Ms. AmalFikry, a mother to Al NourWalAmal (Light & Hope) Chamber Orchestra since 1971,

is a woman who believed and relentlessly committed to enriching the lives of blind women and girls in the Egyptian society.

A writer by the name, Edveeje Fairchild, brilliantly voiced.

WOMEN ARE LIKE TREES: 

(…) Sap flowing through our veins

 Surging upward and outward

 To all we embrace.

 Strong and noble and gentle in the breeze

 We expand and grow taller

 With every season and moon phase.

It is no exaggeration to say that Ms. Fikry has grown with these remarkable women and girls that make up the Al NourWalAmal Chamber Orchestra. She first joined as a volunteer in 1969. She says, “I believed in what the association was doing. It was very special, and to very special people.” She also mentioned that when she first joined the association, she couldn’t see the girls without crying. Today, she rejoices with them and their families as to how their musical talent has trodden down the incomprehensible future they couldn’t see and has given them hope and light instead of loneliness and despair. Today, these women are nationally and internationally treasured.

But the story didn’t start there. Al NourWalAmal Association was founded in 1954 by the late IstiklalRadi and a group of volunteer women devoted to the mission of providing educational services and vocational training for the integration of visually impaired women and girls into society. And although Al NourWalAmalChamber Orchestra, a branch born out of the association, was established a few years before Ms. Fikry joined, her presence and commitment have proven beyond criticism that impossible dreams can be made possible when passionate and driven individuals are involved. Since 1971, Ms. Fikry has managed the Orchestra, ensuring its national and international recognition and success. She organized the first performance starting with 15 blind musicians. Since the first performance, the Orchestra has increased in size, and has performed nationally and internationally. These Orchestra filled with blind but talented women have played in 27 countries, and have been lauded by audiences they cannot see.  

With decades of unrelenting exertion, which has produced merited achievements, and, most importantly, heartening stories from generations of women in the Al NourWalAmal Chamber Orchestra, I am proud to say that Ms. AmalFikry is a strong, noble, and gentle warrior in the journey of these blind women. Her name is Amal, meaning HOPES; and this is what she gave them up to this day.

 

Comfort Dickson: editor of Maadi messenger

Photo courtesy: Al NourWalAmal Chamber Orchestra