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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 28 Sep. - 4 Oct. 2000 Issue No. 501 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 28 Sep. - 4 Oct. 2000 Issue No. 501
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Nasser's promise
'FELLOW CITIZENS': A year following the nationalisation of the Suez Canal, and at the height of his popularity, President Gamal Abdel-Nasser delivered his annual speech commemorating the July revolution. The Egyptian people, he said, would "never surrender the canal," instead they would "rebel against the centres of power." Cueing him on the main events leading to the Tripartite Aggression which began in November 1956, the notes were turned into a spirited account of Egypt's assertion of its national rights. Egypt's boycott of the London conference and the failed mission by the delegation representing France and England led by then Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies, are both mentioned. "Hospitality is one thing, surrendering the canal is another," say the jottings of the national hero.
THE MANY FACES OF CHARISMA Clockwise from top: headed for the corridors of power flanked by Abdel-Latif El-Boghdadi, on his right, and Salah Salem and Abdel-Hakim Amer to his left; filming the wedding of his second daughter Mona; a man of action, even in his time-out; a loving grandfather; an officer and a gentleman with his bride Tahiya; preparing for his future as a student in the military college in 1937
Gamal Abdel-Nasser died 30 years ago today. He was mourned as no other leader had been before, and none has been since. And despite the best efforts of his enemies, his memory continues to occupy pride of place in the hearts and minds of millions of Egyptians, many of whom had not even been born when he led his nation on that roller-coaster ride through history: agrarian reform, Bandung, the nationalisation of the Suez Canal, the Aswan High Dam... Old orders were challenged, domination and oppression, both foreign and local, defied; a quarter of a century was jam-packed with monumental events, as if history itself had moved into high gear.
Just what is Nasser's legacy? Is he to be identified with his triumphs, or his defeats? Is the sum total of his experiment positive or negative? The debate goes on, as heated and intense as it ever was. Nasser's place in the nation's history and consciousness has been contested and fought over for as many days as there are in 30 years. Yet is the balance sheet of his achievements and shortcomings all there is to it?
Does it even begin to explain why so many Egyptians still cling to his memory?
Someone once wrote that, while Spartacus was defeated, very few people know the name of the Roman general who vanquished him. Perhaps, then, what is most precious about Nasser's legacy is not his achievements but his promise.
Hosny Guindy and Hani Shukrallah
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