In 2004, one of my relatives took me to a mosque...
and told me: " stand here, beg for money holding your medical report..
and whatever you'll gain will be split in half between us"
In 2008, I was the youngest managing editor of the most important daily show in Saudi Arabia
In 2005, I cried... because the doctor who operated on my eye prescribed medicine that I couldn't afford
By 2011, I was the owner of a house in Jeddah, a land in Sana'a and an under-construction house in Saada
in 2005 also, my friends avoided walking with me.. no one felt honored to have me around
On 31.12.2012, I am a speaker at TEDxSanaa
Let's go back a bit
On 15.08.1985, I was born in this area in Saada, the village of Marran where the basics of life were a luxury
Neither water supplies nor electricity were available.. we were even schooled under the trees
from grade 1 to 6, I used to think that the world was 3 km X 3 km, nothing more
I was top of my class in the 1st semester of grade 6 and the award was a trip...
A trip to Saada city, the center of the governorate
For the first time in my life, I saw an asphalted road..
I spent two months back home telling my family about this miracle; a black line over which cars are driven!
It was the first time in my life that I saw a telephone as well..
My dream had been to pick it up and say "hello"! I reached the sixth grade without saying it!
Once I returned to my village, I had already nurtured a dream of changing my reality
How to break out from this 3-km x 3-km world..
and how to convince my family that the world goes beyond our 3 km scope
of course in Saada, I had several photos.. and here goes another one
On 25.6.2000, while I was in the 9th grade, at night...
one of my friends was playing with a Kalashnikov rifle..
He shot a bullet; it entered from one side of my face and came out from the left eye..
I was rushed to the hospital..
Of course after I had been hit, I stood up and walked... I felt something was missing but didn't know what
I reached the hospital, rather the health center to avoid overstating..
the doctor said; "Ali is dead! it's over..
You should take him to the nearest hospital his condition is serious he may have suffered internal bleeding"
I arrived at the Saudi Hospital in Hajja, the opthalmologist said she couldn't do anything and that I had to go to Sanaa
I was poor..I couldn't afford to go there
we consulted a surgeon who said he could operate but wouldn't take the responsibility for the facial damage
so my eye looked like this the eye was closed
I had been hospitalized for one day and once I was discharged, my cousin was at the gate with a new nickname;
'What's up, one-eyed?"
and indeed I was a one-eyed!
and then they wanted to mitigate it by calling me 'the one-of-his-kind'
and ever since, people would just replace my name with "the one-eyed"! all the time
throughout this, I was suffering deep inside
but I tried from day one to make up for the thing I just lost
my dream had long been to become a doctor but it became impossible
I attempted to join a health institute or become a nurse but they rejected me due to my disability
when I was frequenting the hospital, I started to learn English
I came to know the internet so I went online and my first English sentence was: "No Problem"
Wow! No Problem!
One sentence followed another until I began to ask the nurse if they had apartments for rent!
I didn't know what they meant but it was learning that mattered to me
All my dreams and ambitions were unattainable without an artificial eye
I moved to Saudi Arabia
There are two persons whom I can't thank enough my uncles Saleh and Ahmed
They took me in for three years from 2002 to 2005...
though these were the hardest years of all
three years without being dealt with as a normal person because you're imperfect...
one eye, shabby clothes..and nothing else!
my friends would go to the beach, but never take me along
because my clothes were unclean because I had one eye..an embarrassment!
my friends used to go to the park in picnics but they wouldn't take me either
I had sustained this feeling for years until 2005..
suffering from how people would treat me on the basis that I was flawed
and how is that my fault? it was destined for me
in 2005, through the internet, and I hereby insist on its significance and thank those who've spoken about it
because the internet was indeed my godfather
I ran into people online who started to deal with my thought "well, this guy has some good ideas..he writes pretty well"
no "one-eyed" involved because they didn't know me.. chat rooms before the Facebook era
I joined a course and the trainer was saying; "imagine spending one year with the same negative feelings..
that have shackled you for long.. how will your relationship be with self, with God..
with family? how will your financial status be?" each word felt like knives stabbing me
because I was going through the hardest three years in my life
I told the trainer Dr. Rashad Faqeeh;
"I thought this course would be useless but I promise you from now on, instead of complaining...
that I only have one eye, & can't do anything, & can't work or that no woman would marry me..
that I will start looking for a job and become an active member in society"
The next day, I went up to my uncle and said; "I want to work!"
No, I didn't work as a cleaner..don't worry!
He told me; "Look son, you've come to Saudi Arabia for treatment and you can't work"
I said; "I have to work! I can't take it any longer"
He said; "Fine, there is an office. You may work there."
I was supposed to be an accountant, but I made coffee, tea and cleaned the toilets
In 2005, after taking up this job, and 15 days after the course and following several exchanges with newspapers..
I had my first article published. It was about medical errors
From 2006 to 2008, I worked 18 hours a day
I left the first office as I thought that I couldn't pursue a career in this field..
so I joined a computer company and took up an unpaid job for seven months just in exchange for internet
so it was my work in exchange for internet! and sleep also. I slept in the office as I had no place to go
I joined some voluntary works, and clubs and then worked for Al-Madina Newspaper
I met with Dr. AbdulAziz Qassim, in this very office..
I met him after the noon prayer. He took a look at the editorials and articles I wrote..
and he said one sentence: "We welcome you as a fellow employee"
Are you saying this to someone who was just yesterday begging while you have been a journalist for over 20 years?
to someone whose friends are ashamed of walking with?
Moreover, he took me in a tour to introduce me to the other managing editors..
and each was nothing but welcoming! saying that they were proud and delighted to have me
One of my dreams was to go to the beach...
was to walk with my friends and lead a normal life!
was to propose to a woman without being rejected for having just one eye!
I worked in Al-Madina Newspaper as an managing editor until 2008
But someone kid me into believing that I had a good voice for radio broadcasting
I was once a telephone guest in Jeddah radio..
once I went off-air, the director asked: "Ali Almarrani? will you work with us as of next week?"
I said; "I'll work with you as of next week!"
and so I did..I started off as a reporter then was promoted to having my own radio program
But I had quite a crazy dream and difficult to achieve
I dreamt of appearing on TV a wish!
So I enrolled in a training course in TV presenting, first in program preparing and then presenting
the course was given by a senior producer who produced major TV shows
upon completing the course, he praised me a lot as a journalist...
So I said "Mr. Mohammed, I want to appear on TV" He said; "Look, Ali. You are a hell of a journalist!
But appearing on TV? That's a bit too much for you! You better stick to what you are doing"
I said: "I swear I will appear on TV..and you'll see"
I joined a course on TV presenting & the trainer was very impressed with my performance in the course..
so, I told myself; It's a done deal!
I went up and asked him if I could present a TV show
He said: "that's too far-fetched!.. Too big for you! You may become a producer..
the further is appearing as a correspondent with sunglasses on at best"
I said: "I swear I will appear on TV..and you'll see"
In 2009, I had been working in Daleel Satellite Channel since the end of 2008..
in the capacity of an managing editor..more like back-stage work
In 2010, AlMajd TV filmed a program in Jeddah..
They asked, politely, for my services in program production..
They then said: "we want to have a daily segment" I said: "This could be newspaper excerpts"
They said: "Will you present it?" I said: "I will present it"...!
Wow! I did present the segment, and instead of a one-off thing, it lasted for two years..
and instead of one program, I present two!
Some time later, I met with the trainer who once told me I couldn't make it...
and he said: "my mother is a big fan and so am I, and we watch you and are proud of you!"
from interviews with Salman Alawdah [a Muslim scholar] and Mohammed Abdu [a singer] coming together!
I kept on working this way..Thank Allah I have a wife whom I love so much and she loves me more..and I love her more!
Thank Allah, the Almighty, I'm very happy
in 2011, I directed a PR campaign for a leading car company
I want to say one thing here although time is running out
Adnan, the person who tied my tie, thank you!
Have you ever heard of someone getting an invoice to his mailbox or e-mail for his dreams?
Dreams are free of charge!
Our problem as Yemenis is that we don't dream we rarely dream..
Everyone says: Dream small! and that's a problem
These are not my words. Allah, the Almighty, says:
"If you have good faith in me, I won't let you down. But if bad faith, I'll meet your expectations"
If God says this..Why then don't you dream?
One last thing... They say that suffering is the foundation for success...
All the Yemeni people are suffering so we have no excuse for not making it big
So remember: the darker the beginnings, the brighter the endings...
Thank you very much