January 9, 1936 – October 14, 2016
Born in the port city of Damietta, Shousha received his early education at a traditional kuttab elementary school. He credited this classical style of schooling for his strong foundation in Arabic, which in turn inspired his lifelong passion for safekeeping the quality and purity of the language.
Shousha attended Dar al-Ulum, where he became known as the Students' Poet. After graduation, he began working as a radio presenter. Eventually, he rose to be Director of Egyptian Radio. Later, Shousha entered the field of television. Throughout his media career, Shousha was associated with cultural and literary programs.
His hour-long programme Umsiya Thaqafiya ("an evening for culture") aired on channel one of state-run Egyptian TV from 1977 to 2006, featuring Shousha, in his impeccable but softened and almost heart-warming classical Arabic, discussing subjects of cultural debate.
In 2005, Shousha was named Secretary-General of the Arabic Language Academy, a body described by Al-Ahram Weekly as "the guardians of the language". In his role as Secretary-General, Shousha was critical of what he considered to be a decline in the quality of Arabic in Egypt.
Shousha’s prominent Friday programme Fi Tarik Al-Nour (“In the path of light”), a five-minute programme, offered almost Sufi rendering of Islamic affinity.
On his show, Our Beautiful Language, he would recite and dissect Arabic poetry, popularizing it among the masses. Considered a “Guardian of Arabic,” Shousha was appointed Secretary General of the Academy of the Arabic Language. He authored 13 poetic anthologies and won the Nile Prize for Literature in 2016.
