4 - 10 January 2001
Issue No.515
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 4 - 10 January 2001 Issue No.515 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Exporting history: A market for our heritage
A partnership agreement between the European Union and Egypt is imminent, and trade agreements are expected to follow. The same will take place between Europe and several Arab countries. To improve its trade balance, Egypt should turn to new, non-traditional exports -- commodities besides those constrained by bitter competition on world markets. The export of cultural products to Europe would satisfy Egyptomania.
In the early '90s, countries of western Europe that had worked on the excavation of ancient Egyptian sites and the recording and publication of many papyri collaborated in the establishment of the Louvre's Egyptomania exhibition. The exhibition, which drew visitors in droves, then went on tour in other cities all over the world.
Strangely, the ancient documents and artifacts that aroused so much admiration and fascination were never shown in Egypt. Possibly the Pharaohs' descendants could not afford to finance the transport and display of their own heritage in Cairo.
The point, at any rate, is that the mania for Ancient Egypt has spread from Europe to the US, Japan and other countries. Egypt-related fads, indeed, are scattered all over the world, like beads without a thread to hold them together and give meaning, coherence and significance to the whole. What is needed is an organisation to coordinate this plethora of passions swirling around Egypt.
Prominent archaeologist and director of the Giza Plateau Zahi Hawass -- who is of course in constant contact with all those fascinated by Ancient Egypt, ranging from Swedish royalty to ordinary citizens in the US, Europe and Japan -- estimates aficionados of everything Egyptian to number 30 million worldwide. It is not difficult to imagine how much this country stands to gain from intelligent investment in the current wave of Egyptomania.
While the precise number of Egyptomaniacs is unknown, interest in Egyptian civilisation and history is on the rise today. A rallying point (in the form of a Web site with a suggestive and fairly obvious domain name like Egyptomania.com) is a good place to start and, as an inexpensive and useful project, could receive the necessary support from the Ministry of Culture.
In a free market, as long as there is demand, products will find their way to the buyer. The Supreme Council of Antiquities has an immense stock of artifacts; adequate advertising of such products on the Internet would do much to promote them, expanding the potential market and boosting the sale of Egyptian cultural commodities to unprecedented levels -- provided they are of adequate quality.
This project is also relevant in view of the fact that Egypt cannot be expected to make all its sites accessible to visitors. The nation's treasures must be safeguarded against pollution. Simply by breathing, visitors are causing untold harm to the country's priceless heritage.
Those who are interested in Egypt, furthermore, cannot necessarily afford to see it first-hand. Many would be happy to settle for a virtual tour, conducted in the comfortable confines of their homes. Such a project could also interest dozens of television networks.
I believe many corporations would also be ready to explore the potential benefits of this project. Joint agreements could be concluded, giving substance to the partnership agreements between Egypt and Europe. The commodity exchanged would be culture, and culture alone; it would therefore enjoy the tariff exemptions that are to be granted cultural material according to a proposal tabled in UNESCO deliberations.
Egypt's heritage, furthermore, need not be restricted to its inception -- i.e., Pharaonic history; nor will this marketing effort focus on Egyptomaniacs alone. The other strata of Egyptian history will be brought to light as well. I refer here for instance to the rich legacy of the Graeco-Roman period, as represented by monuments recently salvaged in Alexandria's Western Harbour. The coming years will certainly witness a surge of interest in this period from countries situated on the Mediterranean rim.
The next stratum is the Coptic Christian period, with a rich legacy in its own right. Papyri, icons, manuscripts and monuments treasured in monasteries and churches have captured interest all over the world. To mention only one potential target audience, the sons and daughters of Christian emigrants born far from their homeland, particularly in the US, Europe and Australia, would eagerly welcome the revival of their ancestral culture.
Finally, the Islamic period's splendid art and culture, best represented in Fatimid Cairo, continues to arouse keen interest worldwide, among specialists and laypeople alike.
Apart from its cultural history, Egypt's intellectual contribution in modern times deserves to be publicised. During the 20th century alone, Egypt released innumerable literary works, feature films, dramatic works and songs. Egyptian culture is much appreciated in the other Arab countries. Yet the authorities are not doing enough to address problems of pirating, plagiarism and intellectual property rights violations. Classics of Egyptian cinema, for instance, are shown by Arab networks without due permission or payment of royalties.
Raising awareness of intellectual property rights among the legislative and judiciary authorities, and establishing executive bodies that can monitor violations and punish offenders in intellectual property crimes: such measures are vital to ensure that cultural commodities bear lucrative returns.
The new world order and the GATT are not necessarily anathema to Egypt's interests. They are simply the rules of the economic game in the coming era, with which we must comply. I foresee much good for our economy if we succeed in marketing our cultural commodities and make optimum use of our history before another actor steps in to take our place. As the owners of a great civilisational legacy, we cannot allow it to be exploited to the financial benefit of others.
* The writer is a former member of parliament and a writer at Al-Ahram.
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