Egyptian professor and Arabic translator of Barefoot Gen appeals for peace at Japanese school
May 28, 2015
by Rie Nii, Staff Writer
Maher Elsherbini, 55, a professor at Cairo University in Egypt, who also translated the Japanese manga Hadashi no Gen (Barefoot Gen) into Arabic, spoke at a Japanese school in Egypt.
In front of 22 elementary school and junior high school students, Mr. Elsherbini gave a talk entitled “A Way of Life, Japan, and World Peace.” In his presentation, he described his days as an elementary school student, when he would sprinkle salt on his bread because his family wasn’t well off. He also recounted how he had to undergo military training, as well as study his subjects, in high school. To enter graduate school at Hiroshima University, he studied hard while working part-time.
After coming to Hiroshima, Mr. Elsherbini learned more about the atomic bombings and came to know the well-known Japanese manga called Barefoot Gen. He then translated this manga series into Arabic because he wanted to convey the tragedy of war to people in the Middle East, where conflicts continue to bring suffering. About peace, he said, “You can create peace with your own mind. It’s important to forgive others without holding bad feelings toward them.” To overcome the differences of culture and language, he stressed the importance of mutually accepting these differences by learning the other nation’s language and understanding their culture.
Nour Okumura, 12, a first-year student in junior high school, said, “Without peace, I don’t think we could have dreams for the future. I want to contribute to making the world a more peaceful place.” In June, Mr. Elsherbini will take up a special appointment as professor in the Graduate School of Letters at Hiroshima University.
(Originally published on May 24, 2015)
Maher Elsherbini, 55, a professor at Cairo University in Egypt, who also translated the Japanese manga Hadashi no Gen (Barefoot Gen) into Arabic, spoke at a Japanese school in Egypt.
In front of 22 elementary school and junior high school students, Mr. Elsherbini gave a talk entitled “A Way of Life, Japan, and World Peace.” In his presentation, he described his days as an elementary school student, when he would sprinkle salt on his bread because his family wasn’t well off. He also recounted how he had to undergo military training, as well as study his subjects, in high school. To enter graduate school at Hiroshima University, he studied hard while working part-time.
After coming to Hiroshima, Mr. Elsherbini learned more about the atomic bombings and came to know the well-known Japanese manga called Barefoot Gen. He then translated this manga series into Arabic because he wanted to convey the tragedy of war to people in the Middle East, where conflicts continue to bring suffering. About peace, he said, “You can create peace with your own mind. It’s important to forgive others without holding bad feelings toward them.” To overcome the differences of culture and language, he stressed the importance of mutually accepting these differences by learning the other nation’s language and understanding their culture.
Nour Okumura, 12, a first-year student in junior high school, said, “Without peace, I don’t think we could have dreams for the future. I want to contribute to making the world a more peaceful place.” In June, Mr. Elsherbini will take up a special appointment as professor in the Graduate School of Letters at Hiroshima University.
(Originally published on May 24, 2015)
