This is the continuation of the interview with Diana Lesko, the Project Manager, and Taha Sharif, the Content Manager from the EuroArab project.

What is for you personally the best thing about Europe and/or European culture?

Diana Lesko (DL): It gives me a lot of opportunities to travel in and outside of Europe. I can freely go anywhere I want. As for European culture, what I like the most is that I can make free choices about my life and nobody tries to interfere.

Taha Sharif (TS): Well, I very much enjoy European cuisines and sport.

What is for you personally the best thing about Arab countries and/or Arabic culture?

DL: I adore their hospitability, generosity and caring. I spent some time in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco. I was hosted by Arab families who treated me as their own child in their house, and my Arab friends took care of me from the second I entered the country until the second I left the country with a lot of consideration, respect and care.

TS: I believe one of the best things about Arab culture is the social coherence. Family means a lot to Arabs. Caring for the elderly in the family is a duty, but that each Arab does spontaneously.

What has been the biggest challenge for you so far as being a part of EuroArab project?

DL: The biggest challenge is how we, the EuroArab teame working from many different countries can reach young people in Europe and the Arab world. Also, we have to accept that we have different ways of communication and understanding things – in a sense, different maps of the world that may arouse clashes and conflict.

TS: As we have just begun the project, I do not recall any challenges. But, even if I happen to face a challenge, I truly believe in the EuroArab team’s spirit to tackle whatever might face us. And I should mention our project’s coordinator, Diana, who has chosen a team of Arabs and Europeans members with a great sense of responsibility and wisdom.

Can you give us an example of a positive EuroArab cooperation?

DL: For example, in our team, for each position there is an Arab and European responsible. While working together on the same tasks, they are sharing their own perspectives which can be very different because we are coming from very different cultural backgrounds. Having included all the different perspectives makes our work very unique. Last but not least, while working we are also learning many things about each others’ country.

TS: Surely, there are many cooperation treaties between Arabs and Europeans. Be they on a state level or the level of the Arab League and the European Union. Unfortunately, there are not as many youth oriented initiatives as there should be.  The EuroArab project is a great example which would strengthen youth cooperation in both regions on many levels.

How do you see the future of the next two years of EuroArab? What can we expect both individually and as AEGEE?

DL: As an individual, I expect that I will have a deeper and wider knowledge about what concerns the Arab youth. As for AEGEE, I expect that there will be more AEGEEans knowing more about the Arab youth and their culture. I would like to see more friendships and youth cooperation developing between young Arabs and AEGEEans. Moreover, I expect that having gained more knowledge about each other we, European youth, will reduce the negative stereotypes we have stamped on each other. Naturally, the events and case study trips we are going to organize during these two years won’t reach everyone as each of the events is for a certain number of people. Therefore, we have to go beyond that. We want to have online forums where we would facilitate discussions and offer platforms for getting to know each other, form relationships and accomplish projects together. This might sound really simple, however it’s very important, and it requires determination and effort – which I hope the young people will have and make.

TS: I expect EuroArab to be embraced by wide youth networks in both regions. These networks would be the backbone of our cooperative activities and our endless support towards youth issues in both regions. As an AEGEE’s member I believe this would accomplish one of the main aims of AEGEE: “striving to create an open and tolerant society for today and tomorrow and fostering democracy, human rights, tolerance and cross border cooperation”.

EuroArab team members and responsibilities

Diana Lesko, AEGEE-Debrecen, Hungary – Project Manager

Stephanie Müller, AEGEE-Heidelberg, Germany – Financial Manager

Taha Shariff, Khartoum, Sudan & Karolina Mazetyte, AEGEE-Kaunas, Lithuania – Content Managers

Mariem Ben Ltaifa, Sousse, Tunisia & Hazal Melike Akboga, AEGEE-Ankara, Turkey – HR Managers

Mazen Elhalfawy, Alexandria, Egypt & Irinelu Iacoban, AEGEE-Chisianu, Moldova – PR Managers

Orabi Nakhleh, Ramallah, Palestine & Marlen Osmanov, AEGEE-Sevastopol, Ukraine – IT Managers

Said Bakkali, Tangier, Morocco & Alfredo Sellitti, AEGEE-Salerno, Italy – FR Managers

Agnija Kazuša, AEGEE-Ogre, Latvia – Press Team, Journalist

Ahmed Wahid, Cairo, Egypt – Graphic Designer      

Dita Dlabolova, AEGEE-Brno, Czech Republic – Video Editor

Morgane Hoarau, AEGEE-Krakow, Poland – Content Team member  

Oliver Andersson Hugemark, Kristinehamn, Sweden – Content Team member 

Sandra Oborska, AEGEE-Krakow, Poland – Content Team member                                                                            

Kate Jenkins, AEGEE-Durham, United Kingdom – English Proofreader

Written by Agnija Kazuša, AEGEE-Ogre

Proofread by Kate Jenkins, AEGEE-Durham

What started as a mysterious attraction has developed into clear ideas about cooperation, mutual understanding, tolerance, getting to know each other, and overcoming stereotypes. Like a meeting of eyes that could create a new impression, like a vigorous handshake hoping to form a long lasting friendship, and like small talk that leads to an intelligent, deep conversation, the EuroArab project has formed its team.  Taking on 20 team members they have taken the first important step towards cooperation: uniting both Arabs and Europeans as leaders for each task. As they meet, exchange handshakes and conversation, we have invited two of the team members for a cup of coffee, to sit back comfortably in their chairs and to talk about their perceptions of the grand AEGEE initiative called EuroArab project. This is an interview (in two parts) with Diana Lesko, the Project Manager, and Taha Sharif, the Content Manager for the EuroArab project.

Please, introduce yourselves!

Diana Lesko (DL): I am Diana Lesko from Hungary; I am the Project Manager of EuroArab Project.

Taha Sharif (TS): My name is Taha Sharif, Sudanese, and I am working as a Content Manager for the EuroArab Project.

What made you a part of EuroArab project?

DL: In 2010 AEGEE organized a EuroArab Case Study Trip. I read the open call for participants and without hesitation I said I had to be there. I was always interested in Arab culture and people. It was some kind of mysterious attraction. Therefore, that open call in itself – uniting Arabs and Europeans in one case study trip – was attractive. At the event, I experienced the best intercultural experience I have ever had in my life with young Palestinians, Egyptians and Europeans. A few months later, I read another open call that was recruiting new team members for the EuroArab project, and again I thought, I have got to be there. And here I am.

TS: I joined this great project for two reasons.  Firstly, the rise of Far right/right wing in the political arena in Europe which could soon eliminate any political tolerance, and secondly, the rise of Islamists in Arab countries which could lead to the same result. Also, as a young Arab, living during this difficult time, I believe that I am obliged to take a positive role, to shape my future according to my generation’s needs and wishes. This should happen without any influence from older generations, as I see them contributing to the misunderstandings and the misconceptions in our world today.  I know that this will not be an easy process, but I firmly believe that if we, young Arabs and Europeans, are to progress and have the future we all dream of, we need to lead by example and start working together to achieve small successes which will lead to a great success.

What made you take up the roles you have in the project? Could you describe what it means for you on a daily basis life?

DL: I was very motivated to run the whole project, to get involved in every single detail of the project and make something big out of it. Currently, I spend a lot of time with the project on daily basis after work and on weekends. Moreover, I try to spend more time learning the Arabic language, and learning about Arabic culture and politics. I learn a lot from the stories of my team. We have our EuroArab Family Facebook group where we talk about everything, not only the project but also our daily life experiences, like food, updates about our countries, and videos of our cultures. That way we also care about what’s going on with ourselves.

TS: Having this position will further develop my media skills.  I believe the media has always had the loudest voice in helping to widen the gap between youth in both regions. It is an important responsibility that needs to be used wisely and with a great determination. Furthermore, this position has definitely sharpened my sense of the content of the media: the stated and unstated message(s) and of course its ramifications.

What are your aspirations regarding the project?

DL: My basic aspirations are reducing stereotypes and xenophobia in Europe and the Arab world, eliminating mental and physical borders between the Arab and European youth, informing them about each others’ social reality, culture and mentality in order to work together effectively and live together peacefully, and strengthen youth partnership between young Arabs and Europeans.

TS: My aspirations are to reach as many young people as possible in both regions and to make them realize how important it is to have a future built on mutual understanding and respect, tolerance, cooperation and peace.

Why is it important for Europeans and Arabs to be friends?

DL: Why wouldn’t we be friends? I think it is very important that young Europeans and Arabs get to know each other better and become friends. How is it good for us to know nothing about each other and remain ignorant? How is it good for us to remain unfriendly towards each other? We were born in the same world, and a lot of us live together in the same country. We need to be friends and allies so that we can develop great projects together and make the society a better place to live. What has prevented this so far is lack of opportunities to meet each other and learn about each other, a lack of awareness, a lack of initiatives such as our EuroArab project. In Europe, there are a lot of Arabs and they are ignored, as if they don’t exist. And even if Europeans realize they are here, they are often given a bad image.

TS: Pursuing friendship is a noble endeavor. This is how our future will flourish. However, our growing mutual interests should be taken into consideration too.

This was the first part of the interview with Diana Lesko and Taha Sharif. The second part will come soon.

Written by Agnija Kazuša, AEGEE-Ogre

Proofread by Kate Jenkins, AEGEE-Durham