The Cultural Salon at Mansoura University discusses “preserving Egyptian identity in the new republic”

The Cultural Salon at Mansoura University hosted journalist Helmy Al-Namnam, former Minister of Culture, during a symposium on “Preserving Egyptian Identity in the New Republic” at the Faculty Members’ Club. In the presence of Prof. Cherif Youssef Khater, President of Mansoura University, Prof. Tarek Ghalwash, Vice President of the University for Postgraduate Studies and Research, and Dr. Abdel Qader Mohamed Abdel Qader, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Faculty Members’ Club.

The dialogue was moderated by the journalist Mr. Hazem Nasr, deputy editor-in-chief of Al-Akhbar newspaper, and director of its office in Dakahlia. The meeting witnessed the presence of members of the Cultural Salon, prominent figures from Mansoura University faculty deans, vice-deans, directors of hospitals and medical centers, and faculty members.

At the beginning of the symposium, Prof. Cherif Youssef Khater welcomed the honor of journalist Helmy Al-Namnam, former Minister of Culture, at Mansoura University, stressing that Egypt is facing difficult circumstances at the local and international levels to limit the capacity and capabilities of the Egyptian state, and the crises that neighboring countries are witnessing confirm that Egypt is targeted by external forces, and the recent presidential elections with the participation of millions of the Egyptians and the large participation of young people, the selection of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi confirms the people’s awareness of these dangers and their alignment behind his conscious and wise leadership to build the new republic.

He also said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is one of the pillars of the Egyptian state, which is considered the soft power to convey Egyptian culture abroad and needs more cultural centers abroad to preserve identity and spread Egyptian culture. He also pointed out the importance role of the Ministry of Culture concerning the culture of Egyptian identity among the younger generation to develop it. Their loyalty and belonging, stressing that Egypt will continue to preserve the Egyptian identity through the strength of its army and the cohesion of its people from all sects.

Prof. Tarek Ghalwash pointed out that Egypt throughout history has not lost its identity and that identity is born in the genes of the Egyptian personality which appears clearly in critical crises and what Egypt has faced throughout the history showed the Egyptians’ keenness to preserve the homeland.

Journalist Hazem Nasr said that the interest of the university and the Cultural Salon in the subject of the symposium is in line with what this governorate enjoys and its reputation, starting from repelling the Crusades until modern times, and that the threats that the region is witnessing constitute a direct threat to the Egyptian identity, some of which are historical and other are geographical, which requires spreading the culture of preservation of the Egyptian identity.

The meeting included interventions, discussions, and inquiries from the attendees about how to preserve the Egyptian identity in accordance with the new challenges.

Journalist Helmy Al-Namnam, said that Mansoura University is a source of knowledge and enlightenment in the Delta region and the citadel of medicine in Egypt and the Middle East. He expressed his pride in his presence in the city of Mansoura and the distinction of its people who established the first regional university outside Cairo and gave their money to the Dean of Arabic Literature, Dr. Taha Hussein, to establish it, including the pioneers, Lutfi al-Sayyid, Dr. Muhammad Hassanein Heikal, and others. It is the city that gave birth to the star of the East, Umm Kulthum. He pointed out that the Egyptian state has been targeted throughout the ages for more than 4,000 years, as the geographical location that Allah gave to Egypt granted it a great importance. Therefore, foreign powers want to weaken Egypt through wars, directed campaigns, and more recently, fourth-generation wars, and the use of social media to spread rumors and cast doubt on institutions. The state is trying to dismantle the Egyptian identity, but Egypt will remain strong with its people and political leadership. He stressed that after the June 30 Revolution, we have become fully aware of national identity, and we are working to strengthen it in its various aspects, and we have Rifa’a al-Tahtawi from the nineteenth century.

In the twentieth century, Taha Hussein and Dr. Hussein Fawzi, who spoke about the cultural dimension and the Mediterranean dimension in our identity, and this has been achieved since 2014 with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi assuming the reins of government in Egypt, and with President El-Sisi’s expansion in establishing universities, whether governmental or national, began in paying attention to the cultural dimension and specializations, which did not exist before, and the president spoke in his inauguration speech after winning the elections about this dimension, preserving the Egyptian identity, which is something that makes us feel reassured.

He added that cultural identity is not carried out by the Ministry of Culture alone, but through a group of ministries and executive bodies, headed by the Ministry of Education, Higher Education, State Activities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Endowments, Youth and Sports, and Social Solidarity.

At the conclusion of the symposium, a dialogue took place on the topic of the salon’s symposium between the guest of honor, Mr. Helmy Al-Namnam, and the attendees of the salon’s members, guests, and university leaders.

Everyone stressed the importance of the role of culture in preserving the Egyptian identity. The President of the University agreed to hold a series of seminars in the second semester on Egyptian identity in the various faculties of the university based on the request of the attendees at the Cultural Salon of Mansoura University. Prof. Mahmoud Al-Gaidi, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, was selected as coordinator of the Egyptian Identity seminar series at the university in the second semester.