I was stuck physically as well as mentally. My only way was downward and I feared the point of no return from the blackness of my mind and soul. My spark and igniting soul have faded in the process and a surge of disorientation in life overtook me. During my quest for my path, I have endured a long journey to find a purpose to my existence. Yet, nothing awaited me but a consistent and continuous series of rejections. I no longer felt that I belonged in the city. I, rather, wanted to escape it and its people who did me no justice. I needed to discover new terrain. I sought to explore new lives to be part of my own. All in an attempt to rekindle my lost spark for life as there seemed to be no way out of this mental prison. I had to go. I had to merge with the universe and let it fix my brokenness. And so, I got on the bus heading towards the wilderness of Sinai to join a farming and arts volunteering program at Dar Jan. The bus ride through Sinai’s…
Messages Behind Naguib Mahfouz’ Nobel Speech
Weeks ago, Austria novelist Peter Handke was awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize for literature “for an influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has explored the periphery and the specificity of human experience.” The news, controversial as it was, served as a reminder that the prestigious award is not that far off from Egypt. Thirty-one years ago, exactly on the 13th of October 1988, Naguib Mahfouz became the first Egyptian to win Nobel Prize in literature. This prize came with full merit after a long journey replete with creativity and transmitted knowledge in the field of literature. Hailed as Egypt’s iconic and most famous writer, Mahfouz’s craft has been highlighted in the last decade as his works carries the reputation of conveying the reality of Cairo’s streets. His work was influential as it also framed some of the struggles which plagued Egyptian society through time. Several novels by Mahfouz gained popularity and achieved high success. One his most elegant and simple works, which is often overlooked, is undeniably his Nobel prize speech. The latter was not delivered by Mahfouz himself. The great novelist had a well-known fear of flying, prompting Mohamed…
Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to Attempt Reaching Final Agreement for GERD by January 15
According to an official statement by the US Treasury, Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have to resolve the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) negotiations stalemate by January 15, 2020. After months in which the negotiations surrounding GERD had not moved forward, all three countries’ foreign ministers met with US Secretary of the Treasury, Steven Mnuchin, and the President of the World Bank, David Malpass, in Washington, D.C. on November 6. “The ministers also agreed to work toward completion of an agreement by January 15, 2020, and would attend two meetings in Washington, D.C. on December 9, 2019 and January 13, 2020, to assess and support progress,” reads the statement by Mnuchin and Malpass. “If an agreement is not reached by January 15, 2020, the foreign ministers agree that Article 10 of the 2015 Declaration of Principles will be invoked.” The “Declaration of Principles” is a document which was signed by Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia in 2015 order to facilitate the dispute between the Nile basin countries over the Nile water. It consists of ten core principles which call for respect of water use, cooperation of international experts, agreement on the GERD’s…
The Coptic Church to Produce Biographical TV Series About Pope Shenouda III
The Monastery of Saint Pishoy in Wadi El Natrun has announced plans to produce a 34-episode historical TV series that will chronicle the life and times of the late Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria, local media reports. The series, entitled Pope of the Arabs, will star Egyptian actor Maged El Kedwany who was cast in the titular role. “We will produce this work at the request of most of the members of the Christian community,” Bishop Bemwa El Anba Bishoy told Arab Weekly’s Amr Emam. “The new work will document every detail in the life of the pope.” Production budget is reportedly $5 million, which the church is looking to raise from donations. A number of private TV networks have also expressed their interest in optioning the material, according to the publication. With plans to get the show nationally syndicated, as opposed to only broadcasting it on Coptic TV stations, the production marks the Coptic Church’s first venture into mainstream media. “Pope Shenouda was more than just a Christian pope,” said Nashaat Zaqlama, a church historian who also serves as historical consultant on the project. “He was a national figure…
‘A Trafficked Child Today Is A Terrorist Tomorrow’: Meet the Woman Working to End Human Trafficking in Africa
Earlier this year, in the northern city of Kaduna in Nigeria, more than 300 young students were discovered chained in a small room. They had been physically and sexually abused at an extremist Islamic school, which ostensibly recruited them to build their ‘resilience’, but it was later discovered that the children were being radicalized there to become terrorists. Although slavery is abolished in all countries, the practice still widely takes place in new forms to adapt to modern changes. A practice akin to it is human trafficking, which involves the recruitment, harboring or transportation of people into a situation of exploitation through the use of violence, deception or coercion, where they are forced to work against their will. In other words, enslaving them for personal gain and profit. Regarded as the third largest criminal enterprise globally, the victims of human trafficking have been suffering in the shadows for a long time, with approximately 45.8 million people enslaved worldwide. In Africa alone, which is where a majority of trafficking takes place, an estimated 9.24 million individuals are enslaved. The efforts done to stop it fall short compared to the magnitude of…
Egypt’s Foremost Green Architect on How Climate Justice Can Solve the Housing Crisis
Egypt’s construction industry has been one of the country’s biggest revenue generating and job producing sectors since the turn of the century. Even the political turmoil of 2011 and its subsequent instability, which can still be felt today, could not stem its rise, with the sector contributing EGP 70659.60 million to Egypt’s total 2019 GDP. But the construction and development industry doesn’t only drive Egypt’s GDP growth, it is also one of its main polluters, contributing 17% of the country’s energy sector’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2012 alone. According to green architect, entrepreneur, and environmental strategist Sarah El Battouty, the way we develop, construct, and build communities dictates our way of life and ability to be resilient and adaptive in the future. Egypt’s conventional construction industry has exported its design and planning flaws to other sectors, and is now threatening to infect our entire economic thinking. Battouty, who graduated from the University of Cambridge with a degree in architecture and studied sustainable development and climate change management at SOAS University of London, has dedicated her career to promoting environmentally conscious and ethical building practices. With over 17 years of experience…
From Sudanese to Korean: A Guide to Cairo’s Authentic Cultural Food Scene
Another wonderful addition to Egypt’s cosmopolitan capital city is its culturally diverse culinary scene—from Sudanese and Ethiopian restaurants, all the way to Korean eateries. The capital’s diverse food culture attracts not only locals, but also tourists, expats, and weary travelers looking for a little taste of home away from home. Korean food If you are a resident of Maadi, you must have come across at least three Korean restaurants in the district: Gaya, Tomato and Kokio. Known for their warm food, Korean delicacies include flavorful barbecue meat, chicken and sea food, cooked right before your eyes. The hot pot, often filled with vegetables, broth, noodles and your choice of seasoned meat, makes it a great comfort food especially in wintertime. The menus of these eateries also include Kimbab, a sushi-like roll, as well as Bibimbap, a bowl of rice, vegetables, bulgogi beef and fried eggs. Kokio specializes in Korean street food, which consists of fried chicken drenched in different sauces, such as soy, garlic and chili dressing as well as ramen noodles, kimbab, and Tteokbokki, which is soft rice cakes covered in sauce. Similar to other ethnic food restaurants, while their…
International Congress of Egyptology Launches 12th Edition at Mena House
One of the most important scientific and academic events in the field of Egyptology, the International Conference of Egyptology (ICE) is on-going until the 11th of November at the Mena house, under the auspices of the Ministry of Antiquities. The event, which is routinely organized every four years, kicked off on Sunday and sees the participation of over 600 attendees from approximately 30 countries. This is not the first time Egypt hosts the prestigious conference, having hosted it thrice in 1976, 1988 and 2000. It was last held in Italy’s Florence in 2015 and was announced to take place next in Leiden in 2023. Revealing the latest findings and discoveries in the field, the ICE gathers a vast number of scholars, archeologists, heritage experts and Egyptology enthusiasts. In his opening word at the inauguration ceremony of the congress, Minister Khaled El Enani commended Egypt’s government for its support to the ministry and to the field. He revealed that, in the last few years, the Ministry has inaugurated a series of museums: the Islamic art museums, Sohag’s national museum, Malawi Museum in Minya which was destroyed, Kom Asheem in Fayoum, Museum…
Startups Without Borders Kicks Off a Massive Summit for Entrepreneurs in Cairo
Startups Without Borders is pleased to launch its first summit, themed “Think Global, inside out,” which will be held at the American University in Cairo (Egypt) on the 8th and 9th of November. Running under the theme “Building an international team for a global market”, the summit will host 3 tracks: Tech to Scale, Female Leadership, and Creative Economies, bringing international actors in the startup scene to the heart of Cairo, while gathering newcomer and Egyptian upcoming entrepreneurs to meet, network and hack their way to scale globally. The summit is organized in partnership with AUC V-Lab, UNDP, and Facebook, and co-hosted by the Telling the Real Story Project – facilitated by UNHCR to enhance intra-community dialogue, and will shed light on technologies to scale, female leadership, and impact investment, placing particular emphasis on refugee-lens investing and diversity as an asset for startups. Startups Without Borders is a global platform connecting migrant and refugee entrepreneurs to opportunities and resources to build their businesses, wherever they are. Launched in 2018 in Cairo, with hubs across European and Middle Eastern countries, the platform aims to build the startup ecosystem for entrepreneurs on…