Issue No.588
Culture
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30 May - 5 June 2002 Issue No.588 Culture |
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In progress: Duty-bound, and thankful
I am working on something related to the plane crash, a book -- now being serialised by Al-Arabi newspaper -- titled Al- Nagah (Survival), dedicated to the pilot who did his best to minimise the damage.
Click to view captionIn the book I refer to two other projects already underway. The first is to develop the Robocon festival, which I feel proud to have brought to Cairo from Japan, via an Asian Broadcasting Union (ABU) meeting held in Sydney in 1999 when I was Head of the International Relations Department, and which has been adopted by Minister of Information Safwat El-Sherif. The first Festival for Scientific Innovation -- about which Ahmed Abdel-Tawwab, a very talented director, made a documentary -- was held on 2 May. This festival includes the competition determining which team of students has put together the best 'home- made' robot and can hence go on to participate in the international competition organised by ABU. Insha'allah, it will be a yearly event.
As for the second project, I intend to campaign that EgyptAir organise an annual visit to Tunisia, falling around 7 May, the date of the crash, bringing together all survivors; and fund the building of a Muslim and Christian shrine at the site of the crash -- hopefully by 7 May 2003. When I spoke on Nile TV about EgyptAir my entire being was focused on the valiant pilot who lost his life. No institution is perfect. I have travelled on at least 20 airlines, and have seen flaws that I haven't seen on EgyptAir. But it is EgyptAir's duty to make amends.
I was on my way to Algeria to attend the general assembly of the Conference Permanente Audio-Visuel Mediterranean (COPEAM) when the plane crashed. When Abdel-Hafiz El-Hergam, director-general of the Arab Broadcasting Union, visited me in the hospital, I said to him: 'I did not want to attend this hateful COPEAM meeting, but my sense of professional duty prevailed. Tell them Mervat Ragab is angry. Angry because although an entity like the COPEAM should work towards more cooperation among media professionals in the Euro-Med region, in compliance with the Barcelona Declaration, most European radio and TV channels present unbalanced coverage of events in Palestine. I was planning to say this at the meeting. So, please pass on the message.'
Back in 1997 the first meeting I attended as Head of the International Relations Department was that of the CMCA (Centre Mediterranéen de Co-production Audio- Visuelle) at which there was talk that, at the next COPEAM Administrative Council, a proposal for a Euro- Mediterranean satellite channel would be put forward.
I had reservations -- partly because such a gigantic project needs to be worked towards gradually; it should begin with training, then maybe co-production, and then if there is noticeable success, we can begin thinking of this proposed satellite channel. But it was mainly because Israel would be involved that I was taken aback by the proposal. I am a friend of every Jewish human being; but every Zionist or supporter of Zionism is my enemy.
With all the relevant documents I got back to Egypt, and sent out memos to and spoke with officials within whose domain this Euro-Mediterranean Satellite Channel proposal falls: Engineer Abdel-Rahman Hafiz, who was then chairman of ERTU, the-then Minister of Foreign Affairs Amr Moussa, Minister of Information Safwat El-Sherif, Ambassador Fathi El-Shazli, who was then in charge of European affairs, and Ambassador Nehad Abdel-Latif, Egypt's ambassador to Rome among them. In these memos I expressed my views on the matter.
After many memos, phone calls, meetings and coordination with the Arab Broadcasting Union, it was decided that Egypt would freeze its COPEAM membership. And so it was for three years, until our Algerian colleagues convinced the Chairman of ERTU Hassan Hamed that Egypt was needed at the May 2002 COPEAM General Assembly to be hosted by Algeria. So he asked me to attend.
Al-Nagah (Survival) is similar in style to my last publication, Hikayat we Hikayat, a series of essays and sketches [General Egyptian Book Organisation: 2001]. I am aiming for a maximum of 115 pages, the length of Hikayat, so that it will be easy to read.
The book has a message, as is always the case whenever a writer holds a pen. I hope to communicate to those who love God a sense of the wondrous light in which He immersed me on Gabal Tunis [the mountain on which the plane crash-landed]. It is my duty.
The form of the book is very simple. It begins with a prayer of praise and thanks. The first chapter is about the moments preceding the miracle -- and the miracle itself. Then a series of sketches about the people whom I feel had a hand in preparing me for this miracle. The last chapter will be a narrative of the day on which the miracle happened.
I would like to see the book translated into several languages. Into English and French. Into Hebrew, because there is no hatred between us and our first cousins, the Jews and Judaism, but between us and those who support the Zionist project; into Chinese, because the Chinese have managed to preserve their ancient cultural heritage, full of wisdom and baraka (blessedness), while at the same time achieving economic miracles in a capitalist world; and into Japanese because I believe that Japan and Egypt have many commonalties of which Egyptians might not be aware.
Many people do not appreciate my often speaking in fusha (classical Arabic) which al-hamdullilah comes to me naturally, effortlessly -- a logical result of my passion for the Arabic language. I have loved the Arabic language ever since I was a child, a love nurtured by my illiterate grandfather's custom of bringing to our house, nearly every month, a group of munshidin (singers of religious songs) to perform the zikr (remembrance of God) ritual and, every dawn, Sheikh Mahmoud to chant the Holy Qur'an -- this in spite of the existence of radio and the fact that my father, may he rest in peace, also knew how to chant beautifully. When I grew up, I read Dr Taha Hussein's dictum in Hadith Al-Arba'aa that the preservation of the Arabic language is a national and religious duty. This strengthened my love of the language and resolve to preserve it.
Based on an interview by Nur Elmessiri
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