The Demeter-Community is Grieving for Ibrahim Abouleish

The pioneer of the Biodynamic movement in Egypt died

The Demeter-Community is grieving for a pioneer of the Biodynamic movement in Egypt. “With Ibrahim Abouleish we lose a great visionary and an important mediator in the cultural dialogue”, said Demeter-International Vice-President Alexander Gerber. “He has contributed enormously to Demeter agriculture in Egypt and has influenced his country towards more sustainability.”

Abouleish received several awards for his achievements; one of them, the Right Livelihood-Award, in 2005. The Sekem-Initiative is a vital community with more than 1700 people from different cultures that work together hand in hand for the realization of their vision.

Birth of Sekem

Born in 1937 in Egypt, Ibrahim Abouleish worked as researcher in medicine after finishing his pharmaceutical studies in Graz. In Europe he met Anthroposophy, art and culture. This influenced his vision for Sekem. When Abouleish was confronted with the problems of his country – poverty, overpopulation, pollution - during a visit there, he decided to act. With this vision to make desert fertile, he bought 70 ha of land North-East of Cairo. With the Biodynamic method, with the help of his family, with increasing numbers of co-workers and cultivated against all manner of resistance, Abouleish made the desert fertile, producing fruits, vegetables, herbs and cotton. More and more products were processed in Sekem and a variety of companies were founded.

Holistic approach

Abouleish was led by an holistic anthroposophical approach that he adapted to the situation in an Arab country. He wanted to contribute to the sustainable development of the Egyptian society. For this reason part of the profit of the companies is used for educational and developmental  initiatives: a school, a training center, a school for arts and finally the Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development. A medical center offers its services for the co-workers and all people around Sekem.

If you want to express your sympathy by a contribution to the latest project of SEKEM: "House of Cultures", a project embedded into the Heliopolis University, where they strive to build a place of cultural development and intercultural exchange.

Bank account: Friends of SEKEM Germany “House of Cultures – in memory Ibrahim Abouleish”
GLS-Bank: IBAN: DE27430609670071668200 |BIC: GENODEM1GLS