Plain talk

By Mursi Saad El-Din

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The Egyptian book I want to present today is challenging in both its content and its style, and even in the title the author chooses for his book, which translates as "People Embrace the Religion of their Broadcasters" - is a parody of an Arabic saying "People Embrace the Religion of their Kings." The author, Ihab El-Azhari is an old broadcaster who went through the mill as it were, to become one of the few people who have reached into the very essence of this medium. Besides being a highly cultured man, very well-read and a great believer in science and its miracles, he is a writer of science-fiction children's stories: a man of all trades, but, contrary to the saying, master of all of them.

It is difficult to place the book in a category since it covers many aspects of broadcasting which, in the author's own words "like the whispering of Satan, stealthily infiltrated the ears of people. Then came television and enslaved all members of the family, thus weakening the influence of the father. In fact television has become the mother who influences the family most."

I shall choose some passages from the book at random, to show the author's line of thought and his underlying philosophy, for there is no doubt that he advocates such philosophy, which is excellence and perfection. He is a great believer in the role of broadcasting, as a combination of entertainment and knowledge. Thus he is a severe critic, at times even harsh, of some of the programmes presented. But his criticism is couched in humour, sometimes satire which can be lashing. When a new radio service started in 1975, "Youth Programmes", and he was made director, he tried to translate his philosophy into action and he succeeded. The Youth Broadcasting was vibrant, energetic with a swift tempo which had been lacking in other broadcasts.

In fact the author is obsessed by the question of tempo. Slow tempo seems to him a disease, not only in Egypt but in other Arab countries. He encountered it in Iraq when he went to the telegraph office to send a cable to a friend. He also encountered it when he watched a serial on TV, a small story which could be presented in three minutes, but with unnecessary padding and repetition it lasted an hour and a quarter. If the tempo is fast, people's religion would be alertness, speed and agility, if it is slow, so shall be the people."

Ihab El-Azhari is critical of 90 percent of Arabic songs as repetitive, elongated, slow, suffering from diseases that would kill any alertness and sow the seeds of non- challance, postponement, and laziness. He gives some comic examples of this addiction to the long and slow songs, with their reflection on the general behaviour of people. From this the author moves onto the "rebuilding the Egyptian", a current slogan used all the time. Such a noble process cannot be achieved unless it is preceded by developing the ability to create and not imitate, coupled by the planting of imagination and innovation. If these abilities are absent, then man cannot imagine or visualise how things can develop. And broadcasting can do this together with television. Where his friend asks him how this can be done, he answers, "Tell the ordinary people whom you know that what radio and TV should do to implant creativeness in the Egyptian is to start by stopping the production of these hordes of serials and stupid programmes, the swollen songs, and then start asking the people to propose some ideas."