Two Egyptian academics were recently honoured for their outstanding contributions to Egyptian-Japanese friendship.
Ahmed Rahmy, Professor at the Institute of International Strategic Studies at Tokyo International University, and Mona El-labban, instructor in the Japanese art of floral design, received commendations from the Japanese Foreign Minister for 2022, according to an announcement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
Rahmy, 66, graduated from the first class of the Japanese department of the Faculty of Arts, Cairo University in 1978.
He obtained a scholarship to study MBA and doctorate in Japan. He specialised in classical and modern Japanese literature.
Rahmy translated Japanese classics into Arabic and has had a number of research papers published in Japanese magazines.
“I am so happy for this appreciation. It is a motivation for me to do more,” Rahmy said.
He has taught in Japanese universities since 2017, where he teaches literature to Japanese students and foreigners as well.
Rahmy teaches comparative studies in Islamic and Japanese cultures. “It is important to reveal the true facts about Islamic culture to the Japanese public,” Rahmy told the Egyptian Mail.
The Japanese had misconceptions about Islamic culture as they hear it is nothing but terrorism, he said.
“I corrected these misconceptions and they learned that Islamic culture offers moral and legal guidance for all aspects of life,” he added.
Rahmy said that Japanese students are radically different from Egyptians.
“They are more organised but do not interact with teachers as Egyptians do.
“I was astonished at first, but when I told them to write reports about what they learnt, I was surprised by their excellence and organised writing.
“They are well-organised and intelligent. Egyptians lack this, as they are distracted and talk a lot more than learning how to express themselves and write reports.”
One of his translations to Arabic that he was proud of was a novel, “My First Picnic to the Mountain” by the wife of the former emperor.
Last year, Rahmy penned his first novel in Arabic, “Tales of Fathy Abdel Samad in Japan”, about a 15-year-old in Japan during WWII.
As for Mona el-Labban, the Foreign Minister’s appreciation was “totally unexpected”.
“I was in the Seventh Heaven, for one reason. I do what I love, and I hope to teach Egyptians about the spiritual art of ikebana,” el-Labban told this newspaper.
El-Labban graduated from the Japanese department of Cairo University to study the culture that had fascinated her since childhood.
“I adore the Japanese language. For me, the grammar is easier than Arabic,” she said.
After graduating, she travelled to Japan’s cultural capital Kyoto, where attended Ikenobo, the oldest school of ikebana, the Japanese art of floral design.
“Ikebana transcends language,” el-Labban said.
“Many believe that ikebana is about arranging flowers nicely in a vase. Rather, it is a philosophy of giving life to flowers,” she explained, adding that centuries ago it was a religious ritual to present flowers in the temple along with incense and candles.
El-Labban is currently giving ikebana demonstrations on the sidelines of cultural events organised by the Japanese Embassy and the Japan Foundation in Cairo.
“In recent years, more and more Egyptians want to learn ikebana and after the demonstrations, they take care of plants at home and in parks better than before. This art is spiritually uplifting.”
The Foreign Minister’s Commendations are presented with an award certificate and a commemorative gift.
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