To love a city or a country in order to spend your vacation is a normal thing, to travel to a place where you have lived in your youth or worked during the journey of your life, this is normal nostalgia for the good memories. But to fall in love with a city for the first time you visited it, and to adapt your and your family’s life and link your future and family’s future to it, to divert all your studies and hobbies and work to studying the history and the present of this city, is a thing that one should stop at, especially if this lover is holding a Swedish nationality. The first time he came to Alexandria was in February 1975 and since then he did not leave it because he is not capable of leaving its good weather , its fascinating sea and its people as he said in Classical Arabic – which he reads and writes fluently, in addition to the Egyptian dialect, especially the Alexandrian dialect which is full of idioms… Here is his story:
When Jan Henningsson, the director of the Swedish Institute came to Egypt in 1975 and worked as an English teacher at the Department of Public Service at the American University in Cairo, he did not know that he would fall in love with Alexandria, and that it would be the core for his life and that he would be attached to it to that extent.
He remembers his first meeting with this bride of the Mediterranean during his visit, in February 1975, when his friends invited him to join them to spend a day on the beach. He admits that he was deeply impressed when he saw Alexandria. It resembled his own country which owns some of the longest stretches of sea shores in Northern Europe. He felt, then, that he had returned to his homeland. What increased his love to this city was its kind and simple people, and the taste of the fried and grilled fish which he ate in a romantic atmosphere on the golden sand. The beauty of this instant was enhanced by the angelical voice which reached his ears and when he asked who was the singer he learnt that it was Abdel Halim Hafez. Since that day and to date he listens to his songs day and night, yes even sings it to himself.
This love for Alexandria developed into a mode of life. This lover visited all the streets and alleys of his beloved. His interest was not only for the .present of Alexandria but extended to its old monuments whether on the surface of the earth or which had drowned under the sea. He studies in depth the history of the people who influenced the journey of science, knowledge and civilization in Alexandria throughout the decades. He smiles while adding: Imagine, like me, my wife also loves Alexandria and is studying the history of Bibliotheca Alexandrina between the ancient and modernity.
I asked him: How did you become the director of the Swedish Institute?He replied: Let me first tell you about my country! The Kingdom of Sweden is a peaceful country calling, always, throughout its history, for peace, and understanding between the peoples and nations. On the basis of this principle, the Swedish Institute in Alexandria started since the year 2000 to carry out its responsibility: to spread its message as a cultural, social, political, scientific, research, and educational contribution from the Swedish government to Egypt in general and to Alexandria in particular. This positive contribution aims at the exchange of experiences, knowledge and solutions to existing problems. This happens very transparently, with open hearts and minds to allow both sides to give its experience and heritage to the other side.
I stopped him commenting: but the space of the Institute is too small for holding these meetings which are always criticized by being small and attended by special persons? He answered: True, you are right in this very good observation, any meeting that is held in the main hall at the institute does not include more than 40 persons. The space is small and the space resources are limited. This creates a lot of embarrassment to us. Thus, when a meeting requires the attendance of a bigger number of participants, we rent a hall outside the institute especially at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in order that the outcome be more useful to all.
Mr Henningsson confirms that he became the director of the Swedish Institute two years ago, but he found a new Alexandria, more fascinating, and more shining – especially these great achievements, the architectural and aesthetic works that fill the streets, squares. and the Corniche. This moved it to the level of the first class of international touristic sites. The credit of this is goes to the great efforts of the governor Al Mahgoub or “the loved one” (al-Mahboub) as you call him. In this context, I can inform you that we have a big co-operation project with the governorate for reviving the aesthetic sense of the harbour and customs areas (al-gamarek). This project is implemented in cooperation with Germany to benefit from various experiences in organizing the harbours.
He smiled while he spoke enthusiastically: We have a close and great cooperation with Bibliotheca Alexandrina! The foremost sign of this cooperation is choosing the Bibliotheca Alexandrina as the premises for the Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between Civilizations, named after the deceased Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, who was assassinated last year. This foundation includes 35 countries from the European Union and countries from the southern Mediterranean. The foundation aims to establish peace, understanding and civilized dialogue among the peoples of the world instead of a clash between civilizations – and repulsion between the people and the governments – and to regain confidence and peaceful coexistence.
I could see on the shelves of his office an Arabic version of a book that was published by Sweden speaking about the Middle East peace problem. The Director of the Swedish Institute confirms that this book is an in-depth study which includes all the points of view and draws the way to get through this problem. It is an outcome of the studies of Swedish scientists and politicians.
He also points to other books of Tawfik El Hakim, Naguib Mahfouz, and Moustafa Amin and says “I am an admirer of these great Egyptian personalities”. Regarding films he says that he likes the old ones because they convey a sense of authenticity.
Regarding his future, he said that he wishes to live in Alexandria and to continue his work journey by working with the United Nations and to concentrate his future vocation in serving the peace issue, the dialogue between the civilizations and the mutual approach between Europeans and Arabs in general and Sweden and Egypt in particular.
(Unofficial translation from Arabic made by Maha Gaama)