 Abdel-Wahab Elmessiri, the proverbial academic activist, passed away at the age of 70 this week. He shall be sorely missed. He loved arts, even though he was an intellectual preoccupied with less mundane matters. I illustrated Elmessiri as I knew him: an illustrious figure of the nation. He was a dynamic character, full of novel ideas. He was a man who was familiar with the history of his country and the surrounding region. He was a living encyclopaedia. May God rest his soul. parent page (10 - 16 July 2008, issue #905) |