Honoring Farouk Hosny

"I breathe art... Art is my language with the world."

With this sentence, artist and former minister, Farouk Hosny, summarized his life's journey and his artistic and cultural contribution. It was delivered during his honoring ceremony by the Kemet Boutros Ghali Foundation last Thursday.

For me, the ceremony had great significance. I am honored to be a member of the Board of Trustees of the Farouk Hosny Foundation for Culture and Arts, and I have known artist Farouk Hosny for many years, for more than thirty years... He deals with the world as if it is a large canvas on which he uses his brush and colors even before he became a minister, he transformed the face of Egyptian culture for three full decades.

I remembered the construction of the museum; I followed up how he fought to turn the dream into reality.

I have journalistic memories with him, including topics and campaigns I undertook when he was my most important source. Through these efforts, I changed laws, halted works that could have affected our monuments, and won local and international awards.

When Farouk Hosny began his speech, all these images came to my mind.

The hall was full of current and former ministers, great artists, intellectuals, and public figures.

I saw him at the opening ceremony of the museum... I noticed how the scene resembled the completion of a circle that began with a sentence he said in Paris: "Egypt deserves a museum that befits its civilization."

It was an idea... then it became a project... After that the whole world saw it.

He said in his speech: "Art is my language with the world... and it is what I carried with me at every stage," summarizing a journey where the artist was the primary mover for him as a human and as a minister—from Al Anfoushi, to Paris and Rome, to the Ministry, to the Farouk Hosny Foundation, which has a new generation of artists, embracing young talents, and opening wide doors of experience for them.

The most humane moment during the honoring was his announcement of donating the value of the award to the Abu El Rish Children's Hospital. He said it very calmly. He was acting as I have always known him: an artist with a humanitarian sense.

Many thanks to Dr. Mamdouh Abbas, Head of the Kemet for Peace Foundation, Ms. Laila Bahaa El Din, a member of the Foundation's Board of Trustees, and Shaimaa, the dynamo of the ceremony.

The honoring of Farouk Hosny was wonderful, but all people have honored him as the results of his work appeared.

All appreciation to artist Farouk Hosny, who believed in his dream until it became a reality and left his mark on every step... All appreciation to a minister who knew how to make culture a bridge between Egypt and the world, and who remained present with his art and vision even after leaving office.