Great women, often, in social, cultural, literacy & educational
reforms, patriotic roles -one of such great women heroes was:
SUZAN ARI
This notable woman rare among women's role among social,
cultural, literacy, education reformers was in Cyprus and was
that of dedicated successful notable patriotic women heroes. Suzan Ari 12.7.1927 - 20.11.2002
Suzan Ari helped popularise education in British Colonial Cyprus. Notable women patriots in the history of education of Cypriots are few. Mrs. Ari was one of those successful women patriots whose sacrifices helped cultural & social reforms, educational history of Cyprus.
This notable woman's help was enormous in Paphos (Baf) and Loudrijina (Akincilar), both, in raising social awareness and preserving cultural heritage, and in popularising literacy & secondary education of Turkish Cypriots, in the social & educational progress of Cyprus.
Secondary school education hardly existed in Cyprus. It was a farming society without even basic literacy education. Suzan Ari was not even a formal teacher, nor had she even secondary education. Yet, only a dressmaker with elementary school education, her help among the pioneer educators, cultural and social reformers of her nation is noteworthy.
This notable woman's husband was the late Turkish Cypriot patriot, thinker, poet, writer, secondary school teacher/head Orhan Seyfi Ari, dubbed The Teacher of Teachers for his teaching and educational leadership and his mark on the history of education of Cyprus -they named streets after him, composed poetry. Mrs. Ari was his most noteworthy helper.
This is a brief biography of one the notable successful patriotic women heroes whose patriotic sacrifices helped in struggles for schools, teaching, progress in educational history of Cyprus -now with the highest percentage of university graduates in the European Union.
"We grieve for the loss of Suzan Ari"
Salih Cosar -Deputy Prime Minister & Leader of Democrat Party [Minister for Economy, formerly Minister of Education & Culture -kktc] ~in 'Halkin Sesi' -26 Nov. 2002)
The Prime Minister of North Cyprus attended the funeral of this great woman rare among women. From Canada university teaching & education staff and others in the USA & the UK who as 'auntie' referred to this extraordinary woman poured in messages. With commiseration from persons British knighted and representing this unforgettable woman's nation in Europe.
Suzan Ari's place among notable women patriots in social, cultural and educational reforms and the social progress of (especially Turkish) Cypriots was as a great woman helper in the cultural and educational leadership of her husband, the late, teacher Orhan Seyfi Ari, who in poetry is referred to as "the thinker who woke up a nation" and streets have been named after. This notable woman hero's patriotic sacrifices, alongside her husband's, the role of this great woman in those successful efforts, were exceptional, exemplary and inspiring.
As the Greek, Armenian, Turkish, British Cypriot pupils and teachers, colleagues of her husband's and many people of the then British Colony of Cyprus do teacher Orhan Ari's leadership in education to have and popularise school teaching, secondary schools, cultural and educational social progress, many remember also Suzan Ari's noteworthy dedicated patriotic contribution. Many, indeed, also, in the later Republic of Cyprus and still later Northern Cyprus Turkish Republic (KKTC/NCTR), fondly remember Suzan Ari for her extraordinary help among the dedicated notable women patriots in the teaching & education of pupils & peoples of Cyprus to advance a society resisting literacy & teaching, teachers & education, moral & cultural social progress.
Suzan Ari was born in Morphou (Guzelyurt) in colonial Cyprus (a Mediterranean island of approx. one million mostly Greek-Turkish-Armenian-British Cypriot population), at a time that education, especially education of women, was socially unimportant, of parents Huseyin Zihni Uney (a barber) and Emine Rustem (a citrus picker) -later divorced. After her, then, six-year compulsory elementary school education with Turkish Cypriots and as dress-maker under the British system of five-year formal apprenticeship with women Greek Cypriots, and private tuition in playing music and self education in Turkish and Greek contemporary literature, and with an avid interest in cultural and current affairs (perhaps resulting from her father's patriotic cultural interests and social activities as a later successful businessman and local community leader in central Nicosia -the capital of Cyprus) as a young woman she was one of the first Cypriots to show with her husband (a young & patriotic idealist teacher furthering his own teacher and cleric father's liberal views while teaching, trying to convince authorities, people, of the need for schools, teachers, educators, more education reformers in teaching and education, and that co-education was not promiscuous) in 1946 the courage of conviction that e.g., while there might be nothing wrong with the cultural Turkish and Greek Cypriot custom of women's dowries, marriage should be for love.
In Cyprus, peoples of e.g. the second biggest city Paphos (Baf) and her people's biggest rural population Loudrijina (Akincilar), still remember this unforgettable great woman's, Suzan Ari's, extraordinary dedicated patriotic help in their secondary school head teacher Orhan Seyfi Ari's leadership to advance teaching, education, culture, and her own efforts.
In Paphos (Baf), in budgetless days (in the course and aftermath the second world war), as her husband teacher Ari was having to publicly defend education for women and his secondary girl secondary school students branded harlots, this great woman patriot, Suzan Ari, with the extraordinary dedication of exemplary great women patriots, with newly born young children, was spending her days to teach interested secondary school girls how to make, sleepless nights to make, costumes for her people's secondary school's first taste to their people in Paphos (Baf) of their cultural heritage, patriotic and cultural dances of their heritage, all gratis, for days of celebration from their heritage, helping preserve their heritage and instil in her people social & cultural awareness.
In Loudrijina (Akincilar) people still remember Suzan Ari & this extraordinary unforgettable patriotic woman's, in the true spirit of humanitarian women, all gratis, opening her home (as teacher Orhan Seyfi Ari was helping have roads, electricity, water and getting built schools and teachers for a society whose lack of literacy was to the extent of many's not seeing how their sons, especially daughters, women, could benefit from teaching, teachers, education) to, e.g., dentists of elsewhere to treat people, hosting artistes for cultural shows, familiarising people with useful local heritage of peoples of different regions, in oil-lamp light making patters for their flag to be sewn for their schools & homes, learning by special approved arrangement and then organising & training her husband's interested young women secondary school students of Loudrijina (Akincilar) suitable new technical skills of her times for women, to train others.
(This unforgettable woman's patriotism was not fanatical; with charity befitting humanitarian women, during the inter-communal troubles, just as she welcomed teacher Ari's many immigrant guests of one community, after the military division, e.g., she willingly gave also all needed help in her mother's collecting former neighbours of the other community's left-behind family photographs, tracing, posting those to them. Mrs. Ari's patriotism was socially aware national progress.)
Although her nation is small & she is not one of the celebrated historical famous women of the world, Suzan Ari, as one of the notable women patriots of Cyprus, with her dedication of famous humanitarian women and the patriotism of celebrated women in history, and her commitment to her people's educational, cultural, social progress, with such noteworthy contributions to national advancement, is an inspiring example in internationally hailed contemporary, truly worthwhile, lasting patriotism to all humanitarian women patriots, everywhere.
Celebrated women patriots, in any women's studies of women in history or biographies, are celebrated women because of their deeds; historical exemplary women exemplifying the determination of successful women & the idealism of patriotic women heroes are great women because they excel in the deeds that make them noteworthy heroines, notable women; Suzan Ari is not one of the world's famous celebrated women in history, but this great woman's contribution in the historical advancement of her people was with such inspiring dedication that she was regarded by her husband Orhan Seyfi Ari ("The vigorous & fearless defender of people's liberty", "The waker up of the people"), applicably (on the lines, about famous women, of, both, there being great men behind great women and great women behind great men), as his best helper in his hailed leadership among his people, with her dedicated huge contribution, in those successful education reforms in the educational history of Cyprus, the cultural & social progress of this British Commonwealth nation ~now itself helping preserve and advance the right human values in the European Convention and the general progress of the European Union.
Suzan Ari had been to prayers on Wednesday night on 20th November, 2002, met, chatted, prayed with her neighbours, friends -the following morning this great woman contributor to educational cultural social progress was found to have peacefully passed away.
These verses of pupils' and people's 'teacher of teachers' Orhan Ari apply to Suzan Ari -the great woman helper in that educational, literacy and cultural social progress:
The pure in heart truly die never
Joyous be, in hearts they live forever
Tulips representing donations in her honour to the educational trust surrounded Mrs. Ari's coffin.
A biography, with photographs & poems, of teacher the late Orhan Seyfi Ari is on TEACHER OF TEACHERS
