Remember, remember the fifth of November... tonight lots of people will be dazzled by fireworks and light huge bonfires. It's pyromania and literally anything you can find to mindlessly burn can be used as fuel. When I first experienced Guy Fawkes night I had no idea what the hell was going on and quite happily just went in search for combustibles to satisfy my inner pyro and was contentedly mesmerised by all the pretty fireworks. But today I thought about the significance of the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605 in relation to the world in which we live today and found that the common denominator was Power. Today everyone is questioning those who wield power - presidents, prime ministers,dictators, bankers, businessmen, etc. It's not a new question however, it seems to me that 'we/the people' have put this question under a microscope and thrown it into a pressure cooker which is inevitably going to explode. What triggered me to write this instead of what I originally thought to muse on was watching a documentary on Egypt's fight for freedom. In particular, there were three people who caught my attention - Salma el Tarzi (aka Salma in the Square), Noor Ayman Nour and Bethania Kamel. The three stood out to me as being the new voices and identities of Egypt. When Salma spoke I sobbed into my eggs; when Noor described the climate in his country, I wanted to stand side-by-side with him and fight; and when I was introduced to Bethania I pondered over whether she would make a good President for these people. Furthermore, whether she would really stand for equality, establish the democratic rights of the people and harmonise the division between the Egyptian Muslims and Coptic Christians. It also made me ruminate over two novels I've read, both of which were set in Egypt . In Laurence Durrell's Alexandria Quartet he constantly reminds us that the characters of which he describes are true Alexandrians to the point where Alexandria itself becomes more and more the main character in the series. I wondered how true a reflection this was of the identity of the city and it's inhabitants, and then thought about what sort of change it had seen and is currently going through. What was more clear and relevant were the themes of socio-political change and citizenship that Naguib Mahfouz permeates throughout his epic Cairo Trilogy (it would seem you can't have a singular novel when it comes to Egypt). Both books describe indulgence in forbidden vices, the underworld of the country, the personalities of Egypt. But most of all the way in which both the slightest and the most dramatic changes can alter everything. I thought about our changing world, the way in which protesters have taken to the streets to question authority, to reclaim freedom, to reinstate/reinvent democracy, to claim citizenship and be heard. Aristotle tells me 'where the poor rule, there you have democracy' but Orwell makes me doubt there ever being such a state. The six billionth child of our world, aged 12, said he hoped for world peace just before the seven billionth child was born in Manila a few weeks ago. In 12 years I wonder what that child will think of the world she has grown up in, what changes she will see and what hopes she will have. Anyhow, this is all getting a tad serious so I shall leave you with a few quotes, pictures and sounds. Oh, but before I do, be careful when playing with fire.
'A mighty flame followeth a tiny spark.' - Dante, Inferno
'The duty common to all human beings is perpetual revolution, and that is nothing other than an unceasing effort to further the will of life represented by its progress towards the ideal.' - Mahfouz, The Cairo Trilogy
- Pea.
(this entry is dedicated to those who drive change, revolution and ask questions)
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| Gil Scot Heron lyrics poster goes to Anon Camberwell COA |
