Sayyida Salme, born a princess of Oman and Zanzibar, had a remarkable life in a remarkable time. Her father was the sultan, and her mother was a Circassian concubine. Perhaps best known for her memoirs, as the first Arab woman to publish a book, she offered a fascinating view of 19th-century Oman and Zanzibar, harem life, colonial powers, international trade, East African slavery, and more. She originally wrote in German after falling in love with a German merchant, fleeing Zanzibar, becoming a Christian, starting a family with her husband in Hamburg, and then staying in Germany to raise her children even after he tragically died. Her later manuscript, Letters to the Homeland, describes her difficult early years in Germany. Both accounts offer perspectives and insights about East and West—Orient and Occident—cultures that still resonate today. Andrea Emily Stumpf, her great-great-granddaughter, recently published new translations of both writings, partly to rescue her voice from outdated and inaccurate translations. This year marks the centennial of Sayyida Salme’s death, giving us an added reason to consider her complex life and appreciate her efforts to share her unique and authentic perspective.

Andrea Emily Stumpf is an award-winning author and a lawyer who specializes in structuring international partnerships. She is also the great-great-granddaughter of Sayyida Salme, also known as Emily Ruete, an Omani princess who grew up on the island of Zanzibar and was the first Arab woman to publish a book. With new English translations of her ancestor’s writings, Stumpf is excited to make Sayyida Salme’s inspiring story—from Zanzibar to Germany—and her remarkable insights on East and West more widely available today.
http://www.sayyidasalme.com
http://www.structuredpartnerships.com

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