August 2011 Dedicated to Nathalie Atallah, may God bless your beautiful soul
Sayem wala zai kol sana?
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“You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.”- Friedrich Nietzsche
In This Issue Features
Bare Naked
08 Religion vs. the Religious 12 The Stories Behind Ramadan Folktales 14 Mawa2ed Al Ra7man
42 Mohamed Fikry: CJC’s Reception Manager
Underscore 22 24 26 28 30
Whatever Happened to Live and Let Live? HarriBottar, Egyptian-Style Save Al Moez Street Leave the Kids Alone! Egypt.Now
Opinionated 32 Growing Up Without Religion 34 Ya7ya Ya7ya 012! 36 Yes, This is Another Article About a Girl Taking Off Her Veil 38 I Do Want To Get Married, But Not Like This!
44 Eye Candy Patterns 50 Repeat After Me 52 Trends - Women 54 Made in Egypt The Green Passport 56 Mo7agaba in Amsterdam! Balls 58 The Truth Behind 7ssam and Heema Screens and Speakers 60 Mosalsalat Ramadan! 62 Interview with Nagham Masry
2 AUGUST 2011 CAMPUS
7
Chairman Shady Sherif
Editor-in-Chief Louis Greiss
Creative Director Leila Tapozada
Editors
Wessam Sherif Yasmine Zohdi
Junior Editor
Passand El Hammami
Fashion Editor Asma El Husseini
Media Executives Zeina El Alfy Ghada Zayed Ismaeel Khodeir
Financial Manager Ehab A. Aziz
Chief Accountant Sherif El Haggar
Accountant
AUGUST 2011
Ahmed Serag
Office Manager Sylvia Peter
Office Assistants Ibrahim Mansour Mohamed Eid
IT Manager Ahmed Saher
Production Executive Manager Sherif Mahmoud Mahmoud El Araby
Distribution Manager Shazly Eid
Distribution
Abdelhamed Fathy Ashraf Ramadan Gamal Moustafa Ramy Afifi Ragab Fathy Aly Afifi Aly Fawzy Waleed Gilani Abdel Aziz Abdel Rahman Mahmoud Samir
Art Director Ahmed Saad
Graphic Designers Bassem Raafat Nora El Gazzar Muhammed Abdelaal
Writers & Contributors Adham Roshdy Ahmad Amin Jailan Heidar Marwan Imam May Kamel Mohammed Jamal Radwa Al Rifai Sarah Macrory Youssef Saad Eldin
Cover Credits
Muhammed Abdelaal
CTP & Printing
Sahara Printing Company
Campus Magazine's Address 24 Abdelmenim Riyad St. Mohandiseen Tel: 3749 8730/3 Fax: 3749 8736
Emails
mail@core-publications.net info@core-publications.net customerservice@core-publications.net sales@core-publications.net
Heliopolis
69, Adidas(elmarghany), Africana Café C&CO (horeya st), Blue Brry (ard elgolf ) Beano's Café (Britich Council – Alkorba – Airport – British University), Belino Café, Café Mo, Cairo International Airport, Chess, , Coffee Roastery, Colors, Compu Me,Cat, Diwan Bookstore, Desire, Einstein,Euro Deli, EveryMans Bookstore,Farah Café , Flower Market , Function, Gelateria Roma Café , Gravity, Harris Café, Gudy, Gallery Bel3araby (elnozha st.) ,House café , Hope Flowers, Hot Pink, Khodier, IIPennello Ceramic Café, Kan Zaman Restauran, Linea, Liquid, , Maestro Music, Makani Café, McDonalds, Mobil Mart(elnozha-eldaery), Musicana, Munchies Café, No Name, Nuts @ Nuts, Occo, Oro Café, Pottery Café,Quicksilver, Ro 8, Schatz Café, Smart Gym, Shell Mart elnozha, STR8 , Spicy, Taurus, TresBon, Up 2 Date, Viking Café, Wabi Sabi, Why, World Gym, Zein Café.
Nasr City
2 Play (City Stars), Adidas(Genina mall-City star), Aroma Lounge (City Stars), Beano's Café (City stars – Makram Ebeid – Abbas El Akkad) , Calvin Klein Jeans, Casper & Gambini's, Cat,C & Co(city star),Esprit(city star), Farah Café(Genina mall), Glatteria Roma Café(city star), Gudy Kenoz Restaurant, ISI (City Stars),Legourmet marche café(city star),Madas , McDonalds (Abbas el Akkad), Musicana ,My Day café, Quicksilver(city center), Renaissance (Wonderland, Genina Mall, Tiba Mall), Ravin, Spicy (City Center - Genina Mall) , Virgin Megastore .
Mohandiseen
4Get -Me -Not!, Adidas & Timberland(lebnan st,shehab st-Gezert alarab st), Alcott, Beano's Café (Gameat ElDowal st. )Beau jardin café ,Café Mo, Café Nour, Cedars café , C& Co, Ciccio café , Chess, Cilantro,Mohamed El Sagheer, Miss Coco, Cocolina, Dar albalsam Book store ,Diwan, Eventya Flowers , Harrod, Hot pink, Laguna Café, L`aroma Café, Makani, Marsh Café, McDonalds, Mori suchi , Multi stores, Non bookstore, Oxygen, Pasqua Café', Quick, Quicksilver, Renaissance library, Ricky's Diner, Royal Nails, Reblay , Safari Café, Samia Alouba, Silviana heach (Gezert alarab) Solitaire café , Show Room , Second Cup Café, Spectra café , Spicy, Sports Café , Tommy & Hilfiger , Tornado Café, Toscanini café, Café, Volume One, Zarina, Zein café, Zee Lounge café.
Downtown & Mokattam
AUC bookstore, Beano's Café (Mohamed Mahmoud st. – Road 9 ) Beymen ,Botry café, CIC (Markaz El Soura El Mooasra),Cilantro, French Cultural Center, Lehnert & Landrok Bookshop, Main, Maktabet El Balad, McDonalds (Tahrir), Sixteen, Ravin, Cinema Renaissance (Nile City), Jungle Café,
Dokki & Agouza
Beano's Café (Britich Council), Coffee Roastry(nadi elsaid-maka st), International Cultural Center, Mr. Joe, Makani café , Momento Café, Orange café, Quick24 , Quick seliver , Retro Café, Renaissance Cairo Sheraton, Spicy, Tabasco Café(mesdak-3man sq), Zein Café, Zarina .
Zamalek
Alakhbar Bookstore, Arabica café, AUC bookstore, Bean bar, Beano's Café (Sheikh El Marsafawy Sq) Cilantro, Cocolina , Crave Café, Diwan, Einstein Café, Euro Deli, FDA, 69, Gardenia Flowers, Goal café, Googan Bookstore,Joffrey’s Café, Kodak exepres , Latverna Café, L'aubergine, Makani café Medza Luna, Mex Café , Mobil Mart, Mohamed El Sagheer, Mori Sushi, Munchies Café,Oringett café , Pizza Tabasco, Quick 24,Ravin, Romanci Bookshop,Segafredo Café , Sequoia Timberland, WIF Café, Zamalek bookshop , Van Gogh Bookshop .
Maadi
Adidas(Grand mall),adam bookstore, Arthur Murray, Bakier Stationary, Bander Café, Beano's Café (Street 9 – HSBC)Benz Café, Books & Books , Beta Bookshop , Renaissance Cinema (Maadi Bander), Beau Jardin Café, Bookspot, Caj, Campus Euro Deli, Cat, Chilis, Coffee Roastery, Greco Café , Costa Café (9 st.), Drink Shop, El Shader Café, Dunes Lounge, Emad Beuty Centre, Ghazala Stationary, Glassdeco, Green Mill, Gudy, Kotob Khan, Honest Book Shop , Makani Café, McDonalds, Mediterraneo Restaurants, Quicksilver, Renaissance library, Rigoletto , Samia Alouba, Second cup(9 st.) ,Shell Shop Degla , Show room, Spectra café,The Bakiry Café , Temberland , Volume One.
October City
Beano's Café (MSA – Mall of Arabia )Beau jardin café café mo, Melounge café , McDonalds, Maxicana café , Morisuchi café Renaissance 6 October, Safary café , Second cup, Shell Shop, Solitaire, Sans soucis café, Traionon café .
Giza & Haram
Beano's Café ( Ibn Arhab st. ) Dar El Shorouk bookshop, Maxicana café ,Polo Shop , Renaissance Cairo Mall
Alexandria
24Seven Café, Adidas & Timberland (Syria st, - City Center), Banna Stationary, Beano's Café ( Carrefour City Center – San Stefano Mall ), C&CO (San Stefano Mall )Cilantro (Kafr Abdo, City Center), Coffee Roastery, Deekom, Faces (City Center), Guess (City Center), Magrabi (City Ctr), Mazaya (City Ctr), McDonalds (Miami-Semouha), Quiksilver (City Center), The Sixties café , Tamarin Center, Rapo Gift Shop.
Tanta
Axon (Saeed Branch, El Bahr st.) Pizza station ( tanta club , El Helw st.) La plato café.
السادة الصيادلة، تعلـن شركـة جالكسـو سميثكـالين كونسيومر هيـلث كـير المحـدودة عن تـوافـر مستحضـري بـانـادول وبـانـادول اكسـترا لدى شركـات التوزيع الكبرى.
تصنيع شركـة اإلسكندريـة لألدويــة والصنـاعــات الكيماويــة بتصريح من شركـة جالكسـو سميثكـالين كونسيـومـر هيلث كـير المحـدودة ،ايـرلنـدا. PANADOL is a registered trade mark of the GlaxoSmithKline Group of Companies. For full prescribing information please write to GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, PO Box 23816, Dubai, UAE.
SECTION
Saba7 El Farhada! It’s summer. Not only that; it’s Ramadan too. And as if that wasn’t enough, there’s a sit-in in Tahrir Square, not to mention other cities all over the country, again. What do those three facts have in common, you may ask, other than the fact that they all overlap? Well, ‘farhada’ is the word. The scorching summer sun on its own is enough to make you curse your life fifteen times a minute, the lack of caffeine, nicotine and sugar while you’re fasting drives you mad, and sleeping on the ground in the square leaves every muscle in your body aching like a bitch. The moment it hit me, I couldn’t begin to imagine how we’re supposed to handle all of this. But then I came to realize that ‘farhada’ is an essentially Egyptian trait; I couldn’t even find an equivalent for it in the English language. We are a nation of ‘faraheed’ by nature. We’re used to farhada, and sometimes we don’t even mind it. It’s too much a part of our daily routine for us to be bothered anymore. Most of the time we just need to know it’s worth it. We need to know it’s worth the sweat and the constant ‘talzee2’, it’s worth the hunger and fantasizing about chilled 7Up you can’t drink, it’s worth the sore backs and being forced to listen to hysterical people screaming onstage in the Square at 3 am instead of sleeping. And that’s what we must find. This commitment; this faith; this belief that leaves you sure beyond any doubt that it is in fact worth it. The commitment that makes you endure horrifying Cairo traffic every morning in the mindless heat on your way to work, because you love what you do, or because you need it. The faith that makes you give up that heavenly cup of coffee in the morning for a whole month because you want to take a step closer to God. The belief that makes you leave the comfort of your home and take to the streets for weeks on end because you know deep in your heart that this country still has a perfect chance at making it. So commit. Have faith. Believe. In short, ‘farhad’! It’s more than worth it, this time precisely. And I promise you (I don’t know on what basis, but I do promise you) that there will be plenty of time for some serious, much needed and pretty damn well-earned ‘2anta7’a’ – the antonym of ‘farhada’ and yet surprisingly another essential Egyptian trait – ahead.
6 AUGUST 2011 CAMPUS
] FEATURES ]
Religion
versus the Religious By Sarah Macrory
R
Who gets to judge whom? eligion and the religious, two separate concepts that are used interchangeably and are severely misconstrued by Egyptian society have wormed their way into this issue of Campus.
What you, the reader, should understand is that the two have differences as wide as the split Moses made in the Red Sea. There is a mounting frustration amongst the youth of Egypt regarding the misinterpretation of religion; of course having the Islamic elements of our society become more pronounced post-revolution has highlighted this topic of debate even further.
What’s become apparent recently is that the Egyptian society has resorted to stereotypes… huh, typical. Both the liberalminded youth who have an indifferent or more relaxed approach to religion regard the religious bodies and movements as a threat to their lifestyle. The opposite applies too; according to many so-called “religious scholars” (like the guy beta3 ‘2etgambazi ya mar2a’) look at those relaxed about religious dictations with disgust. The real question is why the hell do both sides of the fence even judge in the first place? Ma kolloo yeroo7 fi 7alloo wikhalas. A fundamental element of democracy and Islam is to accept others for their own points of view… tolerance is the word. A number of people have come forward with their own stories of how the religious see it fit to judge others for their religious-ness (yeah, I made up a word, just for this article). I’d like to think of myself as moderately religious but I do have my share of inner conflicts from time to time. To me, religion is more than the rituals and traditions that one is taught to obey or follow but it also includes an element of self-improvement. I try my best to keep up with the daily prayers and try to judge others less and practice forgiveness more often. In Egypt, it seems like one is more likely to come across individuals from both ends of the religious spectrum rather than those who are smack dab in the middle. It is usually that both extremes are quite opinionated and voice these opinions, loudly. While the more moderate bunch keep their own views to themselves, lest they find they are trapped in an unnecessary heated debate. Unfortunately, there’s been a holier-than-thou mentality in the Egyptian society long before the revolution and it continues to rear its ugly head. It is a shame that many people who claim to be religious look down on others and choose to judge them instead of respect them and their views, religious or otherwise; thereby negating any and all redeeming qualities about them. A few years ago, I took a trip to Paris and brought back a shawl and a
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headscarf for my grandmother. To my surprise, she returned my gifts saying that I “needed” them more than she did, another one of her backhanded remarks to imply that I should maybe consider covering up or even wearing a veil. Needless to say, her comment was not well received at first but then I realized that it had nothing to do with me, and everything to do with her, so I brushed it off. Encountering people who do not approve of your attire as a woman is frequent, to say the least. But as another brave soul puts it blatantly: “If men wear shorts in Ramadan, then they are deliberately making girls look at their legs and hence breaking their fast!” It’s a two-way street buddy boy. Both men and women have to keep their thoughts pure during the holy month; I’ve heard people suggest that women should try and stay indoors. My response is usually… “Men should stay indoors too then. Why don’t we all just work from home! Better yet. Why don’t both men and women give up their jobs, their lives for a the holy month and then resume when it’s over?” (Please note the sarcasm). This is of course an extreme solution.
Elgomhoreya.tv Egypt’s very first online TV channel FROM THE MAKERS OF CAMPUS, E7NA AND GMAG – IS ELGOMHOREYA.TV! THE WEBSITE HAD ITS SOFT LAUNCH IN EARLY JULY, WITH THE EXCLUSIVE ‘MATLOOB ZA3EEM’ MUSIC VIDEO BY CAIROKEE, WHICH HAS BEEN TAKING FACEBOOK AND TAHRIR BY STORM (IT WAS PERFORMED THERE SEVERAL TIMES), THE ICONIC AND IRONIC ‘WHO WE ARE’ VIDEO, AND ELGOMHOREYA.TV’S VERY OWN CONSTITUTION. EVEN THOUGH IT’S BEEN RECENTLY LAUNCHED, ELGOMHOREYA.TV IS ALREADY CREATING A GINORMOUS BUZZ. PEOPLE ARE WONDERING WHAT EXACTLY ELGOMHOREYA TV IS ABOUT, WHAT’S TO BE EXPECTED FROM THEM IN THE FUTURE, AND WHAT EXACTLY IS ‘ONLINE TV’? KHALEENA NE2OLOKO:
What’s to be expected in the future?
When phase two of Elgomhoreya.tv kicks in, expect all sorts of webisodes, shows, reports, v-blogs and series – all completely exclusive to Elgomhoreya.tv. All content is made with the purpose of entertaining and informing. There will also be a section dedicated to discovering young Arab talent, so make sure you stay tuned for that.
Why online TV?
The great thing about online TV is that you can watch whatever you want, whenever you want, whether from home, work or even from your phone. It’s also a great way to interact with other viewers/ users.
What Elgomhoreya.tv is about?
The online TV channel was created completely by young people who were fed up with Egyptian media as we know it now. They wanted something honest, transparent, “agenda-free”, informative and responsible - and due to the lack of that here in Egypt, Elgomhoreya.tv decided to do it themselves.
Why you shouldn’t pirate videos from Elgomhoreya.tv:
They’ve had a problem with people taking off exclusive content from their website and putting it on other sites. The problem with that is that Elgomhoreya.tv is really trying to be the first real Egyptian online TV channel, and every time content is stolen and traffic is diverted, it takes away from that. Everything on Elgomhoreya.tv can be shared on your Facebook or Twitter right from the official website! So please support them and their attempt at revolutionizing Egyptian media and help put a stop to video piracy.
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Do you have a talent you want to share with the world?
Whether you’re a performer, script-writer, video-producer, short movie director or want to create your own v-blog, music video clip or even just a song, share it with them! ElGomhoreya.TV is giving you the platform and the chance to be seen by thousands of people every single day! If interested, email them at: participate@elgomhoreya.tv Check out www.Elgomhoreya.tv and sign up for their newsletter, which will let you know as soon as new content is available. The Elgomhoreya. tv community is already booming! Facebook page: Elgomhoreya.tv Twitter: @elgomhoreyatv Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/elgomhoreyatv
FEATURES
The stories behind Ramadan’s
folktales
It wouldn’t be the Holy month of Ramadan in Egypt if we didn’t have excessive amounts of fawanees all over the city, the madfa3 (edraaab!) on every TV channel right before iftar, the mesaharati who calls us by name to wake us up for sohour, Mawa2ed El Rahman, and all the sweet desserts that people bring over every time you have an 3ozooma! We all know the deal, but have you ever wondered how these traditions came about in the first place?
t
y h c
ya lahw
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By Passand El Hammami
After some research, it was clear that there isn’t one original story for each tradition, there are too many! And since no one can really confirm which story is true, we decided to give you the ones that are most commonly known.
El Fanoos The Fatimid Caliph Al Hakim Bi-Amr Allah wanted to illuminate the streets of Cairo during Ramadan nights, so he ordered all the sheikhs of mosques to hang fawanees that could be lit by candles. Since then, the fanoos became a custom that has never been abandoned. During the time of the Caliph Al Hakim Bi-Amr Allah, women weren’t allowed to leave their houses except during Ramadan, but even then they had to be preceded by a little boy carrying a copper fanoos. The fanoos was used to signal the arrival of a woman to instruct men in the street to move away. As the laws against women softened, women were allowed to go out as they pleased, but people liked the idea of the fanoos, so it became a tradition that little children carry them in the streets everyday to play. This story shows that the fanoos came from a completely different religion. Some believe that the use of lanterns was originally a Coptic Christian tradition celebrated during Christmas time, when people used to celebrate with colorful candles. The story goes on to explain that since many Christians converted to Islam, they took this tradition with them in the form of lanterns made of tin and lit with candles.
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Sweet Dates (Bala7) Dates are a staple fruit of the Middle East having been in cultivation for thousands of years. Traditionally, dates are known as the food Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) ate when he broke from his fast.
Al-Mesaharati Atayef
This tradition goes back to the early days of Islam. Bilal Ibn Maktoom was the first mesaharati in the history of Islam and he used to call people from the top of a mosque telling them to stop eating. The tradition started in Egypt in the year 238 AH (Hijri) with Antaba Bin Ishaq, the ruler of Egypt, himself walking from Fustat City to Amr Ibn Al-Aas Mosque singing “e’bad Allah tasaharo” (worshipers of Allah, eat sohour). In time, the drum was introduced as an instrument to assist the mesaharati.
The first person that ate Atayef was Sultan Amawy Suleiman Ibn Abd El Malak. Some sources say, during the Fatimiyeen era, dessert makers were very competitive during the month of Ramadan, so one of them decided to stuff the pastry with mokasarat, folding it in the shape of the Atayef we know today, so that it’s easy to eat.
Konafa It used to be the dessert only the rich would eat, but during the time of the Mamluks, in efforts to get closer to the people of Egypt, they decided to share this dessert with them. Since then it’s been a traditional sweet loved by everyone.
Al Baqlawa There was once a Turkish Sultan, whose wife’s name was Baklava, and he asked her to come up with a new kind of dessert that he never ate before. So she created a dessert out of goulash, sugar, and butter. When he tasted it he loved it, and decided to call the dessert after her name, hence ‘baqlawa’.
Ma2edat Al Rahman During the time of ruler Ahmed Ibn-Toloun, it’s said that in his 4th year of ruling, he invited all the highest ranking workers of Cairo for iftar, and in the middle of it he suggested that, in good spirit of the Holy month, they don’t spend big sums of money on themselves and to feed the poor in their respective neighborhoods. During the Fatimid period, ruler Al Moez Ledin-Allah Al Fatimy was in front of the Amr Ibn Al Aas mosque and was giving out 1,100 plates of food to the poor. The most well-known story is of Prince Ibn Al-Durat Al Fatimy, whose palace was located in Shoubra. He used to feed the poor on a 500 meter long table.
Madfa3 Ramadan During the time of Ottoman ruler Khosh Qadam, he had been given a cannon as a gift which he tested during the first day of Ramadan. When it was fired, all of Cairo reverberated with the sound of the cannon. The inhabitants of Cairo were impressed and thought that this
was a new way of announcing sunset. The next day the people congratulated him on such a clever new method, and since then it become a custom. During the time of Mohamed Ali’s rule, it is told that he was testing a cannon he bought from Germany in Ramadan and fired it at the same time as iftar. Since
then, it has become tradition to fire the Madfa3 everyday during Ramadan to mark iftar and sohour. During the time of ruler Al Khedeiwy Ismail, the soldiers were cleaning the cannon and by accident fired it. The people were thrilled with the Al Khedeiwy’s innovative idea to announce the break of fast. And his daughter,
Princess Fatma, urged him to make a tradition of the signal; and since then the cannon has been synonymously nicknamed “Haja Fatma”.
Fact: Since the invention of the radio, the original Ramadan cannon that is in the Citadel stopped being used. However, in 1983, the Minister of Interior Ahmed Roushdy brought back the tradition and since then the cannon is fired during Ramadan. 13
مموواائئدد االلررححممنن
FEATURES
The finest form of bribery … By Wessam Sherif
Mawa2ed Al Ra7man were first introduced at the time of Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) as a welcoming gesture to the people of Ta’ef who had newly joined Islam. The Mawa2ed were later adopted by Islamic leaders throughout the Caliphate period as a way of bringing the Ummah together and reaching out to those in need. Needless to mention however, leaders at the time didn’t need the Ummah’s votes for an upcoming chain of elections… Since this Ramadan stands as a crucial phase prior to the elections, I sincerely hope that my attempts at depicting a thorough analysis of this topic prove successful, because if not, I don’t get a second chance. But beforehand, however, I would like to note that I am not questioning the intentions of people through this article; I’m just raising questions. Charity… or implicit bribery? The concept of Ma2edat Al Ra7man is a very noble one; the privileged lend the not-so-privileged a helping hand during the holy month of Ramadan, bringing Muslims together during iftar. It is a form of charity, if you will. On paper, Mawa2ed Al Ra7man are nothing short of charitable. It’s how people practice it, however, that exposes the faultiness and abuse of charity because there are many issues we need first consider:
Know your feeder’s name? Anonymous charity is true charity. That’s why many questions are usually raised when any form of charity is deliberately publicized and traced back to its funder. As they come every day to claim their free meal, the poor won’t care who offered it, but will remember him in the future. And that is precisely is what many count on: “Remember me, now why don’t you vote for me?” I mean, you don’t put a big banner with your name on what is supposedly a charitable event, unless you expect something in return. Egypt has historically been plagued with all sorts of corrupt campaigning, including those that involve giving people “food for votes”. The most recent of those was last year, when ex-NDP members held large Mawa2ed that could take up to 500 members, and found no shame in introducing the attendees to the party’s program.
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Political meals The aforementioned brings us to a very important point, campaigning. The NDP is technically dead, and their remnants are despised, so they’re in more ways than one out of the picture, but could the Ikhwan take their place? Could the Ikhwan be the new vote mongers? Most likely. Having a strong history of mixing politics with religion, this Ramadan comes as a golden opportunity for Ikwhan to “gain people’s support”. True, they have had their share of Ramadan campaigning in the past, but on a small scale, whereas this year the revolution brings them an unprecedented breathing space. Now that they’re running for presidency, preceded by nation-wide parliamentary campaign, I personally expect the “Mawa2ed market” to be on fire. They have enough resources to delude people into thinking, that “Ikhwan will end your hunger.” That’s bad.
Charity isn’t development Official 2009 figures show that a staggering 516 million pounds was spent on Mawa2ed Al Ra7man which were visited by a little over 2 million people. Whereas unofficial figures (usually more credible to me) show that over a billion pounds were spent on Mawa2ed that encompassed 3 million people over the month of Ramadan. These statistics were based only on the licensed Mawa2ed. Now it kinda makes sense why Mawa2ed trade could be popular amongst politicians, huh?
But being politicians, long-term goals mean nothing when the elections are so near. So, yes, they’d rather feed the people and “buy” their votes, than actually put this money into developing the country. The fact that 20% of the population lies under the poverty line, demands that this ginormous sum of money be put into developmental projects. But on the other hand, it brings politicians hungry mouths that could be easily directed towards the ballot boxes. A moral test politicians usually fail.
Accordingly, since Mawa2ed Al Ra7man are charity, they should be institutionalized; a body (one of integrity, not necessarily governmental) should be responsible for their geographic distribution and organization. And at this point, all what the real good-doers have to do is offer donations to this institution, which guarantees truly anonymous charity, and impartiality.
To compete or not to compete?
On the other hand, parties that choose to play a moral and honest game, should, even if temporarily, drop the ideology rant. If they truly want quick popular support, they should tend to people’s demands and find alternatives to “free iftars”, be it through short and medium term developmental projects, or through good old-fashioned honest lobbying. Because at this point, the only ideology most people believe in, their real dogma of choice, is:
And speaking of moral tests, should the newborn parties rise to the Ikhwan’s challenge and delve into the Mawa2ed game as well? It’s a dilemma, because if they do, they would be using morally questionable strategies, and I don’t think that’s what we quite expect of the next phase. But if they don’t, they stand disadvantaged in the face of the well-organized Islamic entity. I personally expect big iftars to be held by the strongly funded parties. Politics is politics. The competitor however will not be the parties, it’ll be Tahrir. A huge multi-thousand-man iftar, if not a million-man one will be selforganized there on an almost daily basis, and not for campaigning purposes. Unless of course Ikhwan decide to play good Samaritans and pay the square a visit.
Ideologies mesh bet2akel 3eesh, literally
عض قلبي وال تعض رغيفي
Institutionalizing charity? In the olden days, Mawa2ed Al Ra7man were state-sponsored. In other words, it was the government as an institution that held iftars, and even if it was this Caliph or that one who funded them, at the end of the day, they represented the state. Nowadays, individuals and independent entities assume responsibility of iftars, and that’s when personal gain surfaces and the previously mentioned problems come about. PERCENTAGE OF EGYPTIANS UNDER THE POVERTY LINE
17
] PRESS RELEASE ]
Chipsy launches an online donation campaign to support vulnerable school children Egyptian snack food giant Chipsy works together with the World Food Program (WFP) on the Food for Education project aimed at alleviating hunger among vulnerable school children whilst promoting education, nutrition and health in the poorest areas of Egypt. Under its innovative campaign themed “give them back their childhood, give them back their smiles”, Chipsy allocates a portion of its sales proceeds to support the Food For Education project in providing school meals to the needy children with a threefold objective of reducing children’s dropout rates, improving their intellectual retention and combating malnutrition in young age. Drawing on this successful partnership, Chipsy is launching a big online donation campaign to give every Egyptian the opportunity to contribute to the cause by simply visiting chipsyegypt.com and clicking the yellow box. The campaign is designed to scale up the Food-For-Education program through providing school meals and funding the construction of a number of schools in the remote areas in Upper Egypt, targeting to reach 4,650 children and their families with an estimated total of 23,000 beneficiaries.
P&G stands among the best employers of the Middle-East For the second time in a row, Procter & Gamble (P&G) has been recognized as one of the best employers in the Middle East by Aon Hewitt through the largest employee research of this kind to be conducted in the Middle-East. The best employers are selected by an independent panel comprised of leading academics and prominent business leaders. The Aon Hewitt Best Employers in Middle East 2011 study examined the effectiveness of the top employers’ people practices, and looked into how the best employers in the Middle-East were succeeded in aligning their people practices to business. The Aon Hewitt recognition highlights P&G’s respect to employees and granting them the best privileges, whiche help them progress, as well as the company’s pioneering role in promoting values and business ethics. As a top employer, P&G’s constant eagerness to select the best talents is a key factor to maintain the distinguished standard of employees and maintaining its leadership in the region.
Google hosts workshops on the usage of Youtube for news and politics prior to the upcoming elections Google hosted a series of workshops to demonstrate how to use YouTube for News and Politics. The workshops offered training on the various features and services available on the video sharing platform for news organizations, including broadcasters, print and online media, in addition to government and political organizations. Steve Grove, Head of News and Politics for YouTube highlighted the usage of YouTube in MENA and in Egypt in particular. He demonstrated YouTube Moderator, YouTube Direct, YouTube Trends and the YouTube Trends dashboard. He stressed that “the aim of YouTube is to develop and promote user content to increase access to information.” Grove highlighted how Egyptians used YouTube to share their stories this year and of the 1.2 million videos uploaded in Egypt in 2011, 14% were classified as “news and politics” which is significantly higher than other countries. He also presented stats on YouTube globally and in the Middle East North African region. There are more than 48 hours of YouTube video uploaded every minute and more than 200 billion videos watched every day, in the MENA region and there are 100 million videos viewed every day.
France’s renowned PAUL Bakery & Restaurant is now open at City Stars and Downtown Mall Kattameya PAUL Bakery & Restaurant opened its first branches in Egypt at City Stars and in Downtown Mall Kattameya in late July, introducing a wide selection of authentic French breads, gourmet pastries and viennoiseries as well as salads, sandwiches and main courses to the Egyptian market. The eagerly awaited bakery and restaurant - which already has a great fan following in Egypt by those who have been able to visit PAUL in other countries - is destined to become a great success in Egypt. The focus on real, home-cooked French food and the enormous skill and expertise of its master bakers and pastry chefs will be a welcomed addition to Cairo’s restaurant scene. PAUL’s world-famous breads are baked several times during the day in a traditional hand-crafted way to ensure consistent fresh quality and customer satisfaction. In addition, PAUL brings the true French Art de Vivre to Egyptian consumers not only by offering delicious food, but also through the ‘rustic-chic’ interior of their restaurants. Christian Salloum, Brand Manager of PAUL Middle East said, “We are very excited to bring a little taste of France to Egypt. PAUL is committed to providing great taste and freshness for an unrivalled experience and we are sure many Egyptians will not only take to our quality of food, but will also enjoy the authentic shop designs in a relaxing atmosphere.” PAUL’s success story dates back to its start as a humble bakery in northern France over 120 years ago. The enormous respect for tradition and the use of the finest quality ingredients have made PAUL what it is today, a familyrun business with over 450 shops worldwide. Currently, there are 29 branches across seven countries in the Middle East and North Africa region, as well as the most recent locations in Egypt. The majority of these are run by Azadea, a leading operator of international franchise concepts in the region.
18 AUGUST 2011 CAMPUS
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] UNDERSCORE]
Whatever happened to live and let live? Newsflash: Christians don’t fast in Ramadan…
By Youssef Saad El Din
You’ve gotta love Ramadan. For many people it is by far their favorite month of the year, some students even prefer it over summer vacation (I wasn’t one of those people). However people enjoy it for different reasons, some do for spiritual/ religious reasons, others for “el gaw el ramadany” and the majority of older people for mosalsalat Ramadan. Personally, I really like it, not for spiritual reasons, but because I’m a pragmatic person. When you say a whole month of half working days, the ass-kicking free food in 3ozoomat Ramadan, and last but not least, 3eed following it, along with the precious 3edeya… Then make no mistake, I’m in! (Yes, am a 23 year old grown man who still takes 3edeya, don’t judge me… they don’t pay me much for these articles around here!) However, the reason Ramadan is not my all-time favorite month is because of a small issue…. Fasting! Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for spirituality and stuff, but you can’t blame me for complaining about the thirst, the constant need to smoke, and more importantly the hunger! I always couldn’t help but notice that non-Muslims in Egypt definitely get the better end of the deal, I mean they enjoy all the perks of Ramadan, yet they don’t have to starve to death like I do. So this has to be, indisputably, the favorite month for non- Muslims. Right? Not necessarily. After interviewing several Christians and foreigners, it turns out there are many aspects I’ve been missing… When Michel Anton, a 24-year-old Egyptian Catholic was first asked about what Ramadan signifies for him, he immediately responded by saying: “The working hours are simply brilliant” but then addressed the issue of other people accepting the fact that he is not fasting. “Normally there is no problem when it comes to eating or drinking, but when I start smoking in public, I often get looks of disapproval from nearby people, insinuating that I shouldn’t be doing that, despite the fact that they do know that I am a Christian.” Michel told about this one time when he was in college, smoking a cigarette in Ramadan, and suddenly another student approached him and asked him why he wasn’t fasting. When Michel explained (as if he
22 AUGUST 2011 CAMPUS
owed anybody an explanation) that he is a Christian, the guy responded by “yeb2a lazem tekhaly 3andak dam w ta7tarem masha3er el saymeen!” Another issue Michel faces during Ramadan is the fact that stores that sell alcoholic beverages close up in Ramadan, which forces him to stock up before the month begins, which is a slight inconvenience. 24-year-old Ebram Benjamin, a Coptic Christian, also shares Michel’s enthusiasm about the short working hours, along with pointing out el gaw el Ramadany that he really does enjoy because it is, in his words, “one of a kind; you don’t find that kind of atmosphere in any other Arab country during Ramadan, I’d rather spend Ramadan in Egypt than anywhere else.”
However, Ebram also faces a problem when it comes to eating and drinking in public. “You can’t as much as have a sip of water in your car, without finding some creepy meddler knocking on your windshield asking you why aren’t you fasting.” For some reason, when it comes to this, there is no respect for privacy whatsoever, which I’d guess could get very annoying after a while. Another issue is that bars close up for the month, the only place where you can see alcoholic drinks being served is hotels, and they don’t serve alcohol to Egyptians in Ramadan... Muslims or Christians! Like Michel and Ebram, Maria Joseph, 22-years-old, enjoys the general atmosphere in Egypt during Ramadan, and aside from banning alcohol, and the “looks of disapproval”, Maria also adds that sometimes she gets comments like :“7aram 3aleko, da7na saymeen” if she’s eating in public. (I’ve always assumed that this was a regular mo3aksa line, but apparently it applies in this case too). An anonymous American, who has been living in Egypt for 6 years, had something different to say about Ramadan. “It’s pretty much the same, the only difference is the working hours, and the festive atmosphere.” When asked about the harassment (yes, I see it as a form of harassment) that the others spoke of, he said that he never so much as got a weird look from anyone! The funny thing is, last time I checked Ramadan was a Muslim thing, not Egyptian. I understand but I do not condone the fact that you might feel uncomfortable when you’re fasting while others are eating and smoking, but for the love of God, have some self control, just look the other way.
What I fail to understand and condone, however, is the fact that it’s ok for foreigners but not for Christians; it simply doesn’t make any sense. I could only imagine what it is it like to exercise your natural, God-given right to eat, without breaking the teachings of your own religion or moral code, and yet feel that you’re doing something wrong. To sum it up, perhaps Ramadan is pretty much a walk in the park for non-Muslims, but nevertheless, the fact that some Egyptian Muslims think that Christians must refrain from eating and drinking in public in order to respect the feelings of fasting Muslims, sort of ruins the “spirit of Ramadan”.
Opposite ends of the spectrum Anonymous, female, “I work at EFG
Sylvia Peter, 27-years-old: “I
Hermes, where the rooms are big and
personally don’t like to eat, drink or
everyone can see everyone. During
smoke in front of people fasting - no
Ramadan, girls who have their period
one’s ever said anything to me about
hide out in the bathroom to eat or
it at all, but I personally don’t feel
drink - and a lot of them ask me to
comfortable doing it, especially when
get coffee for them from the kitchen. I
it’s hot and I’m sure a lot of people
don’t mind, but I end up looking odd
want water; in that case I’d feel bad
because people see me making the
drinking in front of them. Actually, a lot
trip from the kitchen to the bathroom
of my Muslim friends encourage me to
with a cup of coffee every twenty
drink or eat in front of them normally,
minutes!”
but I never do it.”
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By Sarah Macrory
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Dear Potter geeks, accept our sincerest apologies… For those of you who don’t know, the Harry Potter series is based in the U.K., home of biscuits and cups o’ tea… the equivalent of kobayet shai koshary. One wonders sometimes if J.K. Rowling, in the midst of all her flying paperwork and musings, would have considered basing the series in a different culture. Most writers use their own knowledge as a base before writing fiction. So here’s the breakdown of what would have happened if Harri was in Egypt… juuuuuust for fun. HarriBottar El Masri
Let’s say for arguments sake that Harry himself was graced with the opportunity of being Egyptian. Sticking to the plot, he would have probably been a thoroughly abused orphan in the middleclass home of his aunt and uncle’s in Mohandiseen. His cousin, judging by his size, would have the nickname ‘Tafaha’/ ‘Tifo’ instead of “Duddykins”. He’d have dismissed Hagrid as a crazy homeless man ranting on and on about a wizarding school and probably tried to shoot him alongside his Uncle Vernon; ‘cause family comes first in Egypt… no matter how abusive and shitty they are. Harri would have found out about his fame before going to Hogwarts, because let’s face it we never keep juicy gossip to ourselves (hide a magical community in Egypt?? Please!). He would have discovered through BBM, Facebook, Twitter, Scene & Heard or even Al Ahram. His fame would have gotten to his head and his “arrogance” (quoting Professor Snape) would have been so unbearable that he would have made more enemies than just Draco Malfoy… As for friends, Hermione would’ve probably had a cat-fight with Ginny over Harry (both are Egyptian too by the way) because who doesn’t want to have the ‘Chosen One’ on their arm? Ron would have been dismissed immediately by Granger as: ‘Not my type’ because: “eh dah!?… He’s a ginger… He’s not smart khaaaliss… w ba3dein he doesn’t have a future really. Harri ragel keda!” Harri’s infamous troubles with the evil/maybe-not-so-evil/ kinda decent Professor Snape would have probably escalated to enormous heights; Harry would’ve been expelled for badmouthing the teacher (again, he’s Egyptian… swearing is second nature) and probably ended up taking on several jobs to support his wives (Hermione & Ginny) and kids (all at the tender age of 15 or 16 no less). HarriBottar: mechaneeki, using fragments of his old wand to fix everything instantaneously by day; badass adventurous bus driver by night, navigating Cairo traffic by shrinking all the cars in the way. Safe to conclude… no epic battle scenes and Lord Voldy would’ve gotten his way in the end... maybeh?
Lord Voldemort: El Saffa7
Egyptian villains always have a soft side. If you ever watch those black & white movies on Channel 2, there’s always a villain and for some reason you always have to have a tinge of sympathy for him or her (usually a him, ’cause our patriarchal society demands it to be so). So, for fun, Lord Voldemort/Tom Marvolo Riddle is Egyptian, his title is Ameer El Zalam; ibn el wes*kha elli mayetsamash. Would we have had all this bloodshed, all this evil in the books? Probably not. The Egyptian mentality is: to do evil but repent 30 seconds later. We have heavy consciences. Guilt is a very big part of our society (all feelings and emotions really… 2a7asees el masryeen kolaha leeha i2wa) coupled with laziness would have been Voldy’s demise. Voldemort’s fight to regain power would have dwindled away with time; his followers would have gotten bored of his large ego and his constant failures to achieve the simple task of killing a teenager with one spell. “Ana mesh fahem! Kol ma-7awel a2mawet el wad dah beye7salli haga,” says Voldemort; his endless list of excuses could fill a book. Sound familiar, anyone? In the end he would give up the fight and step down. He’d negotiate with HarriBottar. Dumbledore, the wise old man with a questionable beard, would have been the mediator of these negotiations and discussions. In the end neither side would reach a compromise. Instead Harri we Ameer El Zalam would each get a villa in sa7el, chill by the beach (with loads of sunblock on their white gleaming faces) and continue to discuss a peace treaty until the end of time. Another Egyptian trait, talk about the problem until your face goes blue, you keel over and die and never find a solution. As for the Muggles and the magical community… everything will go back to normal while these two keep talking. If Harry Potter were set in Egypt there would endless possibilities as to how the book would be written. However, all the characters would embody cultural traits we can never shed and these qualities would in turn influence the outcome of the plot. Kol 7aga bel hadawa ya gama3a, no need for raising wands and what-not. We can all sit at a table have some shai, shisha we sandawichat foul wi ta3meya, play some tawla and eventually resolve the problem… or choose to ignore it all together. Needless to say, HarriBottar isn’t Egyptian. And thank God for that because we’d have had three books at most instead of seven. Then where would we be?
Harri we Ameer El Zalam would each get a villa in sa7el, chill by the beach (with loads of sunblock on their white gleaming faces) and continue to discuss a peace treaty until the end of time
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Save Al Moez Street
Being one of the biggest open-air museums of Islamic art, architecture and artifacts, Al Moez street is a very important touristic attraction. Nowadays however, the carelessnes of state security has put the street in peril. Help save Al Moez street. Facebook page:
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SAVE El Moez Street!!!
UNDERSCORE
LEAVE LEAVE THE THE KIDS KIDS ALONE! ALONE! By May Kamel
When reforming our educational system becomes a must… Curiosity, non-existent Last time I checked, our education system was left-brained. I’m sure that any of us who have received Egyptian education is no stranger to memorizing strings of exact definitions of difficult vocabulary when learning languages, and dealing with scientific theories that are as old as hills. Such are the characteristics of the education system here in Egypt; passive and monotonous. Creativity is an extraterrestrial and application has no place. Students don’t speak their mind, they don’t think independently, they don’t debate ideas and they think challenging ideas is a taboo. Teachers, instead of making sure that their students grasped information to the last bit, adopt a “help yourself” theory zay McDonald’s keda.
FOR A NATION WITH PLENTY OF INTELLIGENT AND RESOLUTE PEOPLE, SOME HAVING ACQUIRED NOBEL PRIZES, OTHERS RUNNING SOME OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES WORLDWIDE AND EVEN WINNING GOLD MEDALS IN OLYMPICS, I FAIL TO CONCEIVE THE LARGE AND GROWING GAP BETWEEN OUR DEVELOPMENT AND THAT OF OTHER NATIONS. BUT THEN I LOOK INTO FACTS, AND THEY ARE NOT VERY PROMISING. FACTORING IN THIS IMPEDIMENT IS EDUCATION, FOR IT IS THROUGH EDUCATION THAT YOU WIDEN YOUR HORIZONS AND, OF COURSE, ACQUIRE ONE OF THE AFOREMENTIONED NOBEL PRIZES! OUTMODED IN MOST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES, PASSIVE LEARNING IS STILL HOW WE EDUCATE IN EGYPT. OUR STUDENTS MAY SUCCEED THROUGH HARSH COMPETITION DOMESTICALLY, BUT CAN WE ENSURE THAT THEY ARE FIT TO COMPETE WITH THOSE FROM THE MORE ADVANCED?
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A master in contemplating, Albert Einstein once said “It’s a miracle that curiosity survives formal education,” you know, the sort of curiosity that got Sir Isaac Newton chasing after forces when the apple fell on his head, an act that a modern day Egyptian student would deal with by munching on the apple or looking for the “douche” who threw it at him. Not only does passive education hinder students from craving more knowledge and thinking outside the box, it also turns them into sophophobics (fear of learning) who depend solely on their teachers as their source of information. Knowledge is forced upon instead of developed within the minds of the youth. The student’s process of learning becomes strictly directed at acquiring theory. There is little encouragement in implementing practical assignments from which students acquire operative skills. For instance, the observing, investigating, analyzing and evaluating of case studies may be rarely given, contrary to what happens in the developed countries, where students are encouraged to analyze and investigate as early as in kindergarten. By time, students become less trained in identifying connections between theory that is provided and aspects of real life. Over and above, languages and computer skills are not items on the agenda. Apsolootly not zere…
“
Parents, I don’t want to shock you or anything, but I swear, medicine, engineering and pharmacy are not the only majors there are! This craze of getting your children to study one of the “elite” majors not only harms their future, but it also affects the development of the country
A Jungle Out There Given the current status of the education system that lacks creativity and knowledge, I believe that the Egyptian student is the victim of a flawless conspiracy theory that, slowly but surely, deters him/her from being part of the globalization. For a case in point, we have the Thanaweya Amma heroes. Yes, heroes. They are victims of what is thought to be one of the lamest education systems in the world, and no matter how hard they try to defeat the system, they end up in deeper misery. They study their now-dysfunctional eyes out for two continuous years and then the results come out; got a 99.9%? Well, you’re good to go. Got 92% (which is an A in other education systems), then prepare yourself to study basket weaving and make a career out of it, a real challenge if anything, I kid you not. The real drama, however, remains in the higher education. It’s too dramatic that we should take a moment of silence to mourn it. Fact: in the last quarter of 2010, and according to the British QS Top Universities ranking, our esteemed Cairo University ranked 147th in the fields of medicine, science, and biology, 210th in arts and humanities, and 258th in engineering and information technologies. Ya Masha2allah! But then again in all fairness, those of you who study at public universities wouldn’t really be surprised. Among the underprepared, ancient labs, the unqualified staff and archaic curricula, such ranks shouldn’t shock. For the sake of all what’s holy, there are curricula that haven’t been touched ever since my MOM was an engineering student!!! And no, I’m pretty sure new things happened in architecture since 1982. While I’m bursting the bubbles, let me assure you that even our private universities aren’t exactly what they claim to be. Even our so-called elite, internationally accredited ones come up as true disappointments. They might be light years ahead on equipment, yet they fall short on the curricula side. Two years ago, a team of international observers conveyed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the World Bank conducted an extensive independent review of its higher-education system. Around one year later, the report came out as follows. “It stressed the urgency for Egypt to improve its economic competitiveness through advanced human-capital formation and smart innovation. There was a consensus among the OECD team members, drawn from the candid perspectives of those with whom they interacted with from students to faculty members, administrators and officials that Egypt’s system of higher education needs to expand and raise its level of quality while catering more effectively and equitably to a diverse student population. Some of the deficiencies of the Egyptian higher education system identified in the report were that graduates lacked the skills required by the labor market, research was disconnected from the national innovation system, the highereducation system was too narrow and rigid, policy and financial frameworks required change, institutional governance didn’t have a strategic vision and that national steering mechanisms were fragmented. National and international comparative data supported these findings.”
”
Ew3a El Qemma!
With all due fairness, it’s not only the system that needs reform, for the other side of the coin of higher education failure in Egypt has the people on it. Most of the parents, regardless of their socioeconomic and educational backgrounds, need to start seeing their children in majors that they choose to study. Parents, I don’t want to shock you or anything, but I swear, medicine, engineering and pharmacy are not the only majors there are! This craze of getting your children to study one of the “elite” majors not only harms their future, but it also affects the development of the country for there can’t be one too many doctors or engineers that are qualified, and them being ones without having their hearts in it is not really helping! Mind you, some parents even go in debt to afford paying their kids’ expenses in a major they don’t even want to study. What logic is that?!
Solutions, Solutions Contrary to popular belief, the reform of education doesn’t need much planning as much as it needs dedication to the implementation. Out of curiosity, I tried to surf the web for information about our education plans. Turns out we do have a “national strategy of education reform” that has been planned out in the era of ex-President Mubarak after him stressing on the importance of education during the upcoming phase. Truth be told, it is a tight plan that even the mightiest of all professors could not add to, with only implementation left to make it picture perfect. Call me cynical, but it’s the implementation that always gets me laughing. Also with more than 250,000 students enrolled in universities each year, it is economically impossible for a country, especially a developing one like Egypt, to educate them free of charge throughout university years. So instead of wasting time, effort and acres of newspaper debates, why don’t we adopt the already successful international systems, where university education is free only for top students and the remaining could either pay or take loans to cover the expenses?
Educate Me, Shokran We’re embarking on a new era and Egypt’s development is top priority now. For us to change the future, we need to spark students’ curiosity and interest in knowledge. Education must be interactive and thoughtprovoking. Most information found in books and online is in English language. Have we seen that coming and, more importantly, what did we do about it? Taha Hussein once said that “Education is as important as the air we breathe and the water we drink.” Well, given the current status of the aforementioned air and water nowadays, I’m afraid he’s right.
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EGYPT.NOW FESTIVAL Art and culture for all
By Yasmine Zohdi
Walking along Qasr El Nile Bridge one day, I heard strains of music coming from somewhere below. I looked down and there, in the beautiful Gezira Garden tucked beneath the bridge, was a band performing on a stage, crowds singing along and mingling around the place, and a line of booths selling numerous items. The colourful banners hung up on lamp posts in the street told me this was the setting of the Egypt. Now Festival. I had received an invitation to the event on Facebook and thought it would be interesting, but witnessing the action live was another thing. I continued on my way to Tahrir, but made a mental note to drop by another day to check it all out. And I am glad I did. Egypt.Now started as a post-revolution initiative by Nebny Foundation, with the aim of promoting Egypt as a cultural center for freedom-loving youth from all over the world. One of the festival’s main objectives as well - according to Mariam Hitami, Egypt.Now organizer – is supporting the ongoing sit-in in Tahrir Square. “Tahrir is just across the bridge, and from here we give our support to the protesters fighting for this country over there; we are one,” Mariam explains, “and every single artist who goes up on this stage has to have the same message of solidarity.”
“Look at us here, barely 500 meters away from Tahrir Square, the heart of all the action, yet the show goes on very smoothly every day and we’ve faced absolutely no problems so far. Which should also silence those who claim that protests hinder the so-called ‘production wheel’,” she added. “It was very challenging, though,” she tells us. “The Ministry of Interior wouldn’t provide more than one officer at the gate as security, so we had to rely on the Zamalek neighbourhood watch (lagna sha’abeyya). But they were brilliant! They’re this group of devoted men from all ages who have day jobs, some of them even have their own companies, yet they come here every day and help in securing the place!” The festival was originally set to last from July 1st to July 18th, with a concert taking place each day, but Mariam tells us they might extend the duration of the festival due to the large success it has had so far. “One of our main goals is discovering and supporting local talents, and we’ve had so many young artists who want to be featured in the festival that we had to push up the time we start every day,” she told us. “We used to start at 7, now we start at 5 so we’d have time to include as many performers as we can,” Mariam told us. “We’re really amazed at the talents we’ve encountered and how enthusiastically the audience has reacted to them. Who would have guessed Shubra would turn out to be a hub for Egyptian hip-hop? It’s really impressive!” The creators of the Egypt.Now concept wanted to establish an Egyptian brand that can go global, spreading a positive image of Egypt around the world as a country full of art and culture, and also a safe place to visit. Mariam went on to explain that they made sure to document the activities that take place within the festival every day, and that a public relations agency they collaborate with takes responsibility of marketing this footage to international news agencies so the whole world can see what young Egyptians are capable of. “There’s no denying that the tourism sector has been severely affected after the revolution, which has a negative effect on more than two million Egyptian families,” Mariam says. “And in order to bring tourism back in full force, we need to let people understand that our country is safe and secure.”
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The entrance fees to Gezira Garden are a mere LE 2; as a result you find people from all walks of life, which is where Egypt.Now gets its edge- it’s art and culture for everyone. Once you enter you can either take a walk along the Nile and enjoy the performance onstage, or stroll among the booths selling locally made products that range from pieces of furniture to earrings. “We have craftsmen from all over Egypt, all the way from Fayoum through Siwa to Aswan, selling their handmade products here,” Mariam says. “We want to encourage local industries, we want people to wear and use the tag ‘made in Egypt’ with pride.” And there is in fact a lot of pride in Egypt.Now for every Egyptian who believes in freedom of expression, in the beauty of this country and in what its youth can do for its future.
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] OPINIONATED ]
g n i w o r G
witho
up
n o i g i l re pozada
By Leila Ta
ut
r you o f d e v sn’t pa a w t a th th a p a n g dow n i l b m Stu
32 AUGUST 2011 CAMPUS
“Are you Muslim or Christian?” That was the question tossed out randomly one day on the school bus on the way home, a few days after I started at my brand-new school in my brand-new country and began my brand-new life here in Cairo. I had just enrolled in my new middle school and was not particularly enamored with Egypt at the point (ok, I downright hated it), but I was smug in my previous knowledge of boys, popularity, boys, travel, and well, pretty much boys. So despite being a stranger in this strange land, I thought I would fare pretty well; I always had before. But that question –“Muslim or Christian?”- said just like that, and in English because at the time I knew not a word of Arabic, threw me for a real loop. Why? Because not only did I not really understand the question, but I definitely didn’t know the answer. The Back Story I’m the offspring of a non-practicing Muslim Egyptian man and a non-practicing Catholic American woman (divorced now, thank God). But I didn’t know what religion they were until I was almost fourteen. I never needed to know. Hence I never knew what religion I was. Again, I never needed to know. I was taught from an early age that stealing, lying, hitting my little brother with the remote and saying “bad words” was wrong. My parents said that I wouldn’t like it if someone stole from me, lied to me or hit me with the remote. So that made pretty good sense. As for the bad words, well, they couldn’t give me a good enough reason why that was wrong, so they had a pretty potty-mouthed young five-year-old on their hands, but that’s another story. They never said anything about heaven or hell. Heaven to me was what was portrayed on TV – white clouds high above us where the Care Bears and the Godmother from Cinderella lived. Hell, according to TV, was a very red place with a devil, and something my dad would occasionally shout at whatever sport was on TV – “what the HELL?!” We celebrated Christmas because in the States it’s more cultural than religious, and hey, lots of presents. My parents never said anything about who was this Jesus Christ character we would sing about in the Christmas songs school taught us. As for Islam? Never had even heard of it. My dad didn’t pray. He didn’t fast. He never said anything about Ramadan or Eid or a prophet and he didn’t speak Arabic at home so we didn’t know the pat phrases like “insha2allah”, “el7amdullah” and “rabena yostor”. The only Arabic we ever heard was when he wanted to swear at us kids – “yawlad el kalb”(which we knew vaguely was an insult, but when we asked for the exact definition and he gave it to us, we could never quite understand why he would insult himself in the process). As for God, when I would ask my mother how things came to be, or anything existential in the slightest, she would say: “Oh, that’s God. He lives in the sky and created everything and you can ask him for anything and he especially likes little girls who clean their room.” So I was left to create poetic images in my mind of God (who I imagined looking sort of like Zeus), and to ask him politely to please help me find my missing Barbie (which he did, by the way, which may have been the moment I truly and utterly BELIEVED in something). Welcome to Egypt – “Define yourself at once” Back to that school bus. I still remember it like it was yesterday. The kid’s name was Tarek.
Me: Uh… I don’t know? Tarek: You don’t know? How don’t you know? Me: I’m no religion. Tarek: No, you have to be a religion, everyone is a religion. What’s your dad? Me: I don’t know? I don’t think he’s any religion either. Tarek: No, you have to be a religion. Or else you’re kafra and you’ll burn in hell. I didn’t know what this “kafra” was exactly, but I didn’t like the sound of it, or the way he said hell in such a dark manner, not at all like my dad laughing and shouting at his football team, beer in hand. I went straight to my mother after school. Me: What religion am I? Her, taken-aback: Well, uh… I don’t know… You can be any religion you want to be. Me: What does that mean? Her: See what you believe in. What feels right to you. But you know, you don’t have to be any religion if you don’t want to. Me: No I have to! Or else I’m going to burn in hell! My mother got upset about this conversation and apparently talked to my dad, who begrudgingly left his golf game early to tell me that kids at school are “stupid” and that most people claim to be one religion or another without even being educated or understanding it, and he wants his kids to find their own paths and not use religion as some crutch, and to never, ever, let anyone make you feel bad about who you are and what you do (or in my case, don’t) believe in. Easier said than done It was (and is) hard being a sole fish swimming downstream when all the rest are swimming upstream. Kids and young adults here mainly go by what their parents tell them without questioning, so I felt judged a lot. It became almost a pride thing – I would state very clearly that NO, I’M NOT FASTING (the best defense is a good offense). I became to secretly distrust and almost dislike religious people (before they could distrust and dislike me). Ramadan was always awkward. Religion in any form was awkward. Why does it matter what I am or what I believe in? One guy I was dating told me that my “lack of religion” was somewhat upsetting because he loved me and didn’t want me to go to hell. Thanks, much appreciated. Don’t get me wrong, I tried to get into it in my weaker peer pressure moments. Being a Muslim on paper, I read up a lot on Islam. Then Christianity. Even Judaism. Bits and pieces made sense. A lot didn’t. And yet I hated it when people referred to me as an atheist. I believed in God. I believed in God since my Barbie days. He may not be God according to Islam or Christianity but at the end of the day, aren’t they all the same God? And even if they aren’t, why does it matter? It matters because here in Egypt, religion defines you. Even when you rebel against your religion, that in itself is defining you. It defines you in school, in the religion classes you attend (I was lucky enough not to understand Arabic so I wasn’t forced to go to ‘deen’ classes), it defines you when you get your beta2a, it defines you during ‘holy’ holidays, it defines you when you’re dating (if you want a long-term relationship, supposedly you can’t mix religions). Religion is splashed all over our politics, our media, our culture, our relationships, our family, our decisions, our ambitions and our fears here in Egypt. So where do people like me, religion-less, fit in? I respect my parents for letting me find my own answers to life’s questions. And many friends would envy me my laissez-faire attitude and open relationship with my parents about drinking, drugs and physicality. But at the same time I envy my religious friends sometimes – in their darker moments, they see the light. They have something to fall back on. They may at times veer off their path, but at least they have a path. Finding and creating your own path is very tricky and sometimes very scary. I still haven’t decided if I’m going to pave it for my own children, or let them stumble as I have stumbled. It’s just another question I have that doesn’t have an answer.
Tarek: Are you Muslim or Christian?
33
OPINIONATED
Ya7ya Ya7ya 012! By May Kamel
The conservatives attack, yet again…
Dear citizen, fellow Egyptians, let it be known that I, May Kamel, am a threat to religion. The evil inside of me is on a rise that it reached to the extent of buying a micro SIM card for my iPad, a step that apparently could be the death of this nation. I am hypocrisy on legs. Ana yekhreb beity! It all happened a couple of days ago when I got my new iPad (yay me) and like any Egyptian citizen, I practiced the right of buying a micro SIM card for it. Aware of the whole Sawiris and Mickey Mouse incident, which I found to have been blown out of proportion by the way, I decided to buy it from Mobinil. Here’s what happened. After I left the shop, I was stopped by a lady wearing niqab and carrying a little kid. “Law sama7ty ya okhty, momken talab”. Not yet aware of the evil that is me, I listened to her. “Howa enty eshtareity khatt?” Aaah, now I understood the intention; Mickey Mouse of course.
In my own point of view, I don’t find the cartoon offensive simply because I see Islam for what it is. It’s a holy religion that could not, by any chance, be degraded by a cartoon or any other trivial matter. It might have not been the wisest thing of Sawiris to post it given the current circumstances the country is going through, yet the fuss that was made about the whole thing was completely uncalled for.
For those of you who are against my opinion, before you start with the lashing, please note that I’m a Muslim and I’m veiled. I know my religion for what it truly is. I first saw this cartoon a week before the whole matter turned into a cross-nation catastrophe. speaking, I did not even find it funny. I For those of you who are Honestly thought it was lame. Bas keda. Not offensive, not against my opinion, before degrading and most certainly not worth sharing.
“
My attempts to convince her that it was none of her bloody business failed miserably. And because my tongue will definitely be the death of me, I asked her what was wrong with that. According to her, the company’s owner DREW a you start with the lashing, Dear conservatives, I can never dictate how you cartoon that insults PROPHET MOHAMED! When I please note that I’m a weigh things and I am not questioning your asked her if she had seen it with her own eyes, she Muslim and I’m veiled. I judgment. I am rather questioning your way replied with the famous “2alouly”! I tried to hold my or presenting your case in a civilized, welltemper and explain to her the real story, only to be know my religion for what it approached manner as a decent person met with strings of horrible accusations and insults. truly is would. How you appear as a person is up As far as she’s concerned, I am the personification of to you, but when you decide to speak of/ all what’s destructive to Islam; “aho el kafer esmo kafer, enty ba2a represent Islam, it needs to appear as dignified and decent as it anyal wa adall sabeelan”!! should because then, you’ll be representing all of us Muslims. Had I not walked away and left her to proceed with her bluff, this could have continued on for hours. That night, I couldn’t help but Boycott all you want, but please make sure it’s for the right reasons. think about this incident. Had it happened before the revolution, Represent your case without accusing others because according to 99.999% it would’ve ended up with me punching the hell out of her the religion that you represent, only God judges us and knows our perhaps. But now that I have more self control (moktasabat thawra), I true intentions. Dear lady (although she won’t be seeing this), the way found myself analyzing the whole thing. I see it, YOU are what’s wrong with Islam. Although I refuse to label, but your attitude gave it away. Although the lady made a scene and accused me of the most horrible things just for the fact that I bought a product X from a company that Until people learn how to be rational, I’m separating religion from the she finds worth boycotting, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. To religious. If I’m wrong, I’ll eventually end up in hell and I promise not me, she might be the one who is a disgrace to Islam, a religion that to tell on you guys. Hawla3 lewa7dy. has been taking the blame for so long thanks to the malpractice of those who represent it. I’m not against her representing her case, I’m rather appalled by the way she made it look like. I wished she’d searched into whatever she heard about the cartoon. I wished she’d found another productive way to communicate her disproval of the incident instead of stalking people outside Mobinil’s branches, and I wished she’d used a more decent way of speaking.
“
34 AUGUST 2011 CAMPUS
21
OPINIONATED
Yes, this is another story about a girl taking off her veil… By Radwa Al Rifai
36 AUGUST 2011 CAMPUS
MY FIRST THOUGHT ABOUT WRITING THIS? I LOVE THE TOPIC AND NO, THIS WILL NOT BE ONE OF THOSE ‘FUNNY’ ARTICLES! IF ANYTHING, THIS WHOLE EXPERIENCE WAS AN EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER AND I HAD (THROUGH HEARSAY) PREPARED MYSELF FOR THE RIDE! I DON’T THINK I WAS WELL-PREPARED FOR IT THOUGH. ALTHOUGH WORD OF CAUTION, FROM THE HORROR STORIES I HEAR, MY EXPERIENCE IS CONSIDERED A FAIRLY MILD ONE! WHEN CONSIDERING TAKING OFF THE VEIL (HIJAB), IT TOOK ME SOME TIME TO FINALLY TO TAKE THIS DECISION. IT’S DIFFICULT ON SO MANY LEVELS INCLUDING SOCIALLY AND SPIRITUALLY AND I HAD NO INTENTION OF TAKING THIS STEP WITHOUT BEING ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT THIS WAS WHAT I WANTED. AFTER MONTHS AND MONTHS OF SELF-DEBATING AND DISCUSSIONS WITH A COUPLE OF FRIENDS WHOM I REALLY TRUST, I FINALLY TOOK THE DECISION BUT OPTED TO TAKE IT OFF STEP BY STEP. THERE WAS NO REASON I SHOULD RUSH MYSELF INTO ANYTHING. SO I DECIDED TO TAKE AN UNUSUAL ROUTE. I HEARD FROM SEVERAL FRIENDS THAT ON A SPIRITUAL LEVEL IT’S VERY DIFFICULT SO I DECIDED TO TAKE THIS SLOWLY TO FIND OUT HOW I WOULD FEEL ABOUT IT WITHOUT ANY PRESSURE.
I did a test-run was on a business trip in Sharm El Sheikh; I started this trip unveiled. I landed there, attended my meetings, extended my stay for a couple of days and then went back to Cairo. I came back knowing that this was what I wanted and that as much as I respect women who wore the hijab, it just was not the right choice for me. When I arrived back in Cairo, I had a week left before I travelled on vacation to the US with my sister. I decided to make the announcement to my family. Every single family member (including my mother and sister who are veiled) was supportive and they all agreed that this was a personal choice and that whatever my decision, they were backing me 100%. My mother specifically said that she was not very happy that I had not included her in the decision from the beginning; she wanted to be a part of this because she knew how difficult it would be. Had I not had the support of my family (again horror stories’ flashback), I don’t think I would’ve been able to survive this experience. I left to the US with my sister. Now, being veiled herself, I was not so sure about how she would perceive this. I was basically changing my wardrobe to the exact opposite of her beliefs. I was surprised to find that she was enthusiastic about my makeover; we shopped together for everything - clothes, make-up and shoes. She was great about it and, more importantly, she was making a point of how supportive she was willing/going to be. This made me a lot more comfortable discussing with her how I felt about this whole experience and that trip certainly brought us closer to each other. I met with a few friends there (some of who were also on vacation at the same time) and none of them so much as blinked twice when they saw me but I was quite sure that word had gotten out in Cairo since I got a bunch of the ‘Are you ok?’ or ‘I had a dream about you last night’ messages. I wasn’t worried though. It was so far, so good! Going back to Cairo, I started having my doubts. Yes it had been three weeks without the veil now and I was totally comfortable, but I had still not been around any major social gatherings and that was what worried me the most. On the plane, I had the debate of whether I should land wearing the veil or not; my lovely sister just smiled at me and said: ‘Radwa, you’ve already taken the decision, the longer you delay it, the harder it will be. Just embrace the new you’. And with that, I took it off and decided that I should and would stick to my new look. This is what I want and no one should affect my decision in any way but me!
The following are some of the more interesting reactions I got after revealing my new look upon my return: - Salma (my friend from school and work) after receiving a message from me breaking the news: “We need to get you a decent haircut then.” - Boss Number 1 (British): “You look good!” - Boss Number 2 (Egyptian): “Eh dah? Enti Alabti Americany khales” (walking away laughing to himself) – ummm, not funny - Boss Number 3 (Egyptian): “Saba7 El Kheir. We have lots of work to do” - Haggag (co-worker and sitting in the SAME OFFICE) after 8 hours of being together in the same room: “Is there something different about you?” - Co-worker 2 (in an internal mail copying most of the associates): “Would like to welcome Radwa back. We love the new look” - Co-worker 3 (in response to the chain of internal emails): “I beg to differ. I liked her old look more.” (later apologizes for inappropriate comment) - Ali (one of my best friends): ‘Danti mosh betfakkari tesheeli ba2a… It’s gone!!!!’ - Friend (who is quite religious and whom I choose to keep anonymous): enters scene and ignores me. (to be repeated when necessary) - Omar, my brother: “Just don’t snap at people when they ask you why you did it” - My anti-hijab grandmother: “Akhiran shelti el beta3 eli 3ala demaghek dah” - Lolita (my sister’s best friend, religious and veiled): “Oh my God, you look HOT!” - Waiter at Lucille’s (my ex-favorite restaurant): “3ala fekra ya anesa, shaklek bel 7egab kan a7la” - Car Maintenance Center receptionist looks at my veiled picture on my ID and then says to me: “Can I say something? You looked so beautiful when you were veiled, why would you take it off?” - Old friend who bumped into me when dining with a male friend: “Is
this your boyfriend? Ana shayfa en the makeover is not just pertaining to looks!” – uncalled for! - Employee at governmental hospital, again after seeing my veiled picture: “Enti leh shelti el 7egab?” Me: “God’s will” Employee with a disapproving look and stern voice: “Is it God’s will that you disobey him?” Me: “Everything is God’s will. Can you please sign my documents and let me go?” - Employee at Notary Public: “Radwa, why did you remove the veil?” Me: “Madame Zeinab, did you know me before today?” Madame Zeinab, confused: “No.” Me: “Then please stop allowing yourself to impose on someone’s privacy. You have no idea whether I was veiled for a long time or not, religious or not or whether I’m a decent person or not. So please spare yourself the embarrassment of getting lectured by someone my age!” - Employee at Investment Authority whom I needed to ask a few workrelated questions: “Can I ask you a question?” Me (innocently): “Sure.” Employee: “You were veiled before right?” Me (also innocently but sheepishly): “Yes.” Employee: “Go find someone else to ask.” Me (in tears): “But that’s unfair.” Employee: “I said get out. NOW!” - Police officer at airport: “License please.” I hand them over. “Can I have your ID as well?” Me: “Is there a problem sir?” Police Officer: “No I just cannot be sure you’re the same person I need to show this to my boss.” Me (walking to boss): “Sir, is there a problem? Have I done anything wrong?” Higher Ranking Officer: “Well, Radwa you look so different in your ID and license, how can we be sure it’s you?” Me (by now I had been practicing for a while): “Sir, you know as well as I do that these belong to me. The only difference is that right now I am not veiled and in the pictures I am. Now you can either give me a ticket if I have done something or let me go before I make sure that every single newspaper and the entire civil society are aware of your inappropriate behavior and your name will certainly NOT remain anonymous.” Higher Ranking Officer (handing over license and ID): “Ok you can go, calm down.” Another officer smiles and says: “Maybe we’ll give you a ticket.” I turn around to respond but the first officer is already on his case When I look back at this nowadays, I realize that the difficulty of this whole experience came from the fact that I was dealing with too many things at the same time: getting used to my new look, getting comfortable in my own skin, dealing with the changes in my spirituality, dealing with curious looks and concerned looks, the unwanted questions and comments from family, friends, acquaintances and strangers. I was most comfortable with people who had been through the same experience or people who were religious in a way that for me represents the true spirit of Islam. Knowing how difficult it was, they were all great about it. I have heard stories a lot worse than mine. I consider myself lucky to have had all that support from the people who meant the most to me. I simply cannot imagine what it would have been like if my family had not been supportive. In no way was this experience easy. The friendliness of Egyptian people (as foreigners usually put it) is a double-edged weapon. I’ve certainly seen both sides. Since I got used to this change, I became a lot more comfortable dealing with questions or looks in this regard. I still get disapproving looks from strangers when they see my ID (I really need to change the picture) but they don’t bother me anymore. Sometimes though when I see pictures of me when I was veiled, I become a bit uncomfortable because it reminds of the negative experiences I endured. Even though we overthrew a thirty year old dictatorship, I think we have a looooonng way to go before we overthrow the prejudice mentality!
37
OPINIONATED
By Yasmine Zohdi Marriage is quite a simple thing, really. Well, at least it’s supposed to be.
arrangement and an inescapable social institution rather than a conscious decision by two people to spend their lives together.
Back when God first created man, marriage in its current sense did not exist; it was more or less two people deciding to copulate and reproduce. And then the world started to develop, human needs growing and diversifying along with it, and marriage expanded to include other aspects, such as mental and social compatibility. With the birth of religion, the legal and religious framework of marriage that we know today came to life. It became an affair requiring a man of religion, witnesses, and a written contract. So now this concept that was initially meant to act as an expression of pure human instinct (and I don’t only mean sex; but also the need for love and companionship), has rapidly become more of an economic
And perhaps nowhere in the world is the arrangement more complicated than it is in our beloved society (please exclude Gulf countries where the wedding alone lasts for seven days). The marriage process in Egypt is spiced up with endless traditions, among which a particular few manage to really baffle me, sometimes even piss me off.
38 AUGUST 2011 CAMPUS
THE ‘SHABKA’ – Why?
The ‘shabka’, to me, is nonsense. I mean, the whole point is to wear a symbolic sign of belonging to that person you chose to pledge yourself to. Therefore I’ve always felt that a small, gold wedding band with a simple engraving should be more than enough. Apparently, I’m
stupid and naïve to think like that. Diamonds had to work their way into the equation, in the form of a ring, yet another wedding band this time made of diamonds - and sometimes even a bracelet or an elaborate necklace. As if a home with all its expenses isn’t enough of a challenge, the poor guy has to pay a hundred thousand pounds – if not more – for a couple of rings.
THE PROCESS ITSELF – A Boring Four-Course Meal
Don’t get me wrong, I am not underestimating the value of diamonds, no. But to me they should not be a prerequisite to marriage. Once we’re married if my husband finds he has enough money to splurge, he can buy me diamonds all he wants! But why should it be a condition for us to get together?
So the ‘actual’ engagement, step two, is yet another lavish party, held in some classy club or hotel, where the guest list is even bigger, a sumptuous open buffet is a necessity, and the music comes in the form of a DJ, complete with dancing and the works. The rings are finally exchanged, and only then can we say the couple is officially ‘engaged’.
I once dared voice out my opinion of the ‘shabka’ in front of my mom. I got myself a glare and a “Leih? Howa enti nawya tetgawezeely mengheir shabka walla eih enshaallah?” I chose to end the conversation right then and there.
Then comes step three; katb el ketab. As far as religion is concerned, that’s the actual marriage. But as far as society is concerned, it isn’t. It’s only this half-hour of torture you get invited to in some mosque (for some reason it’s always in Nasr City or Heliopolis) and you end up spending more time stuck in traffic than you do in the actual ceremony.
THE ‘MAHR’ – Huh?
When I first understood the idea of the ‘mahr’ I just couldn’t grasp it. A large sum of money given by the groom to the father of the bride. My first impulse was “Leih, howa byeshtery kanaba?!” My mom was quick to defend the tradition, of course. She told me the money was eventually used by the bride’s parents as a contribution in setting up the house. I still don’t get it. If it will be used in the house anyway, then why couldn’t the groom just keep it and use it in the house himself, with the rest of the expenditures? “Well, it’s traditionally supposed to be a gift to the bride. Her wedding gift from her groom,” my mom said.
The first official step in the Egyptian marriage game is the ‘fat7a’. Sometimes it’s a very fancy party: huge guest list, catering, and music. Which would naturally make me consider it an engagement party. But, no, I am corrected. It is in no way the ‘actual’ engagement; the rings have not yet been exchanged.
I think the ‘henna’ is just an excuse for a bunch of sexually frustrated females to get together, wear as little clothing as possible, and unleash all their pent-up energy in an uncomfortably erotic night of bellydancing
A wedding gift for the bride…well, why not give it to the bride herself so she’d spend the money the way she likes? Or actually buy her something nice with all the money instead? Again, I’m puzzled. Correct me if I’m wrong, but this doesn’t make any sense to me.
THE ‘HENNA’/ BACHELORETTE PARTY – Disturbing
and Unoriginal
I agree every bride-to-be has the right to a fun night out/night in with her girlfriends before the wedding. Currently the ‘henna’ and the ‘bachelorette party’ are the two most popular ways of doing that – some brides-to-be have both, actually. However, I happen to have an issue with each. First off, I think the ‘henna’ is just an excuse for a bunch of sexually frustrated females to get together, wear as little clothing as possible, and unleash all their pent-up energy in an uncomfortably erotic night of belly-dancing. And I say ‘uncomfortably erotic’ because there’s nothing comfortable about it when the room is full of females and there isn’t a single male in sight. Something about it is really disturbing, honestly, it makes me dread ‘hennas’ like I used to dread math class. My problem with the idea of the bachelorette party, on the other hand, is that it’s an imported concept that gets totally distorted in its adjustment to Egyptian society values. It is originally supposed to be ‘a night of debauchery’, where the bride-to-be and her girlfriends engage in drinking and other ‘naughty’ activities, sometimes including male strippers even. So if you’re going to go out, party hard and get drunk, fine, call it a bachelorette party. If your idea of a bachelorette party is cupcakes and a movie, there’s totally nothing wrong with that (this is probably what I’ll spend my last night as a bachelorette doing anyway) but newsflash, it is NOT a bachelorette party. If you can’t copy the practice properly, then there’s definitely no need copying the name for the sake of sounding ‘hip’ and ‘cool’. You know what? How about you don’t copy at all? We could definitely use a little bit of originality around here anyway.
This is where the ma’zoun part comes in – the couple exchanges their vows, sign the contract, pose for pictures with family and friends, then each of them goes to their respective homes. Which I find kind of weird, considering they’d just been made man and wife. It’s not even socially acceptable to sleep together yet; you have to wait till the big day – the wedding.
Oh, the wedding. I won’t even delve into that. All the pretentiousness…the thousands spent to book some extravagant ballroom in some overpriced hotel, the $15,000 dress you’ll never wear again, the million-layer wedding cake no one ever ends up eating, the ‘wedding video’ that tells the sickeningly cute story of how you and your prince charming got to meet and fall in love, the ‘pre-wedding’ photo shoot which I totally don’t get…It’s all one hell of an exaggerated and exhausting affair, where the pleasure of knowing you’re spending the rest of your life with the person you love is overshadowed by all the planning and preparations. The whole thing eventually loses its meaning. I have a suggestion, seriously. Why not merge the first two steps together, then add the fourth to the third? Wouldn’t that be a bit more reasonable and a lot more practical as well? What’s the use of a ‘fat7a’ thing if it’s not an engagement? And if katb el ketab is the legitimate marriage ceremony, why does it take place months before the wedding? Why does the whole process have to resemble this heavy, four-course meal that drags on for an eternity and leaves you feeling… overstuffed? (You can always use the excess money you saved by merging the steps to go on a nice honeymoon. At least travelling is useful.)
YOU ARE A SOCIETY SLAVE!
If you only have to go through the abovementioned hassle, then you’re lucky. At least you didn’t have to endure fights with your parents because Ahmed ‘mosta2balo msh madmoun’ or because Salwa ‘betelbes 3eryan awi ya Ahmed’. You see, the above is only an extension of society’s – mostly parents’ – ridiculous demands when it comes to marriage. I am not a marriage skeptic, I am not a self-sufficient feminist, nor am I a cynical person by nature. Like any other girl I look forward to falling in love, dancing in my wedding, decorating my own home and having (hopefully) beautiful babies. However, I don’t see how the essence of marriage as a concept has anything to do with such pointless traditions, all followed for the sake of appearances. And the problem is you have no choice. I’d love to avoid all of this shit when I’m getting married, but it’s not even up to me. That was just me ranting, knowing full well that I will do everything I just said I hated when it’s time for me to tie the knot (except for the henna, there’s no way on earth I’m having that). My point? Rejoice, ladies and gentlemen…we are all slaves to society.
39
اصحى يانايم وحد الدايم وقول نويت
والصرب حرب وأيوب صالح
بكره ان حييت
ياأخت من مكه والبطاح
الشهر صايم
قلبى انرضب للعرب وصاح
ملا تبارش جهادك ،ترمى أوتادك
والفجر قايم
البد من فتح ىف الصباح
ىف قلب دابح والد
اصحى يانايم ،وحد الرزاق
املىش طاب ىل
يعرفوك عرىب
رمضان كريم
والدق عىل طبىل
اصحى يانايم وحد الدايم
مسحراىت يامؤمنني
ناس كانوا قبىل
السعى للصوم خري من النوم
منقراىت مد األنني
قالوا ىف األمثال
دى لياىل سمحه
الله عىل رعشة الحنني
الرجل تدب مطرح ماتحب
دى نجومها سبحه
عمره ماكان األمل ضنني
وانا صنعتى مسحراىت ىف البلد جوال
اصحى يانايم
ياقدس يانوارة السنني
حبيت ودبيت كام العاشق لياىل طوال
يانايم اصحى
كأن عينى ىف ميتمى
وكل شرب وحته من بلدى
وحد الرزاق
ياقدس مايحتمل دمى
حته من كبدى
رمضان كريم
اال أشوفك وأرمتى
حته من موال
وابوس ترابك املرميى
ملا تقول أجمل ماىف الدنيا
أبويا وابنى عىل فمى
امليه للعطشان
ماأتوهش ياقدس ىف املطال
يعرفوك عرىب
ياعارصه مهجة الرجال
أما للراوى ريحة الربتقان ىف مداخل يافا
سقاك من دمعته الهالل
يعرفوك عرىب
ياقدس ياسبحة الشقا
ملا تقول ابنى اتولد الجئ
األعمى ىف سجدتك رأى
يعرفوك عرىب
والفجر من صخرتك سقى
ملا تقول يارب
ياقدس تتفجر الجراح
يعرفوك عرىب
41
] BARE NAKED ]
Mohamed Fikry:
“I’m Cairo Jazz Club’s Reception Manager, not the bouncer!” Interview by Mohammed Jamal
Being a regular performer at Cairo Jazz Club and venues that host live bands, I always maintain a good relationship with the staff members and people who work there. And one of the most remarkable and well-known bouncers, who’s friends with almost all of Cairo Jazz Club’s regulars, is Mohamed Fikry. Campus decided to pay Fekry a visit in his workplace to know more about him and his job.
42 AUGUST 2011 CAMPUS
I’m not stereotyping, it’s just part of my job to maintain a certain image of the place and part of the image is the type of guests who are allowed in. CAMPUS: Please introduce yourself. Fikry: My name is Mohamed Fekry Mostafa, I’m 29 years old and I have BA in Commerce from Faculty of Commerce from Cairo University.
C: How long have you been working as a bouncer? F: Well I’ve been doing this for almost 7 years now. But I’m not a bouncer, I’m a reception manager and there’s a big difference. A bouncer is usually a built man whose only concern is maintaining the security of the place. Manzar ya3ni men el akher so that people know that there is a strong guard in the house. On the other hand a reception manager welcomes the guests, which intersects with our general will here at the Jazz Club to befriend our customers; we always try to build a certain aura of comfortability to the place so that people feel always at ease. And as you know, CJC has become one of the best nightlife spots in Cairo that offers both authentic live music and a friendly atmosphere. And this is what I do; I meet the guests and maintain a smooth flow in and out of CJC.
C: Why this specific job? Is it because you like the job or because it pays well? F: Well you know we’re in Egypt, and finding a job that would be comfortable and pays well is not that easy. But I’ve found myself in this place, it’s something I’m good at and the management of CJC is very professional. Also, Alex (one of the owners) always makes sure we are all working in a friendly atmosphere and treated very well. So for now, there’s no reason for me to leave because I’m happy here.
C: Word has it that CJC invested money in you to get you to become this well-built. Is that true? F: Not at all, I’ve been like this since even before I came here.
C: Do you drink? F: No.
C: Why? F: It’s my place of work; I have to be very alert at all times to be able to handle any situation properly.
C: But do you drink generally? F: No man, I’m an athlete, I like to keep in shape. (laughs)
C: What do you do in Ramadan when CJC is closed? Do you go on vacation? Do you get paid for this month off?
C: How many people do the same job you do at CJC? F: Mahmoud, Amr and I; we exchange shifts and on high traffic nights we work together.
C: IF you get offered the same job in another place, same salary or higher, would you take it? F: Mahmoud and I got offered a job abroad actually. A man who owns a night club somewhere abroad offered to hire the both of us and provide us with everything we wanted in addition to an OK salary. We got offered many jobs, but no, we’re attached to this place and we feel at home here.
C: Tell me about the hardest situation that you had to face and handle here. F: Well, as you know, we have an unwritten door selection policy, so not everyone is allowed in CJC (laughs) so it’s always a somewhat awkward situation when a group of people want to enter but one or two of them do not fit our door selection criteria. You know, like people who befriend foreigners and take them to places like CJC to drink and eat and then let the foreigners pay for them. And since I’ve been doing this for so long, I’ve learned how to know who fits and who doesn’t just by looking at or talking to them. But don’t get me wrong, I’m not stereotyping, it’s just part of my job to maintain a certain image of the place and part of the image is the type of guests who are allowed in.
C: Funny situation? F: El khalayga wel 3arab! (Laughs) They come here thinking this is a cabaret or malha layali w ra22asat w keda. So I sometimes mess with them, I tell them they have to have a membership, or that the place is only for army soldiers. Stuff like that makes my day more fun you know.
C: What is the extent of the authority given to you by the management of CJC? F: Like I told you, the best thing about CJC’s management is that they make us feel like we’re at home, like we own the place. But mind you everyone has a job over here and everyone does their job, I for example have nothing to do with food and beverage and anything that happens inside unless there’s a problem between guests (arguments, fights or drunk people harassing other guests). So, my authority includes anything that has to do with guests.
C: Is there anything else you’d like to add? F: Drinkers, please try to be responsible.
F: It is true that all night clubs and bars close in Ramadan, but usually at CJC Ramadan is the month when we do all of our renovations and maintenance of the equipment. Alex is always in charge of that and I’m usually around helping him out and the rest of the crew, hence, of course it’s a paid month, because we still work.
43
] EYE CANDY]
eye candy
© Muhammed Abdelaal
Every month features a new theme, so send us your pictures and we will publish them! Next month’s theme is
Music
44 AUGUST 2011 CAMPUS
© Muhammed Abdelaal
© Nora El Gazzar
© Yousra Sabry
Send your pictures to editor@campus-mag.net 45
We won’t discuss relationships this month
! ! M M A A R R A A 77 3
n a h s a
!
] PATTERNS]
Repeat after me… Repeat after me… Repeat after me… Repeat after me… Repeat after me… By Asmaa El Husseini
MOST OF OUR LOCAL DESIGNERS CREDITED THEIR INSPIRATION AND STYLE OF WORK TO THEIR HERITAGE. AND WHILE IT’S IMPRESSIVE TO SEE ALL DESIGNERS USE EGYPTIAN ELEMENTS IN DESIGN, THEY’VE ALL BECOME ACCIDENTALLY SIMILAR. ALL HAVE MANAGED TO PERFECTLY EXPLORE THE EGYPTIAN ARCHIVES AND FIND THEIR FOOTING IN SOMETHING MORE MODERN, YET SOMEHOW THEY ALL LOOK THE SAME. When designers are working with the same fabrics, sources of inspiration and going for the “safe” design that the audience is already comfortable with, there are bound to be similarities. I would love to see something other than the colored pompoms, the Fatima hand, the evil eye or the khayameya fabric. I give complete credit to those who started the revival of the Egyptian elements; those designers have managed to modernise a “balady” symbol into a trendy one that will forever remain in our fashion memoirs. But I urge those designers or new ones to try something new that will catch on as much as the oriental trend. I’m sure the audience would love whatever designers offer as long as it’s trendy and practical. With no legal boundaries in Egypt on this matter, designers can’t sue one another for “copying.” But even with no legal trouble, copying is damaging. Whether it’s copying the same fabric, or the same motif, or just the silhouette, the audience will look at the designer as someone who lacks imagination and inspiration. We mean no disrespect to our local designers because, after all, they are the ones who created the oriental trend two years ago that’s still going strong till today. But it would be a great fashion step if they managed to diversify a little bit and give us something outside the box for a change. Give us a new trend to covet.
Fatima Hand Khayameya
fabric
Colored Khan el Pompoms Khaleely
Coins
50 AUGUST 2011 CAMPUS
Balady Flower Print
Below are the products of 16 different designers.
51
Ramadan Special
PATTERNS
With Ramadan closing in, one finds it hard to embrace the spirit of the holy month and avoid dehydration at the same time. So CAMPUS brings you very light yet stylish Ramadan cover ups.
Rihanna H&M
Lindsay Lohan
Accessorize Topshop Etro
Tips: - Add simple cardigans to floral jumpsuits - Be suble with accessories Zara
Taylor Momsen
Next
Accessorize Rachel Bilson
Topshop
Tips: - Buy yourself a cropped denim jacket and match it with any of your maxi dresses. - Pair your dresses with blazers to balance your boho dress with a well-tailored exterior
52 AUGUST 2011 CAMPUS
Zara
Topshop Olivia Palermo
Kate Bosworth
Topshop
Newlook
Alexa Chung
H&M
Topshop
Nathalia Vodianova
Tips: - You can just purchase one skirt and make several outfits out of it. Simply, pair it with anything. Whether a basic white tshirt, an oversized top or a shirt, the skirt speaks for itself.
Olivia Palermo
Topshop
Topshop
French Connection
Eva Mendes
53
PATTERNS
MADE IN EGYPT La Toalla Dina Maghawry
Sahara Amina K
El Horreya
Shibshiby
El Horreya
Amira el Helaly
Azza Fahmy
Tash
Saraya
Amira El Helaly
Dina Maghawry
Amina K available at Amina K showroom at 24 Thawra St, Mohandeseen. Nihal Basha, Tash, Saraya, Sahara and Amira El Helaly available at styletreasure.com. Shibshiby available at Monaya and styletreasure.com. Azza Fahmy available at First Mall, Beymen Four Seasons and 25 Hassan Sadek Pacha St, Heliopolis. Dina Maghawry at 16 el sayed el bakry st. off brazil st.2nd floor Zamalek. El Horreya at First Mall, Four Seasons.
54 AUGUST 2011 CAMPUS
Nihal Basha waist bag
For Rent An amazing apartment with chic carvings on the walls in addition to beautiful natural scenery in every room. The apartment is located in Nasr City,10th district; 250 m2 composed of 3 bathrooms, 2 bedrooms and a master bedroom with its own bathroom. The apartment also includes a huge reception and dining room.The wall paint is super luxe. Requested monthly sum: LE 4000 for residential purposes and LE 4500 for commercial purposes..
please call: 002-01514022445
FOR RENT
FOR RENT
Small Space - Big Space Size Does Not Matter! Call: 010 66 87 667 E-mail: zelalfy@core-publications.net
Small Space - Big Space Size Does Not Matter! Call: 010 66 87 667 E-mail: zelalfy@core-publications.net
FOR RENT
FOR RENT
Small Space - Big Space Size Does Not Matter! Call: 010 66 87 667 E-mail: zelalfy@core-publications.net
Small Space - Big Space Size Does Not Matter! Call: 010 66 87 667 E-mail: zelalfy@core-publications.net
محجبة
] THE GREEN PASSPORT ]
! m a d r e t s m in A Religion in the land of the Red Light District, is it possible?
By Jailan Heidar
“Why did you do this to yourself?” “You’ll never be able to go out to clubs or bars with your friends” “You’re too young for this”. That’s exactly what I heard when I decided to wear the veil. I was 17 at the time and didn’t really care about going to bars or clubs yet. I also didn’t see the logic of how I wouldn’t be able to go out with my friends, who would prevent me? Little did I know that in a few years I would be having trouble! My friends had to start making sure where we’re going lets in veiled women or I would usually just avoid places that might reject me to avoid embarrassment. “Estany neshof el makan da beedakhal mohagabat wala la2” actually became a normal phrase. Ironically, this is not the case now. Why? I didn’t take off the veil, I moved! Three years ago my husband and I came to Amsterdam to study (shocking I know!). Being land of the coffee-shops and the Red Light District, I expected people to give me a hard time that I was veiled and unmistakably a Muslim.
I personally wouldn’t choose to hang out in bars, clubs or the Red Light District every night but the point is I can choose to or not! 56 AUGUST 2011 CAMPUS
In the beginning I was extremely conscious of my veil and that I looked different, I’ve traveled in Europe before but being a tourist for a week isn’t at all like actually living abroad. I wasn’t confident of going out on my own, I was worried people would stare at me and I had the feeling that I just wanted to blend in and not have this label on my head (literally). It took me a while to realize that in reality no one was staring at me and no one was bothering me. It was all in my head! On the contrary most people spoke to me in Dutch, they didn’t automatically assume I was a foreigner. Most people think it’s hard as a veiled woman to live in Amsterdam; actually it isn’t so bad. Living in Amsterdam comes with some unexpected freedom, here I don’t need to worry about where to go out or if I’ll be refused service
! because of how I dress. I’ve been to bars and actually walked into a coffee-shop with friends and wasn’t stopped, even with a bouncer at the door. Even the Red Light District isn’t off-limits because I’m veiled. I’ve been a few times to give friends the “tourist tour” and have to walk through it sometimes to get to the metro downtown. Honestly, if I disregard that the women in the windows are prostitutes it’s no worse than going to the beach with the likes of Marassi and Hacienda, where everyone is skin-clad in skimpy bikinis (which I have nothing against, to each her own). I personally wouldn’t choose to hang out in bars, clubs or the Red Light District every night but the point is I can choose to or not! Of course life in Amsterdam isn’t all rosy and pink, there are people
I’m actually excited about Ramadan this year. A few of my friends who aren’t Muslims have talked about taking an initiative and fasting with me for a week or so to see how it feels who look at me and automatically think I’m an immigrant who’s fled her oppressed country, or put me in a stereotypical box and ask “Are you forced to wear the veil?” and my favorite, which was asked by a woman working with me: “Does your husband let you work?” (helloooo! I’m here aren’t I?) I won’t lie to you; I’ve been tempted to take off the veil for personal reasons as well as just to get rid of the image of being an oppressed person and having to patiently explain myself to some people. Just to be a Muslim privately without making it a group discussion. But instead I decided not to give up something I do just to make some people feel better that they can find a box to put me in!
I try to look at these as opportunities to educate people and maybe erase the Saudi stereotypical image of veiled women. One of the challenges of being a Muslim in Amsterdam is Ramadan, especially since I’m so used to the Egyptian culture of Ramadan. I miss the huge family get-togethers, going to prayer with friends and charity events. It seems there are no needy people in Amsterdam! If you want to contribute then you can donate money to your favorite charity and they’ll take care of everything. I miss getting meals ready for the needy or spending a whole day packaging a month’s supply of food for a family, just being able to get personally involved in the process is an experience I truly miss here, even though I sometimes considered it a hassle when I had it. Getting used to how long the days are here in the summer was also difficult. This year during Ramadan, sunset will be at 10pm! Which makes fasting in Cairo till 6:30 sound like a breeze! I’m actually excited about Ramadan this year. A few of my friends who aren’t Muslims have talked about taking an initiative and fasting with me for a week or so to see how it feels. It’s interesting seeing them fast - initially when thinking of the hard aspects of fasting, food and drink come to mind, but in reality that’s usually the easy part. The hard part is refraining from gossip, bad manners, ill intentions, lustful thoughts, etc. It’s been interesting getting to see how people react to that, what they consider to be their vice is and what a challenge overcoming that can be. I’ve got to say that living in Amsterdam has definitely increased my tolerance and flexibility. I always considered myself a pretty tolerant and flexible person to begin with but here I’ve got to “walk it like I talk it”. If I expect people to be tolerant of me I have to actively and openly be tolerant of all other diversity in Amsterdam as well, it’s not a oneway street.
57
] BALLS ]
58 AUGUST 2011 CAMPUS
] SCREENS & SPEAKERS ]
Ramadan soap operas: the bad, the worse and the ugly… This article proves that man can conquer the impossible, I kid you not. By Ahmed Amin THE TASK OF WRITING A PSEUDO-REVIEW ABOUT RAMADAN SERIES “MOSALSALAT RAMADAN” PROVED MORE CHALLENGING THAN INITIALLY EXPECTED. NOT BECAUSE IT’S A CHALLENGING TOPIC OR BECAUSE THE SERIES ARE SO FULFILLING BUT BECAUSE, SADLY, IT’S THE OPPOSITE. THE SHALLOWNESS AND EMPTINESS OF THE END PRODUCT MAKES IT SO HARD TO FIND PROPER VOCABULARY TO DESCRIBE THE VISUAL, AUDITORY AND SOCIAL POLLUTION THEY CREATE. NONETHELESS, WE’D STILL LIKE TO KEEP YOU IN THE LOOP, IN CASE SOME OF YOU STILL WANT TO WATCH THEM FOR WHATEVER REASON, OR YOU’RE STUCK WATCHING THEM WITH FAMILY AND IN SOCIAL GATHERINGS. IN OTHER WORDS, WE’LL MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE FACING. I’M NOT GOING TO BE A SMART-ASS AND SAY IT TOOK ME HOURS AND HOURS OF PAINFUL RESEARCH AND DISCOVERY TO MAKE UP A SHORT LIST OF ITEMS TO REVIEW BECAUSE IT DIDN’T. THESE SOAP OPERAS ARE ADVERTISED AND PROMOTED AS IF THEY ARE THE CURE FOR CANCER ON EVERY TV CHANNEL, BILLBOARD, ARABIC RADIO STATION AND EVEN FACEBOOK; IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO AVOID STUMBLING UPON THEM. SO I DECIDED TO JUST TAKE THE ONES THAT ARE EVERYWHERE SINCE YOU HAVE THE HIGHEST CHANCES OF FALLING VICTIM TO THEIR NONSENSE, OR IN MORE TECHNICAL TERMS, “PERFECT WASTE OF AIRTIME”. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE EPITOME OF ALL THINGS SUPERFICIAL; EGYPTIAN SOAP OPERAS.
Assailant #1: Noona El Ma2zouna - “Noona the Marriage Official “ Stars: Hanan Turk and the rest of the regulars. My bets are on this one being a crowd favorite as it touches on the Egyptian’s knack of overrating marriage and the infinite gossip opportunities it provides, which constitutes the main activity of the average Egyptian housewife. The trailer has a background song that says only “Noona Noona” in a very annoying and repetitive manner which I found very expected. The trailer had nothing else happening other than people saying the name of the character “Noona” and some random situations that tried to cheaply beg for a laugh (but ended up winning another form of expression through sounds if you know what I mean; not as happy or childish as a laugh). So the producers are trying to say “Nothing will be discussed in this episode other than random Noonas and marriage stereotypes.” In reality the only thing worthwhile in this show will be the commercials! Rating: A (Avoid At All Costs)
60 AUGUST 2011 CAMPUS
Assailant #4: Assailant #2: Al Daly Part 3 Stars: Nour – abo ossa – El Sherif. Part 3?! What? People went through this and still wanted more? This is the cheapest trailer of them all; it’s so cheap that I can’t talk about it or else I’ll be promoting indecency. Rating: A (Avoid or DIE)
Ramadan Mabrouk Abo El 3alameen 7amouda Stars: Mohammad Heneidy and the rest of the regulars. A continuation of his recent – that’s what they say I swear – movie about a quirky teacher from Upper Egypt and his adventures in the city. now in the series he goes back to his hometown. I can go on and on about this one but I think the producers put it best when they spent more than 75% of the trailer making “you’re so short” jokes about Heneidy’s character, Ramadan, and 25% various other jokes about his small physical build. I really can’t believe my eyes, nothing else was in the trailer and I won’t be surprised if nothing else is in the series as well. Rating: A (Avoid At All Costs)
Assailant #3: Adam
Assailant #5:
Stars: Ahem… Tamer Hosni
El Sha7roura
Hold your horses before you crack the Tamer jokes, this was the best trailer I’ve seen so far. I’d actually watch this at least once and give it a fair chance. I’m sure that it will probably suck, but I think they put some effort and it wasn’t as naive and insulting to your intelligence as the previous ones. I’d like to give credit where credit is due, that’s all, I’m not a T.H. fan boy at all, but I’m a fair critic and writer of pseudo- reviews.
Stars: Carol Sama7a and the rest of the regulars.
Rating: slightly better than the previous sh*t. These were the main ones that bombarded my way recently, there were much worse ones of course but I would’ve had nothing to write about since they’re basically nothing, and the good ones weren’t so good that you need to see them but they won’t kill you if they accidentally fell in your path.
The not-so-interesting life story about Saba7 the singer’s career, which started in 1943 and is still active. The series focuses on her and all the cool people she’s met. From marrying Roshdy Abaza to her encounters with the influential Abdel Halim Hafiz and some songs of course to fill the episodes since nothing much happened in this lady’s life other than marrying a whole lotta men and, you know, meeting people and hanging out. Oh wait wait, there’s nothing in this show other than one big personally supervised gossip fest about a preset subject: “Saba7”. Rating: A (Avoid At All Costs)
There you have it, now approach Ramadan TV with extreme cautiousness and don’t say nobody warned you.
61
SCREENS & SPEAKERS
Anything but mainstream… By Adham Roshdy
After 11 years on the scene, one of the most prominent and well-established bands in Egypt is finally releasing its first album, titled as Mesh Mohem (Not a Big Deal). Nagham Masry chose this title to send out a message of positivity and self-determination. Though the band faced many obstacles and conflicts, the band members believe that nothing is ever a big deal. Campus: What is the concept behind Nagham Masry? Nagham Masry: We love to tackle socio-political lyrics indirectly through a mix of oriental-flavored vocals and progressive modern music. C: How did the band first start? N: It all came together when Ousso and Sherbiny decided to blend their different musical backgrounds; those of a fusion guitarist and a folkloreoriented vocalist. The result was progressive Arabic songs which seeded the establishment of Nagham Masry. C: Many rumors have circled Nagham Masry. Were you really banned by the government from performing live at the Azhar Park concert a few years ago? N: We might have received a few warnings due to our lyrics, but we were never banned by the government from performing before. What really happened is that Wael’s keyboard was stolen during the process of setting up the stage, so we called the police in order to investigate the robbery. The police accused the park’s security for being irresponsible and accordingly the park’s administration canceled the show. Consequently, people assumed that we were banned from performing due to political reasons, so Ahmed Fouad Negm led a protest in Talaat Harb Street supporting Nagham Masry. C: And is it true that Nagham Masry was formed when Sherbiny (Vocals) and Ousso (Lead Guitar) ran into each other by chance on the 6th of October bridge? N: Actually, Ousso and Sherbiny knew each other through playing together in Yehia Ghanam’s band. They both tried at first some collaborated arrangements with Hossam Shaker, Ahmed Osman and other musicians. The songs were totally different than those of Nagham Masry’s and the project didn’t last and they eventually lost touch for several months. Back then, mobiles and internet weren’t as alive as they are now, so it wasn’t that easy to search for and contact someone like it is now. But then later on, Ousso and Sherbiny did run into each other by luck, and it was then when that they decided to revive their concept. They exchanged phone numbers, began recruiting the band members, and the wheels of Nagham Masry began to roll. C: It’s been 11 years; do you still remember your first appearance in public? N: Nagham Masry’s first concert was on August 15 in the year 2000, at the Citadel festival. We played only 10 original songs, and we received a certificate of appreciation for our work from the Cairo Opera House. C: Why do you guys choose specific gigs and concerts? N: Simply because our ideology and music attract only those who are interested in such musical depth and the lyrical content which could only be delivered in a few venues. For example, we don’t prefer to perform
62 AUGUST 2011 CAMPUS
at pubs or night clubs, because most people attending such gigs care more about dancing and partying rather than listening to the quality of art delivered. We did try to perform at some pubs but the crowd’s interaction was disappointing, so we’ve decided to withdraw from the pub-scene. Even corporate events and weddings target mainstream-oriented bands, not bands like ours. C: Have you thought of attracting the mainstream audience by changing your music or lyrics? N: When Ousso writes the music for the band, he strictly insists on delivering what he wants to deliver to the people, not what the people are used to listening to in Arabic songs, because his vision is focused on developing the local musical taste. Many of us have suggested that he adds more dance beats to attract a larger audience, but he refuses because Nagham Masry happens to be a field where he can experiment new musical approaches. C: So is this why it took you 11 years to release your first album? N: No not at all, the problem was that we couldn’t find sufficient funds, and the studio-recording engineers weren’t familiar with our musical direction. So we didn’t want to release an album that we weren’t fully satisfied with to the public. This is in addition to the lack of support from the media that only promotes mainstream music. C: What made you decide to self-produce Mesh Mohem? N: We made that decision for mainly two reasons; first of all we wanted to avoid any control over our musical direction by the mainstream producers. Second of all, by releasing the album online and for free, we ensure that the album reaches people without any inconvenience. C: Why was the album’s release delayed? N: Because not only was the album’s production process accomplished by Ousso, but prior to the recording process, he was rearranging the tracks. The band also had a hard time managing the recording session schedules of the band members due to their overlapping work schedules. C: Could you tell us a bit about the album? N: The album contains 13 rearranged tracks that handle different contexts, some of which describe scenes in Cairo, some philosophical contexts, and others addressing the idea of freedom. C: And how could we find Nagham Masry’s album, Mesh Mohem? N: Well, we are releasing two albums this year, Mesh Mohem being the first one. It’s a very simple process; you just visit our website, http://www. naghammasry.com and just click and download. Our website is currently under construction, so you could stay tuned to our Facebook page, where we’ll announce the exact time of the website’s launch.
ﻣﻊ ﭬﻮداﻓﻮن ،أﺣﺴﻦ أﺳﻌﺎر ﻟﻠـ ® BlackBerryﻓﻰ ﻣﺼﺮ وﻛﻤﺎن ٣ﺷﻬﻮر ﺑﺒﻼش ﻟﻜﻞ ﻋﻤﻼء ﭬﻮداﻓﻮن ،إﺧﺘﺎر اﻟـ® BlackBerryإﻟﻠﻰ ﻳﻨﺎﺳﺒﻚ ﺑﺄﺣﺴﻦ ا ﺳﻌﺎر واﺳﺘﻤﺘﻊ ﺑـ : • ﻟﻠﻌﻤﻼء اﻟﺠﺪد ٣ :ﺷﻬﻮر ﺑﺒﻼش ﻋﻠﻰ ﻛﻞ ﺧﺪﻣﺎت اﻟـ®BlackBerry • ﻟﻠﻌﻤﻼء اﻟﺤﺎﻟﻴﻴﻦ :ﺧﺼﻢ ﻳﺼﻞ إﻟﻰ ٪٥٠ﻋﻠﻰ ﻛﻞ ﺧﺪﻣﺎت اﻟـ® BlackBerryاﻟﻴﻮﻣﻴﺔ واﻟﺸﻬﺮﻳﺔ .ﻟ ﺷﺘﺮاك أﻃﻠﺐ @٨٨٨٨# ﻟﻮ ﻋﺎﻳﺰ ﺗﻠﻴﻔﻮن ﻳﺒﻘﻰ ﻣﻦ ﭬﻮداﻓﻮن.... ﻟﻤﺰﻳﺪ ﻣﻦ اﻟﻤﻌﻠﻮﻣﺎت ،ﻛﻠﻢ ٨٠٠أو أدﺧﻞ ﻋﻠﻰ www.vodafone.com.eg
إﻟﺤﻖ إﺷﺘﺮك ....اﻟﻌﺮض ﺳﺎرى ﻟﻔﺘﺮة ﻣﺤﺪودة • ﺗﻄﺒﻖ اﻟﺸﺮوط و ا ﺣﻜﺎم وﺳﻴﺎﺳﺔ اﻻﺳﺘﺨﺪام اﻟﻌﺎدل • ﻳﻤﻜﻨﻚ إﺳﺘﺒﺪال ﻧﻘﺎط ﭬﻮداﻓﻮن وان ﻟﺸﺮاء أى ﺟﻬﺎز ®BlackBerry
• اﻟﻌﺮض ﺳﺎرى ﻓﻰ ﺟﻤﻴﻊ ﻓﺮوع ﭬﻮداﻓﻮن ﻋﻨﺪ اﻻﺷﺘﺮاك ﻓﻰ ﺧﺪﻣﺔ اﻟـ ®BlackBerry • ® Facebookﻋﻼﻣﺔ ﺗﺠﺎرﻳﺔ ﻣﻤﻠﻮﻛﺔ ﻟـ Facebook, Inc • ﻗﻴﻤﺔ ا ﺷﺘﺮاك ١٠ﻗﺮوش
• ﺟﻤﻴﻊ اﻟﻌﻼﻣﺎت اﻟﺘﺠﺎرﻳﺔ وا ﺳﻤﺎء واﻟﺸﻌﺎرات اﻟﺨﺎﺻﺔ ﺑـ ®BlackBerry®, RIM®, Research In Motionﻣﺴﺠﻠﺔ وﻣﻤﻠﻮﻛﺔ ﻟﺸﺮﻛﺔ Research In Motion Limitedﻓﻰ ﺟﻤﻴﻊ أﻧﺤﺎء اﻟﻌﺎﻟﻢ ،ﺟﻤﻴﻊ اﻟﻌﻼﻣﺎت اﻟﺘﺠﺎرﻳﺔ ا ﺧﺮى ﻣﻠﻚ اﻟﻤﻮزﻋﻴﻦ اﻟﻤﻌﺘﻤﺪﻳﻦ ﺟﻤﻴﻊ اﻟﺤﻘﻮق اﻟﻤﻠﻜﻴﺔ ﻣﺤﻔﻮﻇﺔ © Research In Motion Limited 2010