JEDDAH, 26 February 2007 — The opening hours at the Jeddah Economic Forum (JEF) yesterday were like the weather outside — dull and dreary. Everything was in fairly bad shape. There were no star speakers. Moderator Sue MacGregor of BBC Radio did try to salvage the situation with her witty comments, but she couldn’t. Most of the speakers were Chinese, and so the language barrier created plenty of obstacles. The translation services provided through the electronic system were absolutely useless. And when MacGregor asked the sound managers to get it right, it got worse.
Of course, what the Chinese speakers were saying was absolutely crucial. They were talking about the new Silk Route, reminding the participants how China and the Arabs once had a historic relationship, thanks to the old Silk Route. They talked about the need for a robust revival of the Sino-Saudi trade ties. They also spoke of the emerging role of the East in the global economy.
Going back to the translation, at one point, the service simply went off for a long time. And when one switched to Channel 2 on the portable electronic device to get the English translation, one could hear what’s called a “cuss line” between the sound engineers and the interpreter. Everybody in the hall was looking puzzled, not believing what he or she was hearing. The volunteers on the sides of the hall were scrambling for cover, and MacGregor didn’t know how to react. She kept her poise, however.
As to what we were hearing, it went something like this. “We don’t have power,” the sound engineer said to the interpreter. To which the interpreter replied: “That is not my problem. How can I translate something that I cannot hear?” Then it got quiet. Again, the system came to life. This time, the interpreter was heard saying: “Oh, now I can hear myself.” Poor soul, he was unaware that the entire audience was plugged in and listening to all the mess that was going on in the sound room.
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The exquisitely-designed and colorfully-decorated hall came alive with the arrival of Jordan’s Queen Rania. Everything changed upon her arrival. Speaking without notes, the elegantly-dressed queen struck an instant chord with the audience with her straight-from-the-heart speech. She called a spade a spade, and the audience loved her. Every sentence drew thunderous applause that reverberated throughout the hall. “She has a great Arabic accent; she is suave and sophisticated and yet simple and speaks the language of the common person. That is what makes her great,” texted an Arab News reader from the women’s section of the forum hall at The Jeddah Hilton. But for Queen Rania, the morning session would have certainly been doomed.
What the queen said has been reproduced in great detail on the Front Page today, yet there were points that need mentioning here. “When I was a child,” she said, “I was told a folk tale about an old man planting seeds in the valley. His grandchild asked what he was doing. The old man said he was planting trees. His grandchild was surprised, and said: ‘Trees take many years to grow! You will never taste their fruit.’ But the old man said: ‘They planted, and we ate, we plant so that you can eat.’” There was tremendous response from the audience.
Queen Rania then went on to say: “The obligation to plant well for posterity is a common thread linking humanity — which is why different versions of that story can be found in many cultures. There is grace and glory in the efforts we make to build a better world — even when those investments sometimes take decades to bear fruit.”
It was her directness that charmed the audience. “We have become overly technocratic. We talk of political and economic reforms, of technological solutions, of security concerns — all of which are essential if we are to progress. But what about the language of the conscience and the speech of the heart — the values of acceptance, love, respect and peace? I suggest that we get back to basics because the need for global healing is all too obvious. I am a mother of four young children — Hussein, Iman, Salma and little Hashem. Take a moment to think of your children. Recite their names in your hearts. What kind of landscape — what kind of future are we preparing for them?”
More clapping followed — and why not? People wanted to hear that. Those words came like a balm to wounded humanity. And they were feeling better, realizing that at least there was somebody who understood their pain and suffering. “Tomorrow’s landscape may not flourish as it should because today the soil is being polluted by violence, mistrust and fear,” she said.
When she finished, they still wanted her to go on putting their feelings into words for the benefit of all who happened to hear her or read her words, wherever they might be.
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There was one little incident that brought smiles to the droll morning session audience. MacGregor was explaining how the voting device worked. Pointing at the little voting machines provided to everyone, she explained: “When the vote is opened, simply press the button on the keypad that corresponds to your answer.” The demo question that was displayed on all the screens in the hall was: “Please register your gender.” The options listed were 1. Male, 2. Female, 3. Both and 4. Don’t know. Even as MacGregor said the results would be displayed in a moment, they were already visible on the screens and were sending everybody into howls of laughter: According to the results, 64 percent were male, 26 percent female, 3 percent both, and hold your breath, 7 percent didn’t know their gender! At lunch, that was the subject of intense discussion: Who fell into that 7 percent.
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The evening session was equally memorable. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was as direct as Queen Rania. His anecdotes about his visit to the ghettos of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and the bits of torn cloth he saw being used as shade in Darfur were very moving. “We need to declare a war on poverty,” he said, amid thunderous applause. “I was ashamed of myself when I went into those slums in the Ethiopian capital. I asked my protocol people to leave me alone. I wanted to take a look into their lives all by myself. No sanitation, no hygiene, no water, dozens of people crammed into little rooms and shanties,” he said in a voice that seemed to quiver with emotions. “We need to have equitable distribution of wealth. Let the spirit of solidarity spread from the Jeddah Economic Forum,” he added.
Erdogan was followed by Prince Turki Al-Faisal, the former Saudi ambassador to the United States. Although rather brief, he spoke of how Al-Qaeda had almost succeeded in rupturing the ties between the United States and Saudi Arabia. “Things are getting better,” he said, pointing to the growing number of Saudi students going to study in the United States. According to him, young people are falling prey to extremist ideologies because of ignorance.
What started as a dull day ended on a sharper note.
