1. Global Connection | March 2015 43
Iwas facing my 45th birthday. As if reaching that age isn’t enough reason to shed a little tear, I
felt another coming up after I was offered a little box. A black box wrapped in a white satin bow.
When I opened it, an elegant ring gazed back up at me. It had a round seal containing an Arabic
inscription. And, although I passed my first Arabic exam years ago, I was grateful for the little note
inside. Enta Omri, it said. In English: You Are My Life.
I was completely struck by that inscription. The words are so powerful that you can’t add anything.
You wouldn’t want to add anything. But in Egypt, the words Enta Omri have another special
meaning. It is the title of a classic song by
Oum Kalthoum, the most famous female
singer the Arabic world has ever known.
“Imagine a singer with the virtuosity
of Ella Fitzgerald, the public persona of
Eleanor Roosevelt and the audience of
Elvis Presley,” her biographer Virginia
Danielson wrote. Oum Kalthoum, a
twelve-year-old girl who was pushed
onto stage by her father after being dressed up as a boy, became a legend. When she sang, Egypt
would come to a halt. People from all walks of life – craftsmen, family of the late King Farouk
and President Nasser himself – were huge fans of her deep voice and her intense emotions. Most
of her songs were about love, or the tragic loss thereof. When she died, millions of Egyptians were
inconsolable.
Oum Kalthoum inspired Azza Fahmy, the successful Egyptian jeweller-designer, to create a ring. A
ring with the inscription You Are My Life. A ring that carries almost too heavy a burden because of
its symbolism and its history.
On my birthday, I was fortunate to be a guest of Azza Fahmy, in her romantically decorated house
on the Egyptian north coast. It was here that I first laid eyes on the ring. Suddenly, I was united
with two amazing women: one a great singer who had touched millions of hearts, the other a
famous designer, whom I had got to know in person.
“Here I am, come have a look at my present,” I told anyone who wanted to hear, as if I was a happy,
spontaneous little girl who wanted the whole world to know it was her birthday. That night I was
that little girl. All because of the great Oum Kalthoum and the sweet Azza Fahmy. Thank you
beautiful, remarkable ladies, for making my birthday so special!
Of course, there is someone else in this story. He is the one who gave me this beautiful present, the
ring that I cherish in the same way I cherish our love together. But that’s rather personal, so I’ll
end here if you don’t mind… 
The words are so powerful that
you can’t add anything.
Mybirthday
hada
certainring
Natascha Lammerts van
Bueren
Natascha Lammerts van Bueren
has extensive expat partner
experience, having lived in
Congo, La Réunion and Egypt.
She currently lives in Athens,
Greece. Her husband works for
Heineken, and together they
have two daughters.
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