Nora Koloyan, A Creator With A Unique Character
Nora Koloyan-Keuhnelian is a multi-talented Egyptian-Armenian journalist. She is a poet, photographer, and singer in the choir of the Armenian community "Araks" in Egypt for 25 years, and was born in the downtown area in 1970. She studied at the Armenian Kalousdian School and graduated from the Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, enrolling thereafter and working for Al-Ahram Weekly newspaper in 1993. In 2007, she started working as an assistant to the executive director at the Haikal Foundation for Arab Journalism, until early 2010.
Reciting poetry
Her career began in reciting poetry, specifically in her high school, as she participated in a poetry recital competition between West Cairo educational schools and received a certificate of appreciation from the district administration after reciting the poem "In Serendib" by Mahmoud Sami Al-Baroudi, after which she began reciting poetry in the Armenian language at national events organized by the Armenian community.
Journalism
Koloyan has a distinguished sense of journalism, as she chooses the topics she writes about. For example, she conducted a press interview with Mrs. Nabila Makram Ebeid, former Minister of State for Immigration and Egyptian Affairs Abroad, a journalistic investigation on street food, and about the first edition of Fashion Week in Egypt, in which the Egyptian Armenian fashion designer Nuria Telpian, or Nara, participated with designs inspired by the ancient Egyptian civilization.
Through her work in the press, she was able to convey what is happening in Armenia through her writings, regarding the memory of the Armenian genocide and the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, and what is related to the Turkish issue and the issue of the Kurds.
Photography
Koloyan is an artist with an innate talent and a special character, as her eyes can spot shots that seem familiar to some in everyday life. She started photographing as an amateur about 4 or 5 years ago, using her mobile phone, which made her photos more intuitive and spontaneous. Koloyan participated in the "Egypt Through Your Lens" competition, which the Tourism Authority organized in cooperation with Photopia during Cairo Image Week.
Also in the activities of "Heliopolis Week" on the occasion of the 118th anniversary of the establishment of the Heliopolis suburb, which was organized by the Heliopolis Heritage Foundation, in which 400 photographers were presented and 50 of them were chosen to display their work in the exhibition, she participated with a photo of Al-Zafaraan Palace Inside Ain Shams University, which was called Heliopolis University, and a picture of Sultana Malak or Sultan Hussein Kamel Palace dome, in front of the Baron Empain Palace, on both Nazih Khalifa and Thawra streets.
El-Qahrawia
Koloyan was invited by the management of Al-Qahrawia Group to give a lecture about her profession as a journalist, amateur photographer and public figure in the Armenian community, as part of a tour in the Downtown area organized to introduce the Armenian presence in it and to identify the most important monuments that have an Armenian identity.
Malaz Collective Exhibition
Koloyan participated in Malaz exhibition at Lamasat Gallery, at the invitation of the gallery's management, with a collection of photographs of the Nile River and the sunset, which are her source of inspiration and her haven to be creative in what she loves, as this participation is her first experience of its kind in a group exhibition of plastic art and photography.
The exhibition is held from the 19th of June until the 25th of June at the headquarters of the Lamasat Foundation for Fine Arts, Villa 14, Al-Atebaa Street, branching from Mohy El Din Abu El Ezz-Dokki.
