Tiktok dispatch #1 Welcome to the Jungle

Lately, I have been spending more and more time on Tiktok.

I have become addicted to the short video-sharing Chinese media platform that took the world by storm. Tiktok has had its own storm in Egypt’s legal system after its endless controversy whether the sad Tiktok girls saga or the Tiktok racist bullies. It earned a bad reputation.

Older generations still consider it the social media platform of vice where women pimp themselves thanks to the endless Tiktok girls arrested in the media every couple of weeks whereas older Upper classes look at it as a vulgar social media platform of lower classes sing and dance on awful Mahraganat music that should be banned altogether.

Ironically those old Upper classes do not realize that their young actually are active on the platform like any youth in the world nowadays and present interesting content.

For me, as I dig more and I change my choice algorithm, it became another way for me to see that other Egypt usually ignored or forgotten in the mainstream media.

I remember seeing that small protest organized by a group of angry high school students against the Education Minister in front of the Education Ministry in Downtown Cairo following the announcement of the Thanaweya Amma results of the 2020/21 academic year. Almost all news websites ignored this small protest.

I knew through it about great talents.

Like Mr Sayed who used to work in a simple poor workshop but Tiktok and social media changed his life thanks to some Tweets. This is the first video I have ever seen for him and I could not ignore it.

Very Costly Shot

This photo was released on Friday by the office of Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman aka MBS.

Tamim, MBS, TBZ in KSA

The photo shows MBS with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and UAE ruler’s National security advisor Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan aka the fearful TBZ in some Red Sea resort in Saudi Arabia.

They are all smiling while wearing shorts and the Gulf is back to become one “or as they claimed”

The Return of Khaled Youssef : The elephants in the room

Famous Egyptian director and former MP Khaled Youssef returned back from Paris after nearly two years of self-exile following his sex-related scandal in winter 2019.

Since his return to Cairo, he is hailed in the Egyptian mainstream media as this great opposition figure who is patriotic enough to oppose the country locally and not from abroad. 

Already his return is regarded on how things are shifting Cairo and more spaces are being given to opposition and its figures. "Ironically, Youssef is Nasserite and those guys I do not really consider as true opposition considering their main icon is the source of authoritarianism in the country so far" 

Youssef was busy doing interviews whether on MBC Masr or news websites praising the change in the country in the past two years.

An edited photo of Khaled Youssef in Alamein earlier this month

Ironically Youssef returned back to Egypt briefly last March to mourn his brother who passed away and participated in his funeral then returned back to Paris.

He is also busy professionally as he announced that h had plans with the United Media Service to direct a historical film about the 1973 war as well as a TV series aside from his film he was inspired to make about Arab women expats in Paris. 

Now I do not have any problem with his return but I got a problem that since his return he did not even bother to speak a word about those women who were involved with him in that sex scandal that no one speaks about publicly anymore. 

Till now he did not apologize or speak a word to support those ladies who were detained pending investigation as he was in Paris.

The only woman he spoke about fondly is his wife, who to be honest had to face hell with his ongoing drama from time to time.

Happy New Year Ancient Egyptian/Coptic Year 6263 ya People

Happy New Ancient Egyptian/Coptic year dear people

Today 9/11 despite it marks one of the worst incidents that changed the world forever is actually the start of the new year according to the Ancient Egyptian/Coptic calendar.

Today  is the first day of Thout, year 6263

A cubit rod from the 26th dynasty  that was found in Tanis

On this occasion, I would like to share those ancient Egyptian cubit rods at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo from a couple of years ago.

Kodak Agfa Presents : Hidden European Fine Arts of Egypt “Volume 1 : Paintings”

Egypt got some secret treasures to amuse and share with the world and they are not great Egyptian ancient treasures.

They are treasures from different civilizations that ended up in the valley of the Nile. Among those treasures, a huge collection of classical European arts from statues and paintings by the greatest artists the world has known in the last 200 years.

European Arts fans can enjoy themselves too in Egypt if they know where to go.

I know some will find it odd, but we got paintings for painters like Monet, Picasso, Goya and Henri Matisse that are worth millions of dollars

The girl , the painting and Sculpture

Last November I went to Aisha Fahmy Palace in one fine afternoon to see its latest exhibit of the Egyptian Museums’ treasures. I went to the Mohamed Ali era exhibit era and it was amazing. Then came this exhibit “The Classical European art pieces in Egyptian Museums” and it blew my mind.

It is the third exhibit in the Egyptian Museums’ treasures exhibit series the Palace has been holding since its inauguration.

Now how those paintings and statues ended up in Egypt. Well, thank Egypt’s fine collectors from Mohamed Ali Royal Family and the rich class from Pashas like Mohamed Mahmoud Pasha Khalil. Those fine collectors were unfortunately nationalized and thankfully those paintings were locked up and kept safely for decades despite attempts to showcase them. 

The exhibition was held at Aisha Fahmy Palace, which is a piece of art from inside 

That exhibit had paintings and sculptures that came from three main museums: Giza’s Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil Museum, Cairo’s Gezira Center for Modern Art aka Egyptian Modern Art Museum and Alexandria’s Museum of Fine Arts.

It shows a glimpse of Egypt’s own European fine arts collection.

In this post I am focusing only on the paintings I found there.

And our quick tour starts here with Monet

Coronavirus on the Nile: 19 months of Covid-19 in Egypt in graphs

Another monthly post as part of the Covid-19 coverage in Egyptian Chronicles.

This time it is a quick look into official Covid-19 numbers in Egypt after 19 months since its arrival to the country in February 2020.

From 2020 "Sensitizing airports in Egypt from AFP"

According to Minister of Health Hala Zayed in early January, the official numbers of cases represent between 10%-15% of the real number of cases worldwide Egypt included.

Those official numbers represent the patients who enter the ICUs in designated coronavirus isolation public hospitals in the country in critical condition according to official statements, not the mild cases of coronavirus or those who receive treatment at home.

Here is the graph, it is interactive so you can click on it and click on the tabs to compare between 2020 and 2021.

Coronavirus on the Nile: Egypt’s Covid-19 August 2021 numbers in Graph

This is the time of our monthly post about the coronavirus pandemic and its official numbers in graphs in Egypt.

The official numbers of coronavirus cases in August 2021 in Egypt began to increase once again but this time slowly and steadily after reaching their lowest point on 27 July 2021.

An Egyptian elderly receiving the vaccine in August 
"Egyptian health ministry"

Disclaimer: According to Minister of Health Hala Zayed in early January, the official numbers of cases represent between 10%-15% of the real number of cases worldwide Egypt included.

First, the official daily cases of coronavirus in Egypt.