posted
Hi everybody While the Egyptian mediea was busy selling/begging the Egyptians to share the Western St. Valentine day celebrations, as if every single young man is able to have a girlfriend to spend the day with, i came to know the presence of a cassette tape by Shaaban Abdel Rehim (Shaboula) bywhich I heard the other Egypt that rarely voice what it think/beleive in the mediea. In a single cassette tape you can hear Shaboula voicing the following in brief: Head and Tail (Sora & Ketaba) Israel & America the same/one thing, Spreading wars & mass destruction allover the region, tough with Syrea and Iran and turns to chicken with north Korea, every Arab nation has its roadmap, you Arabi when you will recognize the dangers awiting ahead and "unite" to do something. The mighty "Dollar", we know you are the master of all the world currencies, sinking our Egyptian pound down everyday, making ourlives harder all the time, when you decide to fly away from our country we will be awaiting to see you off at the airport hoping to see our E Pound rise and fly to the top again! Whenever we are close to be welloff we return to the same poor start again. Listen to what Shaboula says and you will have a complete, I repeat "complete", analysis of both foreign policy and economics, very articulated wording/expression with the language that every Egyptian literate/illiterate can understand. I respect you Shaboula for your daring to speak out what the common Egyptians eager to voice internally and to the other world nations as well. A song about the mistreatment of our foreign policy minister by some paied palestaneans at El Aksa mosque. He didnot name the incident/palestaneans but this is what I understood. A blame with very gentle and civilized correction to their mistake. A song about the Arabian (El Balady) sitting on billows and eating on a shortlegged round table (El Tablia) in contrast to chairs and what make to backbone and cartlidges! and the common Egyptian habbit of drinking tea, hot steaming tea, right after the meal (Fe El Khamsina)! The real art is the one that express our "own" life, the art that inhale the smells of our poor neiborhoods and then write a song / a thetracical play / a movie etc. Monica says Youssif Shaheen looks for new ideas for his movies in ES! Now I know why not a single movie of him attracted me after his great one "Bab El Hadeed"! He should walk through Imbaba/El Warrak dirty streets to let his eyes catch the sufferings of the poor and also he might manage to catch a simple wedding celebration and see how the life goes on inspite of the little income. Shaboula: thank you again to let me feel my former poor district in Alexandrea in which I spent my childhood and younger adulthood years, when it is smart & when it is in a barbaric fighting to stay alife. In my present quiet and welloff district I almost forgot the scenes of my former neigbors eating "foul and Tamiea" three times a day. The scenes of my neibhors wearing everything anything but not wool in their cold winter, the scenes of young children walking besides their mothers/fathers in the muddy El Souk looking at the fruits with eagerness to taste ans at times manage to steal - in a phemto second- a sample without anyone not the mother or the trader catching their act but only my observing sympathising eyes. Those scenes were 20 years ago, I have doubts they might be eating 1 or 2 atmost meals a day with the present day inflation. God bless you Shaboula. Wishing you to continue your daring inspite of what the arogant critics- living in the Egyptian Beverly Hills and the likes- say about your role/art in "living in Egypt".
Posts: 182 | From: Alexandria, Egypt | Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
Many of those Egyptians from the traditional balady neighboorhoods are poor Sa3eadi that come from various parts of Upper Egypt. I have family that live in the region of Bulaq Abu Ala and remain even though many have money.
Many of the customs of those poor neighboorhoods go back to pharoanic times,and this is something that many Egyptians know. Pharoanic culture in their relgious traditions,celebrations,and even music survives to this very day in Egypt.
Posts: 8675 | From: Tukuler al~Takruri as Ardo since OCT2014 | Registered: Feb 2003
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quote: Listen to what Shaboula says and you will have a complete, I repeat "complete", analysis of both foreign policy and economics, very articulated .......... God bless you Shaboula. Wishing you to continue your daring inspite of what the arogant critics.......
The man is manipulating the desperate economic and social crises that are crushing Egyptians. He knows how to get people emotionally shaken. Do you really think that he is subjective?? objective?? If I'll ever call this ART, then pigs should fly. Alas, I live in Heliopolis.
quote:Originally posted by sciencesailor: Hi everybody While the Egyptian mediea was busy selling/begging the Egyptians to share the Western St. Valentine day celebrations, as if every single young man is able to have a girlfriend to spend the day with
sciencesailor... You were right about that bit. I believe it is worth a new topic.. to do with identity- our identity, or is it the lack of it?
posted
We should totally reject this tradition, although we in Egypt probably have more ties to the Roman tradition than the Americans do. The reason I say to reject Valentines day is because after living in a number of countries, I see Valentines as the time when people are pressured and coerced into dates with people they don't really want to go with, just because of the stupid day. It seems only the very secure person wants to be alone, or just with friends on this day. The average people feel like something is wrong with them if they don't have a date, so they just take whatever they can. Egyptians really don't need self-esteem issues forced upon us any further by industry and corporations. So when in Europe and the States when I witnessed this reaction to Valentines, I seriously do not think it benefits Egypt especially given that dating is kind of questionable in its acceptance. Married couples can celebrate their Anniversary, and single people do not need anything else to help them feel lonely
[This message has been edited by Undead (edited 15 February 2004).]
posted
I agree with u jaguar.I think this Shaboula is the egyptian version of Rev. Sharpton and J. Jackson , manipulating the masses while accumulating $$. As far as Valantine day celeb.,I believe there is a lot of economic force behind it in the western world ..My ques. is how does the media expect Egyptians to celebrate? By spending the disposable income they don't have!!! By the way sciencesailer,I heard while I was in Egypt a couple of months ago that if it wasn't for the American intervention of obout $ 200 million ,the pound would've sunk much deeper (Egyptian sources).
Posts: 16 | From: USA | Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
Gentlemen/Ladies To those who replied to my thoughts about our present day life through the songs of Shaboula, here is more elaboration: I have been in studies/training in USA for totally 4 years and as far as I remember they had their Top country singer "Willy Nelson", the guy had a bear a red scarf around his blonde tall hair just like a pirate, and believe me, in almost all of his songs the four letter words like "Fu---" are repeated in every sentence, and here is my point: no one, I repeat no one, dares to criticize his wild and poor appearance/language. he is the King of the American Folclore singing and that execused his "ignorance" and swearing language in his appearances in the TV talk shows. I remember when asked about Russia (Islam is the present day enemy) his reply: Fu---- Russia, that was in a program broadcasted by National networks! I always compare what Shaboula says in his songs/talkshows and what I know about America's Willy Nelson and I find Shaboula more civilized, he never spelled a dirty word, he dresses differently in the way he himself likes and I think he is free to dig for himself the impression he wants us to know about himself. It is nonsence if he repeats the present Mohammed Fouad or the past Halim Hafiz. He is Shaboula the singer of the poor and the needy. He dared to spell I love Amer Mosa and hate Israel and now he is daring to criticize the ugly present day Am administration. Name a public figure that dared to spell what Shaboula did even virtually and behind excuses. I am not hater of Israel or America. I sympathize with Shaboula as he criticizes the policies of those two adversaries. I think the people in general love to have a quiet & peaceful life. The politicians usually tell lies/manipulate their masses to reach what they think is right for their nations. I hope to see Peace and wellfare to all the nations in the region including our brothers in Palestine and the Israeli people as well. It's coming close to 6:00 AM time to listen to the Holy Koran from our dear Cairo National radio and get prepared to go to work. Salam.
Posts: 182 | From: Alexandria, Egypt | Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
Hi ES fellows: Mido,my nephew (sister's son), told me this friday morning that Shaaban AbdelRehim was seen on CNN program/interview? i asked Mido: when it was broadcasted? I dont remember. What did he say? I dont remember. I love this kid very much inspite of the fact that I know he is very materialistic in his dealings. He just remember that Shaboula had very convincing answers. Could he be just flattering my sympathisizing with Shaboula? I have the Shaboula tape in my car and he listens to it just to please me. I take Mido with me to Carrefore, Greenplaza and other nice places in Alexandria for shopping when my wife is busy to go out with me. He is very inteligent and wish him to be another Zoil. Amen.
Posts: 182 | From: Alexandria, Egypt | Registered: Jan 2004
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