Bridges old and new adorn the city of Cairo, crossing the Nile river and serving to connect the city’s constantly expanding and newly emerging districts. While they are indispensable for enabling movement between certain neighborhoods as well as for dispersing the city’s heavy traffic load, they also carry broader historical and cultural significance. Looking into some of the stories behind their construction and taking a glimpse at the various key stakeholders involved, reveals much about modern Egyptian history and politics. The very recent inauguration of the Rod El-Farag Bridge by President Abdel-Fattah El Sisi on 15 May once again drew nation-wide – even worldwide – attention to the huge construction work currently underway in and around Cairo; the bridge was notably entered in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s widest suspension bridge to date. The Rod El-Farag Bridge, which has come to be named the Tahya Masr Bridge (‘Long Live Egypt Bridge’), is one of the latest ambitious infrastructural projects to have been inaugurated by the Egyptian leadership. The six-lane, 540-meter long and 67.36-meter-wide suspension bridge was completed in a mere 32 months, requiring a total of…
The Rescue of Abu Simbel: A Perfect Example of International Cooperation
The Abu Simbel temple is one of the most well-known ancient sites in Egypt. It survived the ancient times and was located on the west bank of the Nile River for 3,000 years. However, modern progress shifted its location when the Aswan High Dam required it to be dismantled and rebuilt on a higher hill in the 1960s. Abu Simbel is an ancient temple complex. It contains two temples that were built between 1264 – 1244 BCE or 1244 – 1224 BCE during the reign of Ramesses II. The Abu Simbel Temple was constructed by Ancient Egyptian King Ramesses II, with the main intention to celebrate the victory during the Hitties at Kadish battle in 1274 B.C. Of the two temples, there is the Great Temple and the Small Temple. The Great Temple is 98 feet tall and depicts Ramesses II on his throne, with four seated colossi at 65 feet tall. Beneath, there are status of the Nubians, Libyans and Hittites, all enemies that Ramesses conquered. On the walls, there are writings of military victories, his personal life, and Egyptian Gods, such as Ra-Horakhty, Ptah, and Amon. Less than…
China-Africa Relations: Parasitism or Mutualism?
With the rise of China as a new global power, and with relatively new phenomena like CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) and Xi Jinping’s “One Belt, One Road” (OBOR) initiative, and in contrast to Trump’s pullout from the Trans Pacific Partnership (TTP) during his first day in office, China is already a contesting force to the US as a global power with the ability to shape agendas around the globe. Therefore, examining China as an important and powerful player in global politics today is essential to understanding current international relations and the current international relations and the current international political economy. The term “client-patron relationship”, as it is used in the discipline of international relations, refers to the dependency theory to cast light on the international political economy, first perpetuated by the Argentinian economist Raúl Prebisch. The exploitation of third world country by developed countries may be understood as a form of patron-cliency. A well-known example may be the US and Iraq. Today, it is no secret that China has newfound and deep interests in Africa – cementing Africa as its top trading partner and donor. Forum on China-African Corporation…
13 Contemporary Egyptian Designers Exhibit Works at WantedDesign Manhattan
For the first time since its foundation in 2011, 13 Egyptian designers have been selected to feature their work on one of the world’s most prestigious design platforms, WantedDesign, during the annual NYCxDESIGN exhibition, held in May. The diverse set of works were carefully chosen so as to represent a broad palate of contemporary Egyptian designs, each individual exhibit rooted in the cultural richness of contemporary Egypt and promoting local materials and crafts. The pavilion and concept entitled “(re)New (re)Work” was curated by Egyptian architect Mohamed El Shahed, who already won an award for curating the Egyptian Pavilion at the 2018 London Biennale. WantedDesign supports both US and international design through this event, always dedicated to “promoting design and fostering the international creative community at large,” according to their website. The 2019 edition is being held under the theme “Conscious Design”, and aims to showcase sustainable projects and the various creative ways in which designers and artists are combining aesthetics and environmental responsibility, by pushing for reasonable consumption, waste reduction and recycling materials. Supported by the US Embassy in Cairo as part of Egypt’s expanding creative economy programs, this year’s…
Netflix Releases a Teaser for its First Arabic Original Show ‘Jinn’
The popular streaming website Netflix debuted the teaser for its first ever Arabic original series titled ‘Jinn’ which will be available starting June 13. The supernatural show is set in Jordan and it about a group of teenagers who mistakenly summoned a Jinn during their visit to the Jordanian city of Petra. “When a girl accidentally releases a jinn in the form of a teenage boy, they learn that they’ve also unleashed an ancient darkness that threatens the world,” the show’s synopsis reads. The six-episode season drama is directed by Lebanese director Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya who believed that “this is a great opportunity to portray Arab youth in a very unique way,” he said in a statement adding that the authentic approach Netflix portraying is what drew him to this project. “We are really excited about this. It is very common in Middle East that people know someone who has a Jinn story, so it’s nice to take that and turn it into a fun and mysterious teen adventure that everyone can enjoy,” elaborated the Oscar nominee Jordanian screenwriter Bassel Ghandour. “On a broader note, I love that Netflix is…
First Time For Arabic Novel In Translation To Win Man Booker International Prize
Omani writer Jokha Alharthi won the prestigious Man Booker International Prize for her novel Celestial Bodies in a ceremony at the Roundhouse in London on 21 May. The prize goes to a book translated into English and published in the UK and Ireland. This makes Celestial Bodies the first ever Arabic work in translation to win, having been longlisted alongside 12 other non-English titles. Alharthi is also the first author from the Gulf and one of only six Arab authors to have ever been longlisted for the prize. “It feels like a wonderful opportunity to share my inner world with the whole world!” Alharthi said in an interview following the ceremony. Originally published in 2010 under the name Sayyidat Al-Qamar, the English translation by American academic Marilyn Booth, and published by Sandstone Press, followed in 2018. Author and translator are equally rewarded, with the £50,000 prize money shared between the two. “I appreciate very much that this prize recognizes not only the power of the work in the language in which it was imagined and written, but also the importance of translation as creative writing and as responsibility, to readers…
6 Ways You Can Give Back to Your Community in Egypt While Learning
One of the ways you can give back to the community is by volunteering in several organizations that help marginalized communities or the environment. Through your participation, you are bound to gain communication skills as well as develop new skill sets and interests. Giving back does not have to be monetary, it can be through a mere act of participation. Wataneya for the Development of Orphanages After realizing that the quality of Egyptian orphanages were subpar, Wataneya Society began in 2008 with the sole purpose of improving the quality of care and living standards of Egypt’s orphaned youth. The project set guidelines for the optimal care standards the orphaned youth should receive. They also offer a plethora of programs hosting orphans from across Cairo to expand their skill set where people can volunteer to share their expertise. You can also volunteer in an orphanage and help caregivers. To learn more about the available volunteering opportunities, visit their page. St. Andrew’s Refugee Service (STARS) St. Andrew’s United Church of Cairo established a support group to help refugees in Egypt. In 1979, STARS was founded as an organization that provides support for…
From Mythical Creature to Endangered Species: The Egyptian Vulture
The Egyptian vulture, a bird species bearing much cultural significance in both ancient Egyptian and Greek mythology, is drastically declining in population due to various human-caused threats. Every year, billions of different bird types migrate along a south-north axis, with the Middle East located at the crucial juncture of Africa, Asia and Europe and therefore constituting an important corridor for this seasonal movement of birds. While Egyptian vultures that breed in milder regions migrate southwards in winter, their tropical counterparts remain relatively sedentary. A worrying trend that has recently gained the attention of bird conservationists, is that this species has been in massive decline throughout the past century. In fact, their population is considered to have halved since 1980, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Six species of vultures are currently recorded in Egypt – some being rarer than others – and while no recent study has determined the exact size of their population, they are generally in decline, Mindy Baha al-Din, bird specialist with the NGO Nature Conservation Egypt has noted. The main reasons for this radical decline can be attributed to human action, with many…
‘Tahya Masr’: Aladdin Star Mena Massoud Sends Message to Egyptians
Egyptian-Canadian actor Mena Massoud, who stars in the anticipated live action reboot of Aladdin alongside Will Smith, sent a dedicated message to his Egyptian fans on social media to express his pride of being Egyptian and encourage his fans to see it. Titled ‘Egypt, this one’s for you!’, Massoud begins the video with “Oh Egyptian people, greetings!” “I am excited for you to see the film Aladdin that is produced by Disney. I am proud to be part of this film and I hope you love it as much as I do and you enjoy it as I much as I did filming it.” During a press conference in Jordan, Massoud wished the Muslims Ramadan Kareem, stating “Inshallah, may God bring more happy days to the Arab and Muslim communities and Ramadan Kareem.” Massoud was born in Cairo, Egypt to Egyptian Coptic Christian parents before immigrating to Canada when he was three-years-old. He previously worked in television, playing roles like Jared Malik in the 2015 series Open Heart and Tarek Kassar in the Amazon series Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. Over 2,000 actors and actresses auditioned for the roles of Aladdin and Jasmine, yet finding a male lead of Middle-Eastern…