Under the patronage of Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and in cooperation with the minister of immigration and Egyptian affairs abroad, the Egyptian Academy of Arts in Rome headed by Heba Youssef launched the first episodes of the 'We Speak Arabic' initiative on Friday 15 January.
Titled Natakallem Arabi / Parliamo Arabo (We Speak Arabic), the initiative consists of Arabic language lessons and material about the language broadcasted online.
According to Youssef, the lectures are aligned with the directives set by the culture ministry and aim to enhance the identity of the Egyptian community and its laguage.
In parallel, the academy continues to exert efforts in creating vibrant cultural links with European countries.
On 19 December 2020, the Egyptian Academy of Arts in Rome organised an event titled 'A Day in Love of the Arabic Language' that Minister of Culture Abdel-Dayem followed up on online.
Abdel-Dayem disclosed that the Egyptian Academy of Arts in Rome, as part of its activities during the current season under the supervision of its director Heba Youssef, held a miscellaneous event that reflected the richness of Arab civilisation and expressed its distinctive character, as well as its many tributaries. It also included an exhibition of Arab calligraphy and a documentary film about embellishing Islamic buildings throughout the ages with Arab calligraphy and motifs.
Appointed director of the Academy in mid-2020, Youssef had previously been the head of the Cultural Foreign Relations Department at the ministry since 2018. She was also the head of the Touristic Guidance Department at the faculty of tourism; the coordinator of the activities and events agenda for the Egypt-France Cultural Year 2019; and a member of the joint Egyptian-Italian committee for scholarships for the academic year 2019/2020.
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