I woke up this morning singing Gorges Moustaki’s “Ma liberte”.
When my husband Raed told me a few days back that Moustaki passed away, I didn’t realize whom he was referring to. He said: “the famous French singer/writer born in Egypt Moustaki died”. Moustaki was more of a poet to me, and I never knew he had an Egyptian connection, or maybe I knew but never really mattered to me. Also, the way Raed pronounced his name was like Moustapha, and it didn’t click. A few second later, I was like: Georges Moustaki? Was he still alive?
I was introduced to Georges Moustaki and Jacques Brel when I was in middle school… I remember the first day Mlle Amira El Kouch, our French literature teacher entered the class. Mlle Amira had recently come from France where she finished her studies. She looked so disenchanted with everything around her. Maybe she was not, maybe she was a stranger to a class of 25 teen age girls with whom she had nothing in common, maybe she had the blues for leaving France, maybe she was shy, I don’t know but the bottom of the matter is, she didn’t look very happy.
I was immediately enchanted, she was not only beautiful, but also a wonderful personality. It didn’t take her long to become every girl’s idol. Certainly she was mine. Mlle Amira often deviated from the curriculum and shared with us bits and pieces of the magic world of French literature. Later that year Mlle Amira was the first teacher ever to invite us to her home. She prepared for us a very nice “salade de fruit” that I still remember till now. It felt like a scene eloquently put together by Marcel Proust...
Thank you Amira El Kouch for introducing me to Georges Moustaki, his poem “ma liberte” defined who I am. Thank you for inspiring me and for showing how beautiful and strong girls can travel, study, discover the world and still be true to themselves and who they are. Thank you for showing me that girls do not need to get married when they’re young. That girls like boys can live up to their potential if they chose to, they do not need to be defined by when and who they marry, but rather by what they contribute to the world…
Thank you Amira El Kouch, you have been my most needed idol and inspiration.
