"What's Next..?"
A friend of mine welcomed me saying: welcome to the zoo..!!
Another stated that there is no will to bring quality or reliability to any aspect of the Egyptian life..!!
Browsing TV and newspapers was enough to feel the mightiness of the Media Community that flips all realities and turns all false into confirmed state that the people unconsciously recite.. It is a phenomenon that started once the State-Media was developed at Nasser’s times, and got enhanced by the outspoken Sadat, and then evolved into an unbeatable monster with the ailing yet holding Mubarak..
Corporate-Egypt masters all the keys for wealth and powers, with strong alliance with the Media Community.. Hunting wealth and exercising all applications for such a goal or benefiting from it; is all legitimate in the street culture.. Everything becomes a commodity for trading, regardless whatsoever value it includes.. Religion is reduced from path of salvation into another for facilitation.. Science is no more a way-finding towards development and welfare, but a route for the inevitably smart ones to earn more dollars and recognition.. A PhD Researcher once described to me the magic of the letter “D” in front of any name..!! Bottom-line, all vocabularies, concepts and theories are subject to timely and continuously modified definitions.. It is a state of organized anarchy run by a JV includes Corporate-Egypt, Egyptian Politicians and their Media Community..
In today’s Egypt; gated-communities are syndromes, as well as headscarf with sexy- tight jeans..!!
In today's Cairo; an outstanding urban chaos that set loose by public servants..!!
This was Egypt as promoted by the mighty community of Egyptian media; yet below is the concurrent true Egypt as a unique state of cultural anarchy and unmatched national chaos that puts down all sincere efforts of reconciliation or reform..!!
I feel lots of pitty for the Egyptian people... Not because I do share portions of their blood, but because they were and still a magnifying mirror of the world...!!
They represent the histories, the struggles, the morals and the fallen ethics of our global civilization..
This is what had given them leading position.. yet would denounce it from them..!!
Maybe it is already done..!!
The Mamluk Dynasties (1250 AD- 1517 AD) had ruled a vast region from Cairo, yet their focus influence remained within the territories of the known Egypt. However, only by the incredible massacre of 1811, their existence within Egyptian formal life had ended. However, their cultural footprints heavily dominate the Egyptian quarters till date, and probably till the end of history..!!
ReplyDeleteThe 301 Sultans; who ruled during an effective 300 years, had managed to accumulate lots of wealth, strength and proposition for their sultanate among all neighboring nations. Mamluk Cairo was a great magnet for all Muslim students, entrepreneurs, scientists, and ordinary people to migrate, live and integrate. It was the early Oriental version of the New World in Western Hemisphere.. The strong hold of those continuously renewed military elite had developed lots of wealth; which fueled their passion and ambition for both pride and distinction.. Therefore, most of the hallmarks of Cairo are traced back to that era; which was known for all contradicting extremes in every aspect of the urban living..
Such a source of fantasy and extraordinary had inspired most of the modern drama affiliates in Egypt since 1920th; which had spread the Mamluk theme across the Arabic speaking world. The endless realties and imagination of such amazing era had enabled not only the dramatic plots, but also the visualized splendor.. These were and still the urban models for both existing dynasties and commons..
The Ottomans had ruled Egypt on the Mamluk platform, which had enabled them to exercise degrees of autonomy from Istanbul. Till date, traces of these composite bureaucracies, protocols and morals are well structured within Egyptian way of life. This involves both civic and military sectors, with implications throughout all urban and rural communities.
Mamluk Syndrome had built the known Egypt, and would draw the future of its evolve and development, yet most Egyptian are in state of denial which already costs them a lot..!! Understanding and management of this fact is the only way to mitigate or eliminate the awful Mamluk inheritances that paralyzed the Egyptian opportunities. The Mamluk practice of “Fahlawah” or the unlawful shortcuts based on deceiving the others; is the most killer for Egyptian competences.. It had conveyed messages of mistrust and disbelieve among dealers, challengers and spectators too..
When Nasser led his fellow army officers to seize the power in favor of the common Egyptian against the so-called “Layer of 0.5%”; he had never assumed that one day is to come to witness a sever state of segregation among his fellow Egyptians..
ReplyDeleteIn today’s Egypt; a layer of 1% lives in “Gated Communities”, visits other “Gated” friends, entertains in the “Gated” resorts and only shops their groceries locally; vide telephone orders, on-line or by messengers.. Many of them were living in wealthy districts of Zamalik, Garden City or Heliopolis; who had migrated to those “Gated Communities” once the new wealthy entrepreneurs and craftsmen moved to share their elegant neighborhoods.. The new “Gated” syndrome became a social rank, which segregates them from the common by the use of private security personnel and physical barriers..
These “Gated” 1% of Egyptian people are the elegant address of the country in most international events, media promotions and marketing campaigns.. Those less than “One Million” Egyptians are the focus of property market, luxuries, travel and entertainment.. I guess they would represent more than 50% of the Egyptian purchase powers of 2010..
Notably, they do not represent the powerful key staff in Government, Media, Military and Politics.. Also, it is rare to find among them Lecturers, Scientists or Scholars; who in general earn less than US$ 50,000 annually.. This is compared with 2009 GDP per capita as low as US$ 2,500 and general minimum monthly wage as low as US$ 130..
On Nov 16, 2010, Dr Mostafa Alfiquie, an Egyptian scholar had written in AlAhram newspaper on how it is a need for a “Culture of Quality” to make the breakthrough in Egypt’s Story.. He claimed that translation of “Fahlawah“ was never found in any dictionary.. He also described it as “smart way to deceive others, claiming that a thing was completely and adequately done, while it is not..” Unfortunately he associated “Fahlawah” with the so-called “Egyptian Smartness”; which is an arrogant expression not far from the “Fahlawah” itself..!!
ReplyDeleteI guess he was right calling it as the greatest threat to Egypt and Egyptians, as sets loose ends and incomplete assembly for every aspect; which in conclusion had named Egyptian endeavors as shortfalls, inefficient and defective to meet any proposed targets or goals.. Therefore; he called to replace that “Fahlawah” with quality as a culture to assure the way forward..
I believe that “Fahlawah” is a street culture that could be found in any urban community; where people would struggle to find, secure and develop a position among the common civic strives.. This is clearly found in Mumbay, London, Lagos, New York and elsewhere.. It is only how tightly structured the civic order is, to prevent who is not truly competent to win..!! If modern Egypt has active 50,000 law articles, certainly “Fahlawah” has a vast playground to celebrate and revive..
Since Mamluk times, slang of Egypt had created lots of weird words of combined origins.. It was a necessity to pot all various - matching and contradicting - ethnic groups and cultures in one stream.. This is what had always given the Egyptian slang the domination among Arabic speaking nations.. It is phonetic, descriptive and easy-said to express any condition or feature.. This is how “Fahlawah” was created and used as a word summaries all Egyptian civic experiences of processing and achieving..
Our late Sudanese outstanding linguistic professor; Oun Alsharif Gassim had referred “Fahlawah” to a Persian origin of “Bahlawan” which means “Clown” in English..!