Interview with Hussein Fatahallah, 24 year old. This interview is with a first-generation immigrant, who was born in Alexandria, Egypt, grew up in Dubai, and moved to Canada right before the revolution in 2011. In this interview, he spoke about the complexities of assimilating to a new culture and familial experience with back home. Interviewer is Karen Abdelsaid.
Interview with Lobna Hassan, 22, is a first-generation immigrant. She was born in Cairo and moved to Toronto, Canada with her sister in 2011. During Egypt’s Revolution, Lobna talked about how unstable and unsafe it felt, and how that drove her parents to decide she continue her education in Canada. When Lobna first arrived, she felt nostalgic. As time passed in Toronto, she has come to learn how to be grateful for the opportunity of being where she is now. Interviewer is Sarah Al Naqeeb.
Ibrahim Soliman working on one of his icons. Family archive.
Ilana Radetich in an undated photo taken in Alexandria. Family archive.
File contains a translated transcript of an oral history interview.
Tatjana Sandrault, 85 years old, was born in Alexandria in a Catholic family. Her family story gives testimony to the diverse communities that lived in Egypt in the first half of the twentieth century—her ancestors were Irish, Italian, and Yugoslavian. The Egypt she describes is one of exceptional opportunities for some until the 1950s, when many Europeans migrated.
Image of woman and two children.
Image of a woman’s identification document.
File consists of two drafts, notes and correspondence related to Whitaker’s chapter ‘Intelligence Cooperation in Historical Perspective, from Cold War Bipolarity to the Multipolar Present,’ which was presented at the Intelligence Cooperation in a Multipolar World Conference in 2021.
Series consists of oral histories conducted by Egypt Migrations. These interviews explore the experiences of first- and second-generation immigrants from Egypt. Records include video and audio oral histories, transcripts, photographs, and consent forms.
Interview with Erika Melek, 21 year old. This interview is with a second-generation Egyptian Canadian, who was born in Mississauga to Egyptian immigrant parents. In this interview, she speaks about how her parents came to Canada and speaks about the importance of community. Interviewer is Karen Abdelsaid.
Interview with Ahmed Ghaly, 23, was born in Cairo and immigrated to Mississauga, Canada in 2008 because his parents wanted a better lifestyle and education. Ahmed shares memories of school, friends, and sports before and after migration. Even though he lives in Canada, all his peers are Egyptian or Arab and he still listens to Arabic music. He remains closely connected to his homeland and frequently visits Egypt. He wishes to move back one day. Interviewer is Sarah Al Naqeeb.
Interview with Marcus Zacharia, 35, is a first-generation migrant who hails from South West Egypt. He left Egypt in 2011 for Washington, DC and then Canada 2014, where he was offered a professional opportunity. After facing some struggles at first, he now finds Canada a multicultural and diverse society (something that he finds lacking in Egypt). He currently works to help settle immigrants and newcomers and is invested in building bridges with other communities around Canada. Interviewer is Sarah Al Naqeeb.
One of Soliman’s icons. Family archive.
File contains a translated transcript of an oral history interview.
Ilana Radetich, 71 years old, was born in Alexandria in a family of Italian and Yugoslavians origins. Her mother was Jewish, but Ilana was raised Catholic. She recalls the traumatic journey to Brazil in 1957, wearing all the clothes and jewelry she could. “Like a Christmas tree,” her grandmother had instructed her. With time, Ilana says, Brazil became her new homeland.
File contains a translated transcript of an oral history interview.
Jacques Sardas, his wife Etty, and their daughters in São Paulo From left: Isabela, Claudia, Dora, and Marianne. Family archive.
Tareq Mesbah in front of his restaurant in São Paulo. Family archive.
Tareq Mesbah in front of his restaurant in São Paulo. Family archive.
File contains a translated transcript of an oral history interview.
File consists of oral histories that explore the motivations, journey, challenges, and settlement of Egypt’s migrants in Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Alya Osman conducted the oral histories which sought the perspectives of first-generation immigrants from urban centers across Egypt who migrated in the second half of the 20th century.
File contains the transcript of an oral history interview.
A 48-year-old man who was born in Kuwait discusses his childhood memories, returning to Kuwait for work at the age of 33, and why Egyptians over time have migrated to the Gulf.
File contains a transcript for an oral history interview.
Item is a poster for the Egyptians in the Gulf digital exhibit.
Item is a video trailer for the Egyptians in the Gulf digital exhibit.
File consists of several interview questions that include Vassanji’s handwritten answers.
File consists of oral histories that explore the motivations, journey, challenges, and settlement of individuals and groups in Ontario, Canada. Interviewees are first- and second-generation immigrants from Cairo and Alexandria. Interviews conducted by Karen Abdelsaid and Sarah Al Naqeeb from York University as part of their undergraduate public history student placements. Records include audio and video oral histories, transcripts, and consent forms.
Interview with Monica Shaik, 23 year old. This interview was with a first-generation immigrant, who was born in Sudan, lived in Egypt briefly, and moved to Canada at the age of three. In this interview, she spoke about why her family came chose to Canada, Coptic persecution in Egypt, and the importance of community when moving to a new country. Interviewer is Karen Abdelsaid.
Interview with Nelly Fanous, 64, is from Israel and emigrated to Canada in 1980. She married into a Coptic family who descend from Egypt. The Fanous family are very well known in Palestine because her husband’s grandfather was a scribe for the Coptic Church in Egypt, and he was sent to Palestine to write copies of the Bible. Her husband’s uncle, who lived in Egypt, was a well-known iconographer for the Coptic Church. In this interview, Nelly talks about reasons for leaving Israel for Canada, her connections with Israel, her experiences settling in Canada, and her relationship with the Coptic Church. Interviewer is Sarah Al Naqeeb.
Andre Toueg, 72 years old, was born in Cairo in a Jewish family. His family hailed from countries like Libya, Syria, Italy, and Spain. They migrated to Brazil in 1958 due to Gamal Abdel Nasser’s policies against the Jewish community. Toueg narrates his life in São Paulo, where he joined local youth Zionist movements and found new identities. He never went back to Cairo.
Ibrahim Soliman, 71 years old, was born in Cairo in a Coptic family. He served in the Egyptian army. In 1994, concerned with the rise of violence against Christians, he moved to the U.S. There, he met his wife, a Brazilian woman, and moved to her country. Soliman found work as a priest at the local Antiochian Church, where he also learned how to paint religious icons.
Moha Elgendy, 69 years old, was born in Cairo in a Muslim family. She migrated to Brazil in 1975 with her husband, an agronomist. At that time, there was a high demand for such professionals in Brazil. They lived in the state of Goiás, in the mid-west. Moha narrates her struggle to adapt to a new, less conservative culture—and also her feeling of belonging there.
Image of a woman and child sitting in a living room.
File contains a list of questions to guide the oral history interviews.
File consists of a map of the Sinixt regions.