Oral History Archive Rabab Abu Doma

Rabab’s interview was part of a group interview with her sisters and business partners, Lobna and Omayma. Rabab discussed her family, her career, and her decision to launch two businesses with her sisters.

Rabab started the interview by mentioning that she is an alumna of the Faculty of Alsun, but that she did not work in her selected major. She worked as a graphic designer for a big company and then decided to stay at home to take care of her family. She founded two businesses along with her sisters Lobna and Omayma: Art Fun, an art school for children and “Touch Wood,” a wood-based home accessories project. The three of them decided to leave behind the corporate world where their working experience was and to become their own bosses. Rabab discussed the pressures and expectations of corporate life and how achieving a work-life balance was challenging. Running their own business provided them with much needed flexibility and the ability to set their own work schedules. It was important to Rabab to have this choice and to be happy with her work. Running the art school (their first project) and now “Touch Wood” allows her to follow her passion and work with her sisters, which she enjoys tremendously. Lobna addressed that abandoning the benefits and stability of corporate life was not easy, but they are happy with their decision. Lobna, Omayma, and Rabab also assert that their family was supportive and that nobody raised objections when they wanted to start their own business.

On the transition to starting the art school, Rabab stated they did not face difficulties due to their gender. The difficulties lied in logistical aspects such as obtaining permits and the like which Rabab found challenging. At Art Fun, they mainly dealt with women such as the mothers of their students. There was not much space to deal with men while they were running Art Fun. The three sisters mentioned an incident where a famous plastic artist wanted to merge with them and take over their business owing to Art Fun’s success. The three of them refused since this was their project and they did not want to hand over their work to anybody or be under anyone’s thumb. They felt some forms of gender-based discrimination when they founded Touch Wood and started dealing with male suppliers and carpenters. Rabab mentioned that they underestimate them as women and might think them to be frivolous at their business. Her sister Lobna mentioned that they were hesitant at first yet they later learned to be more assertive with their specifications and demands. Over time, their expertise with wood grew and they started to gain better understanding of what worked and what did not.

When asked about whether certain professions are gendered in her experience, Rabab did not agree with this. While she was working in media and advertising, the number of girls and boys was the same. She did not feel that girls were directed into some careers rather than others. At the company she worked for, there were gendered differences as the company allowed girls to leave work within their allotted time while boys could be expected to work till midnight. The workshop for Touch Wood only employs girls and women although the three sisters state this was unintentional. Rabab asserts that they naturally felt more comfortable with girls and women and when someone has to quit, they ask them for a girl to replace them. Regarding whether she feels men or women are more committed in the workplace, Rabab said that in their workshop now the most active worker is a single girl. Lobna, Omayma, and Rabab have perceived that girls are very committed in their work until they become engaged and get married. Their personal lives start to compromise their jobs.

Rabab noted that their work is unique and that Touch Wood addressed a niche in the market. She also added that after the success of Touch Wood, there emerged several copycats and imitators. They inspired others to go into woodworking and start their own businesses. She believes they are true pioneers within their market sector. Her sister Lobna proudly declared that they were the first company to do all the drawing and painting by hand on their products. No other company had done this before them.

As for the labor division, Lobna, Omayma, and Rabab have distributed their work responsibilities in accordance to their strengths. All of them are artists who use different styles and techniques. Lobna handles human resources and financials while Rabab takes care of organizational matters and handles orders for example. The three of them also take care of product distribution across different sectors of Cairo. Touch Wood has also expanded and reached different countries as buyers approach them from Saudi Arabia, Germany, Bahrain, and Kuwait among others. On the impact of COVID-19, Rabab mentioned that sales were drastically reduced and that she, Lobna, and Omayma stopped receiving salaries to ensure that the girls and women in their workshop were paid along with the carpenters. Things have improved but the pandemic’s effects are still affecting their business.