No matter how
well-elaborate the theoretical foundation of renaissance projects; whether
economic, social or culture, in the coming period of time is, it will always stay great
ideas written on paper unless they are applied on reality. I and many others
who happened to be regular guests in events and lectures discussing problems
facing our Egyptian reality have always faced a recurring question; how can we
bring those ideas and solutions suggested into reality?
In this regard, I
have always cited a piece of wisdom mentioned in the Bible; “Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole
lump?”, 1 Corinthians [5]. It
points to the simple fact that a small piece of leaven can help produce big
quantities of dough. The same applies to society where leaven could be those working
in such projects and who regard their role as a divine message that should be delivered
and fulfilled at its best. I also believe we can establish certain spots in the
countryside, desert, and cities that can play the same role. This is my
suggestion for Egyptian capitalists who look to employ their money in useful
projects without squandering it over those whom we see like blood-sucking
insects sticking to any project wasting its budget.
My suggestion is
simple; allocate those money and efforts to establishing certain areas to first
free them from poverty, ignorance, diseases, and all development-hindering
traditions and customs dominating our society, and to help them stand against negativity
and sectarianism to the rest of what we all know. Those places will work like
the leaven that will spread its effect into other neighboring areas until the
whole network of leaven-acting-like areas are connected; a village will turn
into a district; the district will go bigger to be a governorate and so on
until our country is free of all hindering us and keeping us in the back.
Moreover, there
are places qualified for this pioneering role already. I will tell you about examples
that took place long time ago in our country. In Monufia governorate for
example, it was said that Abdel Aziz Pasha Fahmi[1]
and other elite agriculture land owners were able to turn the governorate into
the one with the highest percentage of educated people; almost zero percent of
illiterate ones. They also managed to employ all those eligible for work to the
extent that a true funny account circulated at that time. The account says one
day an old woman went to Fahmi Pasha asking him for charity. The Pasha asked
her if she was in possession of anything she might make use of to provide for
her needs. She answered she had nothing but a poor donkey. The Pasha then asked
her to bring the donkey and order this donkey be employed in the post office in
carrying the post and postman as well. It was then said that the Pasha had
hired the donkey!
At this point, I’d
like to pay tribute to the leaven-like entity represented in al-Masaei
al-Mashkura[2]
community group that was established in Monufia governorate and went
enlightening the villages and cities surrounding it providing proper education
for tens of generations. I also remember my father – may he rest in peace – who
worked in this community group as a teacher at the end of the forties and the
beginning of the fifties in the twentieth century. There was also the knowledgeable
firm honorable headmaster Mr. Salah el-Nahhas, father of Dr. Safwat el-Nahhas. I
can also give you a whole list of leaven-acting-like entities like the Coptic Charity
organization, Catholic, Armenian, Jesuit, Frères Missions’ chains
and all their likes of community groups that have all helped establish an
educational renaissance that unfortunately were not meant to expand.
Meantime, a city
like al-Gouna in Red Sea governorate can be the leaven-acting-like place to
spread modernization into the rest of the cities there like al-Qusayr, Ras Gharib, Marsa Alam, Hurghada, and Safaga. I believe al-Gouna can
play such role for it has a university and an almost-typical infrastructure; I can
later give you details of this as I finally visited al-Qusayr and found a crime committed there against history,
monuments, and humans. I also found glimpses of hope to rise up again. There are
many places in our beloved country that are qualified to play such role; I here
mean all villages in Upper and Lower Egypt that was famous to work and
specialize in certain kind of industries in the past like producing silk and linen
cloth, weaving carpets and rugs, making wooden furniture, palm-foliage and mambo
woven products, in addition to other industries. Specific examples are Akhmim,
Qift, Aswan, Kotama village in Gharbiya governorate, Fuwwah village in Kafr
esh-Sheikh governorate, Kerdasa in Giza governorate, and so on. Our hope is to
make a real web – not virtual one like Twitter and Facebook – connecting all
these pioneering leaven-acting-like places together just like the
well-elaborate one woven by real spiders!
I believe if this
idea is clear and applicable, then we shall wait for national Egyptian
capitalists, those willing to serve their country, to signal the start of the places
they chose to be the leaven-acting-like pioneering spots. Strength and success
are just like weakness and failure; both sides are contagious and ready to
spread. Now let us wait for our Egyptian Capitalism to take action and start
taking steps. We, meanwhile, will do whatever it takes to help.
Translated into English by: Dalia Elnaggar
Translated into English by: Dalia Elnaggar
This article was
published in Al Ahram newspaper on August 14, 2014.
To see the Arabic
article, go to:
#alahram
#ahmed_elgammal #Egypt
[1] Abdel Aziz Fahmi Pasha: (Arabic: عبد العزيز فهمي) born in Monufia governorae in December 23, 1870 and died on
1870. Abdel Aziz Pasha Fahmi was an Egyptian judge, politician, poet, and a
pioneering figure of the Egyptian national movement in the first third of the
twentieth century. (Source: Wikipedia)
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