سرة شرق ... تخليد لذكرى الراحل الاديب الدبلوماسي جمال محمد احمد

Quote: Salam Imad, Please convey this to Waliab with my many thanks. I have no Arabic fonts so I will fall at the best second option; English. See you soon Arif Waliabl Sikir Fi, Thank you for your suggestion on what Naj'm Eldin used to call "The Scripe of Sarra Shark". Thank you Fasial Taha, Khalid A/Obied, my friend Bakri ElSaik, Jalal A/Juhina, Hamzaowi, Hydar H. Mirghani, Salah Waspa, A/Dalla A/shaglani (pls. forgive my spelling of names...you know who you are) and above all to my friend and mentor A/Bakir Sidahmad. Abu Bakir is the one that we should celebrate, an arhive and wealth of resources plus a dedicated and generous soul that rarely crosses our path. We seem to have an amnesia and lack of gratitude to the living. In these words A/Bakir I hope you find my uttmost and sincere thanks for all you do. This being said, let me tell you all a story. It was a funeral past the light hours. The deseased was buried at "Farouk Cemetry" near Al Amarat. Of course, it was a Nubian funeral, since all around me you could hear but Nubain. As usual I was my father's driver and companion. In his late years he rarely drove, or we had only one car that all of us had to run errands with or he wanted company. We burried and we are on our way out, and I couldn't see my father. It was too dark and the lanterns were few and scattered. After a while, I could hear someone calling my name. It was our uncle Mahmoud Hassan Dahab. He was holding my father's hand leading him throuhg the crowded grave stones. They could be trecherous, plus the sacred nature of steping on those graves, as you all know well. Mahmoud El Mohadiss as he is known, placing my father's hand in mine, said for all to hear " Here is your father, he belongs to all Sudan, so anyone can help him...as for me, I am going to look for Nubians who only Nubians can help". My father and myself smiled, as my father shooed him off "Joo!". I will always remember this story, as it gives a kind of proper image to Jamal. He belonged, and was proud of his belonging, but he also beleived in his country and he died heart broken at its fragmentation and politics. I do hope that his 20th. birthday be celebrated and that of all writers; young and old, men and women worthy of our time. Jamal was my father. He was a good father and children do not care who their fathers are, and sometimes not aware of who they are, until it is too late. I flock to the former and unfortunately to the ...latter group. I say this if at all it crosses anyone's mind that "I should start or follow the event". I enjoyed Jamal's parenthood; with its good and bad. Those who befriended, read, worked and laughed with him, truly inherited him...and that was all good. Thank you all one by one for your kind words... and more. I do hope to see you one of these days and get to know you. Waliab please keep in touch. Afia loco. Arif