By Manal Abdel Fattah
The Armenian community in Egypt organized the first screening of the documentary film “The Mashtots Alphabet,” directed by Mohamed Mandour, at the Kalosdian Nobarian Armenian School in Heliopolis, Cairo, in the presence of Ambassador Hrachia Poladian, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the Arab Republic of Egypt, and Bishop Ashud Mnatsakanyan, Armenian Orthodox Bishop of Egypt, and a number of media professionals. Journalists, artists and representatives of the Armenian community in Egypt.
The film is visioned and directed by Mohamed Mandour, screenplay and preparation by Radwa Hashem, editing by Ezz El-Din Wahdan, voice-over by journalist Ahmed Madani, and general coordination by Dr. Oppressed Armenians.
The documentary film “The Mashtots Alphabet” deals with the journey of creating the Armenian alphabet at the hands of the monk Mesrop Mashtots since the fourth century AD and how it continues until now.
The Armenian language is one of the ancient living languages that is still widespread in the State of Armenia and among the Armenian diaspora communities in various countries of the world. The language has preserved the Armenian identity over the centuries.
The film reviews the secrets of the Armenian alphabet, the linguistic communication between it and ancient languages, as well as the use of letters as numbers. The documentary film “The Mashtots Alphabet” also takes us on a journey to the most famous landmarks of Armenia in which Armenian writing has spread, such as churches, the House of Ancient Manuscripts known as “Matinadran,” the Armenian Letters Monument, and other landmarks.
Mohamed Mandour, the film’s director, says: Despite the harsh humanitarian conditions that the Armenians experienced over time periods throughout their history, including displacement at times and invasion at other times, they refused to carry with them in various parts of the world their culture, their identity, and a language that remains unique in its state among civilizations in the East and West. Armenia is the meeting point of Asia and Europe, the meeting place of East and West civilizations, and one of the countries with the most widespread communities around the world. For its citizens, the language is not just words for reading or writing, but rather part of the identity of Armenians at home or in the diaspora around the world.
Mandour concludes by saying: The Mashtots alphabet was in ancient times a tool for Armenians to preserve their identity, culture and traditions over the centuries, and it served as a defense against any “storm” that led to the destruction of their unity. Will the Armenians and the Mashtots alphabet withstand the waves of globalization and the dangers that threaten the Armenian identity?
