Al-Ahram Weekly

Aida, really

Sir- The Ministry of Culture, it seems, has put Verdi's Aida on the national curriculum. Every year we are treated to at least one performance of this great opera, which also, I am told, is quite a money earner.

But does anyone at that ministry know the story line of the opera? Here it is in two words: A "brilliant young officer," Radames, is "chosen" to command the Egyptian army in a war against the Abyssinians. But the "brilliant young officer" is enamoured with Aida, the captured daughter of the king of Abyssinia, and is "persuaded" by her to reveal his plan of attack against the Abyssinians, which she readily passes on to her royal father! Luckily the plot is discovered by other officers and Radames is sentenced to be walled up alive.

So, in a nutshell, Verdi's admirable opera is about an Egyptian Army Commander who betrays his soldiers and his country for a "tumble in the hay" with a beautiful Abyssinian.

Is this what we are proud to offer the world each and every year? The treason of the commander of Egypt's army for the sake of lust?

The other thing is that Verdi, the poorly educated son of illiterate peasants, does not have his facts right. Egypt's army officers were never "chosen for brilliance" to command its army in foreign wars. The king always commanded the army. Thutmoses III, the Napoleon of Ancient Egypt, personally conducted 17 military campaigns in Asia Minor and won them all. Failing that, it was a royal prince (if qualified) or the most senior general as in the case of Horemheb after the murder of Akhenaton. The other mistake is that the ancient Egyptians never walled up anyone alive. This is a custom from Eastern Europe of the 16th and 17th centuries and, even then, rare. I can only think of one case: that of Countess Elizabeth Bathory of Hungary, who was walled up alive for the killing of hundreds of peasant girls by draining their blood both to drink and bathe in!

Although this may be difficult, perhaps we should think very carefully before ever having Aida performed again in Egypt.

Mamdouh El-Dakhakhni
Alexandria

Now that's service

Sir- I am a subscriber to the CNE service, and was recently informed that the channel specialising in movies would be discontinued, to be replaced by a channel that already exists on Showtime (to which I also subscribe). When I acquired the decoder necessary to viewing the programmes offered by CNE, I was told that the money I paid was a deposit, which would be refunded if I saw fit to return the decoder.

Today, I no longer wish to subscribe to CNE, since all the programmes it offers are redundant. When I contacted the company that provided me with the decoder, however, the representative told me that it would be impossible to obtain a refund, since this particular device was now "obsolete." He then advised me to attempt to sell it to an unsuspecting friend, who had not yet "benefited" from the CNE offer.

Now, unscrupulous sales tactics aside, I wonder: what will happen to all the obsolete decoders CNE has so happily foisted on its customers? I strongly suspect they will serve to increase Egypt's already disastrous garbage collection problem. As for myself, I would gladly throw the thing out the window (I live on the 14th floor), but maybe I will do the civic minded thing and take a hammer to it instead.

Mahmoud Hassan
Mohandessin

Beauty, in time

Sir- I find it rather ridiculous, if not to say infuriating, that the beautification of Ain Shams University should take place during the first few days of the new academic year. It simply escapes me why whoever is in charge of scheduling such face-lifts should not take into consideration some small details like appropriate timing and practicality. I'm sure the students would have been much delighted to pass through the renovated gate with its Ancient Egyptian pillars but, instead, they must find their way through the piles of rubble and sand clogging the entrance. Similarly, although the area is congested enough as it is, pedestrians now overflow onto the streets for lack of space on the sidewalk, making things much worse for themselves and drivers alike.

With better planning and, more crucially, better timing, many ambitious plans would actually accomplish the planners' goal which is, supposedly, to make life easier and more beautiful for the country's citizens.

Irène Khalaf
Muqattam