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Educational and Cultural Reforms

SUZAN ARI
a biography

 

 

 

Suzan Ari (in Turkish: Suzan Arı ), born on 12th July 1927 in Morphou ( Güzelyurt ), between 1946-1960, of Hüzeyin Zihni Üney, a barber and community leader in Nicosia's central Sarayönü and his then wife Emine Rüstem of Morphou; she married the hailed teacher Orhan Seyfi Ari in 1946 -they had four sons.

When Suzan Ari died the Turkish Cypriot community's Deputy Prime Minister -previously Minister of Culture and Education publicly expressed sadness [1]. The Prime Minister of Cyprus- TRNC  attended her funeral. People made donations in honour of Suzan Ari's memory to the Turkish Cypriot Educational Trust.

Suzan Ari helped lead, and with noteworthy contribution to social efforts and educational reforms to preserve and update in the, then, British Colony of Cyprus, the identity and the cultural heritage of Turkish Cypriots.

Suzan Ari was a housewife with only elementary school education and dress making apprenticeship, and had keen interest in Turkish and Greek contemporary literature and in Cypriote and communal social affairs, and her husband's efforts to preserve cultural heritage and popularise education and women's education.

Suzan Ari was the greatest constant active help to and the right hand of her husband Orhan Ari in the city of Paphos (Baf) (1946-1953) and Loudrijina (Akıncılar) (1953-1959), to the many who, in the former were considerably unfamiliar with their ethnic heritage and in the latter could not speak their community's tongue (Turkish but only of the fellow community's (Greek), in popularising secondary school education and the then by many resisted co-education and saving and acquiring bigger buildings for schools wanted to be closed due to uninterest, and, with many sacrifices and much patriotic devotion, gratis helping make possible public cultural shows and learning and teaching useful skills to women pupils [2], [3 & 4].

Suzan Ari, later lived in Nicosia, passing away peacefully 20th November 2002.

Tulips from the Educational Trust sorrounded Suzan Ari's coffin.

References:

1. Coşar, Notice in Turkish Cypriot newspaper Halkın Sesi, 26 November 2002

Biographical sites on Suzan Ari

3. http://www.s9.com/Biography/Suzan-Ari

4. http:/www.orhanseyfiari.com/suzanarieducation.html

Biographical site on Suzan Ari in Turkish (Türkçe)

5. http://www.geocities.ws/orhanari/suzanarihizmetleri.html

( A site on teacher Orhan Seyfi Ari is: Teacher of Teachers  )

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