.4000/rfcb.7056. ISSN 0248-9015.
- ^ King, Maya (2023-01-30). "BBC Arabic Radio Airs Final Broadcast After 85 Years". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
- ^ Palestine, Times for (2024-03-15). "Zanoun Jarrah... The father died with a handful of Akka's soil under his cheek". Times for Palestine. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
- ^ "سلوى جرّاح….. تلملم ذكرياتها المبعثرة بين المدن". Elaph - إيلاف (in Arabic). 2021-09-19. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
- ^ Asfour, Huda (2018-03-24). "Kouni كوني". www.hudaasfour.com. Archived from the original on 2024-11-28. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
- ^ Underwood, Alexia (2024-10-09). "'My way of being useful': for Palestinian oudist Huda Asfour, performance brings catharsis – and frustration". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-11-28.