Everybody’s got a grievance
CAIRO: This week, I took on a bolder assignment – to discover what problems are plaguing people’s minds.
Like the Arabic proverb, “Everyone sings for his lover, the answers came quick and furious.
My question was simple. What’s your problem? And the answers I got shed a lot of light on Egyptian society.
“Unemployment is my problem. I think it is the problem of many young people too. I finished my studies two years ago and so far, I haven’t received a good offer for a permanent job. I am a faculty of commerce graduate. I want to be an accountant not to work as a waiter or a delivery boy. I, along with many others in my situation, feel desperate to the extent that some of us take to drugs, considering this the only resort. Many others take to religion and faith, but I am afraid I am not good enough to be like them. Mohamed Hassan.
“My problem is prices of basic goods like rice, sugar and oil. Price increases are unbelievable. People are also so negative when voicing their objections. They just object between themselves and their close circles. Ahmad Helmy, pharmacist.
“Many things annoy me in Egypt. There is no conscience or ethics at all. People are totally removed from religion and Almighty God. Manners have never been this bad in Egyptian history. Making money is the biggest and only goal for all people. To achieve this goal they could do anything. I think they could even sell their children. Mosa’d Zidane, lawyer.
“Corruption is the problem that, I think, has no solution. To do anything in any governmental organization you need to bribe civil servants to get your job done. I don’t want to do that. It is prohibited, but if I don’t do it, I won’t get my work done. Sheikh Ali Abdul Samad, Quran reader.
“The condition of our streets annoys me. They dig them up for a thousand different reasons. Once for gas lines, other times for telephones. But they never think of fixing what they’ve done. Then the traffic police blackmail us sometimes for money, other times through arbitrary measures and the good ones just talk to you toughly. Saeed Hammoda, taxi driver.
“Most of my generation is not patriotic. I have to admit that I don’t feel that I live in my homeland. I feel that I want to run away from here. As soon as I finish my studies, I want to immigrate to any country that respects human beings, where I can get what I deserve without getting less because I have no important relatives. Mohamed Agwa, student.
“Media is the reason for the condition that we are living in now. It is so shallow. There is no focus on living conditions. I feel that they are talking about a different country in the Egyptian media. In the past we used to see professors and scientists in the media. Now we only see actors, actresses and football players. Wesam Magdy, housewife.
“Education is going from bad to worse. The curriculum we teach does not encourage creativity in students. I feel shocked and bored when I teach them. So kids are not to blame when they feel the same. I think we will have a generation with rigid mentalities, a generation incapable of making sound judgments or using their intellects. Layla Shawky, teacher.
