Huda al-Rasheed
Huda al-Rasheed (or al-Rashid; Arabic: هدى الرشيد) is a Saudi Arabian broadcaster and writer. She was the first woman to present a newscast on Saudi television and was a familiar voice on BBC World Service for more than 40 years.[1]
Early life
[edit]Al-Rasheed was born in Unaizah, Najd, Saudi Arabia and educated at boarding schools in Lebanon and Egypt.[2]
Broadcasting career
[edit]In the early 1970s she started working as an editor for Okaz, a daily newspaper in Jeddah, and broadcasting on Jeddah Radio, presenting political and arts programs.[3] In 1974 she moved from radio to television, becoming the first woman news presenter in the kingdom when she appeared on Channel One.[3][4]
Her tenure at Channel One proved brief. While in London to study English, al-Rasheed toured the studios of the BBC.[2] Shortly after returning home, the BBC World Service offered her a position as a radio broadcaster, so she returned to England, joining BBC Arabic on 10 September 1974.[2] She took a hiatus from the BBC starting in 1989 to complete a degree history and English literature at the University of Buckingham, and then master's degrees in media studies, linguistics and translation.[2]
Writing
[edit]In addition to broadcasting, al-Rasheed is a novelist and short story writer. Her first publication was a collection of short stories in 1973.[5] She has also published a number of novels.
Works
[edit]- 1973: Nisa' 'abr al-athir (Women Over the Ether; short stories)[5]
- 1977: 'Abath (Folly; novel)[5]
- 1977: Ghadan sayakun al-khamis (Tomorrow is Thursday; novel)[5]
- 1980: Misdemeanor (novel)[3]
- 1993: The Divorce (novel)[3]
- 2008: Love (novel)[3]
- 2012: The Devil is Sometimes a Woman (novel)[3]
References
[edit]- ^ المدني, بقلم: د عبدالله (2019-04-21). "هدى الرشيد.. «هنا لندن» بصوت امرأة سعودية". البيان (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 27 April 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
- ^ a b c d Pukas, Anna (8 March 2018). "Saudi trailblazer Huda Al-Rasheed's message to women: never give up on your dreams". Arab News. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Jarrah, Mohammed (2 October 2018). "Meet Huda al-Rasheed: Saudi Arabia's first woman broadcaster". Al Arabiya News. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
- ^ Bizawe, Eyal Sagui (6 September 2014). "There's More to Saudi Arabia Than Oil and Sharia". Haaretz.
- ^ a b c d Ashour, Radwa; Ghazoul, Ferial J.; Reda-Mekdashi, Hasna, eds. (2008). Arab Women Writers: A Critical Reference Guide, 1873-1999. American University in Cairo. p. 465. doi:10.5743/cairo/9789774161469.001.0001. ISBN 9774161467.
- Living people
- People from Unaizah
- Women radio journalists
- Television news anchors
- BBC World Service presenters
- Saudi Arabian short story writers
- 20th-century Saudi Arabian writers
- 20th-century Saudi Arabian women writers
- 21st-century Saudi Arabian writers
- 21st-century Saudi Arabian women writers
- Arabic-language novelists
- Alumni of the University of Buckingham