AUC Became the Proud Owner of a Life-Sized "Cairo Peace Donkey"

Intrigued by the love of art and culture, an anonymous benefactor provided AUC’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HUSS) with a life-sized "Cairo Peace Donkey" painted by Austrian artist Sonja Moser. The "Cairo Peace Donkey" was displayed at the Caravan Festival for Visual Arts at the Saint Paul Cathedral in London, which exhibited 25 pieces of art work by Egyptian artists of donkeys, representing peace, love and the poor. 

Supported by the Swiss Embassy and the British Council, the "Cairo Peace Donkeys" were originally exhibited in Egypt at the Caravan Festival, displaying a total of 90 donkeys. “The donkeys are meant to symbolize peace and love and promote a culture of dialogue against violence and sectarianism,” reported Ahram Online. The festival’s coordinator affirmed that their purpose is to deliver a message to the world that Egypt is a land of peace, especially in light of the recent violence and clashes.

In celebration of the upcoming holidays, Nathaniel Bowditch, dean of HUSS, initiated a challenge to name “HUSS’ equus africanus asinus.” A suggestion box is provided by the dean’s office, and the person who suggests the best name will win both the honor of naming the donkey, and a yet to be identified prize from the dean. Some of the names suggested so far include Mish-mish, Sombol/Sonbol, Rudolph, Butt-Butt and Gilbert.

“This is just a way for people to have some fun,” said Bowditch. The name will be announced in a beginning-of-the-semester email to all HUSS faculty and staff at the beginning of February.