Cairo Magazine - It ain't like this

Ghada Mahmoud had a strong reaction to a television promotion, and when she created the blog Masr Mish Kida she found out that a lot of other young Egyptians had a problem with it too.

Tara Todras-Whitehall

The Nile, ancient monuments and kitschy entertainment have always been the exemplary depictions of Egypt used to attract tourists on television advertisements. The Tourism Promotion Authority’s latest satellite TV ad, however, titled “Ebtesamet Masr Matetneseesh” (Egypt’s Smile Can Never Be Forgotten), which condenses Egypt into a number of provocative images, has drawn protest. The images include a dancer at a nightclub, girls in bikinis and a man being massaged by a woman on the beach.

A wave of anger at this image was started by Ghada Mahmoud, a web journalist working for www.boswtol.com. Using the blog www.moshkeda.blogspot.com, she launched a dialogue entitled Masr Mish Keda (Egypt Is Not Like This) at the end of June. Hundreds of young people took part in the online forum. An email petition was widely forwarded and faxes were sent to the ministries of tourism and information calling for the suspension of the ad. Egyptians living abroad emailed Mahmoud saying they were offended and ashamed of Egypt’s cheap appearance in the ad. The blog has developed into a full-blown counter-campaign.

“Frankly, this ad made me think of not going back to the Arab country where I work, because I am so ashamed of the ad and the way it portrays Egypt,” commented an anonymous poster on the Masr Mish Keda forum. Some contributors on the site went so far as to say that the ad was a conspiracy against Egypt.

“I think the ad is just a part of a big conspiracy to kill any innocence left in us,” said another forum participant.

Mahmoud emphasizes that the campaign was bigger than just her. “It was not only me who had the initiative. There were lots of other young people who commented on the ad through emails, online forums and SMS. I just designed that banner and created the blog saying that the Egypt we know is not appearing in the ad,” she said.

Her campaign was picked up in the press, which was as usual eager to embarrass the government. The independent daily Al Masri Al Youm dedicated a full page to covering Masr Mish Keda. Writer Sahar El Mougy (a former professor of Mahmoud’s) wrote about the campaign in the Dubai-based magazine Sada and the Dutch Press Agency has also picked up the story.

“I felt so proud of Ghada and the maturity that those young people showed in their discussions and opinions. Masr Mish Keda is not just an angry campaign. Rather, it is an invitation to rethink what is taken for granted: what Egypt is for us. Before presenting Egypt to the other, we need first to figure it out for ourselves,” El Mougy told Cairo. “Though Mahmoud’s campaign has no political implications, for me the campaign comes within a larger context reflecting action for the sake of change and for having a chance at free expression. It is part of what’s going on currently in the Egyptian community.”

Rasha Al Azizi, head of the international press office at the Ministry of Tourism, claimed total ignorance. “I know nothing about the campaign and I haven’t seen the ad. I think that the whole issue is over,” she said.

Even if the advertisement was directed to attract tourists, says Mahmoud, it’s not about attracting more tourists to Egypt. “It’s about Egypt’s image both in our eyes and in those of the other.”

Ultimately, the campaign has achieved its goal. Multiple scenes in the ad were cut and replaced. The modified version of the ad includes famous Egyptian faces, yet many Egyptians are still unsatisfied. “It’s nice that we have celebrities, but it’s quite unfair to look at Egypt from a single angle and neglect key signs of history and civilization,” protested Mahmoud.

The counter-campaign persists and has developed into a simple online magazine whose main theme is “Masr Keda” (This is Egypt). It depends on a group of young amateurs writing about their experiences of and feelings for Egypt.

Mahmoud describes her actions as “the normal reaction of a real Egyptian. This is our image and it’s our mission to correct it.” She stresses that she is thankful for the ad, which has gathered young people under a virtual umbrella to share their love for Egypt.