Prayers and thoughts in honour of Samia Engineer

When death takes away a loved soul, all we are left with are memories, accompanied by tears, smiles, and prayers.  This week I received the extremely sad news that my dear friend and mentor Dr Samia Engineer had passed away.  I was in the middle of a busy shopping mall in Paris and for a split second the world around me came to a standstill.  All the noise caused by people passing up and down went silent, all I could remember was holding onto my daughter’s hand, and closing my eyes to find Samia’s smile and voice so close and alive in my subconscious.

It’s a great loss; I can never see this person again. Death takes us by surprise, every time, it’s like a sudden eclectic shock wave that every time it happens it has the same sharp sting, the same pain.

I remember coming back to Bahrain, as a fresh graduate from University.

My mother mentioned that I should meet with Dr Samia, the artist and the professor at Bahrain University to start a conversation about a possible role at the university, and to share thoughts with someone experienced in the development of art education, and art scene in Bahrain.

I remember walking into a gathering with my mother, and she pointed out that Dr Samia was amongst the guests, I immediately went to introduce myself, and I still remember how I clicked with her instantly. 

She was a woman with so many layers, a special soul; she was unique in her style, in her creative process and art.  She was original to the core.  I remember her office filled with books, and a beautiful view on the university landscapes, a lot of light, and a desk filled with small figurines of females, delicate, in every shape, her work was accumulative – It was like her, so many layers that protect a pure core.

Nothing that Samia touched was flat or one dimensional, I remember the needles and threads, the pen and colors, the little things that she would collect and work with to form a visual art piece.

The shock of hearing the news of her passing was one part of the story; the other was an enormous feeling of guilt when I walked into her house to pay my respects to her family.  The house that she often spoke to me about, the house that had Samia’s soul in every corner.  She often invited me to come and see it, and catch up on life and share time together, the guilt that I was never available to accept her invite.  

Samia will never be forgotten, she has touched my life, I have a lot of love and respect for her and what she believed in.  Her endless dedication to her family, her art, her students and the importance of the growth as humans and how art is a language that holds a serious message.  These are the values that have been imprinted in me, and I am sure that this remains the same with every student and person she was connected with. Rest in Peace, Samia, the Georgia O’Keeffe of our beautiful Bahrain.