Susan, who wrote her memoir: Libya. A love Lived, A life Betrayed 9/36, will be the guest speaker at the event, which will take place at St Saviour’s Parish Hall on Tuesday 13 February.
The venue is fitting as Susan is the granddaughter of Advocate Leonce l’Hermitte Ogier, of St Saviour, whose name still heads the now international legal and finance firm in St Helier formerly known as Ogier and Le Cornu. Leonce was one of 35 men and women who never returned home to Jersey after the Second World War, having died in internment camps in Germany.
Her uncle Dick was also deported from Jersey due to his drawings of the Island being found by the Nazis. Dick’s brother, Kenneth, was a secret agent in the Czech Republic.
During her talk Susan will share her experiences of 33 years of marriage to Bashir Shkuka, a forward-thinking Libyan diplomat, who she met at a cocktail party while holidaying in Sierra Leone in 1980. Following their marriage, they were posted all over the world and had to cope with the often terrifying experiences of the Gaddafi regime.
Susan will tell her stories of wild adventure, passion, and fear during those years, as well as recounting her personal experiences and those she shared with her late husband. She will also talk about her inside knowledge of Libya’s political, social and cultural history. In addition, she will comment on post-revolutionary Libya and the missed opportunities for reconciliation.
Cheshire Home is a charity close to Susan’s heart, as her sister-in-law, Carole, was in a coach accident in South Africa which resulted in her living in a semi-vegetative state for the rest of her 16 years of life. Those years were spent at the Hadley Cheshire Home, where staff looked after her.
Libya. A Love Lived, A Life Betrayed 9/36 is currently available from Waterstones, Amazon, or via Troubadour.com.
