We are living in a critical era in the history of our planet. Pollution, waste, climate change, and the way we interact with our environment, in general, are threatening our existence and the prosperity of our species and life around us. Egypt’s Omar Samra and Ahmed Gabr; both adventurers, athletes, environmentalists, and nature-lovers, teamed up with brand manager, photographer, and fellow nature-lover Farah Baki; and marketing and internal communications manager, Sherine Karam. They cofounded a company and called it ‘Imagine If’. The home-grown social enterprise is dedicated to bringing us together and inviting us to put our creativity and innovation to reimagine our environment, find the solutions needed to salvage it, and explore our relationship to it.
We got the chance to interview the inspiring figures Gabr and Samra.
We also spoke with Imagine If’s competition project manager, Mostafa Ismail, on their upcoming competition, which is offering prizes of up to EGP 30,000. You’ll find more details below. And you could still apply!
They told us all about the seeds of ‘Imagine If’ and the vision they have for it moving forward.
“‘Imagine if’ is made to provoke your imagination and think outside the box for solutions. We are so used to doing things in a certain way because it’s the norm.”
Ahmed Gabr, Cofounder of ‘Imagine If’
Ahmed Gabr on Why and How It All Started
Ahmed Gabr, who cofounded ‘Imagine If’ with Samra is an ex-Egyptian Army soldier with fervor for diving that led to global height under the surface. The diving instructor and trainer achieved three Guinness currently holds three Guinness world record for deepest scuba diver (male), deepest sea dive, and the largest underwater clean-up.
He introduced us to the mentality and philosophy behind the conception of ‘Imagine If’.
©️ Rossiya Segodnya / Anton Denisov
What is the mentality behind ‘Imagine If’’s conception and where did the name come from?
‘Imagine if’ is made to provoke your imagination and think outside the box for solutions. We are so used to doing things in a certain way because it’s the norm. So, our name is an invitation to imagine our lives and the planet in a healthy state. What would that look like and how would we get there?
How does ‘Imagine If’ aim to inspire behavioral change?
We hope to try to stop the problem before it happens or stop the problem at the source through awareness campaigns. We aim to reach a whole generation and raise their awareness about the negative effects that we have on our environment and explore with them how we can save it.
What issues or aspects of the environment do you aim to tackle through it?
What we’re aiming for first is to raise awareness about the issues the environment is facing and what is commonly relevant to the country; the solutions will come at a later stage because we believe that one of the main issues at this point is the lack of public awareness and education about it.
Your content noticeably has a down-to-earth, conversational, and humorous tone. How did you settle on that and why?
When it comes to content, we all know for sure that we don’t want to go for the common lingo/colors that are out there! The problem is there and it needs serious attention with a friendly approach, so that’s what the ‘Imagine If’ brand is all about.
Did your work-life outside of ‘Imagine If’ and as a diver help feed your work on it? If so, how?
As a diver, my whole work is immersed in nature and in the sea, which has exposed me first-hand to the rising crisis, and throughout my work, I am always keen to help in saving nature in one way or another, for example: through organizing underwater cleanups.
Was pitching the competition to sponsors difficult? What types of sponsors did you attract and what are their roles?
Our sponsors/partners are our biggest supporters, this is a global crisis, and most of — if not all — the corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects are now focused on the environment. We’re here to serve this purpose and work together on making a change.
What changes alarm you the most about marine wildlife (in Egypt or around the world) that occurred due to human intervention?
Simply our waste; a lot of waste is dumped into the ocean and sea and that waste has plastic that destroys marine wildlife everywhere.
“The new generation has new beliefs, new patterns, they don’t have to re-learn, they already learned new ways, which gives me tremendous amounts of hope.”
Omar Samra, Cofounder of ‘Imagine If’
Omar Samra on His Relationship To Nature, and Hope Towards the Environment
Omar Samra, the Egyptian adventurer, entrepreneur, speaker, and writer, describes his relationship to nature with tremendous passion and insight. He was the first Egyptian to climb Mount Everest, and ever since, Omar has dedicated his life to adventure and even made a living out of bringing it closer to others.
So, what gives ‘Imagine If”s hope for our future on the planet, and what’s his relationship to nature like?
Via Omar Samra
How did your experience in travel and adventure help shape ‘Imagine If’ and what gives you hope that humans would avert the climate crisis?
My experience in travel and adventure took me to so many places around the world and I saw different things being done by people to conserve the environment, and it also showed me first-hand the impact that’s happening to the environment, so, if I am going to the north pole or the south pole, I am seeing the places where the ecological impact is most prevalent.
I am seeing the glaciers receding. And through the connection I’ve developed over the years to nature, I’m getting to appreciate — not only develop — an emotional connection with it. And I feel impacted when anyone does anything wrong to nature, but I also feel part of it. I understand because I care. I can’t be detached emotionally from it, I am fully invested in it.
The future generations give me hope, the generations that have grown up thinking differently, putting the environment first, and adopting different practices. The massive changes in behavior that needed to happen to generations that grew up believing that the things they’re doing aren’t bad things didn’t happen. However, we realized that they impact the environment in a negative way; it’s very difficult to change behavior in that sense.
“We’re not trying to find the best designer or photographer, we are looking for the strongest message, and I am sure that people can find a lot to say when it comes to environmental issues. It’s a great opportunity to showcase their work and start their creative journey.”
Mostafa Ismail, Competition Project Manager at ‘Imagine If’
The Competition Project Manager at ‘Imagine if’, Mostafa Ismail, on Their First Competition
Via Imagine If
How did you come to the decision of initiating a creative competition as your first one? What other areas do you expect to hold competitions in?
I wish it was my idea, however, I can’t say that I initiated the competition, I am what we can call the catalyst, I saw that ‘Imagine If’ was hiring and I applied. I knew I was a good fit and after an email, a call, and a conversation, I knew I had to take it on.
And now; here we are, I am honored to be the piece of the puzzle that helped make this social-impact-driven company come true and proud to be part of a team that cares about our surroundings. This competition is our first creative competition with a focus on non-organic waste; the next ones will probably be about other topics that pertain to environmental issues such as global warming, organic waste, etc. There’s a lot to tackle!
What advice would you give people who have no experience and want to debut their work in the competition? Should they pitch in as well?
I would say this is the perfect place to start. It’s an easy competition that doesn’t focus on the technical aspect, we focus on how people want to portray their message; does it fit in with the Egyptian audience? Is the topic they covered relevant? Did their message come across clearly?
We’re not trying to find the best designer or photographer, we are looking for the strongest message, and I am sure that people can find a lot to say when it comes to environmental issues. It’s a great opportunity to showcase their work and start their creative journey.
Is it now your full-time job or what else do you do?
It’s my full-time focus, but I am part-time, there’s a lot of work but it’s not crazy much. Right now, I focus my free time on my music and art. I am a writer and musician, and I generally enjoy finding time to allow my creativity to flow.
‘Imagine If’ were looking for a jack of all trades… and they got me! Today I could be talking and organizing our jury panel, then tomorrow I would be creating concept designs for our posts or writing content for our website. It’s an all-around role that requires a lot and I am humbled to be able to actually fulfill all the necessary duties.
Learn more about the competition and its details here, the application window is still open and you’ll have time!
