Creative Divas
Each successful in her own field, Rania El Battal, Malak El Ezzawy, Alia Abaza, Maida El Komy, and Soraya Shawky have one thing in common: they are determined to succeed. eniGma’s Salma Hussein got an inside look at their passions, the reasons behind their success, and their dreams. Read on about their lives, careers, and aspirations.
Raneem El-Welily: The World’s Best Female Squash Player
Raneem El-Welily is the world’s highest-ranking female squash player. The 26-year-old Egyptian is also the first Egyptian female to hold this title, leading the Professional Squash Association world rankings with 26,280 points. El-Welily, who has been playing squash since she was six started playing at the Alexandria Sporting Club, then moved to the Heliopolis Sporting Club, before finally playing for Wadi Degla for the past three years. eniGma’s Mohamad Nagi had the chance to meet this professional player and discuss her rise to greatness and her passion for the game.
A Passion for Design: Dina El Khachab’s Creative Flair
Brought up in Montreal, Dina El Khachab studied architecture at McGill and came to Egypt to do research on Hassan Fathy for her studies. She met her future business partner and started their company, Eklego, in 2000. They more or less freelanced for over three years and then opened their office. At the end of 2005, they opened their first showroom and a few years later were joined by a third partner. eniGma’s Salma Hussein met with El Khachab to know more
Zainab Salbi: On Women’s Empowerment & Arab TV
Zeinab Salbi is an inspiration to Arab women around the world. She is an Iraqi/American social entrepreneur, women’s rights activist, author, and media commentator, who, at the tender age of 23, founded Women for Women International, a Washington-based development organization to help women survivors of war. She is currently the presenter of a new talk show Nida’a (The Calling), on The Learning Channel, TLC, on OSN. Most importantly, she is a woman of action who believes in the power of change and that tough situations only make you stronger. eniGma’s Yosra Shohayeb got the chance to interview Salbi to find out about her history of activism and her plans for the future.