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Al-Ahram Weekly 24 - 30 August 2000 Issue No. 496 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 24 - 30 August 2000 Issue No. 496
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Show and tell
By Salama Ahmed Salama
At Expo 2000, the international exhibit held recently in Hanover, Germany, most participant states kept to the topic at hand: technology, humanity, nature -- that complex, interconnected triad of perspectives that was also the title of the exhibit. Each state thus sought to reflect, in the exhibition space allocated to it, an image of its achievements in the fields of technology and science, policies and methods to protect the environment and natural resources, and the efforts undertaken to raise existing standards of education, health care, civic rights and women's participation in public life. Each country, then, showcased the means it has adopted to attain a higher standard of humanity.
In other words, competition was rife, the attempt to highlight each country's response to the challenges posed by the new century using up most of the exhibit's energy reserves -- which attempt, it must not be forgotten, indicates to what degree the state in question is working to create a better future for its people.
It is only natural, one supposes, that this aspect of the exhibit should be ignored by many developing countries of Africa and Asia. These were content with what they had to exhibit -- hand-made objects from African folk traditions, leather products, wooden masks and touristic scenes -- and apparently unaware of the fact that such an inventory of possessions reflects their current inability to compete, boding a less than brilliant future.
Yet maybe these states had their excuses. In the Egyptian halls, at any rate, we had no excuse; that we should have returned to the old convention of showcasing ancient Egypt -- the Abu Simbel temple, King Tut, samples of Ancient Egyptian artefacts and some traditional handiwork -- is ultimately impossible to explain.
It's true that this was harmless; indeed, it was this that eventually gave rise to a long queue outside the Egyptian halls. But it is time to transcend that stereotypical image, to offer, besides tourist attractions and relics, an image of the development contemporary Egyptians have undergone, achievements in education and health care, women's rights, industrial development and scientific progress, as well as the protection of the environment and civil rights. The only reason for failing to emphasise such success would be that we have nothing to show. Perhaps the actual reason for this is that the Ministry of Tourism alone provided the Egyptian contribution, when in fact the exhibit was far more inclusive and comprehensive than that.
By contrast, the Israeli halls, located directly opposite the Egyptian halls, concentrated on the future of life in Israel. And except for the purposeful falsification of history -- turning all that is sanctified by Christians and Muslims into the property of Israel -- everything being exhibited related to Israel's ambitions for the future and the achievements it has already made in the fields of science and technology, on the premise that Israel is one of the leading trailblazers in electronics. The slogan adopted, in fact, was "From a sacred land to an electronic land."
There is a difference between tourist carnivals and international exhibits where the perspective widens to include other horizons like the quality of life, or people's aspirations for both present and future.
This is what should be taken into account the next time we participate in an event like Expo 2000.
