Twenty-nine years later, the potential of Turbo Computers & Software Co. Ltd. ̶ publisher of This Week in Palestine ̶ still looks bright. We have been accused of (at times even ridiculed for) being the eternal optimists of Palestine. I hope the following would show that our optimism was in place all along!
Briefly, Turbo Computers & Software Co. Ltd (Turbo) started in 1985 as a software house. In 1986 we developed a full-fledged multi-lingual word processor/typesetter around the (then) new laser printers. We weren’t satisfied with what was available on the market as far as word processors, so we simply built one of our own. It took us almost a whole year to produce a decent word processor for which we also built a set of fonts in Arabic; dot by dot. The package was a brilliant yet affordable solution for those who needed to typeset text in Arabic. Printers were particularly pleased with the product after realizing that they could use it to typeset books. Seeing its business potential, we ourselves started to use TurboSet, as we called the product, and began to offer layout services, which introduced us to the design world.
In the early 1990s we shifted almost totally to being a design firm. Our technical background, coupled with being blessed with talented designers, prompted us to cater to the higher end of the market with designs and creativity that conform to international standards. For a couple of decades now, we’ve been commonly known as Turbo Design.
In December 1998, Turbo Design put out the first issue of an English-language magazine called This Week in Palestine (TWIP). Sixteen years later, the magazine is now considered to be a major Palestinian success story and, unfortunately, remains the only English-language magazine in Palestine. TWIP essentially promotes and documents Palestine. In 2006, TWIP became a high-end brand under which annual agendas, calendars, and posters are marketed. Other commercial merchandise will soon be added to our product line. Today, TWIP’s website attracts around 100,000 individual visitors per month, with over 33,000 fans on our Facebook page.
More than two decades after we started to offer design services, we are still considered to be one of Palestine’s main design firms with a track record of producing some of Palestine’s highest-profile publications. In addition, over the years, we have compiled the Palestine Image Bank, an image library on Palestine.
Jeel Publishing
Having built a system to put out a magazine such as This Week in Palestine, we embarked on an ambitious project in 2006 to publish other magazines in Arabic. For that purpose, Jeel Publication Co. Ltd. was officially registered. Apart from content, we had all the elements needed to produce new publications. We had the design-part covered, the layout capability, a marketing unit, extensive print-management experience, and a good distribution network. Since 2006, Jeel Publishing has put out several publications, namely, Filistin Ashabab, a magazine that targets Palestinian youth, Keef Assiha, a public health magazine, and Min Wa Ila, a funded project that targets Arab youth.
It would be an understatement to say that our 29-year journey has been difficult. Conducting business in Palestine is never easy, but wasn’t it Frank Sinatra who first sang “If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere?”
For the past twenty-nine years, we have gathered the experience to build multi-dimensional media platforms; this is what we will be exporting. Among other things, our experience has included image building, changing perceptions, empowering certain sectors within society, and dissemination of pertinent and vital information. However, we are proud of the fact that our underlying message has always been hope: hope in the future. Our motto remains: “Instead of cursing the darkness, let’s light a candle, a small candle.”
Sani P. Meo
General Manager/Partner
