LEWISTON – Two Egyptian scholars who’ve been teaching in Maine for about a year will lead a discussion Friday on how immigration from Africa has affected local culture and politics.

Dr. Nawal El Saadawi and her husband, Dr. Sherif Hetata, will give a talk at Lewiston-Auburn College on “The New African Diaspora.”

Visiting professors at the University of Southern Maine, Saadawi and Hetata will speak about their experiences, as well as the general changes prompted by immigration from Africa to Europe and North America.

Hosted by the University of Southern Maine’s College of Arts and Sciences’ Libra Committee, the event is free to the public. A reception begins at 6:30 p.m., and the talk is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.

Saadawi is a novelist and psychiatrist who has written about women in Egyptian and Arab society. Her novel, “Woman at Point Zero,” was recently named among the best novels to come out of Africa in the last century.

As a result of her controversial work, she was imprisoned by the late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and was released after his assassination.

Saadawi’s husband, Hetata, is a novelist and medical doctor. He has written about many subjects including travel, politics and health.

Copy the Story Link