Please send me an invitation when it comes to a celebration of all expressive arts, most importantly, of our spoken and written languages. There are things we are accustomed to and thus take for granted because we know…. we will never run out of words.

For some of us, the knowledge of medicine isn’t that important until we really get sick and we need medical intervention. Smallpox was once a global epidemic leaving families and societies in a state of terror and misery. Children dying, survivors becoming handicapped for the rest of their lives. But today we celebrate the persistent effort and genius of scientists and humanitarians who ended our sufferings. We now appreciate and celebrate the discovery of vaccines. However, humans cannot relate to lack when it comes to words. And because we learn and mimic our unique human language almost effortlessly, it is less esteemed; a fundamental skill that has helped build human civilization.

Can you picture the absence of expressive words and their uniqueness in human relationships? I can. I can imagine throwing a javelin at my neighbor just to communicate that I really hate what they’ve said, instead of simply saying, “I strongly disagree with your opinion.”

Language is the energy behind creation. The lack of this energy is a void.

According to educationist, Paulo Freire, language is essential for naming the world.

The way the Arabic Language is structured makes expressions and nuances possible that one does not find in other languages. A unique intensive sound that has consolidated millions and more millions of conscious beings, enabling peaceful co-operation and collaboration in building the in-progress civilization we know today.

As time and nature replenish itself, so does our language – We, the creators of the past, present, and future. With our words, we build and destroy, we love and express our rage. What now?

Here in Egypt, we have become the creators of dialects. A gentle touch from each generation. From humorous sayings such as “Enta hatelbes fel heta” literally meaning “You’re going to wear a wall” to the most complex of sounds and meaning, so has the Arabic language evolved. My friend once told me how it’s not so important for me to study classical Fusha. “People actually think you are arrogant or posh when you speak classical Arabic,” she said. Just like a chef venturing on ingredients, we’ve bettered and birth delicious words, phrases, and expressions. And we love it – the art we create, the music, language helping us preserve the knowledge from ages.