Tarikhi
An Arab in Manchester BritishLebanese journalist Leena Saidi recalls her student days
In 1980, at the tender age of 23, I was handed control of the Mancunion, the University of Manchester Students’ Union’s student newspaper. This was quite a challenge for a young graduate, as the publication is the largest student newspaper in the United Kingdom and is distributed throughout Greater Manchester. Its name is a portmanteau of “Mancunian” — the demonym for residents of Manchester — and “union,” to reflect its role as the newspaper of the Students’ Union. I never thought I would go into journalism. I was at the University of Manchester to earn a degree in genetics, a field of study that in the 1970s was in its infancy. Genetics is of fundamental importance to all branches of modern biology, from evolutionary biology to medicine, and extends into many practical areas, such as biotechnology and agriculture. At the time, Manchester had one of the few programs at that time in this exciting new area, offering a Bachelor of Science degree in Genetics and Cell Biology. I would be in its first graduating class. During my first year at the university, I would often pick up a copy of the Students’ Union’s weekly newspaper as I went to grab my morning coffee, mainly to find out what was happening on campus. I wasn’t interested in politics, although the Union was very active, taking part in rallies against the increase of tuition fees, nuclear weapons, in support of women’s rights and the like. The Broad Left — an infrastructure composed of Communist Party members, onto which were grafted independent radicals and some National Organisation of Labor Students’ members — had headed the student movement until 1979. Now the Labour Party was attempting to break away and take the reins. One day as I was sitting in the cafeteria, two students sat next to me at one end of the table. “Surely, there must be somebody we know who likes ballet?” said the shorter of the two, his brown curly hair covering his face. “Not that I can think of,” replied the other, a tall blond with piercing blue eyes and prominent front teeth. “Well, find someone, anyone!” retorted the first.
Leena Saidi is currently based in Beirut, where she works as a journalist and producer 40
