Mohamed Banawy Egypt, b. 1977

In 2017, a phenomenal incident took place in a football match: a historic Remontada for FC Barcelona over Paris Saint-Germain. After a 4-0 defeat in the first match, FC Barcelona bounced back with a 6-1 home win, proceeding to the next round in the Champions League – a true sports miracle.

With such a vigorous rebound, "Remontada" became a global sensation. It is a Spanish term that refers to ‘a robust recovery after defeat’, a ‘coming back’ in English.

The term has often been used to brand battles, civil wars, and independence revolutions that have erupted over the span of time between 16th and 19th centuries, as the Basque and Catalonia have attempted to gain independence from the Spanish crown.

A good analogy to a Remontada is a lion that falls ill, but never yields against death. “It was not coined to reside in the world of football, but rather to depict historic epics featuring opposition leaders against the Spanish crown. It has later been borrowed into literature and poetry to portray historic landmarks that bring nations back to their due status of past glory and prosperous advance. Remontada does not merely describe scoring masterful goals, it is rather exemplified by the comeback from destruction attained by the united Germany after WWII had split it into two states. It represents Japan’s resurrection after nuclear bombs, or Vietnam toiling back to the 21st century scene after the US had reduced it to rubble.”

We can soar in the realm of dreams and strive to attain a Remontada for our grand civilization, glorious history, and our progress that has weirdly and inexplicably halted, only to deny that marvelous course any further development. What if the moment has come to reconnect with our civilization?

Mohamed Banawy
2020