UN WOMEN CAMPAIGN

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Give mom back her name: #MyMothersNameIs

For men in Egypt and in many other countries in the Middle East, there is a peculiar taboo of not disclosing one's

mother’s name in public, to prevent her name from becoming the subject of shame and ridicule. Overtime, she’s only referred to as ‘The mother of her eldest son’.

UN Women’s 'Give Mom Back Her Name’ initiative is a simple yet powerful one that aims to eradicate this

taboo and give mothers in Egypt and the Middle East their names back in public fora. Launched on Egyptian Mother’s Day, 21 March, the campaign urges people to show their appreciation for a lifetime of love “with one small gift: Give Mom back her name. Change your Twitter profile picture to your mother’s name and #MyMothersNameIs. Let the world know she gave her all to raise you.”

Mohammed Naciri, UN Women Regional Director for the Arab States and North Africa, says: “A woman's name should never be associated with shame or embarrassment – this mother's day, we are reclaiming that space and recognizing women for the incredible individuals they are, not only as the mother of her eldest son.”

The initiative is created together with IMPACT BBDO Dubai and aims to open a larger conversation on women's rights and gender equality in the Middle East and the world.

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Over 3000 years old, we asked a seemingly innocuous question to men in Egypt - ‘What is your mother’s name?
Surprisingly, the men refused to tell us. This stemmed from a peculiar taboo where Egyptian men didn’t disclose their mother’s names in public, fearing they could be shamed or ridiculed.
So much so that mother’s names are forgotten over time, and they are only referred to as ‘the mother of her eldest son.’

We took our findings from the streets and launched a film on social media, to begin an initiative for the men of Egypt starting Mother’s Day, to ‘Give mom back her name’.

#MyMothersNameIs began trending online.

Becoming the 2nd most shared film worldwide on Facebook in under 24 hours.

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• CREDITS:
Executive Creative Director, Editor: Fadi Yaish
Art Directors: Maged Nassar, Tameem Younes
Copywriter: Aunindo Sen
Senior Creative Designer: Mohamed Said

Co-Studio: MAHDY STUDIO
Calligrapher: Muhammad ElMahdy
Production House: Bigfoot
Directors: Maged Nassar, Tameem Younes
Director of Photography: Ahmed Tahoun
Postproduction: Lizard

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• AWARD:
Cannes Lions 2015:
Glass Lion - Shortlist - Direct Lions