Arabic Language and Dialogue of Civilizations Week Concludes at the University of Turin

The visit carried practical importance for Egyptian residents in Canada, particularly families, seniors, students and business owners who often need official document services for personal, educational or commercial purposes.

The mission also reflected the Egyptian Consulate’s effort to maintain direct communication with members of the community in Ontario, especially in cities with a strong Egyptian and Arab presence such as Mississauga and the Greater Toronto Area.

Such visits are widely valued by community members because they make essential services more accessible and help strengthen the connection between Egyptians abroad and their home country, while taking into account the realities of living, working and studying in Canada.

The University of Turin in Italy concluded the cultural week “Arabic Language and Dialogue of Civilizations,” organized by Drama Without Borders International Institute, headed by Dr. Dalal Makari Bawsh, in cooperation with the Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures and Modern Cultures at the university.

The program was supervised and coordinated by Dr. Natasha Manna and brought together students from the Arabic language department, academics, cultural figures, and guests interested in Arab language, literature, translation, and intercultural dialogue.

Held in late April, the week featured a rich program of lectures, interactive workshops, artistic activities, literary discussions, and translation exercises. The events presented Arabic not only as a language of communication, but also as a bridge between cultures, arts, memory, and human knowledge.

One of the highlights of the program was the opening of the exhibition “Between Two Shores,” which combined photography with calligraphic drawing techniques. The exhibition was attended by Dr. Natasha Manna, Professor Simone Pettiga, and a number of university professors and students.

The program also included creative writing workshops in which students transformed collage artworks into literary texts in Arabic. The exercise created a lively connection between visual arts and language, allowing students to approach Arabic through imagination, image, and narrative.

Dr. Dalal Makari Bawsh also delivered a lecture titled “The Journey as a Reflection of the Soul in the Mirror of the Other.” The lecture offered a critical reading from the perspective of psychoanalytic literary analysis, comparing Mahmoud Darwish’s poem “Nothing Pleases Me” with the novel “Bus of Good People” by Lebanese writer Najwa Barakat.

Another interactive lecture, “The Civilization of Writing,” was inspired by an educational visit to the Egyptian Museum in Turin. It explored the development of signs and symbols across ancient civilizations and the gradual formation of letters and written language. Through practical exercises, students worked on transforming symbols into spoken and written texts.

The week also emphasized translation as a practical tool for cultural exchange. The university hosted two books as working models for students. The first was “Letters from the Other Shore,” by journalist Hossam Abdel Kader Moqbel and Dr. Dalal Makari Bawsh. The second was the story “On the Wrinkles of the Wave, Her Voice,” written by Dr. Dalal Makari Bawsh, with critical studies by a group of Arab critics. The book presents the story in both Arabic and Italian.

Students presented readings from the two books and translated selected texts from Arabic into Italian as part of applied translation laboratories.

As part of the program’s focus on dialogue, writing, and journalistic techniques, students from the Arabic language department hosted Dr. Natasha Manna and Dr. Dalal Makari Bawsh in an open conversation. The discussion touched on roots, love, dreams, interests, future plans, and the personal and cultural experiences that shape creative work.

The lectures also addressed a wide range of topics, including the development of Arabic between classical and colloquial forms, psychoanalytic approaches to literature, and transformations in narrative structure.

Other applied sessions explored contrasts in literature and the mechanisms used to build opposition within texts. The program also examined the concept of “narrative reproduction” in the works of Tunisian writer Issa Jabali, presenting it as a literary and cultural tool that contributes to the production of stories and the development of language and narrative form.

The cultural week concluded with a tribute to Dr. Natasha Manna, who was awarded the title “Influential Personality” in recognition of more than twenty years of work teaching Arabic to non-native speakers. The honor also recognized her innovative teaching methods and her contribution to strengthening the presence of Arabic in European academic spaces.

At the closing ceremony, Dr. Dalal Makari Bawsh presented certificates of appreciation from Drama Without Borders International Institute to students for their creative work, along with a symbolic medal from the institute.

Organizers said the week offered an integrated intellectual, human, and artistic experience. They also noted that it opened the door to a new cultural and academic partnership between the University of Turin and Drama Without Borders International Institute.

The initiative reflects a broader effort to promote dialogue among civilizations and expand engagement with Arab culture in European universities, using language, literature, translation, and the arts as tools for human and intellectual connection.