Egypt burns, and even the Nile can’t put out the fire

I wrote the following few paragraphs in 2005, not thinking they could be relevant for this column. But the recent – partial – burning of the Egyptian National Theatre in Cairo as a metaphor for the state and fate of the great empire and nation was too powerful to ignore. These were my thoughts then…



“I was recently in Egypt. It was an extraordinary experience, though it was both solemn and sad. Cairo was a city in deep schizophrenia. It was beautiful and ugly, authentic and fake, rich and poor. I had hoped to see its beauty and I have, but I dare not speak of all that is ugly for no picture can justly convey what I saw. What I saw was sad… so sad. It was a moment where one thinks, this is beyond reform; this requires a complete demolition and rebuilding. Where have the great Egyptians gone astray?

“I demanded an answer in all the eyes and all the streets. I wondered why there were traffic officers, yet traffic could not be any more congested? I was struck at how mean my local hosts were to the poor and the beggars. It was so sad. And I ask you great scientists and explorers, I ask you, the sons of Cleopatra and the pharaohs and Isis and Amon… I ask you this, great Egyptians: how could you allow for such pollution to circle the once great beacon of wisdom and knowledge that was Cairo?

“How could you disappoint Ibn Battuta and the Fatimids? How could you let socialism and capitalism under the guise of fake national militarism steal your glory, diminish your history and set the sun on your story? I was saddened by all that.

“In the rubble I found many who could experience the authentic scent of the Nile, or at least liked to think they still did. I tried to remain hopeful. For instance, there was the dentist who lived in Libya for 30 years but opted to return after burying his father; the Syrian Arabic Literature PhD student in Cairo University; our host’s driver Hosni, from Alexandria, who would visit his wife and daughter once every two months; 15-year-old Sabah, who sold me a rose at 4am outside my hotel and made us all laugh from the bottom of our hearts; Ala’a the jeweller who left Italy after many years to come back home, and a lot of other people who refused to leave like their cousins and friends for Europe, the Gulf or anywhere for more money because they all had roots that were nourished in the Delta somewhere.

“Like France, Egypt is unique and very proud of its past and present alike, of its conquest and squander.”



That was three years ago. In its Annual Human Development Report 2008, the United Nation’s said that at least 19.6 per cent of Egypt’s 75 million citizens live below the poverty line, while 14.7 per cent of children do not go to school.

According to the United Nations 2006 World Population Growth Prospectus, Egypt’s population is expected to grow by 1.76 per cent annually. Now when I first saw that number and saw that it put Egypt only at number 71 in terms of population growth, I was momentarily relieved; but 1.76 per cent of 75 million is still a large figure, so I did a quick calculation and worked out that the population is likely to reach 101 million by 2025.

My first thought was: “Does anyone have any idea how to feed all those people? And if they don’t, do they realise what an incredible time bomb this is?”

How do you speak to 100 million hungry citizens living in one of the most fertile parts of the world? How do you appease their anger? What do you promise them then? What do you promise their parents now? Can you promise them anything?

Politicians around the world are unable to understand these problems let alone propose executable solutions; they compartmentalise issues. An orthodox approach to Egypt will fail. A misunderstanding of how population growth, poverty, pollution, corruption and extremism all tie in so that together they create an inevitable Armageddon is what’s missing in today’s politicians.

They may campaign on any one of these issues but without understanding that if you’re a Green candidate you should be an anti-corruption candidate, too; that if you’re a moderate, you should be an anti-corruption candidate, too. The world is interconnected and the issues are even more interconnected. Does anyone still think that people blow themselves up because they want to meet their 72 virgins in heaven? Here is a quick illustration of how one makes that decision:

You live in Shobra Al Khaema in Cairo – which makes the South Bronx in New York look like where the Teletubbies live – and you come home to a family of 10. Your father has passed away, your elder brother is in jail and you have six sisters whom you are sure will become wedding dancers unless they can be found jobs and/or husbands.

You tried to go to college but you couldn’t because you had to work as a carpenter to provide, and no matter how hard you work you can’t make ends meet. You had a girlfriend once but couldn’t marry her and she’s married to your boss now. One day someone makes you an offer that you can’t refuse: take revenge against the system that has killed your father, imprisoned your brother and stolen your girlfriend, he says to you. In return we will feed and educate your family. Many young men answer: Yes.

Mishaal al Gergawi is a graduate of the American University in Dubai and the CERAM European School of Business