The following is a collection of interviews with various Egyptians. All names used are simply aliases for privacy purposes. Sarah: A Coptic University Student This interview is an insight into the life of a female Christian student living in Cairo. First of all, what has changed for you since the revolution? “How is everything? Well…nothing has changed. If there has been change, it has been for the worse. Not many people have benefited from the revolution. The rich are still rich and the poor are still poor.”Continue reading “A Coptic Student and a Taxi Driver”…
4 Reasons Why You Should Visit Egypt
Since the extraordinary events at Tahrir Square in 2011, where thousands of passionate Egyptians managed to enter a new democratic era, tourism to Egypt has taken a hit. Tourism is essential for Egyptian prosperity post-revolution, with the industry providing jobs for 16 million Egyptians. To possibly help in boosting tourism, I decided to write a post recommending four reasons why you should visit Egypt! 1) Monuments and Artefacts From The Metropolitan Museum in New York, to the Louvre in Paris, Ancient Egypt tends to feature prominently in museums world-wide. Recently, the exhibition “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs,” travelled the world ended the final leg of a 10-year-long tour in Japan. The exhibition attracted more than 7 million visitors around the world. In Australia it managed to break attendance records at the Melbourne Museum. Continue reading “4 Reasons Why You Should Visit Egypt”…
Achieving a better future through video-games
Like the real world, in the video-game world you are often faced with a series of problems and obstacles. The difference is that in the video-game world, gamers often overcome these problems in search for a better future. In the real world, when faced with a problem that we fail to overcome, we often just give up. In the video game world you never give up: from shaking the joystick violently every time you fail, to cursing at your monitor – eventually you are able to find a way to overcome the obstacle.Continue reading “Achieving a better future through video-games”…
Films, Cartoons, and the Murder of an Ambassador
On the 11th Anniversary of the September 11th attacks, violent protests broke out in front of the U.S embassy in Cairo, Egypt, and the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. In Egypt, protesters replaced the American flag with an Islamist one, while in Libya, the Consulate was set on fire, killing Ambassador Christopher Stevens, information officer Sean Smith, and ex-Navy SEAL commandos Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty. The deaths represented a tragic day for not only Americans, but for Libyans who recently removed a brutal dictator in favor for democracy. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGk4vUcGzY0&feature=player_embedded] Yet, the question is: did these violent protesters really occur because of an Anti-Islamic video? Or are there other more complex and deep-rooted reasons behind the protests?Continue reading “Films, Cartoons, and the Murder of an Ambassador”…
Remembering Ambassador Chris Stevens
Ambassador Chris Stevens was killed on 9/11/2012 in a cowardly attack against the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi.
Egyptian Cinema: The People’s Voice Under Threat
I originally published this article on ABC’s The Drum in May. It has been updated to include recent events. Since the inception of cinematography, Egyptian filmmakers have embraced the idea of shadows dancing across a white screen to reflect the true face of Egyptian society. The audience is immersed in the silver-screen, allowing them to experience films as if they were part of the story – and in many cases they are because cinema often projects their stories. That is why cinema should play an important role following the January 25th Revolution, where Egyptians started a new chapter in their civilisation. Instead, with the rise of fundamentalism, an Islamist dominated parliament (that was dissolved in June) , and a President who comes from the Muslim Brotherhood, Egyptian cinema faces an uncertain future. Continue reading “Egyptian Cinema: The People’s Voice Under Threat”…
The Islamic Republic of Egypt
With the sacking of Egypt’s army chief, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawy, the Muslim Brotherhood has established near-full control over the country – effectively creating the Islamic Republic of Egypt. Morsy, Egypt’s leader, yesterday sacked all of Egypt’s top generals and members of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces, in an unexpected move. Additionally, Morsy cancelled the constitutional declaration which was aimed at curbing his presidential powers, and gave SCAF unprecedented powers. So what is wrong? Isn’t this finally allowing Egypt to enter a new phase – a phase free of military intervention?Continue reading “The Islamic Republic of Egypt”…
Egypt is not “Om El Donya” Anymore
It is often said that Egypt is “Om El Donya” or “Mother of the World.” In recent months, we have come to show the world that this is no longer true. Throughout the past year, Egypt has gone through a rollercoaster of events that have heavily impacted every single aspect of Egyptian life. However, these events have been illustrated by the media as a period in history when Egypt finally entered a new era. A ‘democratic’ era that has led to newfound pride, where Egyptians became capable of deciding their own future. A phrase such as “Om El Donya” would indicate that Egypt is a leading force in the world, with the January 25 revolution placing Egypt even higher by garnering the respect of people all around the world. Some have even stated that the ‘Arab Spring’ motivated the Occupy Protests. However, like the Occupy Protests, the January 25 Revolution achieved very little. ‘Democracy’ has led to an anti-democratic and Islamist-dominated parliament and ‘Presidency.’ Thanks to the flawless system of democracy, we don’t even know if Mohamed Morsy won Egypt’s presidency. Ignoring the political aspect of Egyptian life, where else…