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  • Greek Musician Yanni in Egypt

    Greek Musician Yanni in Egypt

    YanniOn October 30 and 31, the Giza Pyramids are scheduled to host Greek composer, pianist and music producer Yanni.

    The concerts are organized by Promoters International and will take place at the Sound and Light Theatre.

    Both concerts will take place at the foot of the Sphinx next to Amenhotep II Temple in Giza.

    Over the weekend, 3,000 security personnel will be at the venue to secure the concert, and the archaeological areas of the pyramids, according to an official source from the Interior Ministry. The Sound and Light concert at the Pyramids will kick off the evening, before Yanni’s “Dream Concert” begins at 10 p.m.

    Born on November 14, 1954 in Kalamata, Greece, Yanni soon moved to the U.S. to study at the University of Minnesota. He started his career in 1977 by joining Chameleon, a nascent rock band. Later in 1987 he founded a band consisting of himself and musicians John Tesh and Charlie Adams.

    Since then Yanni has produced an array of albums, with music that he classifies as contemporary instrumental.

    (world.greekreporter.com)

  • Egypt holds its breath for development of underwater museum

    Egypt holds its breath for development of underwater museum

    ΑλεξάνδρειαEgyptian Minister of Antiquities Mamdouh al-Damaty announced Sept. 9 that his ministry is planning to develop an underwater antiquities museum — the first of its kind in the world. The museum would be located in Alexandria governorate and would showcase the ancient Egyptian civilization. The project is estimated to cost $150 million.

    “The museum will reshape the Arab region, as it will be the first of its kind in the world. Undoubtedly it will revive tourism and boost the Egyptian economy after a long recession,” Youssef Khalifa, the chairman of the Central Administration of Lower Egypt Antiquities, told Al-Monitor.

    “The museum will consist of two parts: One part above the water surface for the relics that have been recovered and another part underwater, stretching over a distance of 7 meters [23 feet] to display the antiquities that are still in the water. Visitors will be able to see the relics either by diving or walking inside underwater tunnels. There will also be glass submarinestaking tourists on a tour inside the museum,” Khalifa said.

    He added, “The museum will include four tall underwater buildings in the form of Nile boats connected to one another over an area of 22,000 square meters [5.4 acres]. They will be lined up in a circle with a radius of 40 meters [131 feet]. The museum will accommodate 3 million visitors a year.”

    This idea, however, is not the first of its kind. The Ministry of Antiquities had already announced on Oct. 1, 2008, through the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Zahi Hawass, the completion of a feasibility study by the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology, under the auspices of UNESCO, to start developing the museum.

    In a supportive step, on May 27, 2010, UNESCO sent to Egypt an international scientific advisory committee that included a number of prominent international experts to keep pace with the feasibility study in order to immediately start the project. However, with the eruption of the January 25 Revolution, the project came to a halt, as chaos swept the country, the economy suffered a setback and a volatile security situation emerged.

    On Sept. 2, 2013, two years following the Egyptian revolution, UNESCO expressed interest again in establishing the museum. It had sent a group of international archaeologists to study the location of the project in the eastern port area in central Alexandria, and to discuss its economic and cultural impact.

    The choice fell on Alexandria governorate given its submerged archaeological treasures and relics. The sunken Royal Court or Cleopatra’s Palace lies at a depth of 6-8 meters. There is also the Pharos (lighthouse) of Alexandria, which is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, at a depth of 5-10 meters. Alexandria is also home to the Citadel of Qaitbay, which dates back to the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations.

    Despite the archaeological treasures that have been submerged for thousands of years, the Ministry of Antiquities has failed to recuperate, use or safeguard them. On Oct. 1, 2013, during a symposium held at the Egyptian Journalist Syndicate offices, Egyptian archaeologists discussed ways to protect the underwater relics, following the theft and smuggling abroad of many antiquities.

    “We admit that many submerged relics were stolen but the situation is not as bad as some claim. Stealing archaeological pieces from underwater requires major preparations, boats and scuba divers, which makes them less prone to theft, unlike other relics [on land] that are easier to steal,” said Mohammed Mustafa, head of the Ministry of Antiquities’ General Directorate of Sunken Antiquities.

    He told Al-Monitor, “Underwater excavations and extraction of relics is not as easy as it might look to some. The journey begins with the detection of archaeological sites with water level sensors, metal detectors and site detectors connected to satellite dishes. Divers are equipped with strong lighting and pumps, and then relics are pulled to the boat deck by pumps, wires or air balloons. This is why stealing relics from underwater is a lot trickier than those on land.”

    Mustafa added, “This process is applied to relics that are not submerged more than 200 meters. For archaeological pieces located below this level we will keep them until we establish the museum, where they will be displayed.”

    He considered that the “crux of the problem is Alexandria’s polluted water. It is difficult to spot archaeological sites in muddy waters, especially those that have been submerged for decades.”

    Egypt signed the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage in 2001, which provides for the protection of underwater cultural heritage against theft and any infringements.

    About the real reasons behind the delay in the completion of the museum all these years, Mustafa said, “The state has to have a real will to take necessary measures. All concerned parties ought to cooperate to complete the required studies, at the economic and social level, taking into account the effect of the wind and waves, among other considerations. This work is not limited to the Ministry of Antiquities alone. Despite the huge cost of the project estimated at more than $150 million, this will not be an obstacle for the completion of the project with the cooperation of UNESCO and other foreign funding countries as the museum will be open to visitors from around the world and not only to Egyptians.”

    http://www.al-monitor.com

  • Interview with Gamal El-Ghitani

    Interview with Gamal El-Ghitani

    Gamal El-GhitaniGamal El-Ghitani, one of Egypt’s most celebrated writers and novelists and author of the iconic novel, El-Zini Barakat, was the founder and first chief editor of the leading literary newspaper in the Arab world, Akhbar Al-Adab (Literature News).

    Since the outbreak of the Egyptian Revolution on 25 January, he has been sparking controversy, not for his literary value but for his political views on the revolution’s path, not to mention the criticism he received for his stands against the Muslim Brotherhood, which he sees as a real hazard to freedom of creativity and the identity of the Egyptian state.

    In this interview conducted in his office, decorated by Irish and German writers’ portraits, El-Ghitani gives the inside story of his writing, political views and the role he played as chief editor of Akhbar Al-Adab for more than 17 years.

    Read the interview here.

  • Egypt Wins Seat on UN Security Council

    Egypt Wins Seat on UN Security Council

    ΟΗΕEgypt officially locked a two-year, non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council after 179 of the 193 UN member states voted in favor of its membership on Thursday.

    Egypt was vying for one of two seats allotted to the Africa Group, while Senegal won the second seat with 187 votes in its favor. Ukraine, Uruguay and Japan also secured the three other available seats on the Council, representing the Eastern European, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Asia-Pacific regions, respectively.

    Although the five countries were running without opposition for the five available seats, UN protocol dictates that each candidate must secure “yes” votes from at least two thirds of the present member states in a General Assembly plenary session.

    Egypt, which enjoyed regional support for its bid, was virtually guaranteed the seat but officials and representatives campaigned heavily in the lead-up to the vote. On Tuesday, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry attended the Security Council session reviewing resolution 1325 on women and peace and security, where he spoke of Egypt’s past efforts and future plans to abide by the resolution.

    “Women are among those most vulnerable to terrorism. We will work to give priority to this issue during our upcoming UNSC membership,” Shoukry said at the session.

    On Tuesday evening, Egypt’s permanent mission to the United Nations hosted 500 guests, including all UN ambassadors and their spouses, at a gala dinner at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. The gala was in honor of Egypt’s candidacy to the UN Security Council.

    Egypt will hold the seat from January 1, 2016 until December 31, 2017. It was last a member of the UN Security Council from 1996.

    http://egyptianstreets.com

  • “Religious and Cultural Pluralism and Peaceful Coexistence In the Middle East”

    “Religious and Cultural Pluralism and Peaceful Coexistence In the Middle East”

    Λογότυπο ΕλλάδαςOn the initiative of Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias, an International Conference on “Religious and Cultural Pluralism and Peaceful Coexistence in the Middle East” is being held in Athens from 18 to 20 October 2015.

    The International Conference is being convened in the shadow of the dramatic developments and ongoing conflicts in various regions of the Middle East; developments and conflicts causing misfortune and serious repercussions for local communities. The Conference will focus on a consideration of all the dimensions and aspects of this critical issue, and on elaboration of the best ways to protect the rights and fundamental freedoms of the various religious and cultural communities in the Middle East region, with a view to promoting peaceful coexistence in conditions of dignity and mutual understanding.

    The conference will provide an opportunity for the opening of an in-depth and comprehensive dialogue among all of the regional and international actors, with particular emphasis on the humanitarian crisis being suffered by the populations of regions of the Middle East, through the prism of the panhuman values of protection of human life, tolerance, pluralism, peaceful coexistence, multiculturalism and multi-religiosity.

    Inspired by these values and maintaining historical and traditionally excellent ties with the countries and peoples of the region, Greece wants to provide its good offices and mediation towards finding beneficial solutions to the problems being faced by the cultural and religious communities of the region, especially at this critical time.

    Among those who have been invited to the Athens International Conference are Patriarchs and heads of Christian Churches of the region, religious leaders and figures of the Muslim and Jewish World, as well as distinguished representatives of international politics, the academic community and civil society.

    See: (http://www.mfa.gr)

  • Greek-Cyprus-Egypt FMs work to tighten bonds

    Greek-Cyprus-Egypt FMs work to tighten bonds

    Γενικά νέαForeign ministers from Greece, Cyprus and Egypt held a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.

    Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said that amongst issues discussed was the tripartite meeting to be held in Athens. During the event, Kotzias extended an invitation to both Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukrik and Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kassoulides to visit Athens on October 18-20 for the conference on the protection of populations of the Middle East.

    “We care for the welfare of our people, the stability and stabilization of the region, the fight against extremism, protecting the communities existing throughout the Middle East, both cultural and religious ones,” said Kotzias.

    On his part, Kassoulides said, “We had a substantial discussion on issues concerning our region, the relations of Egypt with the EU, the issue of Syria, terrorism and refugees. We also discussed the situation in Libya.”

    Shukrik said that they discussed political, economic and social issues, relating to the tightening their countries’ bonds while addressing the challenges related to conflicts in the region.

    (en.protothema.gr)

  • Microsoft to ameliorate workflow efficiency in Alexandria

    Microsoft to ameliorate workflow efficiency in Alexandria

    Γενικά νέαMicrosoft, the American multinational technology solutions company signed a cooperation agreement with the governorate of Alexandria, Egypt for ameliorating the efficiency of the governorate’s workflow; a Sunday statement from the company read.

    The signing of the agreement took place between Khaled Abd El Kader, General Manager of Microsoft and Hany El Messiry, Governor of Alexandria.

    “Among the tasks that Microsoft technologies will provide is following up with all projects related to the governorate and presenting them in the form of performance indicators to facilitate supervision. It will also provide development and automation of meetings and all documents related as well as following up on events, results and administration and neighborhoods efficiency indicators in the governorate. It will also collect information to upgrade different administrations.” El Messiry said in the statement.

    The first phase of the project is expected to be transferred in September, whereby the final phase will be delivered in December.

    According to Abdel Kader, by the second half of September, Microsoft will allow receival of citizens’ complaints online allowing better dealings with them.

    Citizens can send their complaints online and follow up on them, which will take place by automating and integrating the governorate’s website with the system of complaints’ adopted by Microsoft.

    The main outcome from this cooperation is to apply “Microsoft’s technologies in the governorate’s correspondence and paperwork as well as reducing the amount of paperwork itself, which will lead to an improvement in gathering, communicating and searching for information among employees. In addition, the governor will be able to follow up with his job tasks while away from his office which will help in accelerating the flow of daily work”; the statement added.

    (www.dailynewsegypt.com)

  • Investment conference in Alexandria

    Investment conference in Alexandria

    Hani El-MessiryThe Alexandria governorate, in coordination with the ministries of Investment and Local Development, is preparing for an investment conference in October to present the governorate’s investment opportunities, according to Alexandria governor Hani El-Messiry.

    In a special statement to Daily News Egypt, El-Messiry said that approximately 35 projects in different sectors, worth total investments of approximately EGP 40bn, will be featured at the conference. He asserted that the investment opportunities also include projects affiliated to the Cairo, Beheira, and Matruh governorates.

    These projects are expected to be implemented through partnership with the private sector, or the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) system,” El-Messiry said.

    He added that the most important projects to be presented include a Medical City that will be launched behind the Carrefour on the outskirts of the city, one of the most important projects that will be promoted at the conference. There are also projects related to the Yachts Marina, and the new middle harbour, which is one of the biggest projects that will be proposed. This is especially as 70% of harbour movement in Egypt takes place in Alexandria.

    Moreover, approximately 20 of the big projects will be proposed in the infrastructure field, relating to new road axes, with current road networks worth EGP 1bn. These projects were submitted to the Ministry of Investment to conduct their feasibility studies, before submitting them at the conference.

    The governorate has a vision to rely on its own resources to develop the Alexandria region, especially as it holds 40% of the volume of industry and free industrial zones in Egypt.

    El-Messiry disclosed that the governorate has entered into a €10m contract with a German consultancy office to study an integrated urban scheme to establish New Alexandria.

    “We will move out from the area of Alexandria to King Marriott, and Borg El-Arab,” El-Messiry said. He added that there is a lot of the governorate’s lands that have been illegally taken over, and there is coordination now with the local Bedouin community to legalise the situation and evacuate the land.

    The consultancy office will carry out studies of the nature of the lands needed on which to establish residential and commercial areas. This will occur in addition to providing suggestions on transportation in the area, like the metro and bus systems, in addition to determining the number of present residents, and looking into the possibility of compensating them.

    El-Messiry explained that the project will link Alexandria city to the city of New Borg El-Arab, through a middle space between the two cities. The aim is to encourage citizens to move out from the centre of Alexandria, and encourage easier movement to Borg El-Arab, outside the range of Alexandria, to contain the expected projected population growth.

    The New Alexandria project area amounts to approximately 3,700 acres. It has been decided that the project will include high level urban areas, spaces for schools and universities, in addition to allocating 300 acres to medical tourism projects. The project will also include establishing the biggest international market of Egyptian products, whilst also establishing the Alexandria Smart Village.

    El-Messiry also disclosed that new legislation stipulating the seizure of buildings that violate the governorate’s law will be issued, especially with the high cost the governorate pays in removing the illegal floors. He added that, after seizing these buildings, the price per metre of land will be re-evaluated and re-priced, in accordance with the opinion of the governorate appraiser.

    Alexandria’s rubbish problem would also be resolved soon, through a company that will be established to remove the rubbish for recycling, El-Messiry added. The governorate will contribute 25% of the project’s capital, and it will create 3,000 new job opportunities.

    El-Messiry added that a tender will be launched in the next month to choose the companies the governorate will contract with, after the contract with Nahdet Misr comes to an end in March 2016. The company that will be established will be owned by the governorate with capital of EGP 100m, with offers taken only from the Egyptian companies.

    Nahdet Misr started operations in Alexandria in 2011 as a national Egyptian company, after the previous contracted company, Veolia, resorted to international arbitration against the governorate. Nahdet Misr was assigned by the prime minister to operate at that time as a step to save the situation. At that time, the volume of rubbish in the city did not exceed 1,700 tons per day, but now Alexandria creates around 4,000 tons of rubbish daily during winter, while in the summer and peak days, the number reaches 5,500 tonnes or more.

    El-Messiry clarified that the tender requirements are currently being revised. One of the most prominent requirements is to divide up the streets, and to become acquainted with the contractors who deal with the company and the number of cars. The governorate of Alexandria will supervise the areas subject to the contract.

    This step comes within the national project that is intended to be implemented with the Ministry of Urban Development and Slums. The project aims at dividing Alexandria into residential areas, and encouraging youth graduates to establish small companies or non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to collect rubbish from homes for recycling.

    This initiative aims at working on raising residents’ awareness in order to implement the rubbish collection system from homes, and to encourage residents themselves to separate the different kinds of wastes. This system would eliminate the presence of big rubbish collection points in the streets, which only allow scavengers the chance to search the points for specific materials and ultimately make the streets full of rubbish. The governorate is also negotiating with the Ministry of Supply to provide residents with incentives to adhere to separating the different kinds of waste.

    El-Messiry added that his aim is to develop the Alexandria governorate’s resources. An advertising agency has been established in the governorate to enhance the regulations of different advertising boards, in addition to supervising them. This mechanism is the first of its kind in Egypt, where the new agency aims at creating new advertising locations that would be managed in the governorate’s favour. The mechanism stands as the best equation for the state, the governorate, and the advertising agencies, in regards to advertising rights.

    The governorate said that 300 industrial workshops will be opened in the area of Om Zeghio in next November. Moreover, the public transport sector will be developed, by adding 150 new buses to the existing fleet. The new buses would be equipped with facilities to help the elderly and the handicapped enter and leave the buses.

  • The Smouha City Venture: Alexandria 1923 – 1958

    Κριτική βιβλίου από τον Lyn Julius

    «Ήταν ο μόνος ξένος που ήρθε στη χώρα, έφερε τα δικά του χρήματα και έκανε καλό στη χώρα». Έτσι φαίνεται να είπε ο εξόριστος βασιλιάς της Αιγύπτου Fuad μετά το θάνατο ενός Ιρακινό-Εβραίου εμπόρου βάμβακος από το Μάντσεστερ με το όνομα Joseph Smouha.

    Σε μια πόλη όπου η εβραϊκή κοινότητα σήμερα είναι κάτω των πέντε Εβραίων, η κληρονομιά του Smouha, κατά ειρωνεία της τύχης, διαιωνίζεται σε ένα πυκνοκατοικημένο προάστιο της Αλεξάνδρειας που ονομάζεται Smouha. Η ιστορία για το πώς ο Joseph Smouha ήρθε για να αγοράσει, να χτίσει και να χάσει τελικά την περιοχή Smouha πόλη από το Αιγυπτιακό κράτος, έχει ειπωθεί από τον εγγονό του Richard (Dicky) Smouha ως ένα κομμάτι ζωντανής ιστορίας. Το Smouha City Venture: Alexandria 1923 -1958 έχει διανθιστεί με αρχιτεκτονικά σχέδια, αποκόμματα εφημερίδων και υψηλής ποιότητας φωτογραφίες. Κεφάλαια της Cristina Pallini και Marie-Cecile Bruwier ρίχουν φως στις τεχνικές πτυχές της αρχιτεκτονικής επιχείρησης και τα αρχαιολογικά ευρήματα της αρχαίας ελληνικής πόλης σε αυτό το σημείο της Αλεξάνδρειας.

    Ήταν σε ένα ταξίδι με το τρένο από το Κάιρο προς την Αλεξάνδρεια το 1919, όταν ο επισκέπτης-επιχειρηματίας Joseph Smouha διέκρινε τις δυνατότητες που θα προέκυπταν από την αποξήρανση της λίμνης Hadra, που είχε μέγεθος το ένα έκτο της πόλης και απείχε μόλις τέσσερα χιλιόμετρα από το κέντρο της. Μετέφερε τη σύζυγο του και τα οκτώ τους παιδιά στην Αίγυπτο για να ζήσουν μαζί την περιπέτεια της ζωής τους. Η οικογένεια του φτάνοντας στην Αίγυπτο ήρθε αντιμέτωπη με ένα σοβαρό πολιτισμικό σοκ, λόγω της φτώχειας και των ασθενειών που μάστιζαν τη χώρα. Ανάμεσα σε ορισμένες διασκεδαστικές και ιδιόμορφες οικογενειακές βινιέτες που περιγράφει ο Richard Smouha, είναι και αυτή μιας κυρίας που έστειλε τον σοφέρ της για να μεταφέρει τα ψώνια της, ενώ αυτή διάβαζε το βιβλίο της στο αυτοκίνητο. Όταν ο σοφέρ επέστρεψε βρήκε το αυτοκίνητο τοποθετημένο επάνω σε τούβλα και τις ρόδες να λείπουν.

    Ο παππούς του Richard, Joseph Smouha, αρνήθηκε τον τίτλο του ιππότη. Ήθελε να ονομάσει τη νέα πόλη-κήπο από το όνομα του βασιλιά Fuad l. Ο βασιλιάς επέμεινε ότι έπρεπε να ονομαστεί Smouha. Περίπου 75 φεντάνια γης (ένα φεντάνι είναι 4.200 τ.μ.) δόθηκαν στον Smouha το 1923, υπό την προϋπόθεση να αναλάβει ο ίδιος το μεγαλύτερο μέρος των εξόδων για την κατασκευή έργων αποχέτευσης.

    Το 1925, ο Smouha προκήρυξε διαγωνισμό που προσέλκυσε συμμετοχές από κορυφαίους αρχιτέκτονες της Ευρώπης. Ένα οικιστικό συγκρότημα κατοικιών χτισμένο σε νεωτεριστικό ύφος διαμορφώθηκε στο Welwyn Garden City και στην Ηλιούπολη, αριστοκρατικό προάστιο του Καΐρου. Καθώς ο υδροφόρος ορίζοντας ήταν ψηλός, δεν μπορούσαν να κατασκευαστούν κελάρια. Το κόστος της στήριξης μιας βίλας με μπετόν ήταν σχεδόν τόσο μεγάλο όσο και η ίδια η βίλα. Μερικοί από τους δρόμους δεν είχαν ονόματα. (Η βίλα που ανήκε στη θεία του Richard, Betty Nagger, έμεινε έξω από την αρίθμηση στο δρόμο της. Από εκείνη τη στιγμή και μετά η διεύθυνση της ήταν Rue Mahmoud Gaber 0). Σε εκείνη την περιοχή αγόρασε βίλες η αφρόκρεμα της αιγυπτιακής αριστοκρατίας αλλά και εξόριστοι βασιλιάδες, για παράδειγμα ο Βίκτωρ Εμμανουήλ της Ιταλίας, ο οποίος πέθανε το 1947.

    Η Smouha περιελάμβανε ένα αθλητικό σωματείο, γήπεδο γκολφ και ιππόδρομο. Το ήδη φημισμένο Sporting Club της Αλεξάνδρειας δεν αντιμετώπισε και πολύ φιλικά το νέο ανταγωνιστή και τα εβραϊκής καταγωγής μέλη της απέκλεισαν τη Smouha. «Αν δεν με θέλουν, θα έρθουν σε μένα”, δήλωσε προκλητικά.

    Σύντομα η Smouha, η οποία διοικούνταν από τον Joseph, τους γιους του και το γενικό διευθυντή Daniel Delbourgo («μιλούσε πολλές γλώσσες, όλες άσχημα», αναφέρει ο Richard), συγκεντρώσε όλα τα χαρακτηριστικά μιας πόλης: ταχυδρομείο, αστυνομικό τμήμα, σχολεία, ιατρεία. Η Ford Motor Company είχε ανοίξει κατάστημα στη βιομηχανική ζώνη των εργαστηρίων και των αποθηκών.

    Ο Joseph Smouha ήταν ένας ηθικός, έντιμος και γενναιόδωρος άνδρας, ο οποίος πλήρωσε για την κατασκευή ενός όμορφου τζαμιού, το οποίο ήρθε να προστεθεί στις εκκλησίες και τη συναγωγή.

    Υπήρξε αποδεδειγμένα πατριώτης. Κατά τη διάρκεια του 2ου Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου κατέβαλλε τα χρήματα για την αγορά δύο Spitfires για τη RAF, ενώ οι τρεις γιοι του και η κόρη του κατατάχθηκαν στη RAF.

    Το 1940 έμαθε ότι ήταν ο υπ’ αριθμόν 1 καταζητούμενος των Γερμανών σε περίπτωση που αυτοί καταλάμβαναν το Κάιρο. Ο Smouha έφυγε για μερικούς μήνες στη Νότια Αφρική.

    Μετά τον πόλεμο ήρθε το πραξικόπημα των αξιωματικών και η μαζική εθνικοποίηση της περιουσίας Βρετανών, Γάλλων και Εβραίων, ως αποτέλεσμα της εθνικοποίησης του Σουέζ. Η Smouha είχε κατασχεθεί. Το 1957, μαζί με το 25% της εβραϊκής κοινότητας, των Αρμενίων, των Ελλήνων και της Αιγυπτιακής και Κοπτικής αριστοκρατίας, η οικογένεια εκδιώχθηκε από την Αίγυπτο και μετακινήθηκε στην Αγγλία και την Ελβετία. Το εισόδημα του κατρακύλησε στις 6 £ την εβδομάδα.

    Ο Smouha διεκδίκησε τη μεγαλύτερη αποζημίωση από εβραϊκή πλευράς: £ 12,5 εκατομμύρια. Έξι χρόνια αργότερα, έλαβε £ 3.000.000. Η Αιγυπτιακή κυβέρνηση εμφάνισε φορολογικά έσοδα που να υποδηλώνουν ότι η Smouha Πόλη ήταν γεωργική γη.

    Αλλά το οικογενειακό σπίτι των Smouha, με τα έπιπλα, τα σπάνια χαλιά και κοσμήματα – ένα παραθαλάσσιο αρχοντικό κατάλληλο για του Αιγύπτιους προέδρους – δεν κατασχέθηκαν ποτέ. Το 1986, η Αίγυπτος πέρασε μια απόφαση σύμφωνα με την οποία οι ιδιοκτήτες των ακινήτων που δεν είχαν πωληθεί θα μπορούσαν να τα διεκδικήσουν.

    Το 2000, ο Richard και ο αδελφός του ο Brian προσέλαβαν έναν αιγύπτιο δικηγόρο για να διεκδικήσουν το σπίτι. Η υπόθεση συνεχίστηκε μέχρι το 2007. Το δικαστήριο όντας σε δύσκολη θέση να έρχεται σε αντιπαράθεση με τον ίδιο τον Αιγύπτιο Πρόεδρο προέβαλαν κάθε είδους εμπόδιο στα δύο αδέλφια. Προβλήθηκε ο ισχυρισμός ότι η αποζημίωση έχει ήδη καταβληθεί, ότι τα δύο αδέλφια δεν έχουν τη σωστή τεκμηρίωση (ακόμη και το Γραφείο Δημοσίων Αρχείων στο Kew αρνήθηκε να απελευθερώσει τα αρχεία), ότι τα εγγόνια δεν είχαν το δικαίωμα να κληρονομήσουν, ότι η υπόθεση αυτή δεσμεύεται από το καταστατικό των περιορισμών. Λίγο μετά οι αδελφοί αποφάσισαν να εγκαταλείψουν, ο Πρόεδρος Μουμπάρακ καθαιρέθηκε. «Είμαστε πίσω στην αρχή», γράφει Dicky.

    Το βιβλίο αυτό στέκεται ως ένα μνημείο για έναν από τους μεγάλους εβραίους εκσυγχρονιστές του 1930 στην Αλεξάνδρεια, το «μαργαριτάρι της Μεσογείου». Ακόμη και αν η Αίγυπτος δεν θα αναγνωρίσει το χρέος της προς τον Joseph Smouha, η μνήμη του, χάρη στον εγγονό του, θα παραμείνει ζωντανή και καλά τεκμηριωμένη.

  • The European Day of Languages

    The European Day of Languages

    European Day of LanguagesOn the occasion of the European Day of Languages; an interactive language festival will be held at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina on September 28th , 2015, from 12:00 until 6:00 pm. Participants will travel through different European countries exploring different languages and their cultures: English, German, French, Hungarian, Greek, Spanish and Italian. Language games, workshops, film screenings, music and much more are organized by the Goethe Institut, the British Council, the Institut franҫais d’Egypte, the Hellenic Foundation for Culture and the Balassi Institut (Cairo) in cooperation with the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and Step Up youth initiative.

    As a special activity for children, language workshops for German and French language had been offered last week at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina’s Children’s Library, in cooperation with the Goethe Institut and the Institut franҫais d’Egypte.

    The European Day of Languages has been celebrated every year since 2001, on September 26th, as an initiative of the Council of Europe to celebrate plurilingualism and intercultural understanding. More information about this initiative is available here

    The European Day of Languages in the Egyptian press

    http://akhbarelyom.com

    http://www.almasryalyoum.com