Educated in Vienna, Washington D.C and London, Yasmine is a true citizen of the world. Taking her business inspiration from her parents, Yasmine’s inner calling was to launch a magazine focused on the effervescent vibes of contemporary Egypt, and this ultimately transformed her into a genuine entrepreneur.
Enigma was born out of passion and evolved from a magazine to a platform celebrating Arab culture and its contemporary leaders in the creative epicenters of the world. It grew organically, against all odds, surviving the Iraq war, the 2008 recession, the 2011 revolution, the military coup in 2012, and the dramatic pound devaluation in 2017. Only by looking at this journey aiming beyond surviving, to thriving, one can have a taste of Yasmine Shihata’s personality: a genuine powerhouse.
WHAT WOULD MAKE YOUR SOUL SING? WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?
The people I love.
A CHILDHOOD STORY THAT ANNOUNCED THE CREATIVE PERSON YOU ARE TODAY
When I was in high school I took an art class in my senior year, where the art teacher left us to do whatever we wanted. I did a fashion show using everyday materials, but not fabric. Just things that I could easily find like copper sheets, for example.
One dress was made from aluminum foil, the other one was created from garbage bags. I enjoyed that so much that I realized that was my turning point and I want to be creative beyond limits.
BEST CONTEXT EVER FOR INSPIRATION WAS
Attending the World Economic Forum for the first time in Davos. I was 22 and at that age, meeting world leaders and celebrities and people that you can read about it had a major impact on me. Interviewing one of my role models, Richard Branson, was another huge inspiration for me.
THE PROJECT YOU LOVED MOST
My baby, Enigma magazine. I created this magazine and this business from scratch; with determination, hard work, a lot of trial and error and the overconfidence of youth where you truly believe that anything is possible.
THE PROJECT OTHERS LOVED MOST
Probably our 10th-anniversary event: it was a beautiful, unforgettable night at the Pyramids of Giza, with over 2000 guests, local and international. The event took almost a year to out together and was a spectacular evening, where we brought in the international superstar Kylie Minogue to perform at the foot of the Sphinx and the great Pyramids. To this date, it is one of the most sophisticated, glamourous and unique international events that has taken place in Egypt.
THE BEST THING ABOUT EGYPTIAN CREATIVITY IS
That it is raw and underestimated. People underestimate us all the time so we have a lot of opportunities to impress people with what we can do. Well guided and well exposed, Egyptian creatives who are professional and work hard, can impress both foreign and local audiences.
BEST STATEMENT OF EGYPTIAN HUMOR
We are known for our humor and this has helped the Egyptian people survive many of the challenges the country continually faces. And recently Egypt has had extra challenges, so Egyptians do their best to adapt and survive and they try not to take themselves seriously. Money comes and goes, but the Egyptian people’s closeness to their families, their faith and their humor, allows them to face their challenges in stride.
ADVICE FOR INTERNATIONAL HEADHUNTERS, RELATED TO EGYPTIAN CREATIVES
There is so much opportunity in Egypt for headhunters – we have a huge population under 30, with many young, intelligent, educated, digitally literate individuals, who speak English and would welcome the opportunity to grow internationally. And it’s easy to find good, talented people here at a low cost. We have great videographers, producers, filmmakers, graphic designers and artists; so the opportunities are abundant.
BEST PLACE IN CAIRO
For me, it’s Zamalek – where I live. It’s an area you can walk around, where you can find great galleries, cute little shops, and great restaurants. It’s a great part of Cairo to explore. If you want to experience a bit of modern Cairo, just spend an afternoon or evening on this little island on the Nile.
BEST PLACE IN EGYPT
The most beautiful place in Egypt is the Cataract Hotel in Aswan, on the Nile. It’s a romantic place, with so much class and history and charm. You don’t even need to leave the hotel. Just spend an entire weekend there and enjoy the stunning scenery and history. It’s truly special.
MOST DISTURBING CLICHÉ ABOUT EGYPT, IN THE MEDIA OUTLETS OF THE WORLD IS
For some reason, the media has made believe many people think Egypt is unsafe. I constantly get this question: “Is it safe to come?” In reality, the crime rate is incredibly low. It is more common to get shot in America than in Egypt. But even if we have one incident every 4 years, we are labeled as an unsafe place. And that’s a shame.
EGYPT SHOULD BE KNOWN FOR
Its people: they are kind, open, generous, hospitable and warm.
YOUR VIEWS ON SPIRITUALITY
Being spiritual, being grateful, appreciating what we have – even the hard times – is what keeps us going. When you can appreciate everything, even the bad things that occur can be seen as a blessing in disguise. Being spiritual gives you a special navigation kit for life: If something is good for you, it will come easily, if something doesn’t work, no matter what you do, you come to understand it’s not meant for you and the right opportunities and the right people will find you eventually. With this kind of mindset, one can avoid a lot of unnecessary drama.
YOUR VIEWS ON MONEY
I am not financially motivated, which is sometimes a problem. As money gives you the freedom to do what you want. So many times I’ve decided to pick creativity and impact over money, but let’s face it – money gives you the freedom to make choices that are one hundred percent yours, where you don’t have to compromise. For me personally, as long as I have the money to be free and live the life I want, without making compromised choices, anything after that is irrelevant.
AN INSPIRATION SOURCE YOU RECOMMEND FOR A YOUNG CREATIVE
Find people in your field that you really admire and look up to and get to know their success stories. So many times others look at successful people and think their success came easily, but behind all the glamour, there is often a lot of struggle, determination and hard work. In the end, the difference between being successful and unsuccessful is having a mindset where you don’t give up, even when the challenges ahead seem so large. You will always face obstacles in life, so all you can do is be prepared, work hard to rise above them and be open to opportunities that come your way. At the end of the day, if you keep pursuing your dreams and are willing to do everything you can to achieve them, you will find solutions and you will find a way.
The book the Power of Now by Ekhart Tolle changed my life. Its essential teaching is that the 2 main causes of human suffering are regretting the past and worrying about the future; two futile concepts, because all we have is the Now. And those who realize this and live in the present and believe in the potential of the future, are the people who are truly happy.
AN EGYPT BASED TALENT THAT DESERVES TO BE PROMOTED AT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL, AS EXPONENT OF LOCAL CREATIVE SPIRIT
Egypt has some really creative fashion designers now, like Yasmine Yaya, Norine Farah, Farida Temraz and Mohanad Kojak who have a lot of international potential.
Enigma Magazine is a pan Arab magazine promoting a modern vision of the Middle East and its success stories and now a leading English language lifestyle magazine distributed in Egypt and the Middle East.
Check them out, here.