Friday, June 4, 2010

Former King Fouad II on On TV

Former King Fouad II of Egypt and Sudan visited Egypt last April and his visit unlike previous visits was long , socially successful where he was received warmly by Egyptians from all age.
It was interesting to see how the official newspapers covered his visit after years of neglect. You can see the following links from Al Ahram :
More than interesting to find Al Ahram covering the former king's visit in this careful way now in this particular time.
From among all the TV channels in Egypt On TV scored the only televised interview for Ahmed Fouad II and unfortunately they blew it up. As soon as I had known that Fouad was going to speak on On TV I thought that he would sit and chitchat with famous and friendly Tarek Habib , it was a natural guess due to the experience of Habib in hosting former royalties and presenting his special documentary series " The revolution files" which was natural but I was wrong as Fouad did not sit with him. Before you guess he did not sit with Youssry Fouda either , he sit with some TV hostess who was smiling foolishly as she were interviewing 5 years old kid as you can see below :


It was so painful and sad that he was trying to speak Arabic and she wants us to know that she is a bimboo at the same time !!
I could not cover the visit because it came during all that jazz we had from protests and sit ins but I followed the news of the former Royal family very well. Already the Ahmed Fouad II branch from the family was witnessing a lot of drama from two months ago when we found his daughter Fawzia Latifa in Cairo after a legal fight with her mother. It seemed that Dominique has seen karma as her offspring from Ahmed Fouad II sued her in front of the French courts. It was just another episode from the misfortune this family is witnessing since very long time , that curse to be precise !!

22 comments:

  1. Sudanese Observer6/04/2010 07:36:00 AM

    For the benefit of any who follow this blog and read this post, please be informed that the former dynasty that ruled Egypt is only referred to as the Sovereigns (Kings) of Egypt 'and Sudan' by Egyptians 'who live in the present with the glories of the past' - and it is interesting and quite gratifying to note that the Egyptian media itself (which is mostly ignorant of Sudanese affairs and racist, stereotypical and superficial in its coverage of Sudan and black Africa) does not refer to Kingship 'over Sudan'.

    The reasons why the dynasty that ruled Egypt are not referred to in Sudan and by the Sudanese all over the world as sovereigns over Sudan is the same reason why Saddam Hussein is not referred to by Kuwaitis as the former President of Kuwait...

    Muhammad Ali and those who followed him forced their dominion on the Sudanese peoples through illegitimate invasion, occupation, oppression and collusion with European colonian powers - the natural reaction to which was the murder (through burning and asphyxiation of Ismail, Muhammad Ali's son, by the leader of the prominent Ja'liyeen tribe in North Sudan the Mak Nimir) and the glorious Mahdist revolution which defeated the foreign invader (both events are feted in Sudan and commemorated and they feature heavily in Sudanese poetry, songs and folklore).

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  2. The interview reminded me of a children TV show with the exception of host and hostess being adults. She is intellectually superficial and he does not speak his native language properly.

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  3. Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooow ..you cannot imagine for how long I have been looking for a clear,complete copy of this interview to watch online . Thank you dear...!!!

    Btw,I could not understand what you meant by (she is a bamboo at the same time !! )

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  4. Sudanese Observer ...

    I always admire what you write about suadan.Why not start a blog expressing this knowlege to those who are interested ?? I would be the first follower btw..!!!!

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  5. So, who is more important to those Egyptian girls, including Akher El-Khara, Paris Hilton showing her body or the former King of Egypt (and Sudan) showing his ignorance.

    May be you should pay more attention to the self declared Egyptian Ghandy/Martin Luther King who is currently visiting Egypt claiming to be its savior.

    You really get what you deserve, and that is not much at all. Keep dreaming of those kings and queens.

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  6. Sudanese Observer6/04/2010 07:29:00 PM

    آخر أيام الخريف
    Thanks.

    Perhaps due to my post, another commentator put the reference to Sudan in parenthesis.

    The blogosphere is full of Sudanese bloggers who reflect views that are similar to mine - when they mention Egypt.

    Most of the time, Sudanese bloggers address our own parochial affairs and don't really care about what happens in Egypt apart from in three domains:

    The aftermath of the Algeria-Egypt qualifying match in Omdurman (and the campaign of slander and misrepresentation by the Egyptian media that offended 'all' the Sudanese and caused a diplomatic rift),

    The continued illegal occupation of Halayeb,

    Racist, stereotypical depictions of the Sudanese and black African character in Egyptian media.

    Even the Nile Basin's new treaty hasn't managed to garner as much interest amongst Sudanese bloggers as it has amongst Egyptian bloggers.

    Getting information is easier today than at any other time before.

    You can become relatively informed about Sudanese perceptions of the way Egypt (official and unofficial ) addresses Sudanese issues by reading Sudanese newspapers and by following other Sudanese media outlets such as http://www.ashorooq.net

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  7. آخر أيام الخريف said "Btw, I could not understand what you meant by (she is a bamboo at the same time !! )"

    I think Zeinobia meant "bimbo" not "bamboo" ;)

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  8. Egypt2020 said...

    " So, who is more important to those Egyptian girls, including Akher El-Khara "

    Does this refer to ME ??? I hope not ..!!!

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  9. It is very nice to see that King Fuad II was trying his best with his native Arabic language since he did learn it out of Egypt and did not practice it much obviously.
    Analyzing his visit to Egypt too much is not going to change facts: He is Egyptian and he can visit anytime, and he will. To the Sudanese observer: Ignorance lives globally, and fortunately not ALL Egyptians are racists. Some of us are well informed, and understand your point of view.

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  10. Magda said...
    " It is very nice to see that King Fuad II was trying his best with his native Arabic language since he did learn it out of Egypt and did not practice it much obviously.
    Analyzing his visit to Egypt too much is not going to change facts: He is Egyptian and he can visit anytime, and he will. To the Sudanese observer: Ignorance lives globally, and fortunately not ALL Egyptians are racists. Some of us are well informed, and understand your point of view."

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  11. Magda said...
    "It is very nice to see that King Fuad II was trying his best with his native Arabic language since he did learn it out of Egypt and did not practice it much obviously.
    Analyzing his visit to Egypt too much is not going to change facts: He is Egyptian and he can visit anytime, and he will. To the Sudanese observer: Ignorance lives globally, and fortunately not ALL Egyptians are racists. Some of us are well informed, and understand your point of view."

    I fully agree

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  12. Sudanese Observer6/05/2010 07:58:00 PM

    Magda

    I couldn't agree more - so why aren't your voices the ones that are heard???

    Why do you collectively allow worthless individuals like Amr Adib worsen peoples' perceptions of you?

    Why has there not been a move to outlaw blackface in Egyptian cinema?

    The point that myself and the other Sudanese commentators are trying to make is not a blanket condemnation of Egyptians as racists, but we lament the fact that so many Egyptians stonewall any process of self-reflection that might lead to 'Egypt' being in the wrong in any way, shape or form.

    That's not how the process of engagement takes place or how historical problems are discussed.

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  13. I am proudly among the Egyptians that are impressed with what Sudan has achieved economically and especially ending the civil war by adopting a new constitution. Just to know that Sudan's natural resources ( petrol and crude oil) have attracted China and Japan is enough to be impressed after being colonized left and right, standing on their own is a major coup in the face of whomever critizes, ignores, or misunderstands the value of the Sudanese brain.
    We are a minority and history showed us what it means to be a minority. The ignorants are a majority and are manipulated by the media daily. If we contrast what the 'so called' 'representatives' of the Egyptians majority say and what they do, we obviously understand that there is a total contradiction between professions and performance. Talk show hosts - manipulators extraordinaire - are letting the population vent against the Regime and thousand of sensitive and important issues are tackled as a 'show'.. a nice neat little show..and it sounds democratic: Show me the results of all the venting aside from a talk 'show'. None.
    Media manipulators extraordinaire target the ignorant/blind/ population - for the past 10-15 years...so what happenned?
    The population of Egypt per se, is brain washed... Once in a while comes a brilliant Film producer who shows the reality on the silver screen... the result: boycotted the next day as someone who hates his country since he is showing reality..
    Egypt is a paternalistical state.
    Papa controls the family and that's that.
    El Baradei is probably a wonderful man...he probably has excellent intentions, to the point of even acting upon them, his agenda is clear he wants his beloved Egypt to be 'independent' from the paternalistical grip. Will he succeed? In Arabic there is a saying: Kan ghairak ashtar.

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  14. Sudanese Observer6/06/2010 04:47:00 PM

    Well I'm encouraged by your views.

    Particularly your recognition of our new consitituion - the Interim Constitution 2005.

    We all recognise the manipulation of the masses by the glitzy, well financed, giant media machine in Egypt.

    However, this manipulation cannot be at the expense of the country's regional relations!

    Where are the policymakers?
    Where are their voices?

    The Sudanese-Egyptian relationship is accurately described as being complex (by objective specialists) with the notable exception of the good relations between the 'nukhba' - elite (academic, business etc) in both countries.
    So where is the Egyptian nukhba (elite) with regards to how the Egyptian media machine antagonises the Sudanese???

    I suspect that the current leadership of Egypt took a decision a long time ago to distance themselves from Sudan, because Sudan could be a source of inspiration to Egyptian political aspirants for change - we've had successive civilian and military administrations since independence in 1956 and a couple of free and fair multi-party elections since...

    Distancing the collective Egyptian psyche from Sudan correlates with the hashed and re-hashed backward and superficial depiction of Sudan and the Sudanese person by the Egyptian media that we have become accustomed to but not tolerant of over more than half a Century...

    And then there's this idea that 'Egypt and Sudan have a special eternal relationship because of the Nile'...

    Which Nile?
    Sudan has 3 Niles: Blue, White and the River Nile.
    The Atbara which is a tributary of the Blue Nile represents another basin.

    So what makes the portion of the Nile that starts in Khartoum and ends at the Mediterranean more special than the others?

    I have absolutely nothing against Egyptians, and have visited Egypt many times, but I don't believe the Sudanese have any 'special' relationship with Egypt.

    Our post-modern ties were imposed on the Sudanese by force.
    Our accent isn't understood in Egypt.
    Our character is parodied in Egypt.
    Our achievements aren't aknowledged.
    Our cultural uniqueness is not aknowledged.
    Basically even the informed minority in Egypt is ignorant of most things Sudanese.
    And all the while we are treated as a collective annex to Egypt, a historical footnote when the truth could not be more different...
    And we are told that we are 'one nation'...!
    As I mentioned even Egyptian ideologues whether Secular or Islamist are obsessed with Egypt's 'manifest destiny' to which Sudan is an automatic necessary historical tool - due to the importance of the Nile to Egypt...

    Recently Heikal caused a storm in Sudan when he stated that Al-Hadi Al-Mahdi, Imam of the Ansar (who have traditionally been at loggerheads with the Egyptians) died in the 70's from a poisoned mango he was given in Kassala (East Sudan) !!!!!!!
    When the truth of the matter is that he was shot in the leg at the Sudanese-Ethiopian border.
    Heikal is extremely unpopular amongst the Sudanese for his supremacist views and his inability to objectively assess Sudan on its own merits.

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  15. Sudanese Observer6/06/2010 04:48:00 PM

    I contrast Sudan's ties with Egypt with Sudan's ties with Ethiopia which doens't share a common language with the vast majority of the Sudanese however:
    Our food is similar.
    We look similar.
    Our music is kind of similar.
    There is a real exchange of culture at the popular level in both countries.
    And there is absolutely no parody of our respective cultures by both sides.
    Those seem to be more 'eternal' ties to me than the ones with Egypt...

    It's up to you - the informed minority - to make your voices heard - and inform the uninformed masses - that nothing comes for free, sacrifices should be made and nothing should be taken for granted.

    The rosy vision of the docile Sudanese who loves and admires Egypt and special relationship between both countries does not exist.

    In a globalised world Sudan has developed ties beyond the African continent and does not need Egypt, as much as Egypt needs Sudan (geo-politically on the Nile Basin).

    The continued illegal occupation of Halayeb which is one of President Mubarak's dark legacies constitutes a continued problem to relations between both countries on the popular level.

    The Sudanese are 'demanding' benefits from their relations with Egypt - we refuse to be a large market for Egyptian goods when we are developing our own manufacturing and industrial sectors.
    Sudan just 'recently' started exporting bananas to Egypt - after having exported them to Syria and Jordan for over a year...
    Why is it that it has taken Egypt over 50 years to import bananas from Sudan as opposed to distant Central America?!

    Just an anecdote:
    An extremely well educated and classy (in terms of how he treats others) Egyptian engineer I once knew told me that Sudan's successful petroleum production was partly due to Egyptian engineers - I asked him which planet he was referring to and what he'd been smoking...

    Recognise that we are a unique and diverse nation on your southern border and that generalisations simply do not work with us.
    Recognise that difference does not necessarily mean conflict.
    Deal with the lack of admiration that we have towards Muhammad Ali and his dynasty and with our different respective visions of history both ancient and moder.
    Deal with us like the proud, intelligent people we are - and not through 'dirty tricks' as mentioned by the creator of this blog in another post.

    As for Al-Baradei he has said 'nothing' with regards to Sudan so I cannot comment on him.

    I do wish the peoples of Egypt the brighter future they deserve, although this does not mean that I subscribe to the idea of Egypt's 'manifest destiny' of leadership - those days are long gone.

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  16. Sudanese Observer6/10/2010 06:19:00 PM

    Is there a tradition or convention by Egyptians in the media to spread lies about Sudan and then refuse to engage the Sudanese when they enquire about the validity of these false allegations?

    We all know how Amr Adib directly contributed to the poisoning of already stagnant popular relations between Sudanese and Egyptians when he launched his diatribe of misrepresentation, slander and lies against Sudan and the Sudanese in light of Sudan's successful hosting of the final qualifying match between Algeria and Egypt - and the Egyptian team's unseccessful attempt at winning the match and qualifying for the World Cup in South Africa.
    We all know that the Sudanese Foreign Ministry's second in command Mr Ali Karti (who is expected to be nominated as the new Foreign Minister in the coming few days) summoned the Egyptian Ambassador in Khartoum to express his and Sudan's outrage at the slander and insults.
    We all know that every single Sudanese newspaper and contributing journalist expressed their disdain at the lies and slander the following day.
    We all know that Egypt dispatched its Foreign and Intelligence Ministers to Khartoum the following day to express Egypt's gratitude to Sudan for hosting the match.

    However do you know that Amr Adib has refused 'point blank' to engage 'any' Sudanese journalist on this issue?
    Do you know that he 'still' refuses to take their calls?

    Heikal made a similar blunder in his program on Al-Jazeera when he re-invented history by claiming that Al-Hadi AbdalRahman Al-Mahdi, Imam of the Ansar in Sudan, was not shot at the Sudanese-Egyptian border, as verified by admissions made in the court of law and by witnesses, but that he was first poisoned, then blown up, then poisioned by some mangoes from the Sudanese state of Kassala - which is on the Sudanese-Eritrean border!

    The children of Al-Hadi Al-Mahdi, Dr Al-Sadig and Bakheita were understandably concerned at this 'misrepresentation' of historical facts across the international airwaves.

    And both have tried to contact Mr Heikal in vain.

    Dr Al-Sadig, who is a former Minister of State and the head of a faction of the Umma Party phoned Heikal's office, only ot be told that the man was unwell and that he should email instead!

    http://www.rayaam.info/News_view.aspx?pid=645&id=50119

    And then there was the late Imam of Al-Azhar, to whom an invitation to a conference was extended by the board of the International University of Africa in Khartoum.
    The late Imam's aides replied stating that his status was that of a Prime Minister and that any invitation extended to him should be made by someone of a similar stature...
    Bearing in mind the fact that the Sudanese Constitutional System does not have the office of Prime Minister, the University board got the signature of a senior cabinet Minister (of Science, Technology and Research) and re-extended the invitation. They never received a reply and the late Imam never visited Sudan in that capacity...

    Don't blame me for blaming the Egyptian nukhba / elite for not pulling their weight and not contributing to the development of 'real' relations of positive engagement with the Sudanese.

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  17. Sudan’s new FM criticizes *Egypt* & African nations, suggests secession inevitable

    In his first public statement, newly appointed Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Ahmad Karti criticised Egypt's involvement in Sudan and the Egyptian elite's knowledge of Sudanese affairs, describing it as 'superficial'.

    Don't say we didn't warn you.

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  18. Sudanese Optimist6/17/2010 11:10:00 AM

    How very dare the Egyptian Ambassador to refer to Sudan as a country that contains resources and to Egypt as a country that contains people - what about the Sudanese?!?!?!??!?!!?!??
    I am livid with anger.
    دولة تملك الموارد والمساحات، وثانية تمتلك البشر
    http://rayaam.info/News_view.aspx?pid=652&id=50720

    This is 'precisely' the vision of Muhammad Ali when he invaded Sudan.

    For the kind information of the Egyptian Ambassador in Khartoum, Sudan has a population of 40 million that is growing - and the sole beneficiaries of Sudan's resources are its 'citizens'.

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  19. Egypt is reaping what it has sown.

    South-Sudan, experts design Boma-Jonglei landscape roadmap
    http://sudantribune.com/spip.php?article35421

    The Jonglei Canals, and increasing the amount of water in the Nile that is available to Egypt - is a historical figment.
    Long overdue justice to all those implicated in the 1959 Agreement.
    South Sudan will sign up to the Cooperative Framework Agreement on the Nile Basin, as soon as it votes for independence.
    And thus the currents of change continue to proceed...

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  20. Myths are such dangerous figments of collective imagination...

    I was watching an Egyptian sattelite channel last night and there was a segment celebrating the founding of Al-Azhar.
    The things that the guest from Al-Azhar was saying reminded me of what Communist propaganda must have been like.
    He was superflous in his narrative, selective in his chronology of history, dismissive of any and all other Islamic institutions and he even said that men from Al-Azhar should be sent to the Upstream Nile basin in order to have a presence there and foil the conspiracy that is being hatched against Egypt... = )
    When mentioning how 'international' Al-Azhar was - he mentioned its Levantine ties only...


    Pan-Arab narrative a myth in Lebanon

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jun/22/pan-arab-narrative-myth-lebanon

    An apparently racially motivated attack on Sudanese immigrants in Beirut exposes the subtleties of intra-Arab discrimination

    This article was written in reference to 'one' incident in Lebanon - several volumes can be written with regards to Egypt's:

    Brutalisation of the 'African' Sudanese refugees at Mustafa Mahmoud square some years ago

    The regular shoot to kill policy against Sudanese and other Africans crossing the North-Eastern Egyptian border

    The insults and lies hurled at Sudan and the Sudanese in light of Egypt's loss in its World Cup qualifying match in Sudan and of course

    The persistent racist, stereotypical way in which the Sudanese and black African character is portrayed in the Egyptian media for more than half a Century from Ismail Yaseen to Adel Imam and Hineidy.

    So the question is - what commonalities do the Sudanese people share with the citizens of the 'Arab' Republic of Egypt???
    The answer is few when compared to the commonalities and mutual goodwill the citizens of Sudan have with our Ethiopian neighbours.

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  21. Sudanese Observer6/28/2010 10:12:00 AM

    This is why the Sudanese do not consider or like it when any of Muhammad Ali's dynasty as referred to as sovereigns of Sudan.

    This is also why the Sudanese are weary of superflous Egyptian claims of 'fraternity' and 'shared fate'.

    Read and educate yourselves.

    The Egyptian role in Sudan’s development and underdevelopment 1899-2010

    http://sudantribune.com/spip.php?article35500

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  22. Another of the various problems plaguing Sudanese-Egyptian relations rears it head...this time in reference to the illegal, military annexation of Halayeb by Egyptian forces in the mid-90's.

    And I bet most informed Egyptians are either going to be defensive or nonchalant as usual...

    Sudan’s Bashir reiterates sovereignty over disputed border area of Halayeb

    http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article35542

    Also - do the Sudanese Bishariyeen activists who wish to see the liberation of Halayeb and who are detained by Egyptian security forces for periods of up to 7 years - where some have died - deserve any mention...???

    قلق على مصير (8) من أهالي حلايب بالسجون المصرية بعد
    وفاة المعتقل الـخامس
    http://www.alahramsd.com/ah_news/5959.html

    ReplyDelete

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