By Paola Velasco
Jamal Al Shehhi is a writer, editor, and journalist, living in Dubai, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. For years he has been dedicated to editorials and special publications. He is the director of his own publishing house, a contributing journalist for Al-Etihad newspaper, and a writer for Gulf News. He visited Mexico for work reasons.
He came to San Miguel de Allende to offer a keynote address at the Instituto Sanmiguelense for young people from various educational institutions. In an exclusive interview for Atención San Miguel, we talked about some of the issues that motivate and inspire him.
PV: What is your opinion of Mexico?
JA: It’s a long trip. It’s 25 hours! However, Mexico gives me happiness and is worth the trip. It reminds me of Mexican friends I met at the University in the U.S. Mexico surprises me every day. My trip was to attend the International Book Fair, and I was surprised by the professionalism. I like the city of Guadalajara: the climate and energy are fantastic. I feel delighted, and I have a feeling of gratitude. In Mexico, I found something that I needed; it gives me peace. In life, human beings seek two things: happiness and peace. We spend our whole lives looking for these two things. You are fortunate when you find them, and I find them abundantly in San Miguel de Allende.
PV: How are Mexico and the United Arab Emirates similar?
JA: Both countries have delicious food. They are interested in their traditions and are looking to the future.
PV: What do you do?
JA: I do many things. I dedicate myself full-time to writing and publishing. I am the father of three daughters, and I put a lot of effort into educating them.
PV: How are young people educated today?
JA: I live in a conservative society, but we have opened the windows to the world little by little. We need to get young people away from technology and closer to life. The new generations need spaces and tools to live life. It is not about isolating them; it is about accompanying them. Children are part of the world.
PV: Why read?
JA: Reading gives us another vision of our own life. The nations that read and those that do not read have consequences. Social media is cool. Sure, books are less appealing, but reading is necessary. We live in a world where everything is fast, and everyone is in a hurry. Reading involves time, and sometimes it’s the (thing) we have the least of. For the marathon of life, we cannot go in a hurry; we must take stock to reach the goal.
PV: Why write?
JA: First of all, because I believe in the mission of writing. After you write, the content doesn’t belong to you. It belongs to everyone. There is a theory, «the death of the author.» It occurs when the author writes something that motivates him. When it is published, it no longer belongs only to the writer; I write, but the reader becomes a co-creator.
PV: What topics are censored in Dubai?
JA: They are Sex, religion, and politics, but less and less. Nowadays, it is challenging to censor something. If a publisher doesn’t want to print a book, it doesn’t matter. It can be published on the Internet.
PV: What motivates you to write?
JA: I like to write about philosophy, logic, and ethics. For me, it is vital to understand life. It is essential to know the meaning of life. As a writer, this is my mission, to give a message to the world.
PV: What are the characteristics of contemporary journalism?
JA: The first article I published was in 2007, and in the years since, I have realized that if I write about everyday things, they have limited validity. But if I write about humanity, my articles are permanent. Three years ago, I documented all articles and published a book with 50 articles. I named it «Things We Don’t Pay Attention to.» We live in a time when we take things for granted because we have them every day. For example, if you love the mountains, ask yourself when was the last time you spent hours on a mountain, feeling it. When you love something, you have to look for it. It can be a place, a person, or an activity. I divided my book into themes: time, people, places, and things that interest me. People grow very fast, just like life. We must spend time with the people we love in a world where everything happens quickly. We cannot lose valuable moments.
