Founder of Yemen Times Prof. Abdulaziz Al-Saqqaf THE FOUNDER AND JOURNALISM IN THE 60’S [Archives:2001/10/Focus]

Mag Al-Adeim 
With the advent of the tenth anniversary of the foundation of Yemen Times, I find it appropriate to share some of the early days of the late founder of the newspaper. 
I know Abdulaziz since childhood. We were taught by very dedicated teachers and young Abdulaziz opened his eyes towards journalism a few years after the 1962 Revolution in Yemen. 
During our teens, we used to discuss and analyze the news about the Civil War at that time and its implication on the Yemeni society. By mid 60’s, the young Abdulaziz was exposed to a lot of issues pertaining to his time. 
I would like to share two incidents with regard to the journalistic personality of Abdulaziz, which took place in the sixties. The first one was when he was in grade eight (1966) and the second one when he was in grade 11 (1969): 
Normally a group of three or four students would work together in order to completely and independently issue the monthly newsletter of the school. Myself and the late professor used to work together as a team. When our turn came, the teacher requested that Abdulaziz should prepare the newsletter independently without any body’s help on a weekend! Since we were close friends, we used to be together all the time and go home together walking. So I had to wait for him to finish the work. After finishing the paper, he was supposed to take it to the printing press. It took him only one day to work on the journal. I remember that he had only breakfast that day. He completed his work at around 8.00 P.M.. It was complete in all aspects. He then went to submit his work to the teacher. Could you imagine that the teacher was in the school the whole day in order to make sure that the young professor did it alone! I accompanied Abdulaziz to the teacher’s room. I could see the eyes of the teacher open wider and wider as he looked at the work of Abdulaziz. Then the teacher asked young Abdulaziz, “How do you rate your work?’ The student replied,” It is good”. I remember the teacher telling him, “Well my son, the work might be good for you but not for me. I need you to come tomorrow check every thing and take it to the press. When you go to the printing press, open your eyes on every thing being done there. I need your then to write on what you saw at the printing press. Do I make myself clear?” That was an American teacher and a World War II veteran. 
So far, I have brought to you one point of young Abdulaziz’s experience of journalism when he was in the intermediate grades. Now I shall talk about his experience when he was in the high school. 
Young Abdulaziz used to interact with international contemporary issues ever since when he was young. I recall that once our history teacher called for a round table discussion about Vietnam and the new policy of the then US Government to implement what it used to be called “Vietnamization”. 
We were divided into two groups. One group defends the American intervention and policy in Vietnam and the other group was against the American policy in Vietnam. 
I do not want to go into detail about the discussion, but I shall limit to the candid and clear ideas that were reflected by the late Professor. At the heat of the discussion, he started by saying that first the US had no right to interfere in the internal affairs of another nation, second it is up to the Vietnamese to decide their future through peaceful means without the intervention of any super power, and with regard to Vietnamization, it shows that the US is defeated militarily and it tries to cover its ass. I remember the American teacher was so outraged that he called for the end of the discussions. 
Professor Abdulaziz was a ferocious reader and a prolific writer at a very young age. All throughout the sixties, I was his only friend who competed with academically and if further memoirs of Prof. Abdulaziz in the sixties is to be published, I am more than willing to share with his son, the Editor or any other person or group of persons who know and admire the late Professor who was a man of vision. 
NOTE: I know that the current socio-political condition does not favor those who were born outside Yemen and also does not like to hear or recognize reality, especially when history is re-written. That is why I did not mention many details with regard to names of places and people!
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