Volume 2 Issue 9

theindependent
VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 9
MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2011
Single copies free
Staff Demand Salary Increase
AUC
SUPPORTS
LIBYA
SARAH ABOU EL-GOUKH
News Editor
Many members of the AUC staff still feel that working conditions are unfair. SAHAR MOHAMED / Staff Photographer
SARAH ABOU EL-GOUKH
News Editor
Dozens of American University in
Cairo staff members gathered Sunday
Feb. 20 in front of the administration
building protesting the university’s refusal to grant a 15 percent wage increase
passed by the Egyptian authorities.
The increase has been granted to state
employees but it is custom in Egypt for
private institutions to match state increases in wages.
“The government has announced a
salary increase yet the university ignores this,” said Mohamed El Sayed,
who works at the mail office.
“The university always bends the law;
it uses Egyptian labor laws when they
serve it, citing that they are operating in
Egypt, yet when the laws don’t serve it
they say they are an American institution and not subject to Egyptian labor
law,” he added.
The employees, who carried a large
Egyptian flag, shouted chants demanding higher wages and a fairer salary system.
“We have five demands,” said Shoukry
Abdel Baki, an accountant in the theater
program of the performing and visual
arts department:
“The first thing is a 15 percent wage
increase, we also want long term contracts for temporary staff, a fairer salary
system based on experience and educational background, a reduction of working hours and (fixing the discrepancies)
between the wages of employees doing
similar jobs,” he added.
Hisham Khalil, an air conditioning
technician, condemned the AUC employees syndicate committee and its
role.
“This syndicate (committee) does not
represent us. I didn’t elect them,” he said.
“They say to us that our contracts
are for one year only so we don’t have a
vote,” he added.
“The demands of the staff are legitimate ones,” said Ashraf Radwan, Secretary General of the Union Committee,
who is responsible for delivering the demands of the staff to the administration.
Radwan added that that AUC has the
capacity to impose a salary increase despite the loss incurred in budget in order
to meet the people’s demands of higher
salaries and fairness in employment.
Radwan boiled this down back to
the fact that any institution has a normal budget and an emergency plan that
it uses to cope with a situation like the
present one, and if the Egyptian government – which incurred a bigger loss
than AUC – was able to increase wages
by 15 percent, then so can AUC.
“There is no transparency in HR,”
said Khalil.
“Our contracts should be changed
from annual contracts into permanent
ones,” he added.
Staff members also complained of
limited overtime available, with the
maximum hours of paid overtime being
50 hours per month.
Some employees called for the departure of Samir Riad, executive director of
human resources.
STAFF MEMBER DENIES NEPOTISM, DELETES INTERVIEW
YASMIN EL BEIH
Staff Reporter
Aly El-Araby, a director in the department of supply chain management,
was rumored to have hired more than
one relative in the department, a clear
violation of the American University in
Cairo’s rule against hiring relatives as
co-workers.
Fouad Sayyes, vice president for finance, confirmed that the administration partook in investigations regarding
the issue and has come to the conclusion that the case of the department of
supply chain management was not a
defiance of the American University in
Cairo’s policy on hiring relatives.
The policy Sayyes referred to prohibits the employment of those sharing a “first degree relationship” (meaning, a sibling, a spouse, a cousin, a son
or daughter or a parent) with a current
staff member.
The only exceptions to this rule are
in “exceptional cases”, states the policy,
effective as of September 5, 2010, in
which “an individual possesses necessary skills not otherwise available to
the university.” The office of human re-
see NEPOTISM on pg. 2
Four of Aly El Araby’s relatives work at AUC. PHOTO FROM ARCHIVE
Over the past two weeks, protests
broke out in Libya. There have been a
big number of causalities, injured and
dead people.
In an attempt to provide aid and support the Libyan people, there have been
a number of initiatives in Egypt, the
most important of which is “Egyptians
and we Support the revolution of Libya”
on Facebook.
The American University in Cairo is
no different. Munir Bitilmal, a junior
Lybian student with a double major in
economics and mass communication
has started to collect donations at AUC
since Feb. 24.
Bitilmal was in Lybia, Benghazi,
when the protests started. He witnessed
how the mercenaries were killing innocent civilians. “Mercenaries came from
Ghana,” he said.
Bitilmal is the founder of the group
“AUC supports Lybia” on Facebook.
“We are accepting any kind of donation:
money, food, medications, etc. However, money would be better because
we could not carry heavy stuff from the
campus into the buses.”
Bitilmal said that students are donating on a large basis, and that the donations every day increase, especially after
distributing flyers and creating the Facebook group.
“Every thing is done under the supervision of the AUC administration with
the assistance of the student development center,” he added
Concerning, how Bitilmal handles
these donations and aids, he said that he
is delivering them to Rabaa El Adawia
Mosque, and they make sure that they
entered Libya.
When asked about how he arrived
to Egypt amid the disturbance in the
flights, he replied saying “fortunately
I booked my ticket before the protests
started, and I was on the last flight that
took off from Benghazi Airport before
the flights have been cancelled.”
For more information and for
donations, call Munir Bitilmal on
0106670552, or visit the Facebook group
“AUC Supports Libya.”
ONGOING
INVESTIGATION:
AUC BOARD OF
TRUSTEES
Cairo Club
Edge out Auc
rugby in 12 10 thriller
Yasmin El Beih
shares her story
online after being
bullied by a
staff member.
Page 3
Page 5
academic.aucegypt.edu/independent
visit our websit:
NEWS
2
The Independent • Monday, March 7, 2011
AUC COMMUNITY HELPS PALESTINIAN STUDENTS RE-ENTER EGYPT
HEBA MOURAD
Staff Reporter
When the revolution started on Jan.
25, many Palestinian students, like
many other international students in
the American University in Cairo fled
Egypt.
Several reasons prompted the Palestinian students’ leaving: some had expired visas, others did not have a residence permit, while many felt unsafe.
Several students experienced difficulties in going back home. Gamal el-Fady,
a Palestinian graduate studying for his
PhD in Political Science, had a problem
returning to Palestine because the Rafah
border was closed.
On the other hand, when Mubarak
stepped down and the situation was
calmer, Palestinians who left the country wanted to return to attend their
classes at AUC; however, many of them
could not enter Egypt and faced many
problems.
In this regard, Sachi Virahsawmy,
Resident Director of the on-campus residence, was in direct contact with many
Palestinian students and said that there
were Palestinians carrying Jordanian
passports, and these passports should
have an ID number to indicate they
were of Jordanian origins not Palestinians; however, their passports did not
have an ID number, which meant they
were of Palestinian origins, and so the
security at the airport in Egypt did not
allow them to enter.
Bana Kamal, a Jordanian senior stu-
dent of Palestinian origins majoring in
accounting, said that passports are of
two types either temporary or permanent.
Even though Kamal is of Palestinian
origins, she had no problems entering
because she had a permanent Jordanian
passport with an ID number; and that is
why she did not get stuck in the airport.
“Palestinian students with no residency could not enter Egypt even if they
carried a valid student visa,” said Ms.
Amal Salah, Director of the Office of International Student Affairs.
In short, Palestinian students with
no residencies and carrying a Palestinian passport, like Maha Abdallah, could
not enter Egypt.
Abdallah, a Palestinian political science sophomore, got stuck in the airport
for two hours because of her Palestinian
passport.
Abdallah added that the embassies in
Palestine and Jordan were not cooperative. The embassies told them it was not
their problem to solve, and that there
was nothing they could offer that would
help.
In the meantime, the AUC community - with all its staff members and Palestinian students - united and did their
best to resolve the problem and bring
back the Palestinian students.
Al-Bugdadi, President of al-Quds
Club in AUC, said he informed Dr. Lisa
Anderson, AUC President, and she responded by hold a meeting with Dr.
Ashraf el-Fiqi, Vice-President of Student Affairs, to solve the case.
Al-Fiqi said that the Palestinian students at AUC “did a great job by raising
the issue.”
He added that when the students
gathered the names of fourteen of the
students who were stuck, he found out
that nine of these names had passports
without an ID number. In order to
speed up the course of action, he asked
assistance from the Palestinian students
at AUC to find the missing ID numbers
and “fill in the gaps.”
Amongst those whose efforts were
appreciated was Dr. Amr Salama, the
former University Counselor, who was
the connection between the government
representatives in the armed forces and
the university.
Salama sent a letter to the armed
forces stating that classes at AUC had
already begun, and that the Palestinian
students who were stuck had to return
to Egypt to continue the academic year.
Al-Fiqi added, “the armed forces
did not know that classes in AUC had
started, but once they knew they had no
problem allowing the students to enter.”
The Registrar Office also did a great
job working on issuing these students
an enrollment certificate from AUC,
which began on Feb. 3. This certificate
was used instead of the visas to facilitate
allowing stuck students to enter.
On Feb. 17 at 3:30 p.m., eight days after the start of the problem on Feb. 9,
the armed forces gave orders to the airport securities to allow the students to
enter Egypt using: their AUC ID’s, their
Palestinian passports, and their enroll-
Al-Quds Club booth at AUC. AHMED MOHSEN / PHOTO EDITOR
ment certificates from the university.
The students commenced classes on
Thursday Feb. 20.
Al-Fiqi said everything in the end
worked out fine and the students did
not miss a lot on their studies because
the drop-and-add period was extended
until Feb. 27.
Al-Fiqi also thanked many individuals at AUC; among them was Ms. Amal
at the Office of International Student Affairs and her team for working hard to
keep the students updated about situation in AUC and helping them academically regarding the use of Blackboard
and the flexibility of extending the dropand-add period for their special case.
Other staff include: Mr. Aly el-Arabi
and his team who were responsible for
issuing and handling visa problems, the
Security Office regarding for students’
safety, AUC professors for their patience
and understanding, Dr. Sherif Sadek
and his team who were responsible for
transportation, Dr. Fatma Yousef at the
dorms for “overseeing students at Zamalek dorms” and making sure they had
good services (like food and safety), and
Randa Kamel at the Student Services for
volunteering to issue an enrollment certificate on a non-working day.
In recognition of the team spirit and
hard work, al-Fiqi said he will hold a
ceremony between Feb. 27 and March 1
to honor the AUC staff who was committed in solving the problem.
Finally, Al-Fiqi said that this was not
the first time the Palestinian students
faced such problems since it usually
takes time to issue a new visa after the
old one has expired or because they do
not have residences.
Yet, this time because the problem
had a huge repercussion and reached the
Egyptian officials, it was solved quickly.
NEW HISTORY COURSE SHEDS LIGHT ON EGYPT UPRISINGS
YASMIN EL BEIH
As of the second week of classes this
semester, a new history course called
“Isqat Al-Nizam: Egypt’s 25 January
Uprising In Comparative Historical
Perspective” (HIST 412) is being offered
to discuss the revolution both in the
context of modern Egyptian history and
in comparison to other revolutionary
movements. The 400-level class, which
was initially taught as a one-section
class, opened two additional sections
due to wide student interest.
Seham Kafafi, a psychology sophomore signed up for the class as soon as
she heard it was being offered. She felt
it was great that she could get credit for
analyzing and studying a period of his-
tory as it happens.
“I feel kind of alienated from everyone who participated in the revolution
because I didn’t get the chance to (participate),” she said, “but the Isqat il-Nezam class makes me feel that I can still
be part of the historical moment. We’re
examining a major historical event that
isn’t even over yet.”
Nada Saeed, a junior, signed up for
the class but later had to drop to fulfill
another requirement. She did however
attend the first lecture of the class and
was impressed:
“Even though many of us don’t know
exactly what is going on (in the government post-revolution), we are trying really hard to define it and we are doing a
great job.”
One of the first classes was taught as a
panel with Dr. Michael Reimer and Dr.
Sherene Seikaly of the history department, Dr. Reem Saad, director of the
Middle East Studies Center. Mahinour
El-Badrawi, a political science major
and graduating senior, was also on the
panel.
Reimer emphasized that the idea
behind the class and its execution was
a “departmental effort;” the entire history department collaborated to come
up with the idea. The class is also taught
in rotation, with a different professor
lecturing every week on a topic related
to the revolution and to their academic
background and interest.
Reimer also said that whether or not
the class will be taught in future semesters is something that has not yet been
discussed in the department.
In an email from the provost on Feb.
18, the adjustments new courses already
being offered to make them more topical and the addition of new courses were
referred to as “An educational initiative
in the spirit of a New Egypt…with the
goal of affording the university community the chance to explore and examine
the unique and historical events of the
past four weeks (the duration of the protests).”
Another section of the course taught
in the spring 2011 semester in the spirit
of the revolution is Dr. John Swanson’s
“Cairo: The Present and the Future
Megalopolis.” Swanson’s class will analyze the historical and cultural context
of cities as well as address the struggles
the city faces in commerce, education
and food distribution.
participated in an agreed five-minute
interview with The Independent. He
spoke about how he coincidentally discovered over the years that some of his
co-workers were distant relatives of his.
He also spoke about his forty-year long
employment at the university and restated some segments of the university
policy on hiring relatives. He stressed
that the office of human resources, rather than individual departments, deal
with cases of hiring new employees.
El-Araby, who was at first more than
happy to have his voice recorded to
later be put on paper, panicked when
he heard that the Independent had conducted interviews with other members
of the administration on the topic. He
proceeded to bellow at the reporter to
give her camera to one of his co-workers, Dana.
Dana, who El-Araby had admitted
during the recording was his son’s sisterin-law, deleted all materials The Independent reporter had recorded within
the last 24 hours, including private material and other interviews with AUC
students and faculty members. When
confronted, her only response was, “I
think I know how to deal with digital
cameras”.
El-Araby had also admitted during
the recording to have three relatives
with whom he does not share a firstdegree relationship with working in his
department.
Before pressuring the reporter to give
her camera over, El-Araby attributed the
whole incident of his reported hiring of
relatives to some “envious” co-workers.
While the camera was being looked
through in the next room, the Independent reporter spoke to a front-desk administrator and inquired as to why her
camera was forcefully taken away and
was now being investigated. The only
response the front-desk clerk had to offer was, “He has to refer to his superiors
before he gives you any information.”
Prior to recording, El-Araby was
clearly informed that the material recorded was for publishing, and had
agreed. His “episode” happened after the
recording process was complete.
Independent reporter Yasmin El Beih.
PHOTO FROM THE WEB
Staff Reporter
Professor Michael Reimer. PHOTO FROM
THE WEB
NEPOTISM
(cont. from pg. 1)
sources is then required to send a written exception to the department hiring
the employee and an appointment is set
with the vice president for planning and
administration or with the president in
order to confirm the administration’s
approval.
El-Araby’s brother and, accordingly
first-degree relative, Essam El-Araby is
indeed employed at the university. According to Aly El-Araby, Essam used to
work in the same department when he
was first employed at the university but
now works at the risk management office, where he is a director.
On Monday, Feb. 28, Aly El-Araby
FEATURES
3
The Independent • Monday, March 7, 2011
ONGOING INVESTIGATION: AUC BOARD OF TRUSTEES
DEENA ABDELMONEM
Managing Editor
The American University in Cairo’s
Board of Trustees boasts a number of
distinguished individuals who contribute tremendously to the financial affairs
of the university. Among this group
of notable benefactors are prominent
scholars, diplomats, businessmen, and
politicians who dedicate a considerable
amount of time and money to promoting AUC as a world-class institution.
The board itself consists of about 53
people who come together three times
a year: typically twice in New York and
once in Cairo, according to the AUC
website. It is also important to note that
the trustees do not receive money from
the university, which means they are
volunteers.
The trustees themselves are prominent individuals involved in academics
and international business and politics.
Some noteworthy names are Nobel
laureates Dr. Ahmed Zewail and Dr.
Mohamed ElBaradei (also an Egyptian
presidential hopeful), AUC President
Lisa Anderson, Goldman Sachs presi-
dent Dina Habib Powell, prominent
businessman and National Democratic
Party (NDP) member Moataz Al Alfi,
and former CEO of the Saudi Arabian
oil company Aramco Abdallah S. Jum’ah
to name a few.
The board is made up of the officers including the chair, vice chair, treasurer,
and secretary - the trustees themselves
and advisory trustees. Mention of the
board was brought about last semester
when AUC was in the process of electing a new president. The board brought
forth potential candidates and ultimately elected Lisa Anderson as president of
AUC. These are the kind of decisions
and activities that take place on the
board.
Many of the trustees have also contributed to the construction of the new
campus by immortalizing their names
on structures such as rooms, halls,
buildings, and sports facilities. Since the
Jan. 25 uprisings in Egypt, many have
questioned the integrity of some of these
structures’ namesakes, namely the “Her
Excellency” Suzanne Mubarak Conference Hall.
Another university building that has
come under scrutiny is the Moataz Al
Alfi Hall in the Campus Center. As CEO
of a number of companies including
Egypt Kuwait Holding and Americana
Food Corp. and a close associate of the
Mubarak family, his business ventures
are among some that dominate the
Egyptian economy.
He is also involved in a number of
philanthropic and public service organizations including the National Cancer
Institute Foundation, under the leadership of former First Lady Suzanne
Mubarak. Al Alfi is also vice chairman
of the Future Generation Foundation
which works to promote economic
development of the private sector.
The organization’s chairman is Gamal
Mubarak.
Ambassador Frank Wisner, President
Barack Obama’s envoy to Cairo, is also
involved in AUC’s affairs as a trustee.
He served as ambassador to Egypt from
1986 to 1991 and is a personal friend of
former president Mubarak, according to
the New York Times.
Controversy arose during the protests
when he insisted that Mubarak stay in
power, after Wisner’s close financial ties
Moataz El-Alfy, a prominent member of the NDP. PHOTO FROM THE WEB
with the regime were revealed. Wisner
is also chairman of external affairs for
American International Group (AIG)
Egypt, which is one of the university’s
chief insurance companies. There have
been recent efforts to oust supporters of
the Mubarak regime from the Board of
Trustees, as well as calls for Wisner to
resign.
As the Mubarak regime slowly continues to crumble, efforts to remove
traces of it from the university’s trustees
and other decision-making bodies be-
come more apparent. In order to move
forward towards a freer Egypt, it is important to investigate the figures that
make up our institutions and organizations. The AUC community must take a
stand against corruption, both on and
off campus.
The Independent will continue to
report on AUC’s Board of Trustees
throughout the semester in an effort to
promote transparency and dialogue between the AUC administration and the
rest of the AUC community.
AUC PROFESSOR CAPTURES THE ESSENCE OF TAHRIR
Professor Thomas Hartwell capturing rare moments in Tahrir Square. THOMAS HARTWELL / REDUX
AHMED MOHSEN
Photo Editor
Dr. Thomas Hartwell is photography
professor in the mass communication
Department who lived in Egypt for 30
years and considers it his second home.
Dr. Hartwell, unlike most of the Non
Egyptian AUC Faculty, didn’t leave
Egypt because of the revolution although he was urged by his family to go
back.
On the contrary, when the revolution
started on the 25th of January he was
not in the country visiting his family in
the States and that he actually came back
when everybody else was leaving.
He came back for the fact that Egypt
being his second home and in his journalism career the revolution is a huge
event that shouldn’t be missed.
Moreover, Dr. Hartwell didn’t just
stay in Egypt during the events he also
went to Tahrir and took photos after he
came on the 30th.
He commented on the experience
saying that “It was unbelievable and
awesome. I was never scared in Tahrir
square, I felt so free and open”.
However, the government actions towards the press was what worried him
saying he feared his safety in light what
the government was saying that is foreign inspired.
He stated that there were attacks on
journalists and friends. He also said “I
was not worried to go to tahrir but I was
worried to go to mohandessin”. The Tahrir square, where the protestors were,
was safer to him than mohandessin were
the pro Mubarak stayed.
For Dr. Hartwell, if this situation continues, living in a place where he was
targeted as a foreigner or a journalist
and that he can’t work or feel unsafe is
not something he wants.
As a journalist Dr. Hartwell commented on the coverage of the Egyptian
State TV and Press saying that it is pathetic to think that they can do that, the
days of being able to tell the population
untrue news about the events is over as
now there is millions of ways to get info
now.
To Dr. Hartwell the circumstances
and actions that he saw and felt in tahrir square was really impressive and astounding. One of the things he liked impressed him is although the size of the
crowd in the square with no presence of
the police.
The people were so organized setting
up medical services for the wounded
and cleaning the streets afterwards.
He commented on what he saw from
the fights between the pro-Mubarak and
the protestors saying that it was obvious that the protestors were fighting for
their country and cause from the heart.
On the other hand the pro-Mubarak
weren’t like that it was clear that they
were fighting for money because they
were scared because by nature no one
will risk his life for 50 pounds.
One of the stories Dr. Hartwell told
us about his experience in tahrir was in
the celebration after Mubarak stepped
down, where was standing at the front of
stage that was set up for the event people
at the back were pushing towards the
front where the stage was until someone
came on the microphone and said “everyone get back” and people actually did
they did.
He commented on this event saying
“I have never seen in my life a crowd that
large to actually move back.” This event
and similar events shows that people
weren’t thinking about themselves but
thinking about the community.
Photos from the revolution by Dr
Hartwell and other photographers from
Al Masry alyom and Al Shouroq will be
in an exhibit in the Photography Gallery
later this month. However, as a gift from
Dr. Hartwell we will be showing number
of pictures in the paper just for the Independent and its audience
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
4
The Independent • Monday, March 7, 2011
THE ANTICIPATED BRECHTIAN MUSICAL POSTPONED TILL NEXT FALL
Ziad Tarek
Staff Reporter
Students disappointed but anticipates better ideas next semester. PHOTO FROM
ARCHIVE
In a meeting held with students on
Feb. 24, the theatre department decided
to postpone their major production of
Brecht’s famous epic play “Caucasian
Chalk Circle.”
The musical was set to be directed by
a guest director brought in from the US.
However, following the Jan. 25 events,
the department had to change their
plans for the spring semester.
Jeanne Arnold, the director of the
theatre program at AUC, explained that
that the play was not cancelled, but rather postponed until they can find another
time slot in which the guest director is
free and the university can afford to put
on the play.
Arnold, along with professors Frank
Bradley and Stancil Campbell, added
that they did not postpone it because of
budget cuts or because the guest director was unwilling to come to Egypt.
In fact they stated that the director
was more than willing to come to Egypt
and even offered to direct another play.
Instead of “Caucasian Chalk Circle,”
they decided to have the three students
in the Directing II class direct a one-act
play each.
The plays will be chosen by the students in conjectuion with Dr. Frank
Bradley.
Mira Habib, a theatre sophomore,
was upset with the decision: “I was very
disappointed when I found out that the
play got posponed. It was going to be
such a big event that everyone in the department was looking forward to.
“I don’t believe, though, that in the
midst of everything that is happening in
the country at the moment it is the safest
thing to do. I also believe that posponing it might (push) the faculty to plan
and come up with (better) ideas to make
this production worth (waitin for).”
Dr. Mahmoud El Lozy, a professor in
the theatre department, affirmed that
his Arabic play “Meneen Ageeb Elnas”
(Where do I Rally Support) will be performed.
He added that even if complications
arise the play will be performed in another venue.
Rasheed Idou, a political science junior and actor in “Meneen Ageeb Elnas”
said: “I am not saying this because I act
in the play, but I think they made a good
choice to perform ‘Meneen Ageeb Elnas’
as it talks about topics that are very close
to what is happening around us.”
‘AUCeyat’ PERFORMS FOR THE REVOLUTION MARTYRS
EHSAN ABUSHADI
Staff Reporter
AUCeyat, a music group specializing
in Arabic folk music, started the semester’s concert series, dedicating their first
concert “to all those who lost their lives
for Egypt.”
The concert was held in the Moataz
El Alfi Hall on March 2 during assembly
hour.
The repertoire, which was chosen by
Wael Mahallawy, professor of music at
the university, had many pieces of music
from concerts he had organized or performed in the past.
The ensemble had an interesting selection of instruments, some of Arab
origin, some traditional and some modern. These consisted of an ‘Oud, ‘Anoun,
Tabla, flute, violin, accordion, keyboard
and electric guitar.
Audience disagree on the pieces played for the martyrs. AHMED MOHSEN / PHOTO EDITOR
The audience was greatly captivated
by the cheerful music. People were
drawn to the hall by the music played,
peeking into the hall to see what was going on. I was taken back into my childhood memories when the song “Teery
Ya ‘Asfoura” was played, a song that frequented Egyptian TV back then.
The ensemble was on top of the situa-
tion realizing the audience’s response to
the repertoire. Olivia Bishara, the main
singer whom graduated last semester
with a major in business administration, noted that the audience was more
enthralled by the pieces accompanied
by singing rather than those that were
purely instrumental.
Having overheard one of the audience
members, it seemed that he was puzzled
by how the repertoire had no songs that
might have expressed to whom and under what circumstances it was dedicated
to. This excluded the song “Bahebak
Ya Masr.” It seems that other audience
members also agreed with him.
“Bahebak Ya Masr” by Hassan
Abouelruss, which was composed at the
Tahrir protests, was also on the agenda.
As Abouelruss sung the song, he encouraged the audience to participate
singing the phrase “bahebak ya masr”
where appropriate. Unfortunately, at the
start of the song, the way he held the microphone prevented clear projection of
his voice and added static to the overall sound of his singing emiited by the
speakers.
Furthermore, Abouelruss was slightly
less professional on stage than the rest
of the ensemble, interacting with his
friends in the audience through the use
of sign language, while holding up the
microphone to the flutist.
Many people left after Abouelruss’s
song, probably to make it on time to
classes. Overall, I would call this a successful concert, having provided entertaining music that was rich in culture,
without boring the audience.
MUSICA CLUB REVIVES CHILDHOOD MEMORIES IN ‘DISNEYMANIA’
Ziad Tarek
Staff Reporter
The American University in Cairo’s
Musica Club held a concert titled “Disneymania” on Monday Feb.28 at Elsawy
Cultural Wheel’s Wisdom Hall.
The club, under the supervision of Dr.
Neveen Allouba, performed select Disney songs from some of Disney’s famous
movies.
The event started with “ Be Our
Guest” from Beauty and the Beast, which
was performed by all the singers. Other
performances included songs from Disney’s Snow White, Mulan, Pocahontas,
Cinderella, Pinocchio, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, and High School
Musical. The club performed for what
seemed like a full house.
Most spectators claimed to have been
let down at the beginning, as they were
under the impression that the perfor-
mance will include dance numbers and
visuals.
However later on in the show, they
were amazed at the overall performance,
as described by one audience member.
Yassmine Ahmed Helmy, a third year
management student at the German
University in Cairo, said, “It was amazing. I did not know that we had such talents in Egypt. I am really glad that I was
(was able to) watch this performance. It
is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Rasheed Idou, a political science junior at AUC who was also in attendance,
said, “ The singing was great but I have
heard some of them sing before and not
all of them reached their maximum potential today, but the music was great the
pianist looked so into the music, which
gave it more life.”
Nesma Mahgoub, president of Musica, said that she enjoyed the concert
and that the turn out was more than
a & e d
r
On and offo
campus arts p
and events
expected, expressing that the audience
was “great.”
“We started working on the project
the beginning of the fall semester, but
we paused for final exams and winter
break, and then we were forced to stop
again because of the protests.
“However, two weeks before the concert, the event coordinator from Elsawy
Culture Wheel said the concert was still
on, so work had to rehearse long hours
in a short period of time,” Mahgoub explains.
Other comments were heard often
in regards to the choice of songs. Some
claimed that the song choice was poor,
and people would have liked it better if
they knew the songs or if the songs were
more popular so the audience would be
able to sing along.
Overall, the concert was a great success that brought back memories of Disney classics and favorites.
WTWN Open Mic @
AUC New Cairo
Monday, March 7, AUC
plaza area during
assembly hour. Free of
charge
After rehearsals were on hold, Elsawy contacted Musica to perform 2 weeks prior to
the show. ZIAD TAREK / STAFF REPORTER
Orchestra Elsakia Elwatary @ Elsawy
Culture Wheel
Tuesday, March 8,
Wisdom Hall @ 08:00
p.m. Ticket: 10/20 EGP
‘Oud duet @ Elsawy
Culture Wheel
Thursday, March 10,
Word Hall @ 08:00 p.m.
Ticket :10/15 EGP
Lecture by Music
Professor John
Baboukis @AUC New
Cairo
Sunday, March 20,
Moataz Al Alfi Hall @
3:30 - 5:00 PM
SPORTS
5
The Independent • Monday, March 7, 2011
Cairo Club Edge out Auc rugby in 12 - 10 thriller
Ahmed Kamel El Badry
Sports Editor
With sports finally returning back
to the American University in Cairo,
among the most anticipated sports was
men’s ruby. Last week, AUC’s men’s
rugby team faced one of their familiar opponents, Cairo Rugby Club. The
matches between them are often tight,
with their last battle back in December
finishing 13-12 in favour of Cairo Rugby
Club. Their encounter this time around
was no different.
The atmosphere prior to the match
was intense, yet full of optimism for the
opportunity the AUC team had to get
revenge. Confidence certainly wasn’t
lacking, as the team trained tenaciously.
Mohamed El Garem, a business administration junior, shared his thoughts before the match began:
“We lost 13-12 last time, which was
our last match of the season, but I now
think we’re up to their standards, and
can beat them.”
Garem is a former member of the
team who can no longer play due to a
bad injury. Another player who wasn’t
going to participate in the match was
Mohamed “Dido” Nasr, a petroleum engineering junior, who is out because of
a hamstring injury. He shares Garem’s
optimistic view, although was a bit more
cautious:
“Some people get too excited in these
matches, and when that happens, gaps
all across the pitch open up, which
makes you lose the game in the end.”
However, like Garem as well, he predicts an AUC win:
“It’s going to be a close game, but I
personally believe we have a very good
AUC Rugby team scoring by mid-match. AHMED MOHSEN / Photo Editor
chance to win. We have some very good
players, some of whom are injured, but
if we focus for the first twenty minutes
it’s ours.”
The match began in tantalizing fashion, as both teams battled bravely to
their best ability, even those who got
stepped on repeatedly around the pitch.
Nevertheless, the first twenty minutes
saw a lot of pressure from Cairo Rugby
Club, who struggled to find a way past
the AUCs stubborn defence, marshalled
expertly by Ahmed Saafan.
It remained like this until AUC suddenly broke free in their own half, when
the ball was picked up by an AUCian
who ran over half the pitch length by
himself, while also dodging a few mistimed tackles from the Cairo Club team.
Although the conversion was missed,
AUC lead the match 5-0, much to the
exhilarating cheers of the crowd.
The rest of the half continued in a
similar manner, with Cairo Club pushing hard and AUC breaking on the
counter attacks. The half finished 5-0 in
favour of AUC, but they knew It wasn’t
over, as Cairo Club had been threatening all through the half - it was anyone’s
game at this point.
The second half continued where the
first left off. Cairo Club managed to se-
cure two points early in the half with a
drop kick, as the AUC defence was vulnerable for once. This wasn’t the case
initially, as the game opened up, with
both teams seemingly tired compared to
the first half, as AUC managed to score
another try, while Cairo Club came back
strongly to score numerous drop kicks,
plus a try late on.
In the end however, the match ended
12-10, with Cairo Club once again winning marginally, this time the reason
being that AUC couldn’t block the opponent’s drop kicks or convert their own
conversions - they would have won had
they scored the conversions.
Amin Marei, a senior majoring in
business administration, gives his intake
on the final score:
“Unfortunately we lost 12-10 in the
final minutes. We played great though,
especially in defence. We forced the opponent to get their points from drop
kicks. If it wasn’t for a few mistakes we
would have definitely won.”
He continues by looking ahead to
the next challenge the team faces in the
coming weeks, a huge game against another rival- Alexandria University:
“The next match is against Alexandria, and we promise AUCians that we’ll
win.”
ELEVEN AUC teams AND ATHLETES qualifY for annual games
Ahmed Kamel El Badry
Sports Editor
As the April national university
games fast approach, the sectors tournament held over the turn of the year was
a chance for all sports teams to stretch
their muscles and test themselves
against their future opponents.
However, with over five different
sports being played, and with only the
top three teams qualifying for the national university games in April, this
was by no means a friendly tournament.
The sports involved in this qualifying
tournament were basketball, football,
five-a-side football, volleyball, handball,
tennis and table tennis, with both the
men’s and women’s teams in action for
nearly every sport.
The universities that participated
were: the American University in Cairo
(AUC), the British University in Cairo
(BUE), the German University in Cairo
(GUC), Fayoum University and many
more.
Starting off with basketball, the winners of the men’s teams were High Education University, with AUC and BUE
finishing second and third respectively.
The AUC women’s team went one
better than their male counterparts, by
winning the women’s contest, as GUC
finished behind them in second place,
while High Education University came
in third.
The women’s volleyball results were
very similar to the basketball ones, as
the same three university teams finished
in the same positions, with AUC finishing first, GUC second, and High Education third.
In contrast, the men’s volleyball results didn’t reflect the basketball results,
although High Education again took the
plaudits in a men’s competition. GUC
and Fayoum University were the other
two to qualify alongside them.
It was clear after the basketball and
volleyball results that AUC, GUC, and
High Education University were dominating the top three positions
This pattern continued through to the
handball games, as the three universities
continued to control the qualifying positions, albeit in different orders.
In the men’s competition, it was AUC
which beat GUC to first, while High Education took the third place. However, it
was a completely different story in the
women’s competition, as GUC and High
Education moved one place up to finish
first and second respectively, whereas
AUC this time had to settle for third
place.
Onto the five-a-side football, where
the three dominating universities were
no where to be seen in the men’s battles,
as it was Fayoum University, Future
University and Canadian International
College who qualified for the three positions in that order. Nevertheless, AUC
and High Education returned to top
three in the women’s contest, with AUC
AUC wins most of the spots at the annual games. PHOTO COURTESY OF NOHA KHODEIR
finishing in first place, and High Education finishing second. BUE rounded off
the final qualifying spot.
The eleven-a-side football was only
played by the men’s team, yet interestingly the results were similar to the
women’s five-a-side football outcomes,
as AUC and High Education once again
powered through to be first and second,
while it was Fayoum University who
came third.
AUC and High Education continued
to dominate, this time in tennis and
table tennis, while GUC faltered. BUE’s
Shady Khallaf won the men’s tennis,
though, as he finished ahead of AU-
Cians Mohamed Auf and Hassan Bassel.
Nevertheless, an AUCian, Noura
Abdel Aal, did win the women’s tennis, with another AUCian, Yara Abou
El Ghar, finishing behind her in second
place. Third place went to GUC’s Reem
Lotfy.
No AUCians qualified for table tennis. The men’s results ended with Kareem Ramadan from High Education
winning the battle, while Mahmoud
Salah Taha from Fayoum University
coming in second, and Mahmoud Sayed
from High Education in third.
High Education also dominated the
play in the women’s table tennis match-
es. However, it was a student from Azhar
University who came first, as Maggie
Bassiouny battled her way to first.
Overall, students from eight different universities managed to qualify for
this years university games, with AUC
having the second most representatives,
with eleven different teams/athletes
representing them. High Education is
the only university that will have more
representatives, with twelve spots being
reserved for their talented athletes.
If the tournament is anything to go
by, this year’s university competition
should be the most exciting it’s ever
been- April can’t come soon enough.
OPINIONS
6
The Independent • Monday, March 7, 2011
forum
independenteditorial
CORRUPTION
From the letters of Junius, date unknown
The Joy of Journalism:
We reveal the truth, no matter the cost
CLEANING UP SHOULD START FORM WITHIN
W
hen an AUC employee terrorizes one of our reporters or staff members, it is
our job as The Independent to speak out against this kind of treatment.
Last week, one of our reporters was harassed during an interview with an AUC
staff member after he had agreed to be interviewed. Upon hearing who else our
reporter interviewed for this story, he went as far as to take her digital camera and
demand that his secretary delete the interview that was just conducted. The secretary
proceeded to delete all the interviews that were on the reporter’s camera.
Ironically, this story was about corruption.
This treatment of student journalists is unacceptable, as we’ve seen in recent
Egyptian history the ubiquitousness of corruption and nepotism.
And this kind of treatment will not be tolerated in a new Egypt.
Recently, there have been allegations of neopitism and corruption againt Ali AlAraby of supply chain management and his story was one we were investigating.
Little did he know that when he deleted all of our reporter’s interviews, it would only
give us more to report about his character.
This is a call to action, to defend student journalists and to stand up against all
forms of corruption both on and off campus. As we work to reform Egypt and rid the
country of its old ways, it is important to start with ourselves as AUC students and
purge this institution of these now outdated ways.
The media is a powerful tool, as Mr. Al-Araby probably knows. Let us use it as a
conduit to not only report on the happenings on campus, but to mobilize the AUC
community to stand together against corruption.
Let us prevent these incidents from happening in the future across all publications
and student organizations on campus. This is a case of a fellow student being put in
a situation that could have been avoided entirely.
The Independent will take action against Mr. Al-Araby and stand up for our
reporters’ rights. If Mr. Al-Araby thought he can clear his name by deleting a few
interviews, he was gravely mistaken and ill-informed about the ambitions of AUC
students at this historic time in Egypt.
It’s time to promote transparency, freedom of the press, freedom of expression
and to expose any trace of questionable activity that occurs in our organizations.
What was seen as normal in the past will not work now, and this is the beginning of
a battle that was bound to begin sooner or later.
Join us in an attempt to disassociate AUC with these individuals and any traces of
unethical behavior in AUC and in Egypt as a whole.
“Let it be impressed upon your minds, let it be
instilled into your children, that the liberty of the
press is the palladium of all the civil, political, and
religious rights.”
AHMED ABOUL ENEIN Editor-in-Chief
The freedom of the press is the
measure of a society’s democracy,
thus a society which does not respect
its journalists and their noble goal to
deliver the truth does not get to label
itself democratic.
The American University in Cairo
should adopt a more liberal approach
regarding student media, now that we
are living in a new age of freedom.
This would entail such obvious
matters such as allowing on-campus
newspapers to seek alternate sources
of income other than the fixed budget
given to them by university, primarily in
the form of print advertisements.
Furthermore, it should allow
newspapers to publish with complete
lack of censorship. No one should be
“approving” a publication before it goes
to print other than its editors.
More
importantly,
it
means
implementing clear-cut university-wide
guidelines that focus on how to deal with
student journalists. I am not suggesting
that journalists, students or otherwise,
are awfully sensitive fluffy creatures that
need to be handled with care.
On the contrary; they are usually
gruff, grouchy, suffering from lack of
sleep, and if they happen to be editors
they usually hate the world.
However, guidelines on how to deal
with such creatures still must be put in
place.
For example, it is your right to refuse
the interview in the first place, agreed to
be recorded and knew the information
you were giving was on the record.
This is a heads-up to all bodies on
campus: publications and student
journalists exist to report news. There is
a specific way to go about dealing with
them, and you may choose not to deal
with them at all. However once you’ve
agreed, you are at their mercy and at the
mercy of the press. In the end, the truth
always reveals itself and journalists go
through so much to get to that truth.
“I am not suggesting that journalists, students
or otherwise, are awfully sensitive fluffy
creatures that need to be handled with care.”
Ahmed Aboul Enein, Editor-in-Chief
to talk to a journalist. It is also your
right to demand certain information
be off the record, provided you say that
before divulging said information. It is
also your right to refuse a recording of
an interview.
It is not your right, however, to request
that you read an article before it goes
to print. And if granted this privilege
(which is a display of unprofessionalism
on the journalist’s part) you may not
demand they change something.
And it is certainly not your right to
request they delete an interview, let
alone take the recording device and
delete it yourself, if you had agreed to do
Long story short: if you do something
wrong, we will find out. And if we find
out, the entire university finds out.
I call on all on-campus publication
editors to start a campaign defending
the rights of journalists and freedom
of the press, as this university claims to
be a liberal arts institution promoting
democratic values.
Now that we are in a new age, we must
demand that these values are not just on
paper, but are practiced in real life as
well. The media plays an important role
in all societies, and clamping down on it
is a testament to oppressive regimes that
have plagued our world for so long.
The unsigned editorials are the opinion of the editorial board and do
not necessarily reflect the opinions of individual student writers or staff,
advisers or the university administration.
independentstaff
spring 2011
Editor in Chief Ahmed Aboul Enein
Layout Editor Vacant
Managing Editor Deena Abdelmonem
English Copy Chief Nada Khalifa
News Editor Sarah Aboul El Goukh
English Copy Editors Mohga Hassib
& Yara El Razaz
Opinions Editor Yasmine Nagaty
Features Editor Vacant
Arts & Entertainment Editor Marwan
Abdel-Moniem
Arabic Copy Editor Shaimaa Amasha
Business Manager Vacant
Advertising Manager Vacant
Sports Editor Ahmed Kamel El-Badry
Circulation Manager Vacant
Literary Editor Habiba Effat
Office Manager Vacant
Arabic Section Editor Hazem Ashour
Faculty Adviser Mark Mikhael
Online Editor Nour El Safoury
Photo Editor Ahmed Mohsen
Production Manager Ehsan Abushadi
contactus
Email us at [email protected] or come by our
office in the campus center, room 1004.
independentonline
follow us on twitter:
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Visit our website at http://academic.aucegypt.edu/independent
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The Independent (AUC)
OPINIONS
7
The Independent • Monday, March 7, 2011
yourturn
A Request for Transparency
Sophomore skeptical of tuitions
AHMED HOSSAM POLS SOPHOMORE
Led by the very youth of Egypt was
the recent Egyptian revolution that began Jan. 25. During the last month, we
have seen a great rise in the consciousness of the nation. This rising consciousness launched a movement for
the recognition of rights, including the
many labor movements throughout the
country chanting for essential rights
as citizens and workers. However, this
movement did not stop with the public
workers. We have seen workers at AUC
also striking for their rights during the
past days. Their requests are mainly for
the increase of wages.
According to A.N. (one of the workers who preferred to stay anonymous),
“The whole thing started last year, when
workers who were supposed to receive
800 EGP actually received much less;
many workers received no more than
300 EGP.”
However, the workers were able to
pressure the administration following
last year’s strike and “the wages became
about 1000 EGP and we received an av-
erage of 700 after deduction. Now we
want to increase our wages as what have
taken place in the whole country. We
also want to get paid for the extra working days (Saturdays).”
A skeptical yet logical question came
to my mind: Where does our money go?
I tried to answer this question by assuming some answers. However, we
need to know that AUC students pay, on
average, 100,000 EGP a year, meaning
that if there are 6,000 thousand students
attending the university, AUC receives
600,000,000 EGP a year. I supposed that
a big chunk of our money is used to pay
for essential infrastructural bills. I recalled an Egyptian law that states that all
academic institutions receive subsidized
bills for water, electricity and infrastructure. Chairs, projectors etc. are all
labelled “U.S. property” as is printed on
the stickers on chairs, desks, computers
and other necessaries. As for the buildings, I need not to inform you about “Jameel”, “Hatem”, “Waleed”, “Baseely”, and
“Moataz”: main buildings on the new
AUC campus that are mainly funded by
businessmen and royalty. I refrain from
accusing AUC or any of the administration personnel of anything, yet I stress
on the fact that we, as AUC students,
shall not hesitate to demand our basic
right of knowing exactly where and how
our college invests our tuition fees.
In addition, we should (require) our
university to publish official budget
documents to show the flow of money
in and out of this institution in an effort
to satisfy the very main principles of
transparency.
yourturn
The
Revolution is Not Over
Senior wonders if AUCians have changed post Jan. 25
DINA ELABD MENG SENIOR
Post-Revolution: AUCians roll out of
bed, throw on their clothes, and return
to university. We return to the timeconsuming world of classes, professors
and books. However, in all the monotony, is there reason to question whether
there has been a change in Egyptians?
Whether we now truly possess a proud
Egyptian spirit?
There is no doubt that the Jan. 25
revolution altered our perspectives. We
know now that what we did made a difference. That determination and purpose could somehow lead to victory.
That the celebration on the night of the
11th would never leave our minds and
memories.
And yet, even as I think them, why do
these words sound so stale?
Even though I can confidently claim
that yes, I have changed, yes, I am a
better person, and yes, I am proud to
be Egyptian, the question remains:
Are these only words? Is there a more
quantitative approach to judge whether
Egyptians have changed?
When I take a seat in class, I see no
change in my classmates. Were they
supposed to become more studious,
more determined, and more dedicated?
Or are the same people going to keep
their same habits? Some may argue
that studying habits are hardly relevant
or may take a long time to change, and
that on the other hand, activities are far
more personal and therefore a better
judge. There have been, after all, several
weekly cleaning groups as well as rejuvenated community service clubs.
Yet, there are clubs at AUC which still
(display) laziness, bureaucracy and an
astonishing lack ability to see (obvious
problems). The unaccountability, shifts
of responsibility and lack of transparency are not uncommon.
So, where is this Egyptian spirit?
Where is the change? Until now, AUC
does not even have an SU president. I
can not help but draw comparisons with
the old regime and conclude that we are
in some sort of a standstill, both within
AUC and Egypt.
This is not the time to relax back into
our shells. This is not the time to sit
back and watch as some people fumble
through efforts to improve small scale.
This is the time to impress the world
with the changes we can make. This is
the time to want to make a change.
It was the will of the Egyptian people
that won this Revolution. That was the
Egyptian spirit.
yourturn
After Jan 25
Sophomore asks: what is in store for Egypt?
MAYA KAZAMEL AENG SOPHOMORE
Last Friday, after a group meeting, a
friend of mine said, “My church is having a discussion and Moataz el Demerdash is attending. Would you guys like
to come?” I thought I’d give it a shot and
although I never saw Moataz, I can’t say
I regret it. The topic of discussion was:
“After January 25th” and it was held at
the Heliopolis Evangelical Church. The
aim was to discuss how we, the educated
community of Korba, should respond to
the current political conditions in the
country. The invitation was open and I
could see several veiled women in the
audience.
Among the members of the panel
were Dr. Ammar Hassan, a political sociologist, Dr. Nadine Sika, some youth
from the movement, Pastors Makram
Naguib and Andrea Zaki and the Islamic da’iy Moez Masoud. While each
talked about his individual worries concerning the future, what really touched
me wasn’t the outcome of the discussion. It was that the members of the
panel showed an extremely refined level
of brotherhood and love in their talks.
Mr. Moez repeatedly quoted from both
the Bible and the Qur’an to show how
Christianity and Islam are more similar
than different in their calling to peace,
love and tolerance and to the deep connections between Islam and Christianity. He also talked about how extremism
was not unique to Islam and how moderate people, of all religions, were the
true hope for the future. Pastor Makram
Naguib, in appreciation, concluded his
own speech by quoting from the Qur’an.
We’ve seen this goodwill before -
him, she says: “I don’t know what happened”. And truly, no one knows what
happened. I guess bombing our places
of worship has something to do with
it but we can’t deny that a large part is
because we, as a community, no longer
interact. We don’t have strong connections with our neighbours as we used to.
Actually, we don’t even know our neighbours anymore. If it wasn’t for the recent events where people formed public
committees to protect their houses, we’d
have remained like that. It makes me
wonder: do we need an existential threat
“I think recent events have showed us that
however much we may move into ‘gated
communities’ or try to insulate ourselves from
Egypt, we can’t live in isolation.”
Maya Kazamel, AENG Sophomore
when President Barack Obama gave his
speech at Cairo University, receiving
thunderous applause. This is different
though - it’s different because I could
feel an almost tangible feeling of family.
It makes me feel that the relationship between Muslims and Christians
is somewhat returning to what it once
was. My mother always tells me about
their neighbour who used to wear a
scarf when going to church, as a sign
of modesty and how one of my father’s
best friends made a point of coming
round during Ramadan for her konafa.
When I ask how come I’ve never seen
to meet the family next-door?
I think recent events have showed us
that however much we may move into
“gated communities” or try to insulate
ourselves from the many drawbacks in
Egypt, we can’t live in isolation. What
happens to Egypt happens to us. The
only thing we can do is try, as much as
possible, to improve the country that belongs to us. Let me finalize with a much
over-used cliché: “Ask not what your
country can do for you but ask what you
can do for your country.” And I believe
that the only way we can truly serve our
country is through ... trust in each other.
Correction: in our previous issue The Independent unintentionally switched the
photos of Mohamed Awad & Mohamed Samy. We sincerely offer them our apology
Word on the Street...
Do you think Shafiq’s cabinet should leave immediately or
wait until the next elections? (asked before the resignation)
“I believe Shafiq’s government should
leave because none of the demands
made during the revolution have actually been met.”
“I think they should stay because
Shafiq has proven to be successful
through the improvements he
made when he was Minister of Civil
Aviation.”
“I believe it should stay because
we are not ready to employ a new
government yet and I don’t think the
military are capable of appointing a
new transitory government either.”
YASMINE HAIDARA JUNIOR
PSYCHOLOGY & MASS COMM.
NADA MAHMOUD JUNIOR
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
MOHAMED TAYSEER SENIOR
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
ourpolicy
The Independent is a student-run newspaper of the American University in Cairo. It works to serve the campus
community and offers a forum for opinion. The Independent reserves the right to edit or reject all copy. The
Independent does not necessarly uphold or advocate the opinions in the columns, letters or cartoons appearing
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8
THE TAHRIR GALLERY
The Independent • Monday, March 7, 2011
PROFESSOR THOMAS HARTWELL’S PHOTOS ON THE EGYPTIAN UPRISING
theindependent offers its deep gratitude for these wonderful exclusive photos
FOR MORE PHOTOS PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE
academic.aucegypt.edu/independent
THE SPACE
9
The Independent • Monday, March 7, 2011
poetrycorner
victory
Adham-Ahmed El-Shazly
Many martyred, then came victory.
Mubarak fell, then came history.
Stories made up, then came pity.
No more fear, then came dignity.
Protests and riots, then came democracy.
Obama spoke, then came hypocrisy.
Lame words spoken by a lame monarchy,
since when did they care about Egypt? Honestly!
19 days was only a youth revolution.
And no, violence wasn’t the solution.
Tear gas was fired into the pollution.
In that demo, we were strong and moving.
Then Victory was earned for 80 million.
While that one family stole 50 billion.
For them it’s embarrassing, the freedom is reviving,
while the society is smiling.
Koume and Kotake
Tamer A. Sergany
Business Administration Senior
In a distant land far west, where thieving women ran at best, was a fortress past the valley, before the haunted wasteland’s alley. And past the desert, lived two witches, in their temple locked with riches. And though they spoke in words of rhyme, they
plotted death to the Hero of Time.
Koume: “I will not stand for further trespass. That boy’s days will see its last. By the desert we do own, I dare him to enter
our sacred home.”
Kotake: “He is a thorn, I know of that, but what of the girl, that wretched bat? She’s the one that brought him in. I’d freeze her
now, and end her sin. But we must make her suffer, see? We must prevent her prophecy.”
Koume: “THE PROPHECY EXISTS NOT KOTAKE!!Stop this nonsense, for your sisters sake!”
Kotake: “You are as hot tempered as your head of flame. Do not be hasty, or worse quite lame. Those that tread on thin ice
drown. I do not want my sister down. Advice to your furnace of a brain, cool down a bit and try keeping sane!
Koume: “I AM THE GERUDO SORCERESS OF FLAME, I SHAN’T COOL DOWN IN GANONDORF’S NAME!”
Kotake: “Keeeeeyaaahhh, you are stubborn to your core, like a flame that burns forever more.”
Koume: “And you are as thick as the ice you sow. You would let a sand leever lurch on you and go. You are as weak as the
cracking ice you freeze, you will not act in situations such as these!”
Kotake: “You ungrateful little whelp. Since you’re so smart, why don’t you help?”
Koume & Kotake are paused and silent.
Koume: “Got it……We stop the boy when he comes back. Stop him dead, between his tracks. Your ice, my flame, he’ll soon
be ova. Let him witness the power of Twinrova.”
Kotake: “Yes…she will send him, and he’ll come, then we will end him, and enjoy some!! With my power of frost, I will freeze
him to his soul. He’ll then give back what he stole!”
Koume: “He he he ….and I will burn him to his bones. Melt his blood to where he roams.”
Kotake: “Heee heee heee … my dear sister you speak true.”
Koume: “Yes yes, I know. Of course I do!”
Kotake: “But what of the girl? That traitor filth? She cannot be within our tilth!”
Koume: “Let her not be the cause of fret. She will pay for her disloyal debts. The boy trusts her, now if you follow. We’ll brainwash her and make her wallow. We’ll train her to kill, and killer she’ll be, she’ll greet our loathsome enemy!”
Kotake: “Koume, dear sister, you’re quite clever. For if she fails, her head he’ll sever. We’ll disguise her as a mighty foe, and
should he win, he’ll be in woe. Weak he’ll be, from battle and repentance, that’s when we carry out sweet vengeance.”
Koume: “Hark Kotake, the plan is set. Too good to falter, of that I bet. And so with one stone, two birds die, including that
wretched Hero of Time!”
Koume & Kotake laugh maliciously together, as the sands of Gerudo Desert wash the scene away.
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Victory for us all!
Peace and love!
lifeduality
Tamer A. Sergany
Sometimes it hurts to stay alive, the right solution is to die.
But other times you’re high off life, no pain or anguish, without strife.
At times you feel the world is cruel, no room to breathe, it’s meant to rule.
But sometimes you’re the king or queen, and it is you who’s being mean.
Sometimes we ask why life’s not fair, no one is listening, no one to care.
Yet don’t we turn the other the other cheek, when someone tries their voice to
speak?
Maybe this whole life’s a game, you roll the dice, perhaps hit fame.
Or maybe this life is a test, no time to study for inexistent rest.
Sometimes one’s passion turns to hate, no longer with them, just dissipates.
This is utter bland reality, how all our lives are mere duality.