Description
We were discussing the state of theaters in Egypt when Professor Tawfiq al-Hakim told me he envisioned the National Theater as dedicated to presenting the heritage of Egyptian theater throughout the year, so that this heritage would remain alive and present. Just as museums preserve historical artifacts, the National Theater should preserve theatrical heritage.
Years passed, and Tawfiq al-Hakim died. The problem became not only the failure to keep his theatrical legacy alive on stage, but also its unavailability even as printed texts. A former Arab Minister of Culture complained to me that during a visit to Cairo, he searched libraries for several of al-Hakim’s plays to complete his collection. He was told they were out of print and hadn’t been reprinted for years. This is why I was so pleased with Dar al-Shorouk’s project to republish the complete works of the father of Arab theater, Tawfiq al-Hakim. Nations only grow and flourish to the extent that their heritage is present in their present; otherwise, they unravel and lose both their past and future—in history, politics, literature, and the arts.
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