Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of the Arts Haytham Nawar's latest project, “Generative Pictographic Language,” is currently exhibited in the exhibition “Scripts and Calligraphy: A Timeless Journey,” organized by The Saudi Ministry of Culture to celebrate the cultural value of Arabic Calligraphy. 

The project revolves around the idea of introducing a designed pictographic generative language that uses machine learning (Artificial Intelligence technology). It aims to raise the question of whether or not human beings can communicate through a universal language. The idea is that the machine creates a new language based on how humans once before created pictographic languages, starting from hieroglyphics until emojis.

"The project looks for similarities and differences between ancient civilizations through ancient communication systems and communication systems of the future and the challenge between man and machine," Nawar said. "A human created the first communication system. With the technology of artificial intelligence, the machine learns the human logic of creating a pictographic language and generates a new pictographic language accordingly."

In light of what Nawar explained, "Generative Pictographic Language" is an artistic human-machine collaboration. The machine would be exposed to a database of 180 vector-based writing systems: Pictographic, ideographic and logographic writing systems, and Syllabaries and Semi-syllabaries, and Segmental scripts (Abjads and Alphabets).

Nawar says his inspiration for the project comes from his deep interest in linguistics. "Also, as a designer and a design educator, part of my specialty is concerned with visual communication systems and typography, which is the visual representation of a language," he said.

He started research on this two years ago because of his interest in ancient scripts, specifically pictorial languages. He was seeking an ideal way of creating a universal pictographic language. With his interest in science and technology in his art practices, Nawar sought experimentation with machine learning and artificial intelligence and researched how he can use this technology to create a generative pictographic language.

The research started from looking into ancient scripts up until the alphabets and abjads, seeing the different writing systems and then combining them into a massive database of all variations of writing systems, which are more than 180 in total.  This all happened through a long process with the help of an AI Engineer, Ahmed ElGazzar, whom Nawar worked with for more than a year. 

"Scripts and writing systems are instruments of the various languages that have come to exist throughout the long history of humankind," Nawar said. "They are considered a historical necessity for the emergence of our countless languages. Accordingly, an investigation of scripts and writing systems utilizing machine learning would offer insight into the visual language of the cultures of ancient civilizations, proposing a generative universal pictographic language whose traits are drawn by the machine directly from the data it has acquired and processed."

There are three main aspects of the project. Firstly, a short animated film that includes the generated script projected on a 6m x 2m screen. It shows more than 180 different writing systems, and the animated images are a mimic of the machine, showing how it creates the new language. It showcases the transformation from the original script to the newly generated script.

Another outcome of the project is three chosen characters of three of the writing systems (Hieroglyphs, Arabic and Cuneiform). They are transformed from 2-dimensional to 3-dimensional and 3D printed. This brings to light the challenge of communication and how it could also be 3-dimensional. 

Lastly is a printed art book documenting the transformational process up until the final result. The book was a special edition and was therefore very limitedly produced. It has a detailed bilingual essay in Arabic and English explaining the whole process and the concept behind the project. 

When talking about the impact of the project, Nawar circles back to the main question of whether or not we can have a universal pictographic language. Humans, he says, have created some of the most sophisticated pictographic languages over time, and it is important to explore the idea of whether or not we can create a new one that is accessible and legible to everyone.

"This is still an ongoing project. I'm currently working on a third phase of the project in collaboration with the mechanical engineering department. The third phase includes developing the 3-dimensional objects with different materials and generating performance with a robot hand to engrave the newly generated language. This presents another challenge between humans and machines, in terms of the way the first man engraved Hieroglyphics on tombs and temples and how the robot will engrave the newly generated language using the new technology," Nawar said.

He is working on this phase with Hanady Salem, professor and mechanical engineering chairperson in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and support of Alaa Edris, the associate provost of research, innovation and creativity.

Rihem Al Adl '99 spent 18 years of her life working in public relations and corporate communications, but at one point two years ago, she decided to drop everything and pursue her passion for painting full time.

"I was already at the top of my game, making good money in a very secure job that I was good at. However, my soul was not entirely fulfilled, and I felt for some years that I needed to do something more creative and that truly makes me happy," she said.

Al Adl says it was a "midlife crisis" that pushed her to leave her career and delve into painting, working hard to treat art as a discipline, not just as a talent. Two years on, she's won the main prize at Il Biennale Internazionale D’Arte Contemporanea Della Versilia, a prestigious arts competition in Firenze, Italy. Her two paintings, Sun Shining Day and Promised Land, will be displayed in an art gallery in Firenze for a year.

"This prize made me feel extremely proud of the decision I took to leave my PR career to focus on something that truly gives me joy and feeds my soul. It made me realize the importance of listening to your heart and that it’s never too late to make the needed changes in your life in search of happinesses. If I did it, anyone can. To making dreams come true!" she said.

This isn't Al Adl's first feat with painting. She has had one solo exhibition in Cairo in September 2020 and participated in two exhibitions with other artists in 2021 also in Cairo. She said it was a beautiful surprise to be contacted by the Italian gallery Art Expertise in March 2021 requesting they exhibit some of her paintings with other artists they represent in various international art fairs taking place in Europe this summer.

"I was over the moon! Having the opportunity to show my art in international markets was a dream for me, but I never thought it would happen this soon," she said. The first international art fair she participated in was the IV Biennale Della Versilia, which took place from June 25 to July 3 in Florence. “I was totally surprised to hear on the closing day of that I became the main winner of the art fair! I totally didn’t expect it, especially given that I just started painting two years ago."

The prize allows El Adl to become a resident artist with Art Expertise in Florence for one year. "They will also take my art to international exhibitions they participate in during the year," she said. 

AUC Press awarded the 2021 Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature to the Algerian writer Ahmed Taibaoui for his novel, The Disappearance of Mr. Nobody (Ikhtifa’ Al Sayed La Ahad).

Presented by AUC President Francis Ricciardone, the award was decided by members of the award committee  Shereen Abouelnaga (chair), literary critic and professor of English and comparative literature at Cairo University; Humphrey Davies, award-winning translator of Arabic literature into English; Thaer Deeb, translator, writer, and critic; Samah Selim, translator and associate professor of Arabic language and literature at Rutgers University in the United States; and Hebba Sherif, writer, literary critic, and cultural consultant.  The virtual award ceremony was attended by shortlisted authors, publishers and other distinguished personalities of Egyptian cultural life. 

In their citation for the award, the judges described The Disappearance of Mr. Nobody as “hell overlooking the city where established patriarchy versus the search for a lost one, madness versus reason, desire for liberation versus commitment. ... Despite these outright juxtapositions that inhabit the city’s space and form its margins and means of marginalization, all the characters remain, surprisingly, 'Mr. Nobody.'” 

The judges went on to say, “Ahmed Taibaoui’s novel reverberates with echoes of Algeria’s violent past, from the struggle against colonialism to the civil war and all that has followed. ... From the [novel’s] somber but intense style, vivid characters emerge. This is a novel of unpleasant truths. ... All of this is within a framework of an interesting and suspenseful investigative writing, and in a powerful narration that does not overshadow the intelligence and creativity of its writer.” 

They added that “Taibaoui plays with the poetics of noir fiction to offer a bleak and haunting critique of the postcolonial Arab state and its mythologies. ... Despite the darkness of the novel, its satirical language –concise and poetic at the same time –– and its woven artistic suspenseful construction with the police novel elements, it attracts the reader to read it to the end, only to find that almost all the characters are 'Mr. Nobody.'"

The Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature was established by AUC Press in 1996 and is awarded to the best contemporary novel published in Arabic in the previous two years. The winning novel is selected by the five jury members who make up the Mahfouz Award Committee. 

The award, recognized as a major contribution in support of contemporary Arabic literature in translation, consists of a cash prize of $5,000, as well as translation of the winning novel into English and publication under AUC Press’s fiction imprint Hoopoe. 

On Monday, AUC held a virtual media roundtable discussion on the launch of the “Spring 2021 Concert Series” and the latest initiatives of the Department of the Art’s Music Program. Speakers at the media roundtable were Chelsea Green, associate professor and director of the Music Program; Ashraf Fouad, AUC Concert Series director and adjunct professor; Nesma Mahgoub ’13, AUC Concert Series member, adjunct professor, and singer and Tasneem Elaidy, a junior student of Music Technology and Music Performance at AUC. The discussion was followed by a live stream of the Mosaic Quintet performing selected works by Egyptian pioneers in Arab music from the mid-1800s to the mid-1960s and many other Arab musical forms. 

“AUC Music Program’s Concert Series presents this year 13 professional concerts followed by six student performances at the end of the semester,” said Ashraf Fouad, AUC Concert Series director, and adjunct professor. AUC Concert Series this year includes Pawel Kuzma and Taha El Mansy performing The Lineage: Music for Classical Guitar; Isis String Orchestra’s performance, from Classical to American Music; Lions of Cairo performance, Baroque and Before, and Opera for peace Concert, which will feature young Arab singers performing with Cairo Festival Orchestra.

Fouad said that AUC Concert Series is one of the oldest and most prestigious in the region. “AUC Concert Series has been present since the founding of the University,” he said. “This series hosted the legendary Umm Kulthum and American Pianist and Composer Herbie Hancock at Ewart Memorial Hall. The same series invited Cairo Conservatory and Cairo Ballet. Ewart Hall also witnessed Gaetano Donizetti’s Don Pasquale — an opera buffa, or comic opera in three acts by Italian composer Donizetti — in collaboration with Cairo Opera House featuring AUC students with professional singers. Also, a section of The Bolshoi gave a special performance of The Nutcracker ballet [in this series].” 

Chelsea Green, associate professor and director of the Music Program, highlighted the uniqueness of AUC’s Music Program, which teaches the theory, literature, and performance of music, and the theory and practice of music technology, with an orientation towards performance and study in both Western and Arab music.

"The Bachelor of Arts in music technology is the only degree of its type in the region. We have students coming from Lebanon and other areas of the Middle East to study with us," Green said. "The program offers cutting-edge technology, including a recording studio and a mastering studio. Our students not only get the theoretical knowledge but also get a lot of practical experience.”

Green discussed the program’s dual emphasis on both Turko-Arab and Western European music cultures, contributing to this program’s uniqueness. “Our students graduate with the knowledge and practice of the theoretical and historical aspects of both cultures.”

Nesma Mahgoub ’13, AUC Concert Series member, adjunct professor, and singer discussed AUC’s role in supporting students and performers. She said: “I am so proud of AUC’s Music Program and what it offers to its students. I am where I am today because of AUC and the knowledge that it offered me not just in singing, but in music technology as well.”

Mahgoub said that after winning first place in the singing competition Star Academy Arabia, she completed her bachelor’s degree then pursued her dream in singing. “In 2017, I decided to teach at AUC out of gratitude, to give back and share my real-life-performance field experience with AUC students and help them pursue their dreams as I did. I love and enjoy teaching at AUC, as we have so many talents that need guidance to unleash their ultimate potential.” Mahgoub also added new music genres not offered in the music program, like pop and rock. 

Green also said that the students are the unique elements of the Music Program. “I believe the most fruitful artistic journeys take place in a liberal arts environment. In this program, every student has the opportunity to develop artistic integrity and understand how art engages with our complex world.”

With COVID-19 disrupting the music industry and live concerts worldwide, AUC’s Music Program had to get creative, using the latest technologies to live-stream concerts. Fouad said: “Everyone is welcome to attend our concerts, whether face-to-face or through live-streaming, as some events are open to a limited number of audiences, and others are only live-streamed.”

Fouad explained that AUC’s Music Technology program enables its students to become professional sound engineers learning music recording, editing, production, and broadcasting. “The live streaming team is supervised by David Rafferty, director of music technology, who works with graduates and undergraduates — most of them are technology, and some are film majors — who work very hard to fulfill this complicated mission,” he added.

Tasneem Elaidy, a junior student of Music Technology and Music Performance at AUC, is one of those students working behind the scenes to make the live streaming come to life. She applies what she learns in class through AUC Concert Series. 

“We work on setting everything up during the event, from checking the microphones to checking the sound. We are always the first to come and last to leave the event to make sure that the event is well-recorded on YouTube," she said. She is now working on her new songs rather than just singing covers, “Studying music at AUC is what helped me enhance my knowledge in music technology and qualified me to start working on my songs.”

For more information on the Department of Arts events, please visit the department’s Facebook page.

Msh Zanbik, formerly known as You-W-Ana Too, is hitting the stage at AUC on March 22. Months in the making by AUC students, faculty and alumni, the production consists of five plays, each one exploring a different perspective of sexual harassment: families and couples, bystanders, victims and perpetrators, men and women, power and incapacity. The plays each deal with a different aspect of this issue and together reject the common assumption that victims of harassment and assault are at fault.

Conceived by Jillian Campana, professor of theatre and associate dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, along with Dina Amin, head of the Theatre Program and associate professor of theatre, the play drew inspiration from a  2018 Washington Post article, “In Egypt, a #MeToo complaint can land a woman in jail.” With the events that unfolded this past summer in Egypt and the movement around sexual harassment awareness gaining unprecedented traction, Campana and Aminhad known that this sort of production would gain support and interest.

News@AUC caught up with some of the playwrights to hear about what they believe is the importance of this production and what they look forward to most. 

Play 1: Ensah

Playwright: Nour El Captan, theatre sophomore

Ensah explores PTSD in sexual harassment victims. El Captan said she believes this aspect is often overlooked in conversations about harassment, so it is important to showcase this to let people know they are not alone.

“With so many stories coming out each day, it is easy to get overwhelmed and forget that there are real people who suffer the consequences of harassment in their day-to-day life. I’m hoping that the production could remind people of just how widespread harassment is and how its effects are destructive and permanent. ... The people I know personally who came out with their stories are the ones who inspired me most because I had no idea that they had gone through something like that.”

Play 2: See Me

Playwrights: Nour Ibrahim, theatre and IMC senior; Omar Omar, theatre senior

See Me looks at sexual harassment from the perspective of the family. For both playwrights, it was important to focus on the family because of the central role families play in the support — or lack thereof — of survivors and the role of family in society as a source of nurture and growth for children.

“Discussing the aftermath [of sexual harassment] has always been taboo, again something burdened on the women. The pressure is always on the woman to deal with it on her own and not to place this pain in the hands of the people who promised to care for her. No one wants to see their parents cry. No child wants to do that. We hope to show in our play the anxieties these survivors of sexual assault and their families all have, not to give excuses for a parent's avoiding behavior, but to give an understanding of the realities that plague a parent and their child when these situations arise.”  - Nour Ibrahim

“Many survivors, especially young ones, are left to carry their burdens alone when members of their family are not emotionally present, and that is a critical issue that needs to be addressed. Emotional support is vital to the wellbeing of a person, especially in the aftermath of painful experiences like sexual assault. It was our goal to highlight this message in our play. Additionally, we wanted to make sure that other perspectives, specifically those held by parents, were presented, examined, and explained. Sexual assault can have a serious impact on the family at large, and we wanted to touch on that with our work.”  - Omar Omar

Play 3 : The Report

Noran Alaa Morsy ‘20

The Report explores the dynamic between two female characters, one who wears the hijab and one who doesn’t.

“This perspective is not heard often, and we never see hijabis in the theater, let alone on a stage where they are not powerless or a side character to fit into someone’s story, so I thought it was about time that that perspective is heard.”

The play also delves into the topic of reporting.

“I think I really hone in on female friendship and female solidarity, as well as the role men play, or often don’t play, in situations of harassment. We try to show the pros and cons of reporting, leaving the audience to decide if it’s worth it or not. I think it’s important because we often preach seeking help and reporting harassers but we never really examine the consequences of that and where that leaves the victim of the situation. Sometimes we even go as far as to blame those that haven’t reported their situation, disregarding the difficulty of that and the very real effects that it can have.”

Play 4: Esh Fahemek 

Playwright: Yehea Abdel Ghany, theatre, integrated marketing communications senior

Esh Fahemek shows audiences the clash of social classes in Egypt. Bringing together characters from wealthy backgrounds and those from impoverished ones.

“The reason behind this is to explore a very evident class struggle in Egypt while also highlighting how women of all classes are victims of some sort of violence.”

He said that the “bold and courageous” feminist movement in Egypt has been inspirational, but people need to understand the actual lasting effects of harassment. 

“I noticed that while we consume so much news around horrendous acts of violence against women, we only absorb them as headlines wihtout reflecting on how it may have scarred the female victims emotionally. I wanted to highlight the emotional aspect through this play.”
 

Play 5: The Day We Met

Playwrights: Marwan Abdelmoneim ‘20, Passant Faheem

The Day We Met explores harassment in relationships. 

"The relationship perspective is an essential part of the me too movement and in any conversation about sexual harassment. We grew up fearing strange men. Our mothers told us to avoid men in the streets, but nobody told us that harassment can take place anywhere, even in an intimate relationship. It's a conversation we need to have because too many of us have doubted themselves with their partners because the lack of awareness about sexual harassment within relationships."

“A lot of girls are coerced to do things they are uncomfortable with to please their partners. This is normalized and encouraged under the umbrella of ‘saving the relationship.’ This of course can be as minor as a kiss or as big as marital rape. I think the magnitude of the assaults that happen within relationships is what makes this angle worth exploring.”

Lana Kurdi '20 and Mariem Abutaleb '20, graduates of the graphic design program, both designed posters that were recently recognized as some of the 100 Best Arabic Posters of 2020. 

Curated in Quarantine

Kurdi created both of her posters while staying home during the lockdown last year. 

"At that time, I was working remotely and, like everyone else, feeling quite uninspired and overwhelmed by the uncertainty of the events," she said. "But, I tried to distract myself after work by experimenting with different posters."

Her first poster involves Arabic hand lettering and reads "You tell yourself: I shall be gone." Drawn digitally, the poster is based on a poem titles "The City" by C.P. Cavafy. 

"It touched me because it discusses that common desire to leave your city believing that a brighter future is awaiting you in some other place," Kurdi said. "But the poem concludes with a confronting statement: 'There’s no new land...for the city will follow you,' so it felt like the ocean that you might think is waiting for you is nothing but a small nice pool."

She describes her second poster as a "fun one," as it's an illustration of someone dancing on a laptop. On it is written, "That's what you need to do when you're going through a creative block."

"I was having one myself, so I thought that the best thing to be done when you’re dysfunctional is to stop working and have some fun," Kurdi said.

When the Best Arabic Posters announced an open call for posters, Kurdi sent hers under the 'Experimental Posters' section. 

 "I was thrilled when I heard back from them as it means a lot to me, especially that the jury members are designers I look up to," she said.

Kurdi said she hopes to keep developing as a designer and that competitions like this one encourage aspiring designers and artists to connect.

You can find Kurdi's posters here.

Putting Research to Design

Abutaleb's creativity stands out in that her passion lies not only in design, but embedding research into her artwork. 

"I believe in the ultimate importance of the cultural heritage in different fields and how design and research are able to bring powerful statements and support our identity," she said.

The main motivation in her work typically revolves around Arabic Lettering designs and type design.

"I love experimenting with the beauty of the Arabic script alongside reflecting on its richness," she said.

Her award-winning posters are a series made for her graduation project "Folk Songs Archive: Visualizing Egyptian Folk Songs." The project's aim is to document Egyptian folk songs, inspired by the lack of archiving folkloric materials. Her work focuses on visualizing folk songs in Al-Sharqia governorate (agricultural environment) and Port Said (coastal environment) into lettering designs. The difference between each area is depicted by envisioning the lyrics through lettering designs and turning each song to an illustrated piece from the original environment.

"This reflects on how the cultural environment influences the group to create their own kind of folk songs," she said. "The style of the posters focuses on analyzing the cultural environmental elements along with integrating them within the design."

Abutaleb said she felt honored to have her work featured as one of the Hundred Best Arabic posters.

"I am glad that my work is presented at such a reputable competition with an amazing and creative exposure," she said. 

You can find the full project here. 

As with all other holidays, Valentine's Day takes different shapes around the world, as people weave their unique cultures and traditions into the celebration. Here are some ways the day of love is celebrated around the world.

Egypt

If you take a walk in some of Egypt's neighborhoods, you'll see shop windows covered in red and pink as people gear up for Valentine's Day today. But did you know that some Egyptians have been celebrating on a different day as early back as the 1950's? While not as widely celebrated as the February 14 holiday, November 4 was established Eid al Hob al Masry by renowned journalist Mostafa Amin. The day is meant for people to show love not just to their significant other, but to celebrate their love for parents, friends, siblings and life itself. 

Argentina

Argentinians choose to celebrate their love day in July and make it a whole week of celebrations. During "The Week of Sweetness," couples exchange chocolates, sweets and other gifts. The week was actually established in 1989 by an advertising company to increase the sales of chocolates, but the tradition held strong. 

Ghana

If you're ever in Ghana on Valentine's Day, you're in for a treat because it's officially declared National Chocolate Day. The day was established in 2005 to promote tourism to the country and boost consumption of domestic chocolate. Ghana is one of the world's largest cocoa-producing countries. 

South Korea

In South Korea, people celebrate their love for another year-round, with monthly celebration days. The 14th of every month is dedicated to a special activity, like White Day in March, when men are expected to give a sugary sweet to their partner. Other days include Rose Day in May, Kiss Day in June, Silver Day in July and Movie Day in November. April 14th, known as Black Day, is dedicated to the country's singles, where people get together and eat black noodles. 

China 

The Sisters' Meal Festival is regarded the oldest East Asian celebration of Valentine's Day. A three-day celebration, the festival is celebrated by the Miao ethnic people in southwest China's Guizhou Province, and includes activities like singing and dancing, horse riding, gift exchanges and eating colorful rice. 

Source: Travel Triangle

A collaboration between the Orlando Museum of Art and The American University in Cairo, A Boundless Drop to a Boundless Ocean, will feature artworks by US-based artists of Arab and Iranian heritage in simultaneous exhibitions in Orlando and Cairo. Curated by Dr. Shiva Balaghi, with support from Coralie Claeysen-Gleyzon, A Boundless Drop to a Boundless Ocean will be on view in galleries at the Orlando Museum of Art and The American University in Cairo’s Tahrir Cultural Center. 

Drawing on local and regional collections, the Cairo iteration of the exhibition features artworks by Shiva Ahmadi, Farah Al Qasimi, Kahlil Gibran, Pouran Jinchi, and Youssef Nabil.  

The exhibition’s title, taken from Kahlil Gibran’s classic book, The Prophet, describes an immigrant’s transformation from “a boundless drop to a boundless ocean.” The show begins with a drawing by Gibran. The immigrant artist’s journey entails a creative negotiation between the past and the present, between here and there. Along the way, diasporic artists create their own visual language that can convey meaning across cultural, linguistic, and social borders. Bringing together artworks created over the span of a century, the exhibition explores the rich cultural landscape of American diasporas. 

“A Boundless Drop to a Boundless Ocean explores the search for meaning frequently experienced by many individuals who travel or relocate, especially to different cultures,” said OMA Interim Executive Director Luder Whitlock. “Offered simultaneously with the American University in Cairo, it is an extraordinary opportunity to reflect deeply about a sense of place and belonging.”

“We welcome this historic collaboration between the American University in Cairo and the Orlando Museum of Art,” said AUC President Francis J. Ricciardone. “Through the dedicated leadership of Jonathan and Nancy Wolf, AUC has developed promising academic exchanges with the University of Central Florida. This exhibition provides even more opportunity for meaningful cultural exchange between Cairo and Orlando.” Jonathan Wolf is an AUC Trustee and Nancy Wolf serves on the Board of Trustees of OMA.

“Emigration is the quintessential experience of our time,” wrote the critic John Berger. Revolutions, wars, economic instability, and environmental disasters have led to an influx of populations crossing borders. The global movement of immigrants entails a remapping of the cultural terrain. Dislocation, rupture, and transformation are reflected in the creative process of artists. The artists in this exhibition use color and design, technique and materials, composition and iconography to push the boundaries of conventional art forms, extending our field of vision of the American experience. Collectively, their art sheds light on complex histories of migration, the lingering impacts of upheaval and conflict, and an ongoing search for a sense of belonging. 

A series of online public programs will be organized in association with this exhibition and announced on Tahrir Cultural Center’s Facebook page. This Cairo exhibition is made possible through generous sponsorship from Barjeel Art Foundation.

AUC has implemented campus-wide efforts to respond and protect the AUC community from the worldwide coronavirus outbreak:

Events

Based on CDC, WHO, and government of Egypt guidelines on limiting mass gatherings, AUC is asking event organizers to postpone or cancel all events with public guests and more than 500 attendees until further notice. We will be revising these guidelines regularly. Please consider possible efforts to encourage social distancing, promote handwashing or use of sanitizers and other health safety measures. The CDC guidelines for event organizers maybe a helpful resource to consult.   

Hand Sanitizers on Buses 

Next week, all AUC buses will have hand sanitizers installed on the bus.

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Notification of Recent Travel

If you have returned from a high-risk country, as defined by the CDC, please remain at home for two weeks and notify the medical office. The medical services number is 012.8000.1039.

AUC Students on Exchange Programs Abroad

The University is working with all students on exchange programs who are currently completing a semester abroad to determine the best solution for each student, depending on the country, university and travel options. All exchange students who were in high-risk countries, as defined by the CDC, have already returned to Cairo. AUC is in close communication with students in lower-risk countries and reviewing the situation regularly. Any student who is unsure or has questions should contact Dahlia El Tayeb at the International Programs Office at dahlia.tayeb@aucegypt.edu or contact the Office of the Dean of Students at deanofstudents@aucegypt.edu.

FAQ Webpage Launched

Please visit regularly the Frequency Asked Questions on AUC’s coronavirus webpage for answers to common questions from members of the community. Click here to visit the FAQ webpage. 

Stay Informed

Please continue to monitor email for regular updates from the University and visit www.aucegypt.edu/coronavirus. In addition to the latest updates from AUC, important numbers and tips on staying safe, the website also has links to helpful resources including the FAQ section from our community. 

“It’s all about having jackets tell stories,” said Hana Zaher ‘19, graphic design graduate and designer of Daima — a graduation project that turned into to a solid brand to be launched soon in the Egyptian market.

Inspired by the Hermes brand petit Ash, Daima is an eco-friendly brand that creates jackets out of upcycled materials and factory leftovers. Jackets are sewed by underprivileged Egyptian women in different organizations, such as El Zahraa and Sahebat Banati, and those in debt. “We get to collaborate with a different entity to support a different cause, be it young orphan girls or indebted women,” said Zaher.

Each piece of Daima’s products is named after its producer. A percentage of the jacket sales proceeds go to this cause to achieve a sustainable empowerment system for these women and help the environment always become “daima,” or sustainable.

“By purchasing a product in this brand, you are directly contributing to the life of a woman in need of an opportunity, a fresh start and a better chance,” affirmed Zaher.

Since she decided to study graphic design at AUC, Zaher’s dream has always been merging art and design to form her own fashion brand.

“I learned branding, retail, advertising and packaging design at AUC — almost everything that would help me start my own fashion line,” she said.

And her professors concur. “Hana was keen on not missing out an opportunity to learn everything that would serve her brand in the making,” said Nagla Samir, associate professor of practice in the Department of the Arts who supervised Zaher’s graduation project. “She wanted to complete the graphic design program with a complete array of design courses, and she really utilized it perfectly.”

Zaher wants to prove that the production of a prestigious product doesn’t necessarily entail using high-cost materials. Her challenge is to prove that she can still produce a fashionable product using upcycled materials. “I want people to buy my jackets and proudly wear them because they like them, not out of sympathy,” affirmed Zaher.

Zaher considers the women to be her partners in the brand. “I design, and they make my designs come to life,” she said. Besides giving them a percentage of every product purchase, Daima also teaches the women a new skill, helps them work on their sense of fashion and enhances their knowledge of upcycling, which they need in their daily lives.

“Hana spent almost nine months researching, trying and failing until she found sources for the eco-friendly materials she’s using,” explained Samir. “What I love about Hana is that she’s always eager to learn. She took patron-cutting courses and model illustration. She never takes the easy road. She finished the graphic design program with Daima almost launched.”

Zaher’s packaging is also eco-friendly, as she collaborated with an organization that makes recycled material made from paper and agricultural refuse – especially rice straws, Nile water lilies and bananas stalks. “Hana kept researching until she found the perfect package design that also serves the concept of her brand,” added Samir.

Zaher took part in last year’s World Youth Forum, where she showcased her products and presented one of her products to Egypt’s first lady Entissar El-Sisi. “It was a great experience, as I received a lot of motivating feedback about the concept of the brand,” she said.

Zaher is launching her first collection of Daima in January 2020 and the jackets will soon be available in concept stores.

#AUCFutureForward