On March 2, 2012, the Faculty of Letters, at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, organized a book signing ceremony of the book Le Cèdre polyphonique. The book was written in French by four students: Maya Khadra, Linda Mahfouz, Nada Daou and Mathieu Pequignot.

In her speech, Maya Khadra pointed out that the book consisted of a collection of texts, written by four authors within the framework of a writing workshop. She stated, “Voltaire once said ‘Writing is the painting of voice’. From this perspective, our experience in this workshop was more like an ornament of suspicious and flagrant colours reflecting the echo of our deepest thoughts, in an authentic painting, which echoed the red, the white and the green”.

Afterwards in his speech, Rev. Fr. Karam Rizk, The Dean of USEK Faculty of Letters, emphasized that “…the release of this book is a sign of a brilliant future for our upcoming writers”, pointing out that “…this book is set within the context of a cultural project combining Orientalism and Francophony and uniting the East with the West; in other words, it combines feelings with reason, as a substance for eloquence, a spirit for poetry and an essence for the word”.

In her speech, Professor Nicole Chalhoub, President of the Doctoral College and Head of the Department of French Language and Literature, subsequently praised the strategic planning of the University, which was based on openness to academic and cultural partnerships on national, regional and international levels. She noted that, within the framework of the partnership agreement between USEK and the University of Lyon in France, Mathieu Pequignot was hosted by USEK, as an exchange student, in order to pursue his undergraduate studies in The Department of French Language and Literature. Professor Chalhoub also underlined that one of the missions of the Department consisted in supporting literary talents and promoting freedom of expression. Finally, she addressed the four writers saying, “Do not hesitate to pursue your dreams. Maybe one day each one of you will become a fully-fledged writer”.

The concluding speech was delivered by Mathieu Pequignot who thanked USEK for the opportunity it offered him “…to be among you today, in the country of Cedars, which I have always admired”. He also thanked Prof. Chalhoub for her support, in addition to the Teaching Body and the Student Affairs Office, for promoting the initiative of creativity in universities.