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Talk like an Egyptian

Talk like an Egyptian April 7, 2011Art0 Comments

As winter draws in, it becomes all too easy to wrap up warm and spend your evenings on the couch watching TV. But you could do worse than a trip to our stunning Museum for their regular ‘Late at the Museum’ series of talks…

MIDDLE EAST: REVOLUTION AND CULTURE
LATE at the Museum
Auckland Museum, Thursday, 7 April 2011

As winter draws in, it becomes all too easy to wrap up warm and spend your evenings on the couch watching TV.

Even when we do venture out, with babysitter taking control at home, the default option is typically to the multiplex for the latest Hollywood movie. But you could do worse than a trip to our stunning Museum for their regular ‘Late at the Museum’ series of talks.

Not only do you get to enjoy the amazing ambience of a stunning building most of us have only seen during the daytime, you also get a chance to soak up some insightful discussions, music and performance art.

Last night’s ‘Late’ titled Middle East: Revolution and Culture, was yet another of those evenings. As always, the panel discussion in the M?ori Court was ably led by Finlay Macdonald, and included Dr Nigel Parsons and Cairo-born sociology researcher Ahmed Tarek Bahgat Abaza. This discussion included intriguing insights into the recent uprising and subsequent revolution of the Egyptian people in overthrowing Mubarak.

Any thinking that this was a revolution driven by access to social media tools (as has been widely suggested) was quickly cooled early in the discussion much to the broad agreement of the audience (typically older) but I was left wondering if indeed the comment that it took the internet to be cut off before people left their screens to join the crowds in the street was a bit of a stretch. Most of my interactions with social media (twitter, facebook etc) take place well away from my ‘fixed’ screens so I would have liked to have explored this further in the discussion.

But this was not a discussion about social media – and was probably the better for it. This discussion was about why the revolution happened, the history leading to it, what it means for the wider Middle East, and whether the countries currently experiencing this turmoil will be able to gain a more honest and dignified future as a result.

There’s no denying the passion, particularly that of Ahmed Tarek Bahgat Abaza, who now lives in Christchurch but for whom the recent earthquakes have been less impactful than the revolution taking place in the country he comes from. Ahmed drew a wonderful image of the disappointment in hearing Mubarak’s speech proclaiming his desire to be the father of the youth of Egypt, when all expected him to stand down, and the subsequent joy the following day when Mubarak finally responded to the wishes of the people of Egypt "it is like a song that rings in my ears – I am obsessed with it".

The panel was asked how they feel about the future of Egypt (and other countries in the Middle East) and they were both excited, enthusiastic and hopeful for Egypt’s shot at a more honest and dignified future.

By Lane Hannah 7 April 2011.