Observations on Egypt and Italy from CNN anchor Ben Wedeman via Twitter
Both nations share the same assets: Brilliant people, and both suffer from the same problem: a rotten system.
“Brilliant people, rotten system,” was the poignant observation of Ben Wedeman, CNN’s senior correspondent in Cairo, Egypt via Twitter.
I have to say I wholeheartedly agree with Wedeman’s observations so far as it applies to Italy – very apt indeed. Journalist Wedeman has spent many years in Egypt, and so he knows the country, its system and people very well.
Wedeman also knows Italy rather well too, as you will discover from my update below.
What sparked Wedeman’s observation was a chat we had on Twitter the other day. Yes, you get to meet (Tweet?!) some very interesting people on Twitter, and Wedeman follows my @newsfromitaly Twitter handle too.
Although I’ve yet to discover exactly why, Wedeman seems to have an interest in Italy – we started our Twitter chat after he’d retweeted this about Italy:
“@newsfromitaly: Moves are afoot to cut Italy’s notorious reams of red tape bit.ly/R9dEf0 (IT) #Italy #news” …And pigs will fly.
— benwedeman (@bencnn) October 17, 2012
UPDATE: 23 October, 2012: I have learned from Wedeman himself, that he is married to an Italian and is currently based in Rome. Not only does he know Egypt very well, he also knows more than a thing or two about Italy.
Aside from his “Brilliant people, rotten system” comment, Wedeman provided insight into how Egyptians view Italians:
@newsfromitaly A friend in Cairo once told me Italians are Egyptians with nice shoes.
— benwedeman (@bencnn) October 17, 2012
I thought “Italians are Egyptians with nice shoes” was lovely!
Something else these two Mediterranean nations have in common is that both are in the midst of transitional phases. While Egypt’s attempts to sort out its rotten system have been, alas, marred by pain, violence, and death, Italy’s rot-removal process has, so far, remained largely non-violent.
Roll on the day when both nations have the systems their populations’ merit.
One sign of progress might be when Egyptians start wearing nice shoes. Italian shoes, maybe.
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The comparision is absurd. When female reporters are rapes in St Peter’s square or bus loads of tourists are kidnapped visiting the leaning tower of Pisa please do get back to me. Do not romanticize Egypt, the MB takeover has positioned the nation at the edge of an abyss. I’m not optimistic about the Egyptian future, and it has little to do with the “system.”
Not as absurd as you might think, Dave.
Have you heard of the recent case in Italy in which the sister of an ex-girl friend was murdered by a disgruntled ex-boy friend? The ex-girl friend was stabbed too.
This case was caused by a system which allowed things to get too far out of hand.
As I mentioned, Italy is not in the midst of violent turmoil whereas Egypt is. Both nations are struggling to free themselves of systems which do not work.
Thanks for the comment,
Alex
Dave; I don’t romanticize Egypt but at the same time I would hesitate to paint it with such a broad brush. Yes there have been some awful incidents in Tahrir Square, and many Egyptians are trying to stop this sort of violence and raise awareness about sexual harassment, etc. During the revolution in Egypt I saw the best of Egypt in Tahrir Square, and I’ve also seen the worst of Egypt there. But just as you can’t take those horrendous incidents in Tahrir Square and apply them to all of Egypt and all Egyptians, you can’t take the organized crime in Italy, for example, and apply it to all of Italy and all Italians. I lived in and covered Egypt for many years. It is a country with a rich and varied history and culture, full of contradictions, the stunningly beautiful side-by-side with the shockingly ugly. Regarding the Muslim Brotherhood, it’s worth pointing out that in the recent presidential elections the Brotherhood candidate, Mohamed Morsi, won barely more than 50 percent of the vote. For every supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, there is an opponent. As much as Morsi and the Brotherhood are trying to push the country in one direction, there are others who are pushing back. I am worried about the situation in Egypt, but I certainly haven’t given up hope.
I know the Egyptian “system” well–it’s composed of a massive, inefficient, entrenched, corrupt, self-serving bureaucracy; powerful, largely amoral economic interests that mitigate against attempts to change the way the state and the economy function. Add to that a religious element that is going through a complicated socio-political evolution. Plus, various outside powers that use money and other forms of influence to try to steer events in the direction they choose. Free of this “system” Egyptians who emigrate tend to flourish.
To get back to the comparisons, in the realm of culture, the links between Italy and Egypt are quite strong. Due to the large Italian community that lived in Egypt up to the late 1950s, Italian words are sprinkled throughout Egyptian dialect of Arabic. The Italian influence in Egyptian theatre and cinema is very clear. Finally, anyone who has spent any time in an Egyptian (or Lebanese, or Greek, or Tunisian, etc.) home will quickly see the similarities between Egyptians and Italians. I suspect it is a function of Mediterranean life.
To quote you, Ben:
“I know the Egyptian “system” well–it’s composed of a massive, inefficient, entrenched, corrupt, self-serving bureaucracy; powerful, largely amoral economic interests that mitigate against attempts to change the way the state and the economy function.”
That sounds remarkably similar to Italy.
Thanks for your comment and observations re links between Italy and Egypt, which is something few are aware of.
Alex
OK, my last input here. Below is youtube video from Cairo of a self-appointed anti-sexual harassment group which grabs harassers and marks them with paint in the face. I don’t defend their methods, but it does represent a shall we say muscular response to this problem.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RizuRIXT-l4&feature=youtu.be