Historically and until today, AUC has served as a popular destination for international students interested in learning Arabic, studying Egypt’s long and diverse history, or just looking for an adventure. One of AUC’s current international students is Jayme Reichart, an American pursuing a master's in Egyptology and currently working as a teaching assistant for Lisa Sabbahy, assistant professor of Egyptology, and Fayza Haikal, professor of Egyptology.

News@AUC met with Reichart to learn what brought him to AUC, his passion for the past, his outreach through social media and his future plans.

Q: What got you interested in pursuing a master's in Egyptology at AUC?

A: I grew up in Buffalo, New York, and I had a fascination with the ancient world from a very young age. My friends and family have often told me that I’m an old soul. It started out with the ancient Mediterranean because I loved to read books on Egyptian, Greek and Roman mythology. My parents and grandparents often took me, with my sisters and cousins, to museums. By far, one of my favorites was the Royal Ontario Museum’s Egyptian collection. I knew by sixth grade that I wanted to come to study at AUC because of its location in Egypt and the opportunity to be taught by prominent Egyptologists. Beginning in middle school, I molded my studies to fit the prerequisites for the master's in Egyptology. 

Q: Where did you get your bachelor's, and what did you major in?

A: I studied at Pace University in New York City’s Lower Manhattan. My major was modern languages and cultures, with a focus in French and Spanish. I was also able to fulfill two minors in art history and classical and medieval studies. I completed the first half of my major in New York and the second half in Paris, as I was granted the opportunity to study abroad at the Université de Paris IV – Sorbonne for one year.  My time in New York and Paris has had a lasting impact on my college experience. It allowed me to make friends from around the world and visit many museums, galleries, parks and monuments. Throughout my undergraduate career, I was also fortunate enough to be hired as a volunteer in the Department of Visitor Services at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. My time there allowed me to interact with museum visitors from around the globe and utilize both my language skills and art history knowledge.

Q: What is your focus within Egyptology?

A: My main interests are Egyptian art, architecture, material culture and agency. My interests began with the art of the Ptolemies, the ruling dynasty of Egypt from the 330s B.C. to the Roman conquest in 30 A.D. In terms of dynastic art, I really love the art of the late-Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom and the Thutmosides (New Kingdom - 18th Dynasty). I also find the First Intermediate Period, a time when the Egyptian state decentralized, to be of interest, because there are provincial art forms that flourished and act as witnesses to community identity. I think it is important that Egyptian art is not seen as static and unchanging, but nuanced and evolving from the Predynastic to Graeco-Roman Period.

Q: What do you like about AUC?

A: I love to attend the field trips and workshops that are organized by AUC’s Egyptology unit each semester. We have had the opportunity to visit many archaeological sites and take epigraphy lessons. The professors and the faculty in the Department of Sociology, Egyptology and Anthropoloare always very helpful and welcoming. I also love the gardens and architecture of the Tahrir and New Cairo campuses. I care very much about the environment and think the sustainable architecture on New Cairo’s campus is a good reference point for future building projects around the world. It exhibits the way that architecture and nature can be combined to create a learning and working environment that is both eco-friendly and beautiful.   
 

Q: What is your favorite historical site in Egypt?

A: I love temple architecture, especially the cenotaphs (memorial temples) at Abydos built in Sety I and Ramesses II during the New Kingdom. The quality of preservation and color of the relief are phenomenal. The dynamism and naturalism that is achieved by the craftsmen is absolutely breathtaking! Unfortunately, we can only imagine what the temples looked like fully painted and unfragmented in antiquity. They must have been gorgeous, especially when the lamps were burnt at night. I wish I could travel back in time to see all of the monuments and cities of ancient Egypt at their zeniths, especially Memphis, Bubastis, Elephantine, Thebes and Alexandria.
 

Q: Who are your favorite ancient Egyptian gods or goddesses?

A: My favorite ancient Egyptian gods are Khonsu, a moon-god, and Sheshat, the goddess of writing and architecture. My grey cat Khonsusaiah is named after Khonsu. I also have a ginger and white cat Amunherkhepeshef. She is named after the god Amun-Ra and a son of Ramesses II.

 

Q: What work do you do as a a research assistant for The Theban Mapping Project based at AUC?

 

A: I am grateful for having the opportunity to work as as a graduate research assistant and linguistic consultant for almost a year at The Theban Mapping Project because I have been able to put my bachelor's and master's studies to good use. I have mostly been helping edit bibliographies and input language data into the The Theban Mapping Project’s Egyptian Archaeological Database. I typically have to research, edit and input lots of different names and bibliographies for each site. It is fascinating to witness the temporal transition of a site’s name from its ancient Egyptian, Greek, Latin and Coptic names to its Arabic, English, French and German names. This project aims to preserve as many of Egypt’s archaeological sites on the web as it can because it is important for current and future scholars and students who wish to study Egypt’s rich history.

 

Q: Would you encourage other Americans and international students to study abroad at AUC?
 

A: Yes, I would encourage Americans, Erasmus students and other international students interested in Egyptology and the Middle East to study at AUC because there is nowhere better to study these!

Q: Do you think graduate research is something students should pursue?

 

A: Yes, I think it is great exposure, especially for building familiarity in a profession’s authoritative works. Taking part in research when you are an undergraduate or in a master's program is also super-beneficial, especially if you ever want to pursue a PhD or independent research. Conducting research helps your writing as well. It makes you have to be more succinct and to the point.

 

Q: What are your goals for the future?

 

A: Once I have graduated from AUC, I would love to work back in museums again. When I volunteered at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and an art gallery in New York City during my undergraduate studies at Pace University, I loved the inspirational atmosphere, the work environment and engaging with the public. I've had an Egyptian art history blog on Instagram for more than two years now called @egyptologydaily where I write daily blog posts in English, French and Spanish (space permitting), with an aim to expose as many people to not only Egyptian art, but to all art in general. I think the humanities are a vital part of the human experience. In the future, I would also love to apply to Ph.D programs in Egyptian art and archaeology, since it has always been a personal goal of mine to achieve a doctoral degree!
 

 

Working in diverse fields, from banking and trade to business management and telecommunications, 13 AUC alumnae are named by Forbes Middle East among The Middle East's Most Influential Women of 2018. Focusing on women in executive business and finance positions, as well as women in government departments, this annual list considers the title, scope and impact of the women's work, as well as the revenues of the companies they lead. AUC alumnae continually impress, making important contributions in a variety of sectors and fields within Egypt and abroad. 

Read about these women, their jobs and how they got to where they are today:

#3

LOBNA HELAL '83, '89

Deputy Governor, of Central Bank of Egypt 

Graduating from AUC with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a Master of Arts in economics, Lobna Helal is the first woman ever appointed deputy governor of the Central Bank of Egypt. 

 

#16

 ELHAM MAHFOUZ '84

Chief Executive Officer, Commercial Bank of Kuwait 

Graduating from AUC with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration, Elham Mahfouz first worked as a credit manager and deputy chief executive officer at the Commercial Bank of Kuwait before becoming its CEO. 

 

#20

DALIA EL BAZ '95

Deputy Chair, National Bank of Egypt 

Graduating from AUC with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration, Dalia El Baz has been a member of the National Bank of Egypt's executive committee since 2016. She supervised the deployment of the new core banking systems and the centralization of banking operations. El Baz started her banking career at Barclays Bank Egypt.

 

#23

SAHAR EL DAMATI '76, '79

Managing Director, Union Capital

After graduating from AUC with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and Master of Arts in business administration, Sahar El Damati worked in a number of organizations in the banking sector such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), commercial International Bank (CIB) and the World Bank. She went on to be head of the Credit and Portfolio Management department at the Social development fund, deputy managing director, chief risk officer and board member of HSBC Bank followed by deputy chairman and board member at Banque Misr. She is currently holding the position of managing director of Union Capital credit funds, an Egypt-based private equity firm focused on small and medium enterprises.

 

#24

RAWAN AHMED AL SAID '88

Chief Executive Officer, Takaful Oman 
Chairperson, National Bank of Oman

Graduating from AUC with a Bachelor of Arts in economics, Rawan Ahmed has been the chairperson of the National Bank of Oman since 2005. She is also on the board of five other companies. Before her time at the National Bank of Oman, she held the position of non-executive director at ONIC Holding and deputy chief executive officer of the State General Reserve Fund of Oman.

 

#31

MERVAT ZOHDY SOLTAN '83, '89

Chief Executive Officer, Export Development Bank of Egypt

Graduating from AUC with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration, Mervat Soltan worked as the vice president of Deutsche Bank Cairo, as the director of HSBC and as the general manager at Ahli United Bank Egypt before her time at the Export Development Bank of Egypt. 

 

#45

RASHA EL-AZHARY '97 

Chief Financial Officer, Vodafone Egypt

Graduating from AUC with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and a Master of Business Administration, Rasha El Azhary previously served as the development director for Vodafone Qatar, leading the launch of fiber and LTE services. She joined Vodafone in 2003 after working as a senior associate at EFG Hermes. 

 

#46

HANIA MOHAMED SADEK '82, '90

Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, HSBC Egypt

Graduating from AUC with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and a Master of Arts in economics, Hania Sadek has more than 30 years of banking experience. She has worked as the head of the IT Department, head of the Internal Audit Department and head of Operations and Systems at HSBC. 

 

#47

MARWA EL AYOUTI '98

Chief Financial Officer, Orange Egypt

Graduating from AUC with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and a Master of Business Administration from the Maastricht School of Management, Marwa El Ayouti got her start working at Vodafone, taking on her position at Orange Egypt this past April.

 

#66

HALLA SHAKER SAKR '84

Managing Director, Attijariwafa Bank Egypt

Graduating from AUC with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration, Halla Shaker went on to serve as the deputy chief officer of HSBC Egypt before taking on her current position as managing director of Attijariwafa Bank Egypt.

 

#86

SHAHIRA MAGDI ZEID '83

Co-Founder, Maridive Group
Vice Chair, MZ Investments

Shahira Magdi Zeid graduated from AUC with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration. She co-founded the Maridive Group, the largest company providing off-shore marine and oil support services in Egypt. She also is the Vice Chair for MZ investments, a company that provides financial and investment advice to both insitutional and private investors. 

 

#89

RANA ADAWI '93

Managing Director, Acumen Asset Management

Graduating from AUC with a Bachelor of Arts in economics, Rana Adawi co-founded Acumen Holding. Bringing more than 22 years of experience in the financial services industry, her previous roles include head of research in Fleming CIIC Securities.  

 

#96

SOHA EL TURKY '94, '98 

Chief Financial Officer. Banque du Caire

Graduating from AUC with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration and a Master of Business Administration, Soha El Turky has experience spanning corporate and retail banking. Before taking on her position at Banque du Caire, she worked as the chief financial officer for Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank and as the chief financial officer at Citibank.

Last week, the Egyptian Archeological Mission of the Ministry of Antiquities discovered a sandstone sphinx statue from the Ptolemaic era during excavations at the southeastern side of the Kom Ombo temple near Aswan. It was found near the site where two reliefs of King Ptolemy V were recovered two months earlier.

Salima Ikram, distinguished Univeristy professor of Egyptology who was asked to analyze the animal bones at the excavation site, explained the significance of this discovery.  "The team working at Kom Ombo has found some extraordinarily interesting remains, mainly from the Ptolemaic Period," she said. "The sphinx and stelae show us that the exterior area of the temple was an active ritual and cult place, accessible to a large number or people, and that it played an important role in the spiritual, political and economic life of the people of Kom Ombo."

Sphinxes were a symbol of power in ancient Egypt, frequently memorialized through art and sculpture. According to Ikram, for ancient Egyptians, "the sphinx and stelae were visible manifestations of the constant presence and power of the king in their lives, and his close relationship with the gods –– a relationship that should bring prosperity to the land."

Today, discoveries like this give us a small window into the past, allowing us to learn more about ancient Egyptians, their customs and values. 

 

 

 

 

Eight graduate students from Koc and eight from AUC have attended a summer program in Kavala, Greece, the birthplace of Muhammad Ali Pasha, often referred to as the founder of modern Egypt. AUC students hailed from diverse specializations, including history, literature, Islamic studies and Islamic art and architecture, as well as Middle East studies. 

The AUC students, guided by Distinguished University Professor Nelly Hanna, attended lectures and went on excursions, joined by students and faculty members from Koç University in Turkey. 

The summer program, initiated by the Muhammed Ali Foundation, covered the architecture and history linked to the Muhammad Ali reign in the early 19th century. Muhammad Ali had founded a waqf in Kavala (part of Albania at the time). The waqf recently underwent major repair and is now in use. The summer school took place there.

"Exposure to other cultures is an important part of students' education, beyond what they learn in class," said Nelly Hanna, distinguished University professor in the Department of Arab and Islamic Civilizations. "This cooperation gives students the opportunity to meet and exchange on academic and on general subjects of common interest. For some, it may lead to further studies in the domains covered."

For the AUC graduate students, the trip was a memorable part of their learning experience. “The whole experience was certainly unforgettable." said Maha Shawki, a graduate student in the Department of Arab and Islamic Civilizations. "We had the opportunity to build a dialogue and exchange knowledge with Turkish students from Koç University. The classes were held at MOHA Research Center, the only Egyptian waqf property in Europe built by Mohamed Ali, which exposed us to the tangled history of Kavala, Greece and its relationship with the Ottoman Empire. Through the summer school, we learned how to interpret Mediterranean history through the city's monuments and its various layers. Finally, we were privileged to meet Prince Abbas Hilmi and hear about his views and opinions regarding the history and accomplishment of the royal family."

“Teaching is like a one-person show,” said Jillian Campana, professor of theatre in the Department of Arts, likening the students to an audience, and a lesson plan to a script.

It was moving to Cairo for the first time in 1993 as a fresh college graduate — before returning again in the second half of 2016 — that sparked her interest in teaching. “I was deciding whether to become an actor or not, and I had moved to Los Angeles. But I didn’t feel like a strong woman there; that industry privileged appearance over intellect and creativity,” she said. “It was too hard to give up something I had been doing since I was 5, so I wanted to go as far away as I can. I wanted to immerse myself somewhere completely different. So I came to Egypt, and I immediately fell in love with it. I found out that through teaching theatre, you’re able to teach a lot of other subjects.”

Since then, she embarked on a journey to not only explore, but test the limits of conventional teaching methods by pairing them with her passion for performing arts.

Old Beginnings

Campana began her teaching career by taking teaching English as a foreign language classes at AUC's School of Continuing Education. Upon working with refugees from Eritrea and Ethiopia, she found that she was successful in teaching language skills through drama, realizing that this method of education was key to the learning experience. “It provided authentic context and repetition, reinforced memory and allowed them to be more playful with the language,” she explained.

As a result of her innate passion for drama and theatre and her extensive educational knowledge of performance studies, Campana could not help but acknowledge the performative nature of teaching and how much it resembled being on stage. Her then-newfound interest in pedagogy, the art of teaching, allowed her to take note of the way in which all teachers often find themselves adopting completely different and well-rounded characters that automatically present themselves during class.

“If the content is delivered in a creative way, it will stick in the students’ minds; it will connect them to the subject matter,” Campana affirmed, adding that this type of experiential education at AUC has often proven itself as a great way to engender more interest in the subject. “Students will be more likely to engage with the subject and more likely to use it in their everyday lives.”

Since her return to AUC, has taught an array of theatre classes, including Theatre in the Making, Acting I & II, Documentary Theatre, Applied Theatre and Physical Performance. Campana shed light on the approach of integrating art in teaching by giving an example where students might be presented with material pertaining, for instance, to the history of Greek theatre. This information may be strictly theoretical, she noted, requiring hours and hours of traditional lecturing techniques. This is when she takes a different route so that students are able to connect to it on a more personal level.

"Rather than just talk at them, I can give them a little bit of information and then maybe have them create a poem with that information and perform it as a Greek chorus,” she said. “That way they’re hearing the information; they’re turning it into something that’s meaningful for them in a creative way; and they’re delivering the content to their class as a member of the Greek system.”

While drama and acting typically fall under non-traditional ways of teaching, experiential education is not necessarily exclusive to conventionally hands-on material. Campana explained how she teaches a master’s degree program in the United States for teachers using an approach known as Integrated Arts Education, which utilizes fine and performing arts to teach kindergarten through grade 12 non-art teachers how to use the arts to enhance student engagement in classrooms.

The Art of Teaching Art

The theatre professor recognizes the impact of technological advancement on the existing methods of teaching. “Teaching has become very hard," she reflected. "I mean, there is very little factual information that I can give you that you can’t just go look up. My job is to give [students] the needed information, but also have them do something with it.”

At the beginning of each semester at AUC, Campana has been using introductory forms that students are required to fill out. She emphasized the importance of teachers getting to know their students to deliver the information in ways that are more relevant to them. Campana asks her students about their respective majors, their aspirations in life as well as reasons for taking her class. If she is aware of which student is majoring in which subject, she can work to make connections between the content she is teaching and the content students are learning in their departments of major, inspiring them to effectively use the information upon leaving the classroom.

Dynamic Art Scene

Campana pointed out how the art scene has changed in the past few years in relation to socioeconomic status. “Theatre has tended to be an art form more accessible to people with means,” she explained. “It takes time to go view art, and for people who don’t have time or the money, it’s a discretionary activity that doesn't add to their lives. It’s unfortunate because art teaches us and makes us think and hopefully, activates some change.”

Director of the successful student performance of Lysistrata at the University, Campana pointed out that AUC students are able to learn all about theatre. “AUC is in an incredible position to be a major changing force in the theatre scene in Egypt,” she said. “The students are so talented. But what I’d like to see is AUC alumni work together to form their own theatre company.”

Establishing a company of actors, directors and designers working as a group to produce a number of plays every year requires hard work, according to the theatre professor. “We would have to produce about two to three plays once a year for maybe five years,” Campana explained, adding that achieving consistency in this regard would be the main challenge when it comes to implementing such a concept. However, she does not deem the process an impossible feat and believes that with the alumni’s effort and dedication, the project is very much a doable one.

Campana studied acting at the California Institute of the Arts, performance studies at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and has earned an interdisciplinary PhD in theatre and the social sciences. Campana’s book, Acting Successful: Using Performance Skills in Everyday Life, is used as a required textbook at several universities and schools.

It is estimated that 17 percent of all Egyptian adults have diabetes, according to the 2017 statistics by the World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office.

Ithar Hassaballa, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, says community-based interventions can step in to  be more sustainable for the health and well-being of individuals with chronic conditions.

“Public health was one of the disciplines that started community psychology,” Hassaballa said. “It focused on prevention of these issues using behavioral methods ,such as behavior change strategies. A lot of public health issues are related to behaviors of communities."

Before joining AUC in Fall 2017, Hassaballa completed her PhD in behavioral psychology, with a focus on community health and development. It was also there that she had worked on her main research-based community intervention, which was for a group of African-American women with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) in Durham, North Carolina (NC).

The same concept, she believes, can be applied in Egypt – where Type 2 Diabetes is on the rise.

Involving the Community

“Community psychology is multidisciplinary; it’s sociology, public health, economics, politics,” she stated. “But it is also all about including participants as decision makers.” It is not impossible, but unlikely, to sustain any type health and development program over time if community members are not
active participants.

The first advantage is that in a bottom-top approach, participants are able to cater the intervention to their own needs. “For women in Durham, NC, running outside as exercise was not an option because in that community, running outside could be perceived as running away from a crime scene or having committed a crime,” she explained. “The Durham Diabetes Program participants decided they could create mall walking groups – it is a safe environment, and it is comfortable enough to walk indoors in the state’s harsh winters and humid summers. They were able to commit themselves to this and hold each other accountable. Without the participation of the women, who are the community experts, the program would not have been successful.”

Hassaballa perceives this type of community participation as one of Egypt’s strengths. “Social support is huge here. People have no issues asking each other for help,” she noted. “It’s the way people live here. Nearly everyone is family-oriented. It’s key to addressing problems, stress levels and other behavioral issues.”  

With this motivation in mind, the assistant professor is ready to start working this summer. The first step will be a literature review to detect the gaps in terms of T2D, where she would be able to determine what people understand and believe about diabetes and which behaviors related to the condition are prevalent.

Another observation that will be confirmed with data are some of the weaknesses that contribute to the high level of diabetes among Egyptians. “People are, unfortunately, only physically active within their daily routine – so no extra exercise. There are high stress levels, high number of smokers and nutrition issues. What we know is that these environmental and social factors play a larger role than genetics,” she stated. “Starting in the fall, I will create a team of students to begin our research.”

Hassaballa wants to take advantage of being at AUC, where not only can she apply for a research grant, but start with the smaller community of students for surveying, connect offices and universities working in chronic diseases with international organizations and collaborate with departments that have experience in addressing diabetes. But she stressed that all these bodies aren’t as important as the community members. “People need to feel like it’s theirs, like the entire program is their baby,” she said. “We have to provide opportunity. We have to train people on how to make their own decisions and be active participants. If you come in and make a decision on behalf of a community, it will fall apart when you leave or when funding ends. No one will be interested. We want people to carry it on afterward on their own.”

Making a Difference

Hassaballa chose to join AUC because of its community psychology program. She currently teaches two undergraduate courses and one graduate course. She believes that one of AUC’s strengths is students not being afraid to express their opinions.

Students in her Community Psychology course are currently conducting focus groups related to smoking at AUC. “They are currently looking into student views on the [Tobacco-Free Campus Policy] as well as strategies for assuring that the smoking spaces on campus meet the students’ needs,” she stated.

But it’s not just within AUC that community psychology is being put into use; it’s around Cairo as well. The same class is going into Al Shorouq and conducting focus groups with psychosocial workers in the district’s schools. “My students are trying to find the challenges and recommendations for assuring that the roles are fulfilled, but not burdened by the amount of students who need help,” she explained. “They go into the community, implement, carry out interviews. They’re trying to make improvements by including participants and their ideas.”

One of Hassaballa’s major experiences at the University of Kansas was working collaboratively with the World Health Organization in Africa to improve community health. During the Ebola outbreak in 2014, her team effectively used community toolbox – the largest community-building resource online – to evaluate training modules and adapt them to the African context; address educational, economic and social determinants of health; and provide prevention methods. With AUC going through some changes to promote a healthier campus, Hassaballa’s expertise in examining gaps and providing solutions will benefit the community in taking significant steps toward these changes. “I know AUC is moving toward promoting a healthy AUC," she said, "so I want to connect with that and engage as many students and faculty members as possible, whether those in community psychology, athletic facilities, marketing or communication.”

To make a real difference, awareness and empowerment go hand in hand, according to Hassaballa, and we need to hold community members accountable in order to move forward toward prevention, change and development. “We need to look at the surrounding environment as a whole,” she asserted. “It’s related to the behavior of everyone – including politicians, researchers, those who design buildings – not just those who are affected. Understanding these issues is where behavioral psychology comes in and where community psychology can play a role.”

 

Mostafa Kandil '15, co-founder and CEO of Swvl, a mobile app that organizes convenient transportation routes around Egypt at reasonable prices, was recently featured in Forbes Middle East commenting on the $8 million the company raised in its first round of venture capital financing. This is the largest round of funding for a tech startup in Egypt and one of the largest in the Middle East. 

“Swvl is on its way to becoming a household name in Egypt and one of the biggest job providers in the country," Kandil told News@AUC. "We are very excited about what the future holds for us as we build the first unicorn in Egypt.”

Kandil and his team are alumni of the AUC Venture Lab, where they participated in cycle 7. With entrepreneurial support and the knowledge and guidance of mentors, the team was able to launch the application before graduating from the cycle. Read more about how SWVL got started here.

They’re uncomfortable to talk about and scary to think they could happen to everyone, but they do: catfishing, sexploitation, sextortion and blackmailing. Ahmed Hosam Refai ’18 –– music technology and multimedia journalism graduate –– chose these as the main topics for his award-winning audio documentary, Catfishing in the Nile: Sexploitation and Online Blackmailing in Egypt.

Refai’s women-centric audio documentary already won him two prizes: the Society of Professional Journalists’ Radio In-Depth Reporting Mark of Excellence Award and the Zayed University Middle East Film Festival's Best Audio Documentary.

Why Catfishing – Why Women?

“I was working on a random night of November 2016 when I received a text from a friend. It said, ‘Help me! I’m freaking out; someone is blackmailing me!’” Refai recounted at the beginning of his audio documentary.

The friend trusted a catfish – a person who poses as someone else online –– and sent him personal photos of herself. The catfish’s true colors came out, and he began making demands that ranged from sex to sending him money.

“Essentially, the topic is sexual exploitation, which is done through a variety of ways, usually by an abusive ex-boyfriend, a hacker or a catfisher,” he stated.

It wasn’t just Refai’s friend. It was a growing number of Egyptian women being trapped into a cycle of sexploitation, sextortion and blackmail by catfish or by people they know – this is why Refai chose this as the topic of audio documentary. In his audio production class, under the supervision of Kim Fox, associate professor in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, he had to produce a 6 – 8-minute audio documentary. 

“I focus on women –– even though men might have had to face similar situations –– because this does affect women more aggressively and strikingly,” he explained. “My documentary delves into personal stories of women who had to deal with this. The most challenging part of it is finding those who are comfortable enough sharing their experiences.”

The main reason that makes women a target, which permeates the many sects of Egyptian society, is patriarchy. The lack of agency –– for women –– that comes with their body politics create a space for predators to take control, often threatening them with exposing them to their community of family and friends. “Egypt is a fertile environment for this type of blackmail,” he remarked. “Victims of online blackmail find themselves being blamed for sharing such photos before marriage. This makes compromising material such as photos, videos or even information a potent weapon in the hands of the blackmailer.”

One of the victims interviewed, Ghadeer, who is a feminist activist, was blackmailed with a video she had sent to her then-boyfriend. In a classic blackmailer style, he used the video as a means of trying to get her back, which she refused. Women like Ghadeer took matters to the authorities, knowing very well the social risk associated with that.

Fighting Back

Refai says that there has to be a second side to the story of his documentary. Since he was unable to talk to any predators, due to his project not allowing anonymity, he decided to try talking to security services. After several attempts, he was eventually to get a hold of telephone intelligence services and he inquired about protocols regarding internet crimes — he was told there was no number available for internet intelligence services. 

What he found out was that the victims had to go themselves to report. In a rare occurrence, Ghadeer went ahead with these legal procedures and was able to get her blackmailer convicted of defamation. Despite this victory, Refai states that the video spread in later years. “It invited a barrage of bullying,” he explained. “At that time, she had made a name for herself as a feminist activist, which made her an even more appealing target. Private blackmail had turned into public shaming. What she did next is the best part of the story.”

Ghadeer reported the video her ex blackmailed her with and then posted it herself. She was able to reclaim back that cyber space, which was once a battlefield where she had to fight for her honor. “Now I am posting my own video, and I post them to affirm that we women have the right to post our bodies online without being ashamed, without being stigmatized,” she affirms. “The cyber [world] is a space where we [can] defend our bodies and our right to that space. So I post my videos now. I am very happy with what I am doing.”

"I knew that within the context of our society, if I went through any legal channel, I'd end up being shamed. I'd end up being told I was the one at fault. Being aware of that has led me to go to my most viable option. I resorted to blackmailing back."

On the other hand, Fatma, another interviewee Refai presented, chose to not report to authorities, since there is a risk of exposure that comes with that. "I knew that within the context of our society, if I went through any legal channel, I'd end up being shamed,” she recounted. “I'd end up being told I was the one at fault. Being aware of that has led me to go to my most viable option. I resorted to blackmailing back. I knew a couple of people who may be categorized as ‘thugs’ or whatever. I knew them, and I had helped them before. You can’t face someone who is blackmailing you alone. You have to find someone who they’d fear more.” This actually worked, and as Refai puts it “curbed the spread” of whatever was being used against her.

 

 

 

 

The eye-opening audio documentary is just the start for Refai, who is interested in the genre as well as podcasts. “I didn’t have a particular interest before this class,” he reflected. “The class gave me the motivation, skills and aesthetic qualities of audio documentary, and I have to thank Professor Kim Fox for that.”

A reporter at heart, the former senior editor at the student newspaper, The Caravan, just graduated, and he is looking forward to reflecting and analyzing more issues –– in print and online.  

It was during his summer holidays as a student that Bernard O’Kane, now professor of Islamic art and architecture, took trips from Ireland to Turkey, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Iran -- and “was hooked.”

Recently, O’Kane won the ninth Farabi International Award, granted by the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology of the Islamic Republic of Iran for outstanding scholarship in Islamic humanities. Through publishing books, taking students on field trips and photography, O’Kane has, for the past – almost – 40 years at AUC, significantly contributed to the study of Islamic art and architecture.

Islamic Art: Past and Future

In November 2017, a project that O’Kane and graduate students worked on from 1997 to 2004 was finally made available online. As part of the project, funded by AUC and the American Research Center in Egypt, O'Kane and his team recorded all inscriptions on mosques in Egypt. The large team of students took trips to the mosques and photographed and documented the Arabic text with English translations. “It was delayed because, at the time, Arabic and English text did not work in the same field,” he explained. “But today, the Center for Documentation of Cultural and Natural Heritage is hosting it with the servers, and the data is available online for free. It’s a useful tool – not just for art historians, but for linguists and scholars of other fields as well.”

When it comes to working on projects with students, O’Kane says “there is no shortage of projects to work on.” In recent years, students have been more interested in modern Islamic architecture, he noted. “In our graduate program, we get architects and interior designers passing through who are among the people that can be very influential in this field,” he said. “We are hoping that they can learn to harmonize elements of cultural heritage and modernity in mosques – which hasn’t been easy to do anywhere in the Islamic world.”

In an effort to revitalize students’ creativity, O’Kane is commencing another project in collaboration with the Department of Architecture that aims to tackle the tough task of designing modern Islamic architecture. “We are hoping to give a joint course on designing modern mosques,” he mentioned. “I will be providing the historical context, and the other professor will be providing the studio part.”

Meanwhile, on an individual level, he is working on The Ultimate Book of Mosques, which he describes as a fun project that will require him to look more closely at modern mosque architecture. “I’ve been asked to pick 100 mosques and write captions and an introduction. It covers the entire Islamic world chronologically,” he stated. “So I will be balancing a little in terms of historic designs and what’s happening now with mosque architecture, which is fascinating, and has all sorts of possibilities.”

Why Cairo?

O’Kane, who originally studied law in the early 1970s, later switched to the field of art history, worked on his thesis in Iran and then came to Cairo in 1980 to join AUC’s Department of Arab and Islamic Civilization as an instructor. O’Kane believes that coming to Cairo for someone invested in the field of Islamic architecture is beneficial due to its location and the richness of its history. “A core part of the identity of Cairo’s Islamic architecture is that it has a larger chronological range than any other Islamic city, starting in the ninth century.” he reflected. “Mosques in Egypt have survived to an extraordinary extent, and Egypt is unique in the sense in which the capital city – Cairo – dominated over the other towns by getting more than usual in patronage from the rulers and the sultans – which is why we have this rich and extraordinary legacy.”

Another advantage for students learning an intricate and complex branch of art history such as Islamic architecture is studying in the historical city of Cairo, O’Kane affirms. “Cairo is in the middle of the Middle East, so we’re able to take students to see the original buildings, which is so much more enriching than being in a class and showing slides, for example,” he pointed out. “More than that, if I’m studying this field, being in Cairo means I can easily travel to other Islamic cities to further my studies.”

Moreover, Cairo’s Islamic art is distinct for its valuable stonework and inscriptions and what O’Kane describes as “some of the greatest masterpieces of world architecture” like the Ibn Tulun Mosque and the Complex of Sultan Hasan. “As mentioned, field trips are a wonderful way to introduce students to their cultural heritage, places they’ve never been to before, or that they never knew about,” O’Kane said. “Fortunately, the Museum of Islamic Art was recently reopened, containing masterpieces of art from around the Islamic world, now extremely well-displayed. It’s very exciting.”

O’Kane has immersed himself in the world of art history for the past few decades, keeping himself connected with scholars, writing significant books on the subject, such as The Mosques of Egypt, which includes 543 of his own photographs, serving as a visiting professor at Harvard and University of California, Berkeley, and being recognized for his research in the field. “Art is an enriching experience,” he concluded. “Whether it is music, literature, visual art or architecture. Studying it adds another dimension to life.”

Widely recognized as a hub for cultural and artistic expression, AUC’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HUSS) recently received a three-year, $1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to fund a series of teaching, research and outreach programs administered through the HUSSLab research unit. 

The program, titled Public Humanities for Egypt and the Global South, encompasses 20 activities designed to support faculty and graduate student research, innovative multidisciplinary teaching, public outreach and inter-institutional collaboration, as well as provide direct funding for workshop activities in the Center for Translation Studies and the Cynthia Nelson Institute for Gender and Women's Studies.

“AUC is seen as a crucial link," said Stephen Nimis, chair of the Department of English and Comparative Literature and director of the HUSSLab. "It is a University that the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation wants to invest in. The foundation sees that our strategic positioning between the Global North and Global South makes us a key center for forging north-south exchanges in the humanities.”

While the HUSSLab​'s main goal is to enhance research and resources among AUC faculty and students, its distinctiveness lies in its goal of reimagining and redefining topics, discussions and studies within the humanities throughout Egypt. This will be achieved by promoting partnerships with local and global institutions and prioritizing public outreach.

“Often, people think of those studying or working in humanities as isolated, in libraries reading books and working on their arcane studies,” said Robert Switzer, dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. “But in philosophy, for example, Socrates was not in the library. He was out there in the community talking to people. This is a wonderful opportunity to re-engage the humanities in the broader world and reach out, not just to our MENA community, but the Global South as a whole, which is a huge part of the mission of the University and HUSS.”

The HUSSLab team is keen to spark exchange across the globe, with a special focus on Africa, Asia as well as South and Central America. “It’s important that faculty get interested in this,” affirmed Nimis. “This will definitely further their careers by allowing them to experience activities outside of their scope as professors at AUC.”

The program will commence by bringing notable international authors and academics to campus, partnering with institutions for faculty exchange programs in the Global South and both Georgetown and Northwestern universities, and conducting monthly roundtable discussions –– based on HUSSLab’s workshops –– at the University of Michigan to support pedagogical innovation.

Embodying the spirit of the humanities and social sciences, the program is combining all of its goals, spearheading conversations on humanistic topics and values through a series of public lectures, such as the HUSSLab Lecture Series and Cairo Conversations. The speakers, Nimis pointed out, will range from academics and non-academics to social and political activists. Moreover, forums and workshops will be arranged with members of reputable institutions in the fields of humanities, social justice and education, including the Women and Memory Forum as well as the Cairo Initiative for Liberal Arts and Sciences.

In collaboration with the translation studies centers at both AUC and the American University of Beirut,  HUSSLab will also be holding Arabizing the Academy workshops to promote academic research and publications in Arabic to connect with the public across Egypt. They will also make available open-access, Arabic-language monographs on important topics.

The HUSSLab plans to expand its outreach strategies by holding three, six-day winter schools for non-academic professionals in Egypt who have a substantial interest in the humanities, but are unable to commit to regular academic research. AUC’s postgraduate and postdoctoral alumni are also encouraged to share their knowledge by applying for fellowships.

The program team hopes to integrate other disciplines into the field of humanities and strengthen AUC’s position in the region and around the globe. “The first grant can be the beginning of many great things happening down the road,” asserted Nimis. “The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation sees us as a 20-year investment, expecting us to come back with other ideas and projects. Everyone should always be thinking of new ideas for now and the future.”