Thursday 19 May 2016

Clovis Maksoud… high trees die standing

Clovis Maksoud

 The rule says the new is born out of the old… but what if the old was more authentic, rejuvenating, and capable of resisting and facing obstacles than the new… this is the dilemma. My friend Kamel Zoheiri taught me that there are people who invest in generations like those who invest in money; that’s why I am not one of those who believe in the idea of generation gap or conflict. For example, there was a generation who wrote about the future of culture and problems faced by our Egyptian society at the beginning of the last century… Well, they kept a distance at that society but they were more conscious, understanding and rejuvenating than most of those who followed them; I here mean Taha Hussien for example.

I knew about the death of the Arab thinker, journalist, and diplomat Clovis Maksoud who died at the age of 90 and buried in the United States of America. I acknowledge, along with others who are more knowledgeable and sophisticated than me, that Clovis belonged to a group – and not a generation – of Arab intellectuals who believed in Arab nationalism and Union and who were really passionate about Egypt’s essential and pivotal role in the Arab nation throughout history; past, present and future.

I met the man for the first time at Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates 30 years ago after I used to read what he was writing in Al Ahram newspaper starting from 1967 to 1974 and was wondering about his strange name which I wasn’t able to pronounce at first. Our relation became stronger through time. We used to meet at least once a year in the annual conference of Dar Al Khaleej Printing and Publishing House. It happened once that we sat next to each other on board a plane heading to the United States. During the long hours of flying, we exchanged our opinions regarding thought, politics and love. I knew – and was even amazed – that after his wife Hala Sallam had passed away he fell in love with another woman – whom I knew – and how deep and loving emotions he had for her that he was hoping desperately to marry her.

According to age and era, Clovis Maksoud belongs to the old leftist Arab nationalist generation but actually he was – and remained until he left our world – a real human thinker having a profoundly-rich culture and keeping up-to-dated with all coming to light. He also possessed a conscious critical mentality that was able to view the essence of the world’s rich and diverse cultures starting from India in the east to the United States and Europe in the west. He was able to spot – away from suffering any psychological complex of feeling inferior or superior – the weak points in the American and European collective mentality and attitude toward his nation’s causes. Instead of surrendering and standing in the aggressor’s side where he lived for decades or even retreating to the empty shell of chauvinism, he engaged actively by suggesting ideas, giving lectures and establishing research centers addressing and mitigating speech of both opposing sides. It was him who established the Centre for the Global South in the American University in Washington.

I received a message through e-mail that was forwarded to me by Mr. Sami Sharaf and which was written by Dr. Yehia el-Sha’er about some phases of Clovis’ life. I republished it on Facebook and I here excerpt some parts of it… this is out of journalism professionalism that is inseparable of its scientific authenticity counterpart.

Clovis was a Maronite Christian of an Orthodox mother, brought up in a Druze-dominated surrounding and got married to a Sunni Muslim woman. In the same time, he belonged to the progressive Arab national ideology and for some time in his life he joined the Socialist Progressive Party headed by Kamal Gunblat; his friend whom he disagreed with despite their friendship and working in politics under his leadership. Gunblat was of the opinion that Gamal Abdel Nasser was hasty about his decision of nationalizing the Suez Canal while Clovis thought it was a tremendous step on the way of Arab and Egyptian fight against colonialism.

That mentality of Clovis reminds me of another friend; the writer and thinker Elias Sehab, big brother of Selim – the music conductor and composer – Victor and Samir. Elias Sehab was also of Palestinian origins, lived in and had the nationality of Lebanon. He was also Maronite, believed in the Nasserite Arab nationalist ideology and was interested in Arabic music to the extent that he studied it.

Clovis met founders of al-Baath party; Michel Aflaq[1], Salah al-Bitar[2] and Akram el-Horani[3] where the first two used to go to Mass’oud café in Bab Idris and el-Horani used to sit on Patisserie Swiss next to the Capuchin Cathedral in the same place. Clovis wanted to move from the Socialist Party to al-Baath Party when he was advised by Aflaq and al-Bitar to remain in the first headed by Gunblat to deepen his Arab identity and roots. Afterwards, Clovis left the Socialist Progressive party and didn’t join el-Baath. He became one of the most prominent and staunch supporters of President Gamal Abdel Nasser. Here, Dr. Yehia el-Sha’er recounts some of the situations that took place between Clovis and Nasser as the former wrote a letter protesting detention of Muslim Brotherhood members in Egypt in the 50s when he was surprised to have an invitation to visit Egypt from then-minister Kamal Re’fat who was chairman of the board of Akhbar Alyoum Journalism institution. Accompanied by Kamal Re’fat; a prominent officer of the Free Officers’ movement and leader of the armed people resistance movement against the British Base in Suez Canal before and during negotiations to evacuate their troops, Clovis found himself in a visit to Nasser’s house in the neighborhood of Manshiet el-Bakri in Cairo. When Nasser saw him, he said “so you think yourself Master of Arab nationalism and your name is Clovis… why don’t you change your name?” Clovis replied “Mr. President, suggest me one”. Nasser then said “what about Qahtan[4] for example?” Clovis answered in his Lebanese accent and great sense of humor “don’t you have something in between?”

That funny account of Clovis’ name reminds me of another one I and others heard many times. The one that took place between Clovis and Arab Syrian poet Omar Abu Richa who was working as an ambassador for his country in India. He went to welcome Clovis at Delhi airport when the latter was appointed an ambassador of the Arab league there. Clovis said Mr. Omar took him by car and went on a ride in Delhi. Clovis was waiting to hear the poems of the poet whom he used to read for since he was young when Abu Richa stopped before a residential compound and entered leading Clovis. Abu Richa reached a sitting room where an Indian man who looked like Maharaja was sitting. Talking out loud, Abu Richa said “your highness, let me introduce to you and your Muslim Indian followers ambassador Dr. Muhammed Clovis ed-Din Maksoud, representative of the Arab League in India!” Clovis said “I was shaking out of fear and once we left I blamed ambassador Omar saying “Oh, Mr. Omar, what would have happened if those people knew I’m Christian and that I arrogate the name of prophet Muhammed?” Abu Richa then answered feeling angry “haven’t they found anyone to send to Muslims of India but a Maronite Christian one like you?”

Clovis was born in Bristow city in the American state of Oklahoma on February 2, 1926 and was named after a catholic saint. In this regard, I discovered while searching in the history of Roman Gaul countries and the establishment of France that the one who invaded Gaul countries and changed their name to that of a tribe of Germanic origins – the Francs – was King Clovis I; I have already recounted a story before citing true historic events regarding this aspect. Clovis got married to Hala Sallam; a scion of the Lebanese family of Sallam in 1974. It’s well known that Sallam family is an elite Sunni Muslim one.

Another funny account of Clovis is his with Um Kulthum when she visited him in his house in Cairo accompanied by their mutual friend Ihsan Abdel-Quddus. She said “nice to meet you Mr. Clovis… if this is your alias, what is your real one?” Another one was when he was paying a visit to Myanmar’s Muslims in Burma and their emperor asked him “which tribe do you come from?” Clovis then answered quickly “Maksoud tribe”!

Clovis left our world, not defeated by death… nor by 1967 defeat… partitioning plans or civil wars, like his friend who brought him to write up in Al Ahram; Muhammed Hassanien Heikal. Clovis and Heikal, and all their likes, are more authentic, rejuvenating, progressive, and updated to all that is new compared to others who are younger in age but feeling inferior, those who stood in line with the ferocious Western capital and are betting on their nations’ surrender.

Translated into English by: Dalia Elnaggar



This article was published in Al Ahram newspaper on May 19, 2016.

To see the Arabic article, go to:

#alahram #ahmed_elgammal #Clovis_Maksoud #arab_nationalism



[1] ميشيل عفلق
[2] صلاح البيطار
[3] أكرم الحوراني
[4] A name of an Arab tribe that also denotes the meaning of drought and suffering.

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