War veterans, unhampered by injury, have left the battlefield behind in their practice of art, writes Enjy El-Naggar Mohamed Amin Nada is a veteran not of one war but two, the 1968-9 War of Attrition and the 1973 War. He survived both, but was paralysed after being injured in 1973. "I lived through tough times since the war, imprisoned in a wheelchair, but I refused to be idle," Nada told Al-Ahram Weekly. He began exercising as part of his rehabilitation after the 1973 War, and then he took up art. The exercise and his sculptures, says Nada, are the two most important things in his life, "they are the reason why I am alive today." That Nada is able to lead a life unhampered by his handicap is thanks in part to the work of the Egyptian Veterans and War Victims Association (EVWVA). For 10 years Nada was a member of the paraplegic military basketball team, which he captained in several regional and international competitions. Only later did he begin his craft work, first using stained glass and then, after a meeting with sculptor Sabri Nashed, working in wood. Nada's and other EVWVA works were displayed at an exhibition at Al-Ahram Establishment. "When I hear people praise my work I know that I'm not disabled," says Nada, who has exhibited abroad on many occasions and held a total of 28 exhibitions in Egypt. "I overcame the obstacles, persevered and feel deep inside that I have succeeded in improving my work." The EVWVA supports members and their families in a variety of ways. The one thing the organisation insists on, though, is that veterans are fully integrated in society. Such integration is the basis, believes EVWVA, of allowing members to lead a full and normal life. El-Sayed El-Touni, who lost his sight, one arm and the use of his legs, vividly recalls the moment an Israeli bomb exploded on his platoon as they were raising the Egyptian flag above a recaptured position. Yet looking at his ceramic pieces it is difficult to imagine that he witnessed such scenes: there is not even a residue of the horrors he experienced in his work, which draws in Pharaonic and Islamic imagery. "I can make this work with a single arm," he says. "I've never believed in my mind that I'm disabled." His works have been exhibited across Egypt, thanks to the moral and material support of EVWVA. Although El-Touni suffered depression immediately after his injuries he woke up one day and realised that he must do something about his condition. "Most of us veterans need only encouraging words," he says. "They can make a great difference in our life." Khaled Effat, 62, lost his right arm when a grenade exploded next to him during the 1973 War. Effat now specialises in drawing on stained glass, and is so prolific that he has opened his own shop. He also taught decorative techniques at a vocational school until he reached retirement age. Esmat Kamal, 58 years old, is head of the Vocational Rehabilitation Section at Al-Wafaa Wal Amal Association. He represented Egypt in three Olympics as well as many world championships. A veteran of the 1973 War, Kamal underwent rehabilitation before starting to rebuild his life. He, too, was encouraged by Nashed, who inspired Kamal to begin making wooden sculptures. "I practise my life normally, if from a wheelchair," says Kamal, who has held several exhibitions sponsored by the Armed Forces, EVWVA and Al-Nour Wal Amal. "I was committed to establishing myself as an artist. And my sculptures in wood are my most successful works, proof that I have conquered my disability." Mohamed Abdel-Aziz, 41, lost three of his limbs when he stepped on a landmine during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Now he spends much of his time carving wooden figures, often based on the shape of insects, of butterflies and scorpions, and incorporating Quranic verses which are engraved onto the surface. Married, and a father of three, Abdel-Aziz forced himself to continue with his life. "I always thought that I had to do something. My life could not end with me just sitting in a wheelchair." It was the practice of sculpture that gave him the necessary lifeline. "We refuse to be called disabled," says Abdel-Aziz. "How can we be disabled when we are making art?"
