Our Oman: 'Renaissance empowered women'

Energy Monday 23/July/2018 21:20 PM
By: Times News Service
Our Oman: 'Renaissance empowered women'

**media[907479]**
Muscat: “The Renaissance empowered women,” said Sharifa Al Marhubi, who was only 18 years old when she first heard the news of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s ascent to the Omani throne.
“I was in my final year in high school in 1970, and I heard it from one of my sisters who was told about it by my father,” said Al Marhubi.
It took Al Marhubi three months to arrive in Muscat.
“I arrived in Muscat in April 1973 after leaving Zanzibar in January 1973 as I had to spend some time in Dar es Salaam and Mombasa to sort out the paperwork,” she recalled.
**media[907478]**
Like many Omanis who came home when they heard His Majesty’s call, Al Marhubi was amazed at what she witnessed.
“It was a pleasant surprise,” she remarked. “As a matter of fact, I underestimated what I would find and what it would be like. When I arrived in April, of course, it was a bit hot and humid but I immediately felt at home.”
Al Marhubi recalled the conditions in Muscat in the early 70s.
“I felt like everything was available to me. I had access to a job, I had access to anything that I needed. Even though things were scarce, there were one or two shops here and there,” said Al Marhubi.
“Back then, there were only the Al Rahma and Al Nahda hospitals, but that was still an achievement. I also remember there were only three schools at that time.”
When families migrated back to Oman, many of them did so gradually. For her part, Al Marhubi’s sister arrived first, followed by her father.
“I come from a big family so it was a bit difficult for my father to go and leave us behind,” said Al Marhubi, who has nine siblings. “Initially, I did not know what to expect, because I did not know whether we could come back or not.”
“After working for PDO for 28 years, I decided to retire,” she said. “I took an early retirement by one year only.”
To keep herself occupied, Al Marhubi has taken up painting using fuse glass.
**media[907729,907730]**
“Since my childhood, I have always loved art,” she shared.
“I have always wanted to be an artist. That was my passion. I thought I could pursue art, so I spent a year in England soon after retirement and took up fuse glass art. I have been doing that since 2013, and I have held a few solo exhibitions.”
The Renaissance and His Majesty’s rule have played an important role in the development of all Omanis who returned to their homeland.
“Coming to Oman gave me the opportunity to go abroad and further my career and education,” said Al Marhubi. “I studied BSc in Economics, and thanks to HM, I managed to get a scholarship to do my Masters, as well in Economics.”
As a young girl, Al Marhubi could never have imagined she would be able to achieve all that she has.
“In Zanzibar, we had a very simple and basic life, so I couldn’t imagine it because I never knew what I was missing,” shared Al Marhubi.
“It was His Majesty’s call for us to come back that opened our eyes, because then we were exposed to a lot of other things which we were not exposed to as children.”
His Majesty has always pushed for the development of the role of Omani women, she noted.
“When I first came here, the schools were for boys only, and so the Renaissance empowered women,” said Al Marhubi.
“This was something that did not exist before. We accepted the empowerment and we appreciate it.”