Obituary: Mama Lubna (1934-2012) Stories we grew up with In the early hours of the morning of saturday 26 May, Nutila Rashed, better known as Mama Lubna, made a peaceful exit after a short illness. Since the late 1950s Mama Lubna, who graduated from the philosophy and psychology department of Cairo University in 1956, established herself as an innovating name in children's literature. In 1978 she received the State Award for children's literature. She departed as an icon of the field. The lady whose name is most associated with one of the most popular children's magazines in Egypt Samir wrote dozens of stories to tell children. The stories of Mama Lubna were anything but simplistic and rosy fairy tales. Hers were stories of patriotism, egalitarianism, bravery and compassion. These were the same lines that defined Samir magazine, of which Mama Lubna was founder and chief editor for over 25 years, and which declined to copy the characters and lifestyle of children's Western books and insisted on introducing the characters and names of Egyptian children: Samir, Samia and Soheir. The stories of Samia and Soheir were not just a cartoon for kids to while away the time. They were rather the message that women could be on their own and decide when and to what extent they should seek the help of others. Moreover, Samir was not just about cartoons; it was about history, biographies and poetry. It was a pavilion where young writers could come together. One generation after the other, children learned from Samir about the history of Pharaonic, Coptic and Islamic Egypt. They learned about the Palestinian cause and the 1973 October War. They read about Ahmed Shawki and Ghassan Kanafani. They learned much about Egypt but also things about Japan and Russia. They learned about zoology and astronomy. In short, they learned about life and the world they're living in. In her book Hurrah for Life which was translated by no less than acclaimed writer Nehad Seliha, Mama Lubna's Sherif shares with the readers the search of adventure and the quest of compassion with the help of family and friends, girls and boys alike. In her book Tomorrow, I Shall Sing Again Mama Lubna shares the story of Marwa as she embarks on and successfully goes through a first ever trip on her own, without family supervision, with school girls. In Rashid, the old city that carries much symbolism of Egypt's history, Marwa learns to come to terms with her weaknesses just as with her points of strength. She learns to be her better self and to see the best side of others. For Mama Lubna the story of bravery and compassion was never just a children's tale. It was a personal story that she lived and told. Born in an upper class family in Egypt pre-July Revolution, Nutila Ibrahim Rashed went to the left. Choosing to be on the left was one of many other independent decisions she made throughout a life that was very eventful but which was conducted in a very low profile, something compatible with the nature of this very strong and yet very sweet and compassionate lady whose faith in love never undermined an equal faith in strength. For Nutila, these traits were underpinned by principles she picked up from her mother Mounira "who brought me up with the firm belief that love lights the way, and that one finds happiness in giving love to others". These were exactly the same principles that Nutila, along with her husband and lifetime partner Abdel-Tawab Youssef, another leading name in children's literature, instilled in the children of her own: Lubna, Hesham and Essam, as well as her grandchildren Ahmed, Youssef, Mohamed, Hesham, Omar, Lubna and Mariam. On Monday evening at Omar Makram Mosque in Tahrir Square, the Youssefs were not just accepting condolences. Rather, they were sharing condolences of many of Mama Lubna's children some of whom were privileged enough to have personally known her and others who have known her works. The condolences gathering reflected an image of Egypt that this exceptional lady subscribed to, a country diverse but well-integrated. Mama Lubna will not be telling new stories but her stories will continue to be told, just as her own story -- that of an Egyptian woman who embraced modernity in her own customised way, and who believed in principles compassioned with the inevitable human error, and who knew that for better or worse, life is always worth living and enjoying. By Dina Ezzat
