For the past few days, there has been a lot of discussion and oppositions regarding Egypt’s new attempts to amend the 2014 constitution, particularly on whether President Sisi will indeed extend his term in office until 2034. Summary: On Thursday, Egypt’s House of Representatives voted by an overwhelming majority (485 out of 596) to approve a set of constitutional amendments that allow extending the presidential term from four to six years in Article 140 of the constitution, a transitional clause that applies only to President Sisi for him to run for two more six-year terms after his current term ends in 2022, re-introduce an upper house of Parliament and the Senate, a quota specifying at least 25 percent female representation in parliament, as well as an “appropriate representation” of young men, farmers, workers and Copts. The amendments also give the president new authorities over appointing members of the judiciary and increase the army’s role in “safeguarding the constitution and the ideals of democracy, and maintaining a civil state.” However, was this the final vote? As seen below in The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy’s (TIMEP) infograph, the amendment process includes…
In Pictures: Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhaphsody
As the Oscars approach on 25 February, it is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the role of Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury in Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. Earlier in January of this year, Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek scored his first Oscar nomination with ‘Best Actor’ for his role as Freddie Mercury. The highest-grossing musical biographical film of all time, with over $406 million worldwide, also received other nominations including sound mixing, sound editing, film editing and best picture. Queen guitarist, Brian May, previously said that Malek deserves an Oscar for his ‘remarkable’ performance. “He’s incredible… without doubt he’ll be on the nominations list for an Oscar and well deserved as well. He inhabited Freddie to the point where we even started to think of him as Freddie. Really remarkable,” May told Press Association. In February, Malek took home yet another BAFTA Award for Best Actor commemorating his Freddie Mercury performance in Bohemian Rhapsody, as well as a Golden Globes at the beginning of this year. Here is a list of pictures capturing Rami Malek in his highly celebrated role: Photos Credit: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. …
How to Solve Cairo’s Massive Waste Problem
Cairo has a waste problem that is too big for its public funding agencies and the Zabbaleen waste pickers to solve by themselves. It is one of the largest cities in the world of over 17 million inhabitants, producing more than 15,000 tons of waste every day. According to the World Bank, only 60% of all trash is properly collected, leading to a 0.4 – 0.6% loss of gross domestic product (GDP) to the Egyptian economy as a result. A combination of private, public and informal (Zabbaleen) collection techniques has not been able to keep up with the growth of municipal waste, and as a result, the city is facing an environmental, health, safety, and economic crisis that cannot be resolved through this current approach. Of course, environmental waste is not the greatest problem facing the Egyptian people, with 28% of the total population living in poverty, and a large percentage of those living in Cairo. Why should the Egyptian people focus on a waste problem when such a large percentage of the population does not have enough resources for adequate food and water? It might surprise you that a…
Should You Invest in Egypt’s Real Estate?
In the last few years, Egyptians have been wondering about the future of the real estate sector, and whether it is going through an austerity phase leading to its ultimate demise or it is continuing to flourish all while responding to real demands. Thus, the million dollar question is whether real estate is, in fact, the right choice to invest in or not. With ever-so growing cities in Egypt, namely Cairo, Alexandria, the Red Sea and Ain El Sokhna, it is no wonder that city-dwellers are often plagued about housing options. The latter are not only deemed a ‘survival’ necessity for starting families, but they are crucial in terms of considering work and commute options. It is not unusual to consider real estate, in terms of purchasing, owning, managing, renting and selling, in order to lock down not just valid accommodation but also to increase one’s income. Among the many benefits of investing in real estate are providing cash flow for retirement, securing a passive income, providing an alternative residence choice and guaranteeing that your property value will increase over time as you hold longer to it. Looking at the…
To Write, To Protest: 9 Female Egyptian Writers Who Broke Barriers
We often hear of names like Naguib Mahfouz, Tawfiq Hakim and Taha Hussein, yet the names of female Egyptian writers never quite reach the same iconic status as the male ones. For centuries, Egyptian women were using the pen as a weapon of change; addressing critical issues using their own female voice and own experiences, and hoping that the public would listen to them. In a time where the Arab world is experiencing great political and social changes, the act of writing for women is in itself a liberating and powerful act because it puts her back in the public sphere. It completes and paints an accurate image of society, as it integrates the critical social problems that are often excluded from the picture. This is not to say the Egyptian or Arab women writers were never celebrated for their works. In fact, there have been many Muslim women scholars, such as Al Sayyida Nafisa, who played a important role in educating Muslim scholars in Egypt and was known among scientists as the ‘precious realm of science’. In ‘Women and Gender in Islam’ by Leila Ahmed, Ahmed argues that the…
Egyptian Parliament Approves Constitutional Amendments to Extend Presidential Term Limits
Egyptian parliament spokesperson Ali Abdel-Al revealed that parliament has agreed to the constitutional amendments to extend the presidential term allowing President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to potentially resume his rule until 2034. He explained that 485 of 596 out of deputies approved the constitutional amendments proposed. The proposed amendments will be forwarded to the Legislative and Constitutional Committee of the House of Representatives for a examination, within a period not exceeding 60 days, after which the Council will have a final vote. It will then be submitted to the national referendum. According to the official website of the House of Representatives, constitutional amendments stipulate the extension of the president’s term, amendments to the structure of the judiciary, mechanisms for appointing its members and the establishment of a second chamber of parliament. The proposed amendments also include a quota specifying at least 25 percent female representation in parliament, as well as an “appropriate representation” of young men, farmers, workers and Copts….
Egypt Plans to Create a Railway System Connecting Ain El Sokhna with New Alamein City
At the end of last month Deputy Minister of Transportation Amr Shaat revealed that Egypt will construct a its first high-speed railway in Egypt that will cross from Ain El Sokhna to the North Coast’s New Alamein City facilitating transportation to Egypt’s most popular beach towns. According to the minister, the project will take 30 months to be executed transporting passengers and stock. The expected stops are the Ain El Sokhna, New Administrative Capital, 6th of October City, Alexandria and New Alamein City. Reports have explained that the project plans to expand to two different other lines alongside the Ain El Sokhna to New Alamein City line. There will be another line linking 6th of October City with other governorates in Upper Egypt up until Aswan. The third line will begin in Ain El Sokhna and pass along Hurgada and Marsa Alam until it arrives to Luxor. This is part of Egypt’s plans to develop its transportation sector and specifically its railway systems. Egypt Today reported that the local government has plans to completely reform its railway system by 2022 with four main development projects being in progress. The government…
‘Film My Design’ Festival Screens Unique Design Film Documentaries at First Edition
Film My Design (FMD) is launching its first annual edition of the design-film festival on the 15th and 16th of February. The festival will include a program of talks and panel discussions at Zawya Cinema, located in Cinema Karim Downtown Cairo, this weekend. Film My Design aims to establish a creative community of talented Egyptian designers and filmmakers who collaborate to produce a unique genre of design-film documentaries. These films document the process of each designer as they work their way through concept and production. FMD’s main objective is to cross-pollinate design with the art of filmography, creating a uniquely innovative way of expanding society’s exposure to the local design community. Additionally, FMD is dedicated to building an archive of design-film documentaries that capture the evolution and development of both creative fields in Egypt. Aiming to inaugurate a long-term, prominent design-film festival in Egypt and the MENA region, the event will screen a series of five locally produced design-film documentaries. “FMD introduces a new means of self-expression for the filmmakers and a different outlet for the designers to tell their stories,” said co-founder Farah El Rafei. In addition to a series of four…
Stolen Ancient Egyptian Artifact Retrieved at Amsterdam
According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Antiquities, the Egyptian Embassy in Amsterdam received a limestone bust which had been stolen from an illegal excavation. The artifact had also been illegally smuggled out of the country. Shaaban Abdel-Gawad, General Supervisor of Antiquities Repatriation Department, stated that the Ministry of Antiquities had observed and monitored this bust among the objects on display at the an art exhibition in Amsterdam, on March 2018. According to Abdel-Gawad, the Ministry immediately reported the incident to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which reported the case to the concerned Dutch authorities and police. Legal procedures were taken in order to confiscate the bust and inform the hall as well as the possessor of the bust that it constituted a stolen artifact from Egypt. Abdel-Gawad explained that the statue was stolen from an archaeological site in Saqqara in the 1990s. The bust, depicts the upper part of a statue of a standing man with arms extended by his sides. He is depicted as wearing a short kilt. The hieroglyphic text carved on his right arm “Nekaw-Ptah”, reveals that he a top official from the…