Pulling strings

Amira El-Naqeeb probes a young man's dream

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Kazem spreading his message of peace

Elegantly if simply dressed in blue shirt and black jeans, poised and calm, Mohamed Kazem, 42, a holder of a PhD in Public Diplomacy, has the look of a diplomat. But there is more to him than his job. He is also a song writer, singer and musician -- currently assigned by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Foundation for the Culture of Peace of the UN, based in Madrid.

His initiative, named "In Search of Understanding", uses diplomacy, lyrics, music and photos among other means to reach out to people in the attempt to "dispel mutual distorted stereotypes". Kazem sings his own original compositions in three different languages, to the accompaniment of the guitar: Arabic, English and Spanish; he focuses on universal themes -- hope, insecurity, love, the dream of peace... "As a human being I go through experiences in life, and then I go the extra mile to express them." His approach is honesty, which he sees as the gateway to hearts and minds. "I try to tackle issues and different sides of life honestly, because as human beings if honesty is achieved, no feelings or experiences need to be made over, as it were; this applies to all aspects of my life including the romantic songs I perform. I do it as honestly as I can, that way you see how universal they are. Humanity is universal."

Graduating from the American University in Cairo (AUC) with a BA in economics and a Masters Degree in Middle East studies, Kazem joined the diplomatic corps. In 1995, at his first post abroad -- in Madrid -- he started his PhD in International Relations and Public Diplomacy at Autonoma University. In 2001 Kazem was seconded to the Euro-Arab Foundation in Spain, which focuses on promoting dialogue and cooperation between the Arab world and the European Union, as an expert and advisor in public diplomacy. "Public diplomacy, a relatively new branch," he explains, "is directed at people rather than governments." In 1997, the Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy was established in the USA, he adds.

Kazem went on to explain that public diplomacy can take on countless forms and tools: TV channels, music, sports, lectures, meetings... "Music and lyrics were the natural choice for me." He sees the 1997 Iranian movie The Taste of Cherries, which received the Palm d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, as a perfect example of public diplomacy: "through the movie the targeted public is indirectly introduced to segments of Iranian society." After seeing that movie -- they had gone merely out of curiosity -- his Spanish friends had undergone a transformation: "they walked in with one impression and they left with quite another; as far as I'm concerned this is public diplomacy." But it wasn't until his early teens, when he composed his first song, that Kazem realised he had something to say through music.

"I guess the seed was there since childhood, but it reached a turning point at age 12 when I went to summer camp in Nevada, US." Those he met there were very curious about Egypt, but their knowledge of the country did not go beyond the Nile, Pyramids and camels: "maybe that's when I was convinced that something needed to be done about distorted stereotypes." At the age of 15 he teamed up with a drummer friend, Ahmed Riad, and performed concerts at different venues; the two continue to perform together to this day. As college students, he and his friends formed a band called Harmonix, performing at a range of venues -- mainly university campuses. After becoming a diplomat, Kazem started organising events under the name of his initiative.

One of these will usually start with a presentation about public diplomacy and the culture of peace, followed by some of his songs, performed alongside relevant photos, a slide show about Egypt, and finally an open discussion. The slideshow has a dual function: on the one hand, photographs by the talented photographer Amr Orensa, "stress the message of the songs"; on the other, 41 photos present a comprehensive view of Egypt, accompanied by a musical piece he composed for the purpose: "Egypt, Faces and Places". Orensa says that when Kazem approached him with the idea, he thought it crucial that such initiatives should come out of Egypt.

Orensa, who joined Kazem on the 2006 US tour, pointed out how the slideshow covered many façades of the country: the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the White Desert and the high-tech sound and light show at Abu Simbel Temple.

"There were people among the audience who had been to Egypt, but still didn't know that these places existed," Orensa added. "It was in the discussion that the reactions of the people to what they had burst the bubble of stereotypes." As Kazem puts it, "I just let people relate to people."

In his search for understanding, over two years now, he has offered concerts at universities and cultural centres, delivered lectures and conducted meetings -- in Spain and Egypt. In 2003 he performed in the Circulo de Bellas Artes, one of the most prestigious venues in Madrid.

Orensa believes that the appeal to the events comes from "the idea of having a diplomat undertaking such an initiative with its elements including the lyrical and musical, and its noble objectives exciting people's curiosity".

Revenues from Kazem's concerts are wholly channelled into humanitarian causes, which include donating money to NGOs in the fields of development and charity, in addition to Rotary clubs. In 1996 he participated in a concert in Spain, along with other artists, for the benefit of street children in Brazil. "I remember that people were surprised and pleased to see an Egyptian singing for children in Brazil." Kazem's two tours in the US, in 2005 and 2006 -- which took him to universities, auditoriums and churches -- reassured him that he was on the right path. Responding to many questions, and seeing people relate to the themes of his songs, made him feel that his message was getting through. "We all have things in common; my message is to underline these commonalties." One of his songs summarises the same sentiment: "Underlining what is common and accepting what is not; interacting till we are happy and free."

Ayman Saleh, an IT specialist who attended many of Kazem's concerts at Al-Sawy Culture Wheel, "felt that the concert wasn't only about music, but also about conveying a certain message".

Steadfast on his path, Kazem intends to carry on his initiative "In Search of Understanding" with its diversified elements to spread the "culture of peace" through public diplomacy. One particular belief he hopes to share: "many of our differences are shallow masks, while the real 'us' are the moments of truth shared by all when and if we can afford to let those masks fall down."