CAIRO: After 45 days sailing up the Nile, eight weather beaten boats came to anchor at El-Gezira gardens in Zamalek. The events of Sail the Nile 2008 were drawing to a close, but not without a bang.
A speech by the UN ambassador to Egypt, James Rawley, set off the day, citing shocking figures highlighting the urgency of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). “It is at times like these, when Egypt is experiencing strong economic growth, that it is imperative that targeted policies are put into place that aim to reduce poverty levels particularly in Upper Egypt, home to approximately two thirds of the country’s 13.6 million living in conditions of extreme poverty.
But despite such crucial and sincere words by Rawley, the event itself wasn’t all doom and gloom. After an opening which saw such luminaries as Youssra and Mahmoud Yassin, it was only right that closing ceremony should be honored with a touch of glamour. Khaled Abu Al Naga, film star and humanitarian, paid tribute to Sail the Nile as well as the aims of the MDGs. But Abu Al Naga wasn’t only passing in for a fleeting visit, in fact, he had taken part in activities across Egypt using his fame to highlight the issues for which he clearly has deep concern.
Recalling his time in Minya, he told press and UN delegates of a personal experience that illustrated the dynamism behind the campaign, and proved that it really can change lives. “A young boy approached me in Minya and wanted to have his photograph taken. I told him to join a group of young people who also wanted to be photographed with me. That boy was holding a brochure [calling against child labor] on which was printed a picture of a young boy.
He went on to explain. “I didn’t realize that it was the same boy, because the kid in the brochure was covered in white dust and holding a stone. The boy wanted a picture with me and the brochure in the same pose to show that things can change, and that it is the right of children not to work, especially in dangerous places such as quarries.
The concept of rights in relation to the MDGs is something the organizers of the campaign have set out to make a priority. They look to the achievement of these aims not only as ideals to be sought after for the sake of development and welfare, but as basic human rights.
Layla Saad, campaign officer for Sailing the Nile told Daily News Egypt, “One of our main messages we send out is to know you’re rights. That is the right to have access to and participate in public life.
Saad also spoke about the problems facing Egypt as a developing country, and how the MDGs serve parts of Egypt that are swept along with international standards without being observed as individual cases.
“Often international criteria for development and standards of living take the country as a whole, and brush over the details and specific regions. For example, one of the MDGs main targets is not just get children into school for numbers’ sake, but to really look at the type of education and how many are in the class. We need to find disparities, not just take for granted an inclusive growth.
Despite the fact that Sailing the Nile with the MDGs has and remains to be a serious humanitarian mission, it is not without a sense of creativity. The idea of using art, music and theater to highlight social problems and raise awareness forms one of the major thrusts of the campaign. In a marquee positioned on the lower level of the gardens, a selection of the song, theater and dance groups gave performances.
One of the most popular was a Nubian group singing and dancing to indigenous music which proved a great hit with the crowd squeezed inside the marquee. Another act was a puppet show performed by a Japanese volunteer group who work with underprivileged children in making puppets out of recyclable products.
Azousa Kurenuma from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, told Daily News Egypt, “When we toured around Egypt, we saw it has many social problems in common with Japan, such as poverty and domestic violence. After we performed the puppet show, ‘Dream Land’ in the provinces we found that people wanted to discuss these issues.
Although volunteerism, as highlighted by these young Japanese artists, is a growing worldwide phenomenon, studies have shown that it is still class circumscribed. Hisham Al-Rouby, who is on a campaign to spread the concept of volunteerism among Egyptian Youth, told Daily News Egypt, “I did some research that proved it is mostly wealthy people and women who volunteer. If every young person regardless of class, gave up an hour a week to volunteer we could save LE 40 million.
