AUC Times - October 2018

October - 2018

THE

W R O E R H T LD O

Editorial Note Dear reader, Other worlds are not exclusive to the spheres of Fantasy and Science Fiction; they are plenty within our lives and minds. The question of "what else is out there?" does not preclude to the great beyond that is undiscovered. It intrudes, it engages, it debates, and it attaches itself upon our realities within the endless sea of the other-worldly. I ask of you, dear reader, what exists beyond your world?

Our worlds are in perpetual interaction with others: from the moment you opened this issue and detached from your surroundings, to the moments of panic and distress when our realities are distorted, when we hear the thoughts expressed by others, when we discover new identities and encounter their territories, when we're confronted with the

news and see the world constructed for us, when we alternatively see the worlds as they are (in our own narrow scope), in our sleep when the subconscious takes command, in our awoken minds when we entertain abstraction, when we deal with the metaphysics of life, or when we remember the dead and contemplate where they've gone. Whenever that which is not us beckons over from another bank of the shore, we find ourselves dealing with things outside our own scope.

To present a coherent idea of "The Other World" is not possible, for it is in our own minds they are drawn and given color. As such, we present you others from multiple fronts and ask you to entertain, if for a moment, that you are not alone in your little world.

Mahmoud ElHakim

Contents

Better Dead Than Well-Read!

The Realms of Reality in Psychosis

Internetopia: A World For Every Personality

04 18 20

Editor in chief Mahmoud ElHakim English Section Managing Editor Laila El Refaie Associate Managing Editor Laila Ghoneim English Editors Amy El-Zayaty Catherine Yassa Chadi Ben Ghanem Laila El Refaie Mahmoud El Shabba Mahmoud ElHakim Mahmoud Fadel Raneem Mangoud Thomas Mikhail

Yasmeen Badawy Yasmine Haggag Zeyad Elbadrawy Academic Advisor Ramy Aly

Copyrights All uncredited photography and/or artwork is either used upon permission or licenced for noncommercial use.

Senior Graphic Designer Nada Hesham Graphic Designer Menna Banani

Disclaimer

Photography Head Nada Mohamed

AUC Times is a student publication. All opinions expressed in the publication are the writers' own and do not reflect those of the magazine or the AUC administration.

PR Head Alaa Mahmoud Treasurer Youssef Abohammar

/ auctimes

An Archive of Their Own

Simon Says 'Love Me'

Opposite A Vanity Dresser

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AUC Times

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By Omar Abo Mosallam

R D E T E T AD E B THAN WELL-READ Writhing under economic strangulation and stupefied by political posturing, the disparate peoples of the world know but one thing about one another: what they have been told. Unfortunately, the true nature of what lies beyond is fogged-up, smeared, and repackaged by propaganda. What propaganda strives to do, according to Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky in The Propaganda Model is, “to inculcate individuals with the values, beliefs, and codes of behavior that will integrate them into the institutional structures of the larger society.”

Systematically manipulating a population can be a rather arduous and thankless job, but, as the US media has discovered, the most effective method is slandering, misrepresenting, and codifying foreign peoples through media.

“ABSENT FROM HOLLYWOOD’S ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN MOVIES ARE HUMAN DRAMAS REVEALING PALESTINIANS AS NORMAL FOLK…” - JACK SHAHEEN

Perched atop the geopolitical landscape, the vulturous US media set its sights upon the late Soviet Union, distorting it through posters, cartoons, and films throughout the Cold War. One especially egregious poster carried a racial tinge, showing the fair-skinned actress Janice Logan squirming under a soldier’s boot; the caption read: “Our women will be helpless under the boots of the Asiatic Russians”, and “many American men will be sterilized” should the Russians win. Portraying Russians as brutes is not done in service of Americans or their coveted liberty; according to Herman and Chomsky, all propaganda is done to “serve, and propagandize on behalf of the powerful societal interests that control and finance them.” Those interests belonged to the corporate media oligopoly that suffocated Americans under heaps of antiSoviet dogma to stave off pesky labor unions and strikes. By hurling the nation into the Red Scare, the media turned the American public against

local workers’ movements. These movements were easily dismissed and likened to the dangerous Communist Other. After all, every purveyor of corporate media peddled the same sanctimonious mantra, “Better Dead Than Red!” By disparaging the image of the Russians, this elite ring of corporate schemers not only bludgeoned the local left, but also yanked the populace further into a capitalist state of mind. This can be seen in one of the most seductive, and hilariously contradictory, works of Cold War propaganda - the promotional cartoon Destination Earth (1956). In it, Mars, a thinlyveiled allegory for the Soviet Union, is depicted as a totalitarian state headed by a mustachioed tyrant.

The Martians are seen being brutally herded by police, mind controlled, and enslaved. However, according to the cartoon, the most heinous and undemocratic aspect of Mars is its centrally-planned economy. Luckily, the Martians liberate themselves by installing what they needed most, free enterprise (which the USA is portrayed as having). The cartoon’s financiers declare to all Americans that the impetus behind their freedom, free markets, is absent in the supposedly hellish Soviet Union. This cunning juxtaposition coaxes its victims, who only know of the Soviet Union through the media, into embracing the interests of the ruling class by shunning ‘The Other’. Destination Earth proves that Cold War hysteria was a blatant consolidation and protection of corporate power under the guise of a moral distaste towards the foreign “godless” communists.

Herman and Chomsky further explain how the media dutifully points the finger at foreign governments that slaughter their

Oct ‘18 issue

To drum up a tempest of support for Israel, US filmmakers invoked Palestinian caricatures - calling them ‘characters’ would be generous - as hell-bent on attacking Israelis even when unprompted. In Hollywood’s attempts to regurgitate the Middle East onto the screen, it is the film Cast a Giant Shadow (1966) that most convincingly warps the image of Palestinian people during the ArabIsraeli conflict of 1948. The film’s self-proclaimed ‘true’ story contains a character who rattles off a list of Arab leaders, like the grand Mufti of Jerusalem and King ibn Saud, who wish to exterminate all Jews and “declare a holy war” on Israel: the film’s first justification for fighting Palestinians. One should note how the film exclusively portrays Palestinians as the provocateurs of conflict who routinely blow up busses full of Israeli civilians. By propagating the image of hyper-violent Arabs, the US media managed to quench the embers of the Palestinian cause in the 60s. The film swayed the moviegoing public away from supporting Palestinians and their part in the SixDay War, which started just one year after the film’s release. Besides, how could these Palestinians with ‘nothing to lose’ have any claim to their land?

Had the filmmakers been satisfied with leaving only the Palestinian combat forces serrated by misrepresentation, then they would have been poor propagandists.

Unfortunately, they took a few slanderous swings at Palestinian culture by contrasting it with

Photo by Shereen El Gendy

own citizens, unless the governments in question are allies of the US. Victims of Israel, for example, are labelled ‘unworthy’ and ignored, as opposed to the ‘worthy’ victims of enemy states who receive persistent coverage. At times, however, Palestinians were thrown into the light, misrepresented and vilified.

In spite of their ‘unworthy’ status, Palestinians have been shown in a slew of Israeli-backed Hollywood action flicks, portrayed, of course, as villains. “Absent from Hollywood’s Israeli-Palestinian movies are human dramas revealing Palestinians as normal folk…” says Jack Shaheen in his book Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People, “Never do movies present Palestinians as innocent victims and Israelis as brutal oppressors.” What is presented, however, is the image of the unkempt, hateful Arab that is permanently etched in the annals of Hollywood.

friendlier depictions of Israeli tradition. For example, after showing a joyous traditional Jewish celebration, the film shows us a bedouin party. Set in a gloomy tent, this party is abruptly ended by a hoarsely-vulgar sheikh, before he slaps the attending belly dancer twice in a sexual manner. This trope of the perverted sheikh persists throughout Hollywood history; Shaheen has seen this in films such as The Unfaithful Odalisque (1903), The Arab (1915), and The Sheikh (1921).

Through the American-Israeli lens, the Arab disposition is monstrous and sexist, but this is even more obvious in Warhead (1977). In this representation, the perversion of the Palestinian menace is magnified, as the so-called ‘Palestinian bastards’ are mocked for “making love to their sheep,” as one soldier jests.

As an Egyptian who has been submerged in US propaganda, virtually since birth, it is quite enlightening to see it unraveled by research. We may unknowingly adopt American viewpoints towards a multitude of things, namely

politics, economics, and national identity. We may wrongly perceive, for example, that the American idea of democracy (in its form of bourgeois parliamentarianism) as the socio-political ideal. Likewise, we can subscribe to the same aversions the US has, by admonishing leftist practice, leaving us glued to neoliberal economic policies like moths to a flame. Some Arabs may even internalize the version of themselves as rabid sub-humans, and clamor for a Western utopia.

By identifying channels of agendasetting media outlets and engaging in copious research, we can peel off this fabricated view of our world as it has been manufactured and sold by the powers that be. Few Egyptians can fathom how far the teeth of the profit-seekers have sunk, or can bear facing the festering scars of our division. But ousting the presiding executives, whose fiscal power knows no bounds, can only come at the hands of those who remain politically conscious. Otherwise, our slumber will remain unhindered, leaving the designs of the Deciders unimpeded.

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By Mariam Zakzouk

T R S U N C T O I N C E G D THE OTHER The concept of “The Other” is difficult to define; you, yourself, are an “other” to someone. Anyone that is outside of your familiar circle is probably an “other” to you. This concept of creating distinctions between people has predated modern society. Thanks to social sciences like Anthropology, we can now break down the concept of the other. Contrary to popular belief, the concept of “othering” people did not actually come with modern civilization. Surprising, right?

In the prehistoric age, Homo sapiens were not the only species of human inhabiting the Earth. There were also the Neanderthals, who went extinct. Around that time, Homo sapiens were more technologically advanced. This might have caused a distinction between the two species that eventually led to the extinction of the Neanderthals. The question here is: why is this age old tale still alive today?

While addressing a subject of such importance, one must always consider the other side of the story. Calling out White people for their misdemeanor seems to be the most logical thing to do here; but it would be unfair to avoid considering their perspective. In the study of anthropology, the concept of the other has always been present. When an anthropologist starts studying people as part of their fieldwork, they immediately create a relationship of scientist and subject (the researcher and the study). This is enough to create a distinction between the two parties.

Let’s not forget that most renowned anthropologists were upper-class White men. They were seen as the patriarchs of the world, heroically choosing to study these “savages”

and teaching them how to live. This started the wonderful notion we call European supremacy that later justified and fuelled colonialism. In fairness, the concept of “othering” people was not only instigated by anthropologists towards their subjects, but also towards their fellow anthropologists. For instance, in her book Veiled Sentiments, Palestinian-American anthropologist Lila Abu-Lughod explains how, during her study of Bedouin society, it took great deal of time before she could rid herself of the role of “the stranger” that the bedouins had subjected her to. She struggled with her male counterparts, because she was always viewed as the other just for being female.

It is difficult to argue that colonialism was solely the product of White people “othering” the rest of the world, viewing, for example; the Middle Eastern civilian as lessfortunate, and in need of their guidance. There were, of course, many socio-economic factors at play.

Nevertheless, it is undeniable that it was one of the most significant contributors to European imperial expansion.

Social scientists aren’t the only only ones who fall into the trap of “othering”. The concept of the “other” is also manifested in Egypt in many ways. Be it with racial, gendered (like for instance how most curse words in Egypt are aimed towards women) or religious slurs, Egyptians always find a way to “other” people.

Based on personal observation, it appears that most Egyptians do not understand the impact such slurs have on minorities and marginalized communities. With the recent events that have taken place in Egypt,

especially with the crucification of the LGBTQIA+ community, the population is divided, and hatred continues to grow among a significant portion of Egyptians. The question that we should be asking is: Why is it considered a joke to call someone by these slurs? Why is no one outraged by it? Society allows for this to happen through its influence on the upbringing of children, and the establishment of the cultural norm of “us and them” (The IB kids and the IG kids, the Egyptians and the foreigner, or the working and middle class). Not only do we teach children to watch out for difference; we encourage them to act on it.

There has always been a distinction in our society; a distinction in everything that is considered out of the ordinary. It’s almost as though we have been subconsciously trained to call out differences. Egyptians have been “othering” people for centuries, beginning with the Pharaohs othering the slaves and at times dehumanising them. There is also a pronounced distinction between the people living in Upper Egypt, and the people in Cairo. Our society has long been divided into faction-like sectors that tend to incite conflict between each other. Like our ancestors, everyone has a group in which they fit. A good example is the long-standing conflict between Muslims and Christians. Another conflict that most of us tend to unknowingly proliferate is classism.

The mention of the lower-class always comes with a connotation of savagery. “Savagery” seems to ring a bell.

It is important to consider who is really an “other” in our society?

Perhaps marginalised communities:

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Photo by Yasmin El Nawawy

women, in addition to religious, sexual and racial minorities. This may provide an explanation as to why Egyptian slang is often directed at a man’s masculinity, focusing on his mother or sister. It becomes apparent that there may not be anyone who is “normal” by our society’s standards besides the classical Egyptian “macho-man”. It is really unfortunate that people must adhere to a trope to be considered fully human.

So, what would happen if this concept was deleted from our lives entirely? What if there were no distinctions between rich and poor, man and woman, straight and queer?

What if we didn’t see race? It sounds hyper-realistic, like the product of fiction? Except that this would be an extremely unrealistic and somewhat supremacist view that assumes a perfectly homogenous society.

However, if the solution is not the elimination of difference, then what is it? Instead of highlighting or eliminating differences, we should celebrate them. However different we may be, we should all recognize that in the end, we are all different humans with different experiences.

The danger lies in there being but a hair’s width between celebrating differences, and calling them out.

We are not born with the concept of difference; babies see differences yes, but they only display negative reactions to something if they find it threatening. A baby will mimic their parents’ reactions towards their environment. There is no such thing as a racist baby. That’s where parents, friends, teachers, the media and society at large come into play.

They take the malleable minds of children and teach them to hate and fear other human beings. It is thus

essentially up to cultural and sociopsychological factors to shape an individual’s mind.

If the concept of the other creates nothing but conflict, why do we find solace in its enforcement, and in the subsequent boost to our ego that comes with putting ourselves on this self-made pedestal? It can be argued that this makes no sense, but alas, it still does to many. It functions as a coping mechanism and/or a survival tactic. It keeps people out of danger by helping them identify their allies and their enemies. For instance, when the Palestinians view the IDF as an “other”, it is necessary for their survival. Therefore, othering isn’t an illogical concept at all. It’s actually perfectly sane. Nonetheless, as long as we keep abusing it for our selfish intentions; we all lose.

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By Ablaze

R O P J L E C A T R I T O S N A AN OUT-OF-BODY EXPERIENCE

I’m in my bedroom. I close every single source of light that could possibly meddle with my vision. I start some binaural beats on my phone, setting it next to my bed, and finally lie down. My body is fully stretched, my back feels every single inch of the mattress. My arms are sitting loosely next to my body, and my legs are perfectly positioned next to each other. I try to immobilize my body as much as I can; I cannot have one tense muscle beneath my skin. I have to sink into the mattress and let it swallow my physical being.

My mind, however, is a completely different story. I try to focus as much as I can on my breathing, on the binaural tones I opened on my phone. The music helps me focus on the rise and fall of my chest, on the tip of my fingers, and on the base of my spine. Most importantly, whenever I feel like I’m slowly slipping into the “dream world,” these tones help me stay focused and aware of my surroundings.

It takes my body at least forty minutes to numb down; my body is now totally asleep, but my brain is fully awake.

I try as much as possible to stay calm, as my body starts vibrating profusely and my pineal gland, also known as the third eye located in the middle of a forehead, starts feeling heavier with every passing minute. Most people would just panic at this stage; the vibrational energy the human body produces would send chills down anybody’s spine. The vibrational stage is when you feel every inch of your body vibrating in its place; it is where your astral body is separating from your physical body - the body that has seen, touched and sensed this material world.

The world we all know too well, the one we often want to escape, and the one with all the contradictions we can’t seem to handle. Maybe the whole reason I’m doing this is to go to somewhere else. Some other realm where destructive, inorganic relationships cease to exist; where fulfilling actions aren’t measured in metrics and where self-reflection does not seem like lacquered alienation.

The vibrations stop, and the journey begins.

With a flash, I am thrust into darkness. A woman sitting on the ground lights something on fire. The light from the fire is so bright, it almost startles me. The next thing I know, I am standing in my room, looking at my physical body sleeping in a fetal position and touching all of my surroundings. Everything looks the same yet feels so different; my brain is now in the theta state. I am conscious of all the surrounding energy, more so than in the material world. My body feels everything. I start to roam outside of my house, floating in different areas and swimming in dissimilar bodies of water. I can go anywhere. The most peculiar thing is that there are no

binaries in this world; there are no opposites. I’m seeing things and people as parts of a perfectly, synchronized process. There is no outer layer of protection on this plane; everyone’s energy is apparent before my eyes.

I have access to unlimited knowledge of another dimension-which is scary. I attract figures that do not really look human; they have pale skin that contrasts perfectly with their deep, dark clothing. These figures would terrorize me with their words that keep me up for days whenever I had an out-of-body experience. One of them told me, “everyone in the third dimension has given up on you, including your God.” It isn’t very clear whether some entities want me to escape the material world, or if it is my own energy radiating negativity and despair. Are we all living from the inside out, or from the outside in? I decide to get back into my body.

I wake up sweating. Was it all real? Every time I astral projected, I would feel like it was unreal; that my mind was cheating me in a way. Maybe I had some sort of dissociation problem because of some of the unfortunate events I went through. My therapist would often tell me that astral projection was not a thing, that it was a manifestation of some deep psychological problem. Most people who go through out-of-body experiences are said to suffer from migraines, epilepsy, schizophrenia, dissociation or PTSD. I am not a scientific determinist myself, so I don’t let my therapist’s words impede me from looking further at other phenomena with an open mind. Maybe there is another realm out there; the world may not be limited to the objects and living creatures light falls upon. There is more than what we see. What I have experienced purely progressed out of my dire need to see another world - the other world. Astral projection could be seen as a form of escapism, or a form of connection. An escape from the material monstrosities that encircles human beings every day, or a connection to something immaterial, something transcending human beings’ current state. However, one does not preclude the other, it is all dialectical. The questions then beg: are we effectively tackling the inherent contradictions in the material world we are constantly producing and reproducing, or are we inflating the problem by trying so hard to make other ideal scenarios of our lives? Are we deferring the problem by becoming “transcendental” through spirituality, drugs, alcohol, art,…etc. Are we manifesting our pain in an outlet that produces us in a healthier, more creative manner that makes our material lives better and more progressive?

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Photos by Lauren K. Clark, Greta Farnedi and NASA on Unsplash

MY BODY IS NOW TOTALLY ASLEEP...

BUT MY BRAIN IS FULLY AWAKE.

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Photo by Yasmin El Nawawy

AUC Times

By Rawan Sohdy

VARIANT WORLDBUILDING THE WORLDS WE CANNOT SEE Inside you resides a world builder, With brick and mortar of imagination.

You overlay the dullest realities, With enriching visualization.

In a world where time is currency, And religion is ciphered by its own code; Suppressing your intricate intelligence, Asking you to do just as you’re told.

And like a mathematician’s matrix, You sew an elaborate lattice Of infinite possibilities; Your mind, your only apparatus.

But fortified by virtual weapons, You boldly combat rival power; As Fortnite’s rifles of defiance, Aid you so you may never cower.

Until the spiders beneath your bed, Skittered like a fearful fleet beneath your door; Turning into Hagrid’s own faithful pets, While you build their magnificent lore.

And every other piece of sci-fi, Called the freakish product of insanity, Shunned as the work of the malicious devil, A mere step over bland reality.

And your once imaginary friends, Matured and grew just alongside you; To protagonists, antagonists, People could finally relate to;

Some take a small step to change the world, Dialoguing thoughts they can’t convey; Some turn dystopias into art, Or splash color onto their bland day.

They all drive flying cars to escape, Cutting and stitching through the fabric of time, That is stuck in the traffic of the Ring Road, To glide past life’s agonising grime.

And not unlike those brilliant authors, You carry a world builder inside of you; Giving life to a whole other universe, Destined to become a bold breakthrough.

And what begins but as misty dreams, Amidst a downpour of shower thoughts; Trails into politics, religion, Spurring deafening enemy gunshots;

You are the words, plots, yet unwritten, The movie scripts en route to the screen; You are the games that haven’t been played, And the essence of “what could’ve been”.

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By Alia El-Serwi

YOU DIE? What happens after you die? Some people picture gates, others picture gardens. Hell (no pun intended), some even picture cherubs. The fundamental question lies not in what these pictures are, but rather why they have taken form. Even if that form is a blank canvas.

same practices (for which they were condemned) as the pathway to their own afterlife.

Are suicide bombers modern day Vikings? The glorification of death,

The hereafter is present in the minds of many Egyptians, whether today or five thousand years ago.

Ancient Egyptians were so enthralled with the idea that they built one of the greatest proclamations of grandeur known to man: the pyramids.

They were not only used as tombs, but also as ‘resurrection machines’ for those buried inside. The most integral part of the resurrection process was in the rituals performed in death (in stark contrast to the current state of belief).

Currently, Egyptians are simply buried in white shrouds or coffins with the general belief being that they will either go to Heaven or Hell based on how they led their lives.

All these forms have something in common: they answer a question that has predominated our existence since the beginning of time. This is an enviable thing, for in answers there is comfort; comfort that cannot exist in the gaping space a question mark creates.

There is comfort in knowing that death is not an end, or in knowing that, in fact, it is. There is comfort in a reward system, or in its absence. There is comfort in the belief that there is a better existence, or nothing at all. However, to say that these beliefs, whether doctrine or not, stem from a necessity for comfort alone would be reductive.

About one thousand years ago there lived Vikings. Pillaging and raiding to their heart’s delight, they used monstrous boats almost as terrifying to them as they were to their victims. The idea that these ‘savages’ adhered to anything was absurd to the Abrahamic nations they so mercilessly attacked. However, the Vikings were practitioners of Old Norse religions where death in combat was the key to attaining their highest reward - Valhalla. To the Christians they were pagan heathens who would surely rot in Hell, yet the Vikings themselves saw these

are still far too many variables and questions, but that is beside the point. There are times when beliefs become a means of exploitation, and others where they poison minds.

Most of the time, they are just what they are, beliefs.

the murder, the reasoning, and the justification are all similar. One should remember not to get lost in the finer details, as there is always a bigger picture. The Vikings, for instance, did not regard pillaging as some form of messed-up pilgrimage, it was merely a means to obtain gold and land. This makes all the difference in the world, and from a scholarly perspective, makes these two examples incomparable. There

In that sense, the afterlife is the basic premise of many known faiths. “Live for your afterlife, not for your current life” is an Islamic hadith many have heard before. It is in its analysis that we begin to understand how deeply embedded notions of the afterlife are in our cultures. Some need the the reward of heaven to do ‘good’, and the threat of hell to abscond from ‘evil’. Whether that makes individuals inherently good or not is irrelevant, as this will only be apparent upon Judgement Day. For, unlike us, beliefs are immortal.

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By Nada Askar

T H L L I S A T R I E ME? T F A

Photo by Nelly Ashmawy For years, I have lived as the shy, introverted girl who always carried a book with her wherever she went.

Everyone thought they had me all figured out; I was the nerdy, socially awkward bookworm who always hid behind her books. They could not have been more wrong. Despite my quiet exterior, my mind was as loud as it could be. I lived in my own colorful, magical world. In the world of fandoms, I could be whoever I wanted to be, surrounded by those who understood me and knew me for

who I really was, not for what they wanted me to be. That other world of mine was the one place where I could actually be myself, openly and unapologetically.

For ages, people have been part of different fandoms, even before the word existed. Some would think that being a fan is just about loving a book, movie, or band. However, it is so much more than that. It is about being a part of a community, comprised of those who view a

form of art in the same way you do; a community of unabashed admirers, believers, critical thinkers and artists. Undoubtedly, fans’ personal backgrounds greatly affect their choice of fandom. Some become dedicated fans because the stories they get attached to give them hope; they help strengthen their faith that they can win their own battles. It is like reassurance coming from the fictional characters that they know and love. Audrey, a fangirl/blog writer, said that “they

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“Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home” [art forms] mirror [her] own life in certain ways” and that these stories help give her perspective. Other fans join fandoms as a sort of escapism.

Fandoms act as a platform that enables them to escape their real life and live in a world of their choosing.

They can choose who they want to be, write their own stories, and be surrounded by those who share the same interests as them, where no one bothers them because of who they are, or how “nerdy” they seem to be. In those worlds, instead of being ridiculed, fans are praised for their extensive knowledge and extreme devotion to their fandoms. Moreover, their fandomrelated artwork is understood and celebrated.

Being part of a fandom can drastically affect people’s lives. For starters, it gives fans a chance to discover and build their identities, and enables them to understand themselves better. Being a dedicated fan can also affect their personality and morals. Furthermore, fandoms provide their fans with a sense of belonging. According to Dr. Laurel Steinberg, a psychotherapist and professor of psychology at Columbia University, “feeling like you are part of a group can help one define his/her identity and give a sense of purpose to what might be an otherwise routine lifestyle.” It makes them feel like they are part of a group and allows them to have connections with people with whom they would have never crossed paths if not for their shared love for a work of art or phenomenon. Another benefit of fandoms is that they can sharpen the critical thinking skills

of fans. They organize stimulating group discussions and even entire conventions with the purpose of getting together to analyze parts of their shared fandom. These discussions lead the fans to not only reflect on their own lives, but to also re-examine their social and sometimes even political positions, helping them understand the world around them more. Fandoms also inspire fans to create magnificent art forms such as fan-fiction writing and comics. Those fan-created art forms garner a significant amount of recognition in the community, and they are often encouraged to build upon their skills and create more works of art.

Unfortunately, being a fan can sometimes turn into an obsession, which can transform that experience into an unpleasant and toxic one. It is common knowledge that anything that surpasses its healthy limit eventually ends up being harmful to the people involved. There are different ways in which fans can be harmful to one another, and even to the creators of their beloved art form. Firstly, many fans have waged war against their oncefavorite creators simply because they killed off one of their favorite characters, or because they did not like the ending. Being a devoted fan myself, I understand how it feels to be unhappy with the way the events in a certain book, show, or movie have transpired. I can’t remember how many nights I have stayed up weeping over the death of a beloved character, or how devastated I was when How I Met Your Mother ended in a way that I

didn’t like. However, there is a fine line between being displeased with the direction the piece had gone, and harassing their creators because of that. For instance, Pretty Little Liars showrunner I. Marlene King received death threats from fans because of the show’s finale. Another form of toxicity is how fans end up bullying one another. Just like any community, fandoms have different subgroups and “squads” that may turn against each other. An example for that would be an incident in the Steven Universe fandom, where a fan artist was bullied into attempting suicide, the artist’s only mistake being drawing a character in a different way than they were canonically described.

Being in a fandom is a life-changing experience that can affect the fans in many ways, whether by giving them a sense of belonging, giving them the chance to be part of a larger community full of people who share mutual interests, or by giving them the chance to be who they really are.

It opens doors that fans otherwise wouldn’t have stumbled upon. Those doors do not just lead them to new opportunities, but also to their truest selves and untapped potentials. If not for my love for Harry Potter, I would hardly have become the person I am today; I wouldn’t have become a writer; I wouldn’t have met all the amazing people I crossed paths with or made my most lasting friendships with. “Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home” will always be one of the most reassuring sentences I have ever come across, as I am sure it is to my fellow Potterheads.

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Aff ectus.

Artem.

F F im CTa. n AA E

By Laila El Refaie

R S . A TE

M

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Photo by Sally Elfishawy

NI . A MA

Oct ‘18 issue

The creation of art is a process unlike any other. It delves into the recesses of the mind and extracts the essence of the soul, only to reveal a mere fraction of that which we call the human experience.

For a brief moment, one is taken by the intricacies that comprise the enigma of the mind and what it produces. Like sorcery, a single stroke of a brush or the messy scribbles of a pen can come to hold indescribable meaning, found only in sensations. The artistic process is one of reflection, but it is also one of detachment; detachment from the material world and all that is apparent, to descend into the depths of the individual’s perception.

Perhaps the most frustrating of the arts is that of the written word.

Poets, novelists, and playwrights alike will often fret at the frailty of language in the face of raw feelings. The polyglot will pursue meaning in the most ancient of written languages. At times, modern language may temporarily ease the anxieties of one author, offering a term to encapsulate the yearning for that which may complete the soul as with the Portuguese Saudade.

Until the yearning for a descriptor returns with the next feeling. Not enthusiasm. Not reluctance. Not hope. But a combination of it all, and with so much more. It is here that one poet may dig into the most indigenous of languages to procure a word such as the Yagan Mamihlapinatapei. The poet is now appeased as the silent exchange of glances—riddled with anticipation, reluctance, hope, and everything in between—is granted a name.

The eternal cycle continues as new emotions, new sensations, new visions are presented to the writer. With no other medium of expression but the written word, the cycle entraps the writer in an amalgamation of agony and longing, with no promise of respite. The writer will find solace in granting life to all that exists. The Moon becomes the writer’s sole companion in the hours before dawn. It is in these hours that words seep through the pages of a notebook and descend like tears into the lap of the helpless wordsmith, who can only express a mere fraction of the experience that lies in relishing the silence of a place that has temporarily surrendered itself to a nighttime slumber. The

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Sun is a distant loved one; an untouchable treasure that threatens to scald those who touch it and blind those who gaze at it for too long. Like the Sun, the writer fears pain. When pain finally strikes—as it inevitably must—the numbness and stillness of the night overtake, and nocturnal life offers its consolation for the false laughter of the daytime.

It is in the dead of night, when life becomes most indescribable, that the writer is found in a state of simultaneous rapture and anguish.

The visual artist is granted a more abstract medium for expression. It is visual artists who spill the images conjured within their consciousness onto their canvases. Their brush strokes, their layers, their colour schemes—everything works in tandem to create a replica of the world in which they are situated.

The world of an artist is one of boundless colour. Warmth is granted a colour, and it manifests in a person. Fear is granted another colour, and it manifests in the unknown. For each colour and motif, the artist is granted a unique eye, poised to dart between objects to find the life that resides within them.

One would think that the visual artist is granted a means to convey every emotion known to exist, but herein lies the misconception. The artist’s agony in light of the fracture of what is referred to as the heart can only be expressed as that: a fracture. The visual artist is the mediator between “signifier” and “signified”, whereby the signifier is the dewdrop, and the signified is the entire sensation of early morning prayer. To one viewer, the dewdrop proclaims that the day is to be pleasant. To the artist, the dewdrop is the tear that descends onto the windowsill alongside the utterance of a hushed prayer that the day may carry the blessing of silence in a mind colonised by anxiety. To the canvas, the dewdrop is merely a collection of brushstrokes and pale colours that have grown to represent a dewdrop. At times, when the artist somehow manages to make sense of a single sensation, melancholy overtakes, for it is when emotions are most understood that they are found to be most difficult to express. No combination of colours, no portrait or landscape, no splatter of paint can truly capture the essence of the vibrant shades

that lie within every crevice of life the artist sees.

Lastly, the musician. The guitarist, the singer, the saxophonist. The trumpeter, the flute-player, the violinist. The dancer, the drummer, the pianist. To the musician, life is a melody, with all of its ranging pitches and rhythms. Music is arguably the most raw form of artistic expression. It carries in it the ability to remove the soul from the body and transport it to the world of the performer; a world where emotion is granted meaning that need not be described, and enchantment is a sensation rather than a word. The lyrics act as a guide through the realm of the composer.

With each note, the listener glides through a glittering sea of stars that have restored themselves to the wondrous image of fairy lights, before they were tainted by pragmatism. The listener is taken by a slew of sensations that may or may not be foreign to them, and is rendered exposed before their own mind. Within the melodies of a song, the soul detaches itself from the body and turns to face it, bidding it a gentle goodbye before ascending to the heavens to taste the true essence of life. As the refrain repeats itself, the soul observes the entranced body with a glance of pity.

With closed eyes and parted lips, the musician will forget that there is a stage, a hall, a land, and they, too, will very willfully lose themselves in the immensity of Life. At last, as the final notes are played, the final puffs of air are blown, and the fingers ease themselves off the instruments, the soul reluctantly returns to the body, already protesting its entrapment once again. In a brief moment, before hands may come together to applaud the performer, and before a thank you may depart from the musician’s lips, the souls of both listener and musician are connected, and they begin to yearn for the addictive pleasure found in the flavour of Life.

Upon detaching oneself from the material world, the breathing of the trees becomes audible, a gentle breeze caresses the cheek like the fingers of a lover, the spirit of that which simply exists is granted an ephemeral glow. It is in this moment that one may discover the treasure that is referred to as inspiration.

AUC Times

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By Mariam Taha

Photo by Shereen El Gendy

P E S E SKY O H T MINORITIES!

With the major leap in the presence of social media in modern times, an unforeseen drawback is the false notion of freedom it has given many people. They’re accompanied by hippy beliefs about equality that smarmy kids preach; they call for the dissolution of all social constructs, while failing to see that these principles are what our world was built upon. How can they stand and demand that the ultimate power be taken from the White, able-bodied man and be shared with those beneath him, when they couldn’t even begin to understand the struggles of being a man in today’s society? The constant reproach for saying or doing anything that isn’t socially acceptable is enough to drive anyone mad. What happened to the good old days when everyone just accepted their roles and positions in society without any fuss? One cannot help but remember a time when there were no marches; a time where there were no protests. How can anyone possibly think that such a time was not easier, better and more enjoyable?

One of the most revolting takeaways of this new-age freedom is that Black people have become deluded enough to believe that they deserve the same recognition as White people.

They’re rebelling against their placement at the bottom of the hierarchy, and are demanding “better treatment.” The corrupted new generation has allowed them to leave their subservient roles and search for higher-paying jobs. These new jobs also place them in a higher social status, effectively ruining any form of class system we had established in the past. If they could no longer be categorized as the omegas, then who will replace them at the bottom of the totem pole?

Their women have even started acting as if they could be equal to the men, when they shouldn’t even receive the same privileges as a White woman! In our grandparents time, you’d only see them as housemaids and nannies, but now their breed has spread and they are commonly found in office spaces alongside the men. How atrocious!

The atrocities people try to pass off as personal freedom these days are appalling. Our ancestors would be rolling in their graves if they found out that women are trying to hold equal positions in jobs. Not only that, but they also demand to receive equal pay. How flagrantly shameless. Women are too flighty and temperamental to function properly in a workplace; they are better off in the confines of their houses where their outbursts are contained and less likely to affect their male counterparts’ productivity. What’s even worse is that these egalitarian rights apparently extend to divorcées and single mothers too. All women should steer clear of these females lest they infect faithful women with their repulsiveness.

All this talk about religious tolerance in Egypt is great, no doubt. However, it would also be great if everyone kept in mind that Egypt is an Islamic country, and that the people who made Egypt as great as it is today were Muslim. When people from other religions proudly show off their beliefs, it’s a blatant sign of disrespect to our social order. When people start forgetting the religion this country was built upon, they start excusing intolerable, repulsive actions. All these homosexuals parading proudly and shamelessly; are encouraged by these people who seem to completely ignore all ethics. It’s our collective responsibility to individually lynch those who show any signs of homosexuality. If the law isn’t willing to search every nook and cranny and eradicate them, we must be.

POPPING THE BUBBLE We step through the buzzing security gates, swipe our university identification cards through the machines and find ourselves members of this campus; an outstretch of space that almost seems outside of the “real” world of Egyptian society. The predominant view of campus is that of a bubble; alienated from the state of Egyptian affairs, with privileged camaraderie, and a disillusioned view of how things are. Most of this is inarguably correct, however, one could still pose the question of how far this bubble of a campus is truly detached from off-campus socio-political considerations.

Academic institutions are an extension of administrative power structures, producing and maintaining certain knowledges and status quos, functions similar to the state structure. As students of this campus, we adhere to this regime of policing through the university’s policies, and through being surveilled by the omniscient surveillance cameras. Lately, we’ve had spikes of several incidents of body-policing by the administration; reminiscent of what we experience on the streets of Cairo once we step out of the campus bubble.

One manifestation of this is the niqab ban, whereby students were

barred from entering campus simply due to their choice of clothing. The administration had issued a policy without referring to the relevant channels to approve the policy.

However, it received backlash from the AUC community. In terms of strikes, this is where we have a certain lapse between the oncampus and off-campus worlds.

In the on-campus world, when students decide to go on strike within the bounds of the university, their wellbeing is not in jeopardy; if recognized and spotted, they may receive warnings or suspension. This is unlike the off-campus world, where forced arrests are the arbitrary response to dissent on the Egyptian streets or social media as during the Tiran and Sanafir demonstrations back in early 2017. Whether it be on or off campus, strikes and protests are deemed unwelcome.

However, in terms of danger to safety inside campus we can still bring into question the punitive measures the administration had committed against fellow student Najm Al Iryani. No matter what controversial actions Najm had committed, the sheer magnitude of the administration’s control over a student’s safety by actively trying to deport him to a war-torn country is an example of the kind

of arbitrary actions undertaken by a structure of power, regardless of other considerations.

The recently introduced no-smoking policy is also a form of policing the student-citizen. The type of constant surveillance that comes with such a policy is at best irritating for the chain-smoker, and at worst daunting to anyone who is suffocated by security guards making their rounds or by being penned up inside the smoking areas. Suffocation from surveillance is a facet shared by the students of campus and the citizens of the state; we’re suffocated in public spaces in Cairo in terms of streets we cannot pass through; clothes we cannot wear; identities we continue to shed in order to fit in.

Our performances of identity, both as students and citizen do not vary greatly from each other.

We adhere to the rules, we try to express dissent to these rules, we are under constant surveillance to be policed into submission. The campus is still a bubble of alienation and privilege; often other campuses in our country don’t have the same mechanisms that relatively empower and educate us, but the structures still attempt to institutionalize and surveil us into submission, creating a continuity between on-campus and off-campus manifestations of power.

Photo by Yasmin El Nawawy

By Mariam El Ashmawy

AUC Times

Page 18

By Yasmeen Badawy

THE REALMS OF

REALITY IN PSYCHOSIS

Content Warning: This article contains explicit content about mental illness.

Reality: is it what you see or what I see? It is the same world, but it can be experienced differently. Can it be subjective? Debatable. However, what you make of the world forms your own reality. This comes with a kind of certainty that makes it considerably difficult for you to experience reality in a way other than your own. A specific example of this would be patients with psychosis and the way they have a different perception of the same reality we experience. Psychosis is defined by the National Institute of Health as a condition that affects the brain where there has been “some loss of contact with reality.” Psychotic disorders include bipolar disorder, delusional disorder, psychotic depression and schizophrenia. During a psychotic episode, a person’s perception is altered, and it is often difficult for them to tell the difference between what is real and what is not. To the person experiencing it, what is real and what is not are perceived in the same way, but that does not make their perception of reality less valid than anyone else’s.

One of the major symptoms of psychosis is visual hallucination, which is an impairment in visual perception, contributing to the person’s alternate perception of reality. Hallucinations are underreported by patients because of their inability to distinguish them from reality or identify them as “unreal”. This phenomenon leads to the person experiencing a different version of reality through

their visual perception. This, in turn, gives people suffering from psychosis an undeniable certainty of the veracity of this world they have built for themselves. The difference in the visual perception of the person who has psychosis and the person who does not is that a person with psychosis produces a visual image without the psychical existence of the object itself. This begs the question: does that make their reality any less valid than mine or yours? In another world, where hallucinations did not produce any negative consequences, the person might be left to experience reality in whatever way they would like, which would be more convenient than trying to tweak your reality to match other people’s. In a blog dedicated to documenting her experience with a psychotic episode, a person with psychosis writes, “as time and space slowly separated me from my acute experiences, I wondered, how do I know which reality is the right reality?”

Another factor for how people with psychosis interpret reality differently is their unique perception of time.

Time in a psychotic episode is inaccessible—or rather the usual perception of time is. Therefore, they are unaware of the passing of time and are unable to pinpoint when a day starts or ends. According to psychoanalysts, there is no linear succession of past, present, and future during a psychotic episode.

Therefore, the ability to be aware of time is almost eliminated and, with it, the sense of belonging to the world. The coherent interpretation of the world is uprooted from the

sense of absence and presence that leads to a certain experience of, or belief about, the world. In psychotic episodes, the belief is held regardless of whether the stimulus is absent or present because the experience exists in both.

Consequently, psychotic beliefs or “delusions” are almost impossible to challenge. The logic of psychosis is one of nonexistence; their reality, in itself, contains a void or a hole that the world of fantasy fills through the creation of another reality.

This reality is often so subtly and meticulously created, even polished, that it is as undeniable as the usual experience of the world. In that sense, the unawareness of time leads to a decrease in the self-awareness of a psychotic person and, eventually, to the disappearance of a coherent meaning—or a meaning similar to other people’s—of the world experienced. History Beyond Trauma

by Francoise Davoine and Jean-Max Gaudilliere offers vivid accounts of people who have experienced psychosis, with one of them saying, “I was running after time; I lived in a non-time. I had no rest, never. I kept on wandering endlessly in the streets. The world of madness was flat. Everything was in black and white. I never stopped thinking.

My only constant was cogitation.

Words ran on without stopping, while I remained, flat, behind the windowpane.”

In psychosis, a person’s interpretation of reality is not only affected by their perception of time and visuals, but also by their different perceptions of pain and

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Oct ‘18 issue

emotions. It has been proven by many psychologists that most people with psychotic disorders have a relatively high threshold of pain. This decreases their sensitivity not only to their own pain, but to others’ pain as well. Moreover, their comprehension of other people’s emotions is severely limited; they often exhibit a lack of empathy and a disregard for other people’s feelings. The experience of pain in people with psychosis is often a consequence of behavior or attitude rather than an impairment in brain function, but it is undeniable that, more often than

not, psychotic patients dismiss their own emotions as well as others’.

One patient describes, “no matter how many people try to tell you their perception, your perception doesn’t change. And at some point, you start to feel frustrated and annoyed.” Despite the considerable amount of scientific evidence we have regarding psychosis, we have not yet reached a full understanding of it. No matter how hard we try, we will never be able to describe that alternate perception of reality as accurately as a person who has, in fact, experienced it.

Through the different perception of emotions, time and visual reality, people with psychosis succeed in building another world outside of the one we live in.The ability of our brains to experience the same world in different ways, to perceive it in our own way, to have our own version of reality—even if not to the extent of experiencing psychosis—might make you question whether your own experience is real or not. The question now is: what makes your perception of reality the ultimate truth?

AUC Times

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By Dalia Abdelwahab

E N T R O E P T IA N I A WORLD FOR EVERY PERSONALITY

Your days of having your brains set on fire by your professors, bosses, and/or parents are finally over! It’s time to pack up your smartphones and set off on the ultimate vacation to the Folderol Meritocratic Republic of Internetopia, where the rules are made up, but the points do matter.

You will be thrilled to learn that the Folderol Meritocratic Republic of Internetopia takes pride in its rejection of mainstream bureaucratic immigration and citizenship procedures. The second you make your first touchdown at Google International Airport marks your very first moment as an Internetopian citizen rather than a tourist (yes; even if you happen to hail from countries that consider complaining about the socially constructed “travel freedom” provided by their passports a national pastime). We assure you that we take pride in being a healthy, stable, faithful, exploitation-free, traffickingfree, and scam-free nation that hosts a diverse array of breathtaking locations that will definitely please you, regardless of your preferences.

Your itinerary will not be complete without at least one visit to each of the following sites: 1) Instagram Beach, District Facebook Even if burning your retinas off by maximizing your phone’s brightness in an attempt to check out the profile photo of Lina from Biology class whose account is private (we, too, wonder why) sounds too extreme to you, no worries!

Instagram Beach has more to offer than its most popular beach sport.

Feel free to bask in the façade that is the completely and utterly authentic lifestyles of Instagram Beach’s bay watch crew, that you

Photo by Georgenia Bassily

Oct ‘18 issue

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Ladies & gentelmen, please fasten your seat belts

will never be able to afford (not with your excruciatingly boring “real” 9-5 cubicle job, at least). Later on, enjoy being nudged and irritated by beach vendors raving to you about a revolutionary, tummy-flattening tea that would be perfect to boost your Psychology grades’ health, using a well-developed strategy of immersion into placebo and body dysmorphia-related assignments at least 8 times per hour. After your visit, you can continue reading the restraining order you received in the mail this morning, courtesy of Lina.

Don’t forget to force your friends (and, maybe, your backstabbing exbest friend) to tag along and cheer for you every 2 seconds if you want this experience to truly count!

(Note: Topless sunbathing and breastfeeding are strictly prohibited on our progressive Instagram Beach. Hey, think about the children!)

2) Facebook Studios, District Facebook Even if pesky declaration regulations at your university managed to get in your way, Facebook Studios will aid you in achieving your lifelong dream of being a journalist, presenter, politician, stand-up comedian, chef, model, actor, meme lord, a poor man’s Chrissy Teigen, or all 9 at once! Alternatively, you can just sit back and enjoy Facebook Studios’ regularly scheduled programming of your middle school bullies raving about partaking in a new antibullying campaign by a local NGO, in order to “give back to [their] wonderful, supportive communities” something other than hefty mental therapy/mental health meditation bills. Coming up next, we’ll have for you some valuable travel tips (including, but unfortunately for us

all not limited to, the fact that one could grab a bite, stroll around dutyfree shops, or take a nap during long layovers at any given airport to kill some time) brought to you by none other than Professor Sonja, a high school teacher who identifies as an avid fan of travel, f£mini$m, cash, and trend-hopping.

3) Tumblreddit Avenue, Roastland Much like a particular building designated to host the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at a university located in the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt, Tumblreddit Avenue is a labyrinth composed of what truly Internetopia is, as the ultimate innovative liberal space. Moreover, much like the aforementioned building, Tumblreddit Avenue hosts a rather interesting sample of locals that is well-known for its social awareness. This is truly the place to commute to if you are a sucker for watching the reformation of history – or you’re just looking for someone to explain Marxism to you like you’re five, since Professor Sonja got too caught up with her new Facebook Studios gig to explain it to you adequately.

4) YouTube Square Garden, Mount Google, Procrasting the Nation Nourish your soul at Internetopia’s largest entertainment venue!

From having your ears blessed

by Albanian-British pop starlets to watching some guy’s washing machine die an agonizing death by having a cake inserted into it for the sake of “science”, we promise you that you shall never experience a dull moment in YouTube Square Garden, a true testament of how meritocratic our nation is. Witness a 23 year-old with the maturity of a 2 year-old

breaking records by disrespecting a culture in its entirety in less than 4 minutes, right before proclaiming yourself the first audience member of a “truth/apology” performance by a squealing 30 year-old racist; akin to a tantrum thrown by your 8 yearold cousin last year for not receiving the gift she wanted for Christmas.

Regardless of whether you know how to spell the word “compilation” or not, success is guaranteed for you right from YouTube Square Garden.

5) Twitter Comedy Club, the University of Twitter

With the exception of any and all Internetopians who originally hail from the European Union, enjoying a couple of laughs from our finest meme artists with a refreshing drink in hand is something the citizens of Internetopia could never resist after a long, tiring day. Celebrity updates are also provided daily during lunchtime, accompanied by ridiculously insane rants from all your favorite strawman politicians.

(Note: While racism is NOT tolerated at Twitter Comedy Club, this rule can be relaxed with any visitors from the Arabian Gulf.)

Forget about New York (because flights from there to Internetopia get delayed more often than not), New Delhi (for similar reasons), and Dubai (where declaring that you dislike the city’s rulers’ favorite color could get you thrown in the nearest jail cell) – now’s the time to indulge yourself in the beauty and serenity of Internetopia.

Once you go to Internetopia… Yeah, good luck with going back. You’ll need it.

AUC Times

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By Nourhan El Hadba

WE LEAD

If there is something that everyone in the world can agree upon, it is the importance of sleep and food, and while we all seem to be obsessed with food, few people can really fathom what happens when we sleep. Everyone retells their funny sleepwalking stories and an odd dream here and there, but what is the true meaning of the dreams we dream at night? Is it another life that we live, are they our innermost wishes and buried pleasures, or is it just the jumbled nonsense by our resting brains?

Dreams can be an alternative reality; an immersive one, so detailed that we develop genuine feelings and responses throughout them.

However, for us to live two lives (one asleep and one awake) there has to be a link between them. People generally agree that our realities directly flow into the dreams that we have, but why do we not consider the idea that in some (if not all) cases, our dreams are the ones that come true? Prophetic dreams have been around since ancient times and people still claim to have them. They are the inexplicable side of dreaming, the side that does not involve the conscious processing mechanisms of our brains. Divine dreams do not necessarily have to be grand or vivid representations of our future, they could be a path to enlightenment, a needed spark of inspiration, or the comfort of seeing a departed loved one. These prophetic dreams are an indispensable part of the dreamworld that helps us cope with our reality.

There are no definitive answers when it comes to dreams, mainly because they are not yet something

that can easily be studied and experimented with. However, there are some possible explanations that explain how reality impacts our dreams, such as: • Representing unconscious desires and wishes.

• Interpreting random signals from the brain and body during sleep.

• Consolidating and processing information gathered during the day.

• Working as a form of psychotherapy.

Sleep has been scientifically classified into two separate phases: rapid eye movement (REM) and non-rapid eye movement (NREM).

Episodes of sleepwalking and night terrors occur in the NREM phase which occurs during the first few hours of sleep. The dreams that we do remember, on the other hand, occur during REM sleep. This phase is characterized by both quickened pulse and breathing, whilst dreams occuring in the NREM phase are usually not remembered. There are plenty who claim to rarely dream or to not dream at all, while others can have lengthy and imaginative dreams. Although there is little to no information about this matter, a recent study conducted by the Lyon Neuroscience Research Center jointly with the University of Lyon found that deep sleepers who experience little to no sleep interruption are less likely to remember their dreams than light sleepers who wake up in the middle of the night.

Moreover, some antidepressants enhance dreams or increase our memory of them while others suppress dreams and our ability to remember them afterwards.

This phenomenon is due to the

antidepressants’ ability to either repress or elongate the REM phase in which we dream. Anxiety and depression are likely the main cause of nightmares, but any antidepressant-induced sleep difficulty allows one to remember nightmares more vividly which, in turn, causes them to attribute these nightmares to their medication.

In some cases, dreamers can have control over their dreams and are aware that they are dreaming. This occurrence is called lucid dreaming, and can occur either randomly or intentionally for some individuals.

However, research suggests that lucid dreams may actually occur in moments of wakefulness, indicating that actual dreamers do not have control over their dreams.

Another form of dreaming that may be quite frightening is those that occur during sleep paralysis. During the REM sleep phase, the muscles of the body are turned off, so when individuals become conscious middream, they find themselves unable to move through the dream but are aware of what is happening. Sleep paralysis is also known to cause hallucinations or choking feelings as the sufferer feels weighed down by their inability to move. However, this is not caused by any psychiatric disturbance as it can simply mean that the body is not moving through its stages of sleep properly.

After understanding some different types of dreams and the explanations behind them, do you believe you lead another life while asleep? Are we aware of that life or do our brains separate this existence from us because, in the end, our

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Photo by Sally Elfishawy

Oct ‘18 issue

brains control everything in our lives whether we know it or not?

When contemplating this intangible world, it is important to consider how it may actually be an entirely separate reality. Could it be a reality made up of dreams entirely unrelated to one another, or are they all interconnected in a manner that we do not fully understand?

Evidence seems contradict the idea that dreams are another reality that we live in, despite how vivid they may be. However, dreams are a far more interesting dimension where we can recount memories, find coping mechanisms, and even go on epic adventures. How do our brains decide what we are going to dream about? Is this the night we’ll remember an old friend, the one where we’ll save the world with our favorite superhero, or the one where

we’ll all drown? While the majority of our dreams are rooted in the events of our realities, there exists a fraction of our dreams that are so bizarre that they either effortlessly connect themselves to our realities or are so strange that we fail to make sense of them. Do we really believe that with all of this complication, our brain will simply decide to fabricate a dream that does not fit into the context of our lives, or are we not aware enough to realize the cause and meaning of what we see in our sleep?

On the other hand, studying our dreams can be an invaluable way of uncovering hidden truths about ourselves. Any dream, no matter how trivial it appears, surely reveals something deep inside of ourselves.

This is why we have an array of tools regarding dream interpretation that have been developed throughout

the centuries, especially those for interpreting typical dreams that many report having. This commonality could be an indication of how all of our brains operate in a similar manner and how whenever something significant occurs in our lives, our minds transmit these messages to us in similar ways.

Although it might be easy to think of dreams as another world that we escape to in the middle of the night, they are simply our unconscious creations. It is our mind’s way of communicating and giving us information we know and need but cannot seem to obtain consciously.

It is a personalized, fabricated world that is both mysterious and inexplicable, though each and every one of us lives in their own dream world.

AUC Times

Page 24

By Laila Ghoneim

R C H A IVE N A R I E O H T W F N O THE RADICAL WORLD OF FANFICTION

It is no secret that the internet is a vast ocean of peculiarity where all kinds of outlandish ideas can roam free. Perhaps one of its most misunderstood and denigrated treasures is its infinite collection of fanfiction, in which dedicated fans re-imagine the worlds that house their favorite characters, creating new stories that exist beyond the canonical work of the original creator. When learning of the concept, most people immediately envision outrageous storylines and wild sexual fantasies with atrocious writing. What is often ignored, though, is that fanfiction can actually be an extremely powerful medium of resistance and marginal expression.

Fanfiction, in the modern sense, can be traced back to the early 1970s.

Devoted members of the Star Trek fandom dabbled in creating new stories for their favorite characters in fan magazines, dubbed ‘fanzines’.

These fans were especially interested in creating queer romantic narratives for the characters Kirk and Spock.

The popularity of Kirk/Spock gave rise to the term ‘slash’, which refers to fan-written stories in which two male characters are paired together as a couple. Soon after, femslash (female/female pairings) rose to prominence as well. With the emergence of the internet, fans found a welcoming space where they

could easily share their stories. It enabled them to form communities based on their shared love of fictional worlds and the endless story possibilities they held. Nowadays, fanfiction is extremely diverse and accessible to anyone with an internet connection. The genre is housed in countless sites solely dedicated to sharing it in all its rebellious glory.

The question now is: why did fanfiction, especially slash, become such a prominent phenomenon and garner such an immense following? To answer that, one has to first examine the nature of queer representation, or lack thereof, within canonical works targeted at young adults, and especially the recent practice of ‘queerbaiting’.

Essentially, queerbaiting is when creators try to attract queer fans by teasing the possibility of queer representation without ever actualizing it on-screen or in the text.

This could be done, for example, by coding a protagonist as queer or by hinting that two characters of the same gender might be attracted to each other through subtext, camera framing or ambiguous dialogue. On the creators’ part, this is a clever marketing ploy to maintain a queer audience, who will desperately cling on to the hope of finally finding positive representation in popular media, while simultaneously

retaining their homophobic readers or viewers.

Queerbaiting is a dangerous, manipulative tactic; what it ultimately implies is that creators only value queer fans because it is financially convenient to do so. In reality, they do not respect them enough to place queer experiences at the helm of their work, or at the very least, stop tormenting them with false hope. A massive survey conducted on users of Archive of Our Own, one of the most popular platforms for slash fiction on the internet, revealed that three of the most popular works written and read about are Teen Wolf, Supernatural and BBC’s Sherlock: shows notorious for queerbaiting. As such, one may deduce that a great deal of slash and femslash grew in response to queerbaiting. Most slash is not intentionally written out of anger at the creators, but out of the fans’ deep desire to see their favorite fictional pairings depicted outside of the canon that refuses to give queer relationships their due. Still, what slash fiction ultimately does is that it allows queer people to reclaim the narrative and carve out a space in which fulfilling, complex queer relationships can exist without being relegated to the subtext.

Not all slash fiction is explicitly sexual but a substantial amount of

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Photo by Ingie Gohar

Oct ‘18 issue

it is. While it is often regarded with contempt, sometimes even within fanfiction circles, fan erotica is deeply important. It is a space where fans can explore their sexualities and desires through the already developed characters they know and love. A concern that is frequently brought up is that the heavy consumption of slash could become a form of fetishization of same-sex relationships by a straight audience, akin to lesbian porn that is created for the gratification of straight men, and could lead to real-life queer couples being viewed as objects of voyeuristic pleasure. However, the aforementioned survey revealed that the vast majority of fans who interacted with slash fiction were actually young queer women. Thus, erotic slash is a source of liberation for queer fans whose desires are often considered taboo and can be unsafe to explore outside of these online communities in which they can remain anonymous. Feminist writer Audre Lorde describes the erotic as “a measure between the beginnings of our sense of self and the chaos of our strongest feelings”.

Thus, by showing honest, intimate portrayals of queer pleasure, which are so rarely seen in mainstream work, erotic fanfiction can actually pave the way for self-discovery and help queer fans feel less alone in their desires.

Therefore, fanfiction should not be merely seen as a means of deeply interacting with a person’s favorite works, but as a radical, subversive marginal space. It does not submit to authoritative institutions like publishing houses or television networks. Because publishers and networks’ primary goal is to sell.

More often than not, they will choose to pass up potentially controversial works. As a result, creators, who would have otherwise liked to include the stories of marginalized people in their work, end up censoring themselves. Contrarily, fanfiction frees writers of the constraints of mainstream notions of ‘appropriateness’, therefore allowing them to create their own universe, where their experiences are not just acknowledged, but also celebrated. It is incredibly important for marginalized identities to be represented complexly in mainstream art; sadly, young adult pop culture is still far behind in this respect. With fanfiction, queer fans have taken matters into their own hands and weaved their identities into the fabric of popular media instead of quietly waiting for authors to legitimize their experiences. In the realm of fandom, the divide between what is and what is not canon becomes muddled until they are no longer entirely separate; pure canon yields to the narratives fanfiction

has brought to the center, creating what is called the ‘fanon’ (not to be confused with post-colonial theorist Frantz Fanon, though he would have probably considered fanfiction to be a deconstructive “borrowed aestheticism” that would eventually lead to a literary revolution).

Slash is a clear defiance of the heteronormativity of the canon, where characters are automatically assumed to be straight until proven otherwise. It proves that queer fans are no longer content with just scribbling in the margins and are ready to drag their stories to the center.

In truth, fanfiction is not that new of a practice. Re-imaginings and retellings of beloved works have been around since the beginning of storytelling. Even Shakespeare did it. So why is it now considered so perverse and unworthy of respect or acknowledgement? Fanfiction deserves to be celebrated for what it really is: an ever-evolving, revolutionary space, which is, as bell hooks describes, “a site one stays in, clings to even because it nourishes one’s capacity to resist. It offers to one the possibility of radical perspective from which to see and create, to imagine alternatives, new worlds.”

AUC Times

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By Thomas Mikhail

T H N I E T P RE S S A P E E NT H T A DEFENCE OF PALEONTOLOGY

I KNOW I WOULD BE MET WITH THE QUESTION: “HOW IS THIS RELEVANT?” MY REPLY WOULD BE THAT EVEROVERUSED PHRASE THE ARTICLE STARTED WITH, “THOSE WHO DO NOT LEARN HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT”, SIMPLY BECAUSE IT REMAINS HARROWINGLY TRUE. WE ARE REPEATING EVENTS THAT OCCURED MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO; EVENTS THAT COULD ULTIMATELY LEAD TO THE EXTINCTION OF OUR SPECIES AND SO MANY OTHERS.

‘Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it’, a common cliche we hear all the time, generally in connection to oppressive policies, the rise of dictators, and restrictive regimes; but it should encompass so much more, beyond the petty history of our species. Yes, human history is petty; the rise and fall of empires, the coming and going of religions, the birth and death of great rulers, are all tiny blips on the history of our planet, only given significance when viewed through the arrogant lens of anthropocentrism. There are entire perspectives of history that people ignore, battles and migrations that could put any of our written histories to shame. I am, of course, talking about natural history.

Between 330-390 million years ago, the first vertebrates crawled onto land, starting a lineage that would one day result in you and me. About 252 million years ago, an event known as “The Great Dying” destroyed over 80% of life on Earth, leaving the rest barely clinging to survival. Approximately 66 million years ago, the last non-avian dinosaur drew its last emaciated breath, dying of starvation and paving the way for the age of mammals.

And now, a single subspecies of mammal has looked back upon and learned from these stories, dubbing their study “paleontology”.

Paleontology, simply put, is the study of life on earth from when it first appeared 3.8 billion years ago up until around 10,000 BCE. Drawing from Biology and Geology, paleontologists try to sort through this awesome span of time, exposing us to phases of life on earth that would seem alien to this one, and

even amongst each other. Beyond that, it explains why they were so different, how they got that way, and what caused them to change.

Being a field of study that spans almost four billion years, it would be impossible to give more than a brief overview of the knowledge the field contains. I would encourage the reader to look into it more deeply, although I know I would be met with the question: “How is this relevant?” My reply (aside from having a greater knowledge and appreciation of the complexities of life and our existence) would be that ever-overused phrase the article started with, “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it”, simply because it remains harrowingly true. We are repeating events that occured millions of years ago; events that could ultimately lead to the extinction of our species and so many others.

The first thing that we may learn from are the effects of climate change. Climate change is a natural process in which the Earth’s climate goes through cycles that last tens of millions of years. These alternate between frigid ice ages and warm periods where the sea levels are high enough to drown much of the land. In fact, the land we now call Egypt has spent a decent portion of its history either underwater or as a swampland, which is why we have seemingly out of place whale fossils in our deserts, and why the posterchild Egyptian dinosaur, Spinosaurus aegyptiacus (often fondly endeared “The Pharaoh”) was at least semiaquatic.

Usually this process is agonizingly slow, but external forces may accelerate or decelerate the

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Photo by Hiroshi Nishimoto

Oct ‘18 issue

process. These may be increased volcanic activity, the release of trapped organic materials from deep underground, or our seemingly obsessive habit of spewing greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. According to NASA, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have increased by 38% and methane levels have increased by 148% since the industrial revolution, although most of the output occurred within the last 50 years. We know what the effects of this will be, as this is not the first time such an event has occurred. Remember The Great Dying from before? One of its main causes is thought to have been accelerated climate change resulting from a release of methane and carbon dioxide within the oceans, as is evident from the fact that sediments formed during that period often contain traces of said gases. The cause of this release was one of the greatest questions of paleontology for some time, although it is now attributed to a single kind of organism. In a study led

by Daniel Rothman, an MIT professor of geophysics, he proposed that the emergence of a new gene in microbes called Methanosarcina occurred at this time, allowing them to produce methane at an incredibly fast rate. This, combined

with the fact that the nickel they need to reproduce was common at the time, led to their population exploding, pumping vast amounts of greenhouse gas into the ocean which then diffused into the atmosphere.

It is one of the only times in history that such a dramatic effect on the planet could be attributed to single set of organisms; or that we know of, at least. That being said, we are making the same mistakes today.

If we can learn anything from that deadly event, it’s that tampering with the earth’s atmosphere does not bode well for anything alive on the planet. We have the power to cause another mass extinction event, but we also have the power to reduce the damage that we’ve done.

I’ve been going on for a while about mass extinctions, but I feel like I should actually explain what they are, especially considering that we are in one. A mass extinction, or biotic crisis, occurs when there is a rapid decrease in biodiversity (especially in multicellular life). There have been five major ones in earth’s history, the most well-known being probably the Cretaceous-Tertiary (KT) event that wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs. The sixth is currently in progress, and is entirely caused by human activities. It is estimated

that extinction rates are currently between 100-1000 times higher than in their natural state, and have already resulted in the near-complete eradication of land animals weighing over a ton. Paleontology has taught us that recovering biodiversity is an extremely slow process. Returning to our example of the Great Dying, it took nearly five million years for the oceans to regain their biodiversity, and a whopping ten million for the land to recover. Needless to say, any further damage we cause will take incredibly long periods of time to heal, far longer than all of human history combined.

Although there is much more to be learned, these articles have word limits, and I can only encourage the reader to keep looking into Earth’s history. It’s not all doom and death, the tale of life is one of beauty, innovation, and overcoming obstacles. Yes, the K-T event resulted in the starving and the burningalive of perhaps the greatest animals the world has ever seen, but from the ashes mammals rose up and took their place. We just happen to be unlucky enough to be living on the verge of a period of tragedy, although perhaps with a bit of knowledge of the past, we can change that.

AUC Times

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By Neda Hamed

A N C O L O ES V IN LIVING ROOMS

In the past, phones, computers, and digital entertainment were the stuff of science fiction. People relied solely on their minds to help them acquire information and entertainment alike. In the absence of technology forcing a particular image into the mind, knowledge was obtained primarily through imagination. This imagination is what pushed people to invent new things and pursue knowledge of the unknown. Imagination, with time, started to fade as these technologies began to gain ground and significance among us, and it arguably became a rarity. Only one member of our species has retained that rarity: the child.

Feeding our imagination is something that keeps us alive. It is another world that keeps us going, and this is exemplified by children. Some imagine new friends; others imagine themselves having superpowers; and some children imagine themselves as princesses wearing beautiful dresses as they gaze at their reflections in the mirror. Other children imagine volcanoes under the living room sofa. Carefully, they jump from one sofa to another to avoid the hot lava. The beauty of imagination is that it grants the mind full freedom to run wild. Children use their imagination to discover new things as they grow into this world, and rely on it to enrich and expand upon the possibilities of life. The capacity children have to imagine is truly astonishing; it could be anything from philosophy to astronomy. The possibilities are endless as they continuously build their unique character. It is therefore necessary for parents to engage in the piggyback rides of their own past with their children. In light of modernisation, parents began to take these parenting methods for granted, and instead put unnecessary pressures on their children to be realistic and pragmatic.

While this may well stem from love, it does not mean that these methods are effective. Instead of building strong children capable of facing the world, this pressure begins to hack away at their most prized possession: their imagination.

A child’s imagination is similar to their unique fingerprint, except that it also exemplifies the character of the child.

One child used to question her reality, imagining the answer to the best of her knowledge. She would question the movement of the Earth, asking the seemingly naĂŻve question of: if one were to fly in the air, would they move along with the movement of earth, or would they stay in place? She was only ten years old.

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Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash University of Sydney Professor Gloria Latham explains that “with attention to our senses assisting and questioning the experiences of life around us, our imaginations make future endeavours possible.” For that reason, children may find themselves an imaginary friend. This imaginary friend could take the form of an astronaut. Children would ask them questions, then proceed to find the answer to their own question simply through their own creativity. These imaginations create unique self-development within each child. If the child grows with a healthy imagination, they grow healthier.

As psychologist Frank Faranda eloquently puts it, “consciousness allows us to experience maps as images, to manipulate those images, and to apply reasoning to them.” In spite of this, children are ultimately forced to face the real world, often by their own parents.

In today’s world, parents are pressured to approach reality with excessive pragmatism in order to get by.

In turn, they transfer that pressure onto their children, encouraging them to start leaving their imaginary world and instead recognise the harsh reality of life. Parents tend to be concerned that their children may succumb to their imaginary worlds and ultimately lose their selfawareness. This is ultimately an unfounded slippery slope fallacy. Imagination is a core aspect of humanity.

For example, the girl who questioned the nature of the Earth’s movement grew up to be a highly intelligent woman with a unique and well-developed angle for approaching each question she faces. She was not lost inside her imaginary world, but rather nourished by it, and she gained more knowledge as her questions grew more complex.

One reason why this world lacks differentiation in personalities is because parents tend to push their children into the same box they were pushed into when

they were young. Parents are pressured to stay in the box in which this world forces them to hide. That is why, when given different techniques, parents can learn to get down to the level of children, and make use of their imaginations to facilitate teaching, rather than making the immensely harmful assumption that children think in the same way as adults. A child cannot conceptualize adult ideas, which is why parents need to exert the effort necessary to understand how their children think and learn, before demanding that they “grow up.” All the more, parents will be able to acquire some valuable lessons from their own children, including the focus on the present as opposed to concern for the future. These minor lessons give parents a chance to connect with their children. Nevertheless, a complete laissez-faire method is hardly advisable; parents must still maintain some level of control. They should be mindful of the abilities of children without detaching them completely from reality.

Instead of suppressing the questions and images that pop up in the heads of children, parents should instead start to learn how to use these imaginations to help their children grow. By accepting children’s abilities and skills to dream and escape into their imaginary worlds, parents can help their children surpass their limits and develop the world they will come to inherit. Children must spread their wings into the world to discover their true selves. It is better to imagine our own futures than to surrender control to reality. The beautiful thing about imagination is that it is not constrained to a certain age. Parents and children alike can spread their wings, and it’s definitely never too late for you either.

AUC Times

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By Arwa Hezzah

MONEY MONEY MINORITIES! MONEY A social class, as defined by most sociologists, is a division of society based on economic and/or social status. For centuries, countries have adopted different systems of social class differentiation, all with their different effects on people’s roles in society. Most of the time, one’s social class is defined by their affluence and the life said affluence allows them to lead. As time passes, and as class divisions become more complex, the gaps between classes grow. As of late, class divisions have become very heterogeneous; the lines between social classes are becoming blurred, and some classes have started to overlap. Nonetheless, and especially in Egypt, the differences between classes have become so drastic to the extent that the middle class has started to disappear. Nowadays, the issue at hand is no longer the difference between classes in itself, but rather the way we as people look at these social classes.

It appears today that social classes have become entirely separate worlds. Among the first people to present a theory regarding different social classes is Karl Marx. Marx theorized that a person’s position within a societal class system is primarily determined by their role in the production process. With that in mind, Marx classified society as consisting of only two classes: the bourgeoisie and the proletariat (i.e the Capitalists and the working class). While it may seem like the terms were used to refer to upper and lower classes, they were actually intended to reflect the buying and selling of labor. Although his classification doesn’t directly apply

to the world today, these concepts can apply to specific issues within society such as societal exploitation, domestic work, and even day-to-day power relations.

After the industrial revolution, and especially over the last couple of centuries, class structure has changed drastically. Not only have the gaps between classes grown, but the number of classes has increased as well. Society no longer consists of merely rich and poor. That said, Marx suggested that different economic statuses lead people to become interested in different things. As a result, people from different classes might be led into leading different lifestyles in what would appear to be different worlds altogether.

A few years following Marx’s critique of the Capitalist system, Max Weber came up with the Three-Component Theory of Stratification; a theory potentially more applicable to today’s society. Weber argued that there is a pluralism, or correlation of needs, associated with class structure. He proposed that, ultimately, it is not possible to diminish all the various groups of people within a society into a single dimension, such as ownership of means of production. He claimed that social stratification, or social division, has three distinguishable dimensions: economic class, social status, and political power, each with their own subdivisions. Using this multidimensional approach to class division, Weber suggested an interaction between these three dimensions, while claiming that each of these elements has its own

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For centuries, countries have adopted different systems of social class differentiation, all with their different effects on people’s roles in society.

stratifications as well. Much like Marx, Weber proposed that people residing within the same classes enjoy similar lifestyles. He also stated that members of society are likely to constantly strive for power, which ultimately leads to drastic social class division.

Today, especially in a country like Egypt, interactions between members of different social classes are very limited. Take, for example, something as simple as a person living in an apartment building and their relationship with their bawab, or doorman. Although these two people live in the same building, they reside in two completely different classes, leading completely different lives.

The interaction between those two individuals is restricted to greetings and logistics. It is as though there is a sort of barrier that prevents both of them from communicating with each other about certain things that are “out of the norm”. Could the reason be that both individuals see each other as too different? Think of the difference between that relationship, and the relationship between the resident and one of their neighbours: someone from the same class as theirs; the barrier ceases to exist.

For this reason, people from different classes have become alienated from one another. It has come to the point where people

can’t fathom living each others lives.

They see each other as so distant that their worlds cannot intermingle.

It is undeniable that, at times, we talk about people from classes that are below ours as though they live in a different world from our own.

Perhaps the reason behind that is that it’s true; we do live in different worlds. The higher you climb on the social ladder, the more this discernment grows.

Through normal conversation, and in hearing stories of interactions between people from various classes, it also becomes apparent how those in lower classes look at those in higher classes, and vice versa. In addition to longing for what the rich have at times, the lower class tends to look at the upper class with a sort of disdain. It isn’t always a look of envy; a lot of the time, it is almost like a glance into another world.

While members of lower classes sometimes want to be part of higher classes, they often believe that the fluidity of money results in a lack of humanity. At times, they assume that if a person has a lot of money, they must have no care for those in classes below theirs - not unless they’re providing them with a service of some kind.

On the other hand, when those who are in middle or upper classes tend to look at poorer people, it is

with a kind of pity. This lies partially in an inability to fathom the way they live. It is almost as though they immediately assume that because those people lack certain material possessions, they are unhappy with their lives. Although we shouldn’t claim the that a poor man who can’t even afford to provide basic needs for himself and his family is happy, we also shouldn’t assume that every person struggling to make ends meet is unhappy.

The sad truth is: people are always aiming to move up the social ladder, even spending all their money to buy things that they might not be able to afford, thinking that they’ll manage to climb to a higher rung; be part of the “better” place in society.

This idea that spending more money immediately makes you part of a higher class seems to be imprinted in people’s minds. As people grow more irrational with their spending, the gap between classes only gets larger, and the larger the gap gets, the harder it will be for people to move up. In my opinion, the rich will always want to have more, and the poor will always want what the rich have, thus causing an infinite expansion. However the world progresses in its definitions of social class, and no matter how the gaps between these classes change, perhaps it can be hypothesized that different classes will forever be seperate worlds.

Photo by Georgenia Bassily

Oct ‘18 issue

AUC Times

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By Mohamed Hosni

SIMON SAYS “LOVE ME” < t a b l e c l a s s = "d a t a "> < tr > <t h > E n t r y H e a d e r 1 </t h> <t h > E n t r y H e a d e r 2 </t h> <t h > E n t r y H e a d e r 3 </t h> <t h > E n t r y H e a d e r 4 </t h> </tr > < tr > <td>E n t r y F i r s t L i n e 1 < /td > <td>E n t r y F i r s t L i n e 2 < /td > <td>E n t r y F i r s t L i n e 3 < /td > <td>E n t r y F i r s t L i n e 4 < /td > < /tr > < tr > < t d > E n t r y L i n e 1 </td > < t d > E n t r y L i n e 2 </td > < t d > E n t r y L i n e 3 </td > < t d > E n t r y L i n e 4 </td > < /tr > < tr > <td>E n t r y L a s t L i n e 1 < /td > <td>E n t r y L a s t L i n e 2 < /td > <td>E n t r y L a s t L i n e 3 < /td > <td>E n t r y L a s t L i n e 4 < /td > < /tr > < /t ab l e> < t a b l e c l a s s = "d a t a "> < tr > <t h > E n t r y H e a d e r 1 < /t h> <t h > E n t r y H e a d e r 2 < /t h> <t h > E n t r y H e a d e r 3 < /t h> <t h > E n t r y H e a d e r 4 < /t h> < /tr > < tr >

When you think of how a romantic relationship works, you usually imagine it starting with two interested individuals meeting; they’re probably lucky enough to have a “spark” happen between them and, as time passes by, they start developing feelings towards one another. There might have been times when you really thought that it could work out, but as fate would have it, your partner felt differently.

What if I told you that you could remove the middleman, instantly getting into a relationship with someone that you’re interested in? What if I told you that your new partner is completely in sync with your character, so there will never be a need to fight? It might sound impossible now, but this could be a reality sooner than you think.

I’m referring to the concept of designing an artificially intelligent (AI) machine to be compatible with you and love you, replacing faulty humans with perfect robotic companions. A bond like that would last as long as you’d want it to, and you could even reprogram your companion to act differently if you ever get bored. You wouldn’t be the first to think that all this seems odd, but there is a strong psychological reasoning behind loving a robot.

The concept of loving a non-human entity can be attributed to a person’s penchant to anthropomorphize their surroundings. Anthropomorphism is when people assign human characteristics to something that isn’t human, and it’s more common than you think. Giving your car a name and finding yourself talking to it at times, or getting angry at your computer for being too slow, are both instances of everyday anthropomorphism at play.

The concept was first brought to attention in 1944 by two scientists who had shown a number of participants a short clip of geometric figures moving randomly. The scientists then asked the participants to explain what they thought was going on, and were surprised to see that most responses contained descriptive words that were generally reserved for human beings. For example, one participant described the big triangle as being “a bully” while another observed that the shapes were “fighting” with each other . It was concluded that people have a general tendency to relate objects to aspects that they are familiar with. Later, a group of psychologists laid down the foundations of anthropomorphism in their paper, reducing the causation to three factors: how much one knows about their inhuman surroundings, how willing a person is to interact with their environment, and how willing they are to develop a social connection.

The last factor, specifically, was very noticeable in Joseph Weizenbaum’s 1966 experiment, in which the German computer scientist made a simple computer program (ELIZA) that received input from users suffering from depression, rephrased it, and then asked them questions.

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Photo by Nada Mohamed

Oct ‘18 issue

Surprisingly, Weizenbaum found that users opened up to the application; they shared secrets and engaged with it as if it were human, with some participants being in complete disbelief when they were told that ELIZA wasn’t an actual person. The participants were so happy to be heard that they wholeheartedly engaged with the program.

Pop culture has had its fair share of pushing the envelope when it came to AI, making way for the advanced technological age dawning upon us, but it has mostly been set in hostile settings. The Terminator series is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the word “robot”. It mainly revolves around robots outsmarting man and taking over the world, but I offer you a different perspective with the movie Her. Set in the near future, the movie is about a lonely writer recovering from a failed marriage. He falls in love with an intelligent operating system that keeps updating her emotional intelligence throughout the movie and, without spoiling too much, has to leave him. However, in her departure, he gets over his fear of getting into a new relationship and is ready to start the next chapter of his life. On the other side of the spectrum, the episode “Be Right Back” from the series Black Mirror offers a much darker approach. It follows a recently widowed woman who, out of grief, gets an AI that attempts to recreate the personality of her deceased husband. She is initially happy that he’s around, but with time, she grows uncomfortable towards him and isn’t able to get over the fact that the “person” living with her is nothing but an android that obeys all her commands, no matter what.

Still, she desperately misses the human element of her husband, so she decides to put the android in storage, only allowing her daughter to visit him on weekends.

These examples offer contrasting views on a futuristic world where AI have become complex enough to mimic human behaviour and develop their own character.

However, if you want a real world example, then look no further than our current times. Only two years ago in France, a woman came out as “robosexual” and

got engaged to a robot that she had 3D-printed. She is currently awaiting the legalization of human-robot marriage to take the next step in their relationship.

The thought of sharing one’s life with an artificial being might seem far-fetched nowadays, but AI expert David Levy thinks otherwise. In his book, Sex and Love with Robots, Levy writes that it will become very common in the near future to have robots that can reciprocate love towards humans, making them more emotionally available than a moody partner. He predicts that by the year 2050, robot marriage will be legalized and that having sex with robots would outgrow human intercourse. He has a strong argument to present, but I would have to side more with what award-winning science writer Robin Marantz Henig concludes with in her review of the book: “Levy spends so much time laying out his logical arguments about how and why we will fall in love with robots that he gives short shrift to the bigger questions of whether we would really want to.” A more vocal response came from activist and professor Kathleen Richardson, cofounder of the Campaign Against Sex Robots, who thinks that if robots were to be equated with women in relationships, then it’s very plausible that women would get objectified more. This is because love and sex would become a commodity that could be programmed and sold. She supports her point of view by highlighting Aristotle’s justification of slavery and the exploitation of human bodies by claiming that slaves were living pieces of property. She predicted that this is the trajectory that we would be heading towards if we integrated robots into a human-dominated community.

The prospect of attaching human attributes to different objects is hardwired within us. Therefore, it’s a logical leap for people to start developing romantic feelings towards robots, especially since the idea of having the perfect love companion has been widely romanticized by popular culture. However, this is a future where we lose what it means to be human, and where we blur the lines between “I love you” and “Simon says, ‘love me.’”

AUC Times

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By Farah Desouky

A DAY IN

THE LIFE OF HANAFY

Photo by Ahmed Ragab

O S G I Y M N E IS T H T

Meet Hanafy! My fictional, but incredibly realistic, version of the type of Egyptian guy I despise wholeheartedly. Hanafy has issues; he is a misogynist, and although he represents a lot of what I think is wrong with society, I sometimes feel sympathetic towards him. You see, Hanafy is not the archetypal villain; he is not unjustifiably evil. He was just brought up that way. What he is, is a victim of indoctrination and of fragile masculinity. He was told to hold back his tears and raise his voice. He learned to degrade women, wrongfully believing he was actually valuing them. I am not saying Hanafy isn’t to be held accountable for his actions. Many other men were defiant in the face of misogyny. However, labelling Hanafy as the only one to blame would be unfair. He is the culmination of every man that has ever infuriated me in my life, and every Feminist’s nightmare To offer a glimpse of the daily life of such a conservative Arab man, Hanafy starts his day with breakfast and coffee prepared for him by his Mama, who loves waiting on his highness. She brought him up on the noble values of toxic masculinity: entitlement, egotism,

male superiority, and “saytara”. He believes that she represents the perfect woman, putting her family first and not being a selfish, careerdriven “feminazi”. Hanafy then goes off to work and fervently insults the female drivers on his way, because women obviously can’t drive. Being the amazing employee he is, he proceeds to invalidate his female colleagues’ opinions and mansplain their jobs to them. Why are these selfish ladies not like his mother anyway?

Of course, Hanafy’s day wouldn’t be complete without shitposting on Facebook. A collection of sexist memes here, wise snippets on the role of women in society there, with just a pinch of blaming sexual harassment victims and whining about his fear of accidentally getting accused of harassing women - all because women have become far too sensitive. He hides behind the shield of his screen, and relishes in his male privilege.

Hanafy meets up with his guy friends later in the day, and they all simultaneously complain about being single and how all girls are sluts. It’s just impossible to find a

girl pure or good enough for them, in all their perfection. They proceed to eat irrational amounts of junk food, working on their “dad bods”, while maintaining their fat-phobia towards women. Because, in case it was unclear, the core beliefs of Arab men like Hanafy are almost always based on double standards. To keep up with their unspoken emotionally suppressive motto, obviously any form of feeling other than anger is a symptom of homosexuality. A ‘man’ would never cry in Hanafy’s dictionary. A man would most definitely never let his emotions guide him, right?

I personally believe there’s a bit of Hanafy in a lot of men, and it isn’t rare to stumble across one in everyday life. It’s possible that a couple of names or faces popped up in your head as you read about Hanafy. Many Egyptian men are growing out of their Hanafy mindset and unlearning their toxic masculinity. Hopefully with more women keeping up the good fight, and with more openness and choice, we will live to see a Hanafy-less world.

Oct ‘18 issue

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By Mariam Ibrahim

OPPOSITE

A VANITY DRESSER I stare at my face in the mirror, every night, opposite my vanity dresser.

I wash my face, opting for a scrub in the nighttime. In the morning, I adhere to face washes, because who would want to face the world with open pores? As I sit, my eyes begin to glide along the different facets. I take note of the unpigmented spots strewn along the sides of my forehead. The spots appear random; old ones that have become customary characters, new ones allowing extensions to uncharted cavities. Timid, uncertain explorers morphing into something new each day.

Vitiligo is genetic.

As I begin to apply my umpteenth cream of the night, I become ten again. I’m on my father’s lap, listening to his sister’s clamorous laugh, hypnotized by the movement of her fingers. I had known it to appear sporadically on the arms and legs of people I watched in silence. Hers was an individual calamity, absent on all her body and finally, at the beginning of her fingertips, engulfing her nails and all the skin leading up to her first knuckle. I watch and begin to understand what vitiligo is: a striking difference of an abundantly bright lack of color within the air that surrounds it. Interlaced with it, was her melanin-riddled skin. It appeared to succumb to her the farther it went towards her palm, as it grew more and more absent, never blatantly obvious.

“What’s wrong with her hands?” I ask my mom.

I am quickly silenced, told that such things are never to be addressed aloud, unaware that I will continue to make a conscious effort to never

address even mine aloud.

My hands, indifferent to my ruminations, bring me back to the present, wondering once again if I am finally growing white around the edges. Will my incessant tribulations ever be finally settled? Will my niece fetter with the possibility that, one

day, my affliction may claim her as its own? Will she ever brazenly ask me what’s wrong with me?

I am twelve again. I sit in class, unaware of what I should be. An intrepid boy calls out and dauntlessly asks what’s wrong with my face. Asks why my mustache is relatively prominent. Why my skin tone is darker than most everyone else’s and why I am branded by the most indeterminate of configurations. Why it is that when I laugh, I appear to have a deep abyss, unaware that my tooth never fully developed. The boys chuckle and, naturally, the girls sneer and it is all in good fun. I sit there, etching a smile on my sunken, flushed face, unaware that in seven years, I will sit opposite my vanity dresser, detached, watching myself apply day and night cream religiously so that no one will again ask what’s wrong with me. Unaware that I will refuse to allow a single hair to grow on my face.

Unaware that I will use whitening cream for years to expel those effervescent voices.

Blissfully unaware that when I laugh, I will make sure that my lips cover my teeth completely, and my hand covers what my lips miss.

I finish and I slide into bed, succumbing to a dull numbness, knowing that this is how I will return to consciousness; unaware once again, as I sit opposite my vanity dresser, and begin.

AUC Times

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By Ahmed Naser

COLORFUL TR I P S

WHETHER OR NOT I PHYSICALLY LEFT THIS WORLD. . . . . . .

MENTALLY I DID.

Turn on, tune in and drop out. Catch a glimpse of the visual world beyond our cognitive norms. In an hour, your soul will be traveling through a world that is full of vivid colors. You might see a matrix of a thousand possible decimals, or find yourself suddenly battling your worst fears. You may pursue a state where you appreciate life and human values, or, on a whole opposite emotional mismatch, be caught up in a bad trip, where your prolonged negative stimulus might push you to harm yourself and others around you. All in all, it would be a long and eventful experience that a small ninety-microgram psychedelic tab can give you. These are psychedelics that can alter your perception, thoughts, and feelings.

They are the magic beans that liberate the mind to venture beyond its ordinary fetters.

Psychedelics are a class of drugs that induce hallucinations and other sensory disturbances to the typical state of mind. Psychedelics bind to and constantly activate serotonin receptors in the brain.

This causes the brain to use different communication pathways, which then leads to hallucinations. Many of the perceived consequences of the psychedelic drugs depend on the traveler’s anticipations that are commonly acknowledged as set and setting. This includes the traveler’s former experiences of the psychedelic substance, their cultural and social background, their state mind as well as their mood at the time of ingesting in the drug.

Ironically, the same traveler could go through a surprisingly different

experience when taking the very same psychedelic drug at a gathering with friends—a positive setting— than if they had taken it alone right after the death of a close friend or a parent—a negative set and setting.

Psychedelics are more likely to be slow at the beginning, one characteristic that differs from one drug to another. It is also dependent on factors like whether the hallucinogenic is taken on an empty stomach or not. Case in point, LSDs tend to be quite slow in the first hour, but then can have a prolonged effect that could last from five to twelve hours. On the other hand, DMTs’ effects are felt quicker, but their trip lasts for no more than two hours. Due to the drug’s disturbance of perceived time, the trip may feel much longer than it actually is. This could be a very pleasant experience if the moods of the travelers and the people around them are cheerful or relaxed. However, if the surrounding moods are negative, this could lead to their emotions taking a troublingly dark or even macabre turn.

According to Hippie culture, which was instrumental in popularizing hallucinogenic psychedelics, “tripping” comprises two realities.

The mind is clear and functioning yet through strengthened senses. Vivid colors, endless geometry or strong visuals are some of the elements of the mysterious trip. Usually, settings set or disturb the experience. A traveler may encounter euphoria, or, in the same breath, terror. It is all up to the mood, in addition to the amount of the psychedelic

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Photo by Ahmed Ragab

Oct ‘18 issue

and its type, to decide the set of the experience. “I started hearing voices. Incoherent voices. I started to see different colored balloons forming. My trip started to become inconceivably unique. As much as a mad man I sound like, I was not in the normal 3-dimensional realm I once knew. I swear I was up a dimension with something else, somebody else, but not human.

Whether or not I physically left this world, mentally I did.” These were the comments of a traveler on Quora. He further illustrated that he sensed the true feeling of Nirvana.

Could it be true? The psychedelic journey may otherwise go downhill, and turn into a nightmarish experience, which is commonly referred to as the “bad trip”.

Momentary terrifying lapses, upsetting sensations, and hallucinations are common elements that comprise a bad trip. Psychedelic drugs are known for their ability to turn the perceptions of an individual upside down. This includes changes in the ways a person sees the world and the people around them. For example, the attitude of a formerly

close friend can transform into a mean, or even evil, one during a trip.

Albert Hofmann’s experience, one of the earliest and most popular documented trips, further explains this phenomenon. While Hofmann, the inventor of LSD, was experiencing a bad trip, he attempted to calm himself down. To try and escape the alleviate the experience, he asked for milk from his next door neighbor, who appeared to have become "a malevolent, insidious witch." A bad trip can bring out someone’s inner demons if they are weak enough to let them dive deep into their mind. Typically, the experience could trigger pleasuring senses in the onset, yet instant intrusive and repressed thoughts may surface and cause troubling feelings. Misleading thoughts, along with anxiety, may induce fear and dread into whoever is experiencing the bad trip. It is due to the impulsive and delusional nature of psychedelics that a person on hallucinogens may, under the illusion that they could fly, jump out of a window, therefore inadvertently commiting suicide. The travelers may enter a state of panic in which their mind convinces them

they are somehow superhuman.

Being under the influence, hence, is similar to playing russian roulette, since during a trip it is difficult to comprehend and control the developments that might unfold during those hours of inebriation. It is highly recommended that a sober friend/companion is there to help those on psychedelics to help those who might experience a dark and dangerous trip.

In light of all that has been illustrated, it is clear that pursuing a psychedelic experience is comparable to flipping a mood coin. Despite the uncanny experience of the profound visuals in a whole other imaginary world, the odds of getting into a bad trip that is full of terror and anxiety are still relatively high. The best way to avoid such an experience is by not taking psychedelics at all. The idea of tripping could be very intriguing, but after weighing the pros and cons, it appears for the sake of appeasing a craving for a dreamy and fantastical world, one could risk experiencing a truly frightening and possibly harmful nightmare.

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By Mohannad Samir

THE

CREATION OF

O T I M O E N E AL H T UNIVERSE

“FREUD WAS THE FIRST TO DISCOVER THE EFFECT OF EMOTIONS HAVE ON THE BRAIN THROUGH HIS HYPOTHESIS THAT FORGETFULNESS COULD BE CAUSED

BY EMOTIONAL CONFLICT...”

Humans have an evolutionary urge, not only to survive, but to also be superior to others. Consequently, a desire for self-betterment is sparked.

Indeed, the best method to achieve this goal is through the development of an understanding of emotions, their nature, and their cognitive effect. In light of these facts, do we not often wake up to find our perceptions altered, strong beliefs turned fragile, and judgements colored? As far back as we recall, we find change - not only in ourselves as people, but in how our minds operate. Accordingly, this urges us to investigate the mind and its susceptibility to change, particularly as a result of our emotions. The human brain is indeed receptive to this change through a process called neuroplasticity; by definition, the capacity of the brain to change and adapt in response to its surrounding environment. The boundless efforts exerted by the scientific and medical community to well classify emotions are undeniable.

The entirety of Man’s artwork thrives on emotion. Artists feel, create and express. Psychology is primarily concerned with the first stage of this creative process: Feeling.

Scientists have recently come to the conclusion that emotions are merely chemicals, prompting us to reconsider everything we know about feelings. This led the scientific community to correlate certain changes taking place in the brain to emotions. Furthermore, recent studies have examined the effect of emotions on reasoning.

They found that people with neutral emotions were the highest performers, people with positive

emotions came in second place, and people with negative emotions were the worst performers. On another note, Paul Ekman, a modern American psychologist, made a breakthrough in classifying emotions. He categorized emotions into seven basic human emotions, namely: anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise and contempt. It was observed that the majority of these emotions were negative ones, causing members of the psychological community to hypothesize that humans are more open to general dissatisfaction. As a result, these emotions were extensively studied to fully comprehend the human mind. To better understand Ekman’s classification, it is necessary to observe how it was established.

He invented a Facial Action Coding System that interprets and measures facial movements to categorize emotions. This led him to propose the aforementioned hypothesis.

However, further research unveiled to him that these seven emotions could be reduced to four: happiness, sadness, anger and fear, which he called “the four irreducible emotions.”

Ekman was not the only scientist to attempt to classify emotions, though his classification is the one most widely accepted by the scientific community. The first attempt was made by Aristotle, who identified fourteen emotions, which also included fear, anger and contempt, but added others like indignation, shame and envy.

Another remarkable effort in this area was exerted by Robert Plutchik; he proposed his “wheel of emotions” containing eight basic emotions in

Photo by Adham Hegazy the twentieth century. Most of the emotions he put forth corresponded with Ekman’s classification; however, there was only one emotion that was uniquely present in Plutchik’s wheel, which is anticipation. The actual uniqueness of this paradigm is that it portrays primary emotions as hues on a color wheel, meaning that they can mix and overlap to create secondary emotions. Alternatively, a new study suggests that there are 27 categories of emotions. This study is built on a logical axiom similar to that of Plutchik’s wheel, as it advocates the existence of a smooth gradient of emotions ranging from mild to intense sentiments, such as awe and peacefulness. Even though, the study is still being tested; we are looking forward to what scientists have to reveal in the future.

Although scientists have different classifications of emotions, there are recurring themes between them. Because these emotions are an undeniable part of basic human development, it is integral for scientists to understand the biology behind them. Neurologically speaking, anger is a simple yet fascinating emotion. It stimulates the release of adrenaline, which causes an increase in the speed of responsiveness and a rush of glucose through the bloodstream.

Consequently, the mind can think much faster and make quicker decisions. On the other hand, happiness is considered to be a more complicated emotion.

When someone is happy, their body secretes four chemicals: dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins. Dopamine is the chemical responsible for the drive to achieve potentially rewarding goals, while oxytocin is responsible for empathy and belonging. Additionally, serotonin is the chemical of euphoria, determining whether one feels good or bad depending on how much of it is present in the body.

Finally, the role of endorphins is to help the subject cope with pain and discomfort. Lastly, Sadness is arguably the most intricate emotion.

When someone experiences sadness, the hippocampus (the part of the brain regulating memoryprocessing) releases a chemical called cortisol, which results in shrinkage in the hippocampus; which may lead to memory loss. Similarly, the prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain responsible for emotional regulation) shrinks when large amounts of cortisol are secreted.

Interestingly enough, the amygdala (the part of the brain responsible for emotional responses), enlarges rather than shrinks in response to an excess of the same chemical. This, in turn, causes sleeping problems and inconsistent behaviour, which are notoriously characteristic of people experiencing sadness It would be unfair to discuss emotions and their influences on the human mind and body without discussing the psychologist Sigmund Freud’s views on the matter.

Freud was the first to discover the effect of emotions have on the brain through his hypothesis that forgetfulness could be caused by emotional conflict. This idea laid the groundwork for many breakthroughs in the field of psychology, including that of Ekman. In addition to Freud, Carl Jung made a major contribution to the ongoing discussion regarding emotion. Jung believed that emotions were the instruments we use to translate the events taking place in the exterior world for the understanding of the interior self.

He crafted a number of archetypes of personalities who perceive, think and go about their life differently, and hypothesized that some people were more open to feeling certain emotions than others, according to their personality. It is evident that the majority our advancements concerning emotions can be traced back to Jung and Freud: two great minds that dedicated their lives to the progression of the human race.

To this day, our knowledge of human emotions and their effects is limited.

However, understanding how our feelings work, and the different effects they have on the brain is of great importance, as it gives us the chance harness our mind’s abilities and explore our full potential.

Moreover, we each live in different worlds governed by our emotions; we must work to craft those worlds into what we wish for them to be.

AUC Times

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By Sara Yamama

B

Photo by Sally Elfishawy

Oct ‘18 issue

I still remember that horrible day.

Eva... Oh, poor Eva. She had decided to take a different route home from Degla; the one her parents had always warned her against taking when she was younger. They would tell harrowing tales about the demons there, and how they would possess them if they drew near them “No.” The little girl whispered.

“I’m a grown up now. All of that is nonsense they say to kids.” Her left eye twitched. Trouble, her heart thought, but her mind ignored, and she kept walking quickly. Something bit her, and a tingling sensation crept over her body. Paralyzed with fear and numbness, she slowly fell into oblivion.

I had to do something, this poor girl was lying unconscious on my grass, under my sun, whose scorching light beat down onto her eyelids, waking her up. She moved her limbs slowly.

“I’m in one piece. Thank God.” She said.

Out of the blue, a long shadow was cast over her and she looked up to see a twenty-foot-long creature moving in her direction.“Is that a T-Rex?” She muttered. She began to shake, and clearly couldn’t catch her breath, Eva was vibrating uncontrollably, her eyes frantically darting up and down. But the T-Rex didn’t attack her; it kept moving in a seemingly predetermined path. I tempted it to go to the peppermint leaves by strengthening their scent.

She watched the creature eat with amazement. She took a cooling breath, then glanced around to see that the place was full of greenery.

Then, she noticed a glitch in time: the sky looked different. A small part was a reflective grey, and the clouds seemed to be identical. I was trying to give her a clue. Her brow creased with confusion as she glanced at her watch and noticed that it had stopped. Her phone had no signal either, and she dropped down to the ground in frustration. There was nothing on the horizon but grass and animals, and loads of dinosaurs.

No humans, None! She racked her brain for an explanation. The place was full of “extinct” creatures, as Eva calls them, but where was she? In the middle of nowhere.

Eva chose a direction at random and started walking, exploring this enchanting place. She was stuck

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here, her small naïve face tilting to look around in awe. The first thing that caught her attention was the clean air; she could feel it. This soft, clean breeze she remembered feeling while at the beach, but it was fresher here. There was no noise, no pollution, no traffic, no technology, she looked like an oversized newborn discovering the world for the first time. It was just her and me here. I was certain that she recognized my presence. There was no fire, no war, no fighting; just forests, trees, meadows, endless nature; the perfect environment.

She saw mammoths, a raptor, and passenger pigeons - those went extinct around 103 years ago as Europeans hunted them down on Earth. There were even some miraculously large trees, and plants that she hadn’t seen before. A dinosaur that had a row of bony plates along its back approached her. Eva was wonderstruck and her eyes sparked with glee. I could tell that she had identified its type.

Here, it was like a utopia, especially compared to Earth.

We didn’t have names here; animals distinguished each other through scent and sight. Names were a human creation, and there were no humans here. The dinosaur was equally shocked to see Eva; it was like it had found a new, shiny toy. I let it approach her, and it spoke. It explained to her that she was in another dimension: Planet B. As she attempted to register the information, she tried to calm herself, but to no avail. She closed her eyes, and kept taking short breaths while moving her hands up and down. The dinosaur noticed, and offered some calming berries. They were the juiciest and most delicious berries she had ever had. After Eva regained her composure, he explained how the dinosaurs were the dominant creatures in Planet B, and how they were in control.

In turn, she told the dinosaur that on her planet, dinosaurs were extinct and that humans were in control instead. He widened his eyes, suddenly looking far more threatening, and said, “Humans went extinct years ago; they destroy everything.”

The dinosaur was right about that.

She thought of everything they had destroyed as a result of greed,

vengeance, and war. She thought of the plastic waste that ruined the oceans, beaches, and marine life.

She thought of the pollution, and the global warming that they had accelerated. She thought of all the animals that went extinct because of humans, and all the rest that were on the brink of extinction. I cringed at the thought, and how awful I knew Earth was. My eyes welled up with tears for a moment, and I regret to say that Eva and the dinosaur were soaked from the rain. It explained the circle of life, and how they all complete each other; they look for food, hunt it, and that’s how they live.

The environment took care of itself; everything was perfectly maintained like clockwork.

The problem was that she was a human in the middle of a place where there were none. Dinosaurs kept coming in waves; mammoths, tigers, and elephants crowded around her. Everyone wanted to see the new supposedly-extinct creature.

“Isn’t that the prehistoric thing we learned about in class yesterday?” A young elephant asked its friend, and its friend nodded while fixing its eyes with amazement on Eva. The place was getting so crowded that some trees fell from the force of their movement. I had to interfere; I was in pain, and Eva was stuck and seemed like she couldn’t breathe.

I shook vigorously, instigating an earthquake. Eva ran, and while she was trying to hide, she stepped on some newborn dinosaurs. She killed them, and grinned maliciously. More animals roamed around her. I had to get her back or else the balance of the environment would have been destroyed; they would have ruined me. I inhaled, and let the air out while doing so, Eva was able to make a fire by rubbing two branches together. Everyone stared, they didn’t know what that was. Her eyes shone with excitement and something else I recognized: Evil. I blew on the fire to try to put it out, but it backfired.

While I tried to restore the balance, everything was destroyed. It was a massive massacre. I was aching. Fire was devouring everything. Almost all the creatures were killed, including Eva who danced as she was burned.

I wished I could go back to the time before she had arrived.

AUC Times

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By Amr Abdelazeem

VICTORY HERALDS

Many of us have fathers, uncles or even grandfathers who fought in the ‘73 war. It’s engraved in our memories; the annual celebration of Egyptian dignity and honor.

Something that we don’t like to speak about much is the prelude to war; the defeat of 1967 in the Six Day war, or the “Naksa”, an essential part of the history of the Egyptian republic.

It seems part of tradition not to talk about that defeat. For on the day of the “Naksa” the talk on the radio and in the newspaper wasn’t about the war front; it was about our victory.

On the 5th of June 1967 edition of Al-Ahram newspaper(which cost only 15 milliemes back at the time), the frontpage headline read: “Our Armored Forces Break Through Enemy Lines.”

On the 5th of June 1967, Israeli forces captured Sinai and reached the Suez canal. The haunting memory of the defeat echoes throughout the rest of the Arab World; Gaza, the West Bank and the Golan Heights in Syria were also captured. It was a bitter and dark day in the collective Arab history.

It was an utter humiliation to the entire country. The troops were stranded for days in the Sinai desert because of an unplanned retreat.

The rhetoric adopted by the nation had built up momentum for an unparalleled victory. And, on the battle day, the media delivered! That day, people gathered around the radio in coffeeshops listening to the fervent, crackling voice announcing Egyptian victory and destruction of Israeli forces. We had won! Victory was ours and we would march on to Tel Aviv to liberate the land from the Zionist enemy. People congratulated each other in the streets. Let it be known that the valiant Egyptians proved their might on the 5th of June 1967!

The air carried the national fervor for days. Along with it was the contralto of the Star of the East, Umm Kulthum, singing “We shall return with the power of arms”. The inflammatory voice of Ahmed Saeed shook the ether with recent news from the frontlines, he’d appear again and again on the national radio stations to announce the number

of Israeli planes destroyed “It’s now 120!”

The shepherds of media led the flock of patriotic citizens into the far and secluded pastures of glorious victory. Far away from the front lines in Sinai where planes and mortar shells led the soldiers to the kingdom come. Whether the media was working under direct orders from the administration as Ahmed Saeed had claimed or they worked under their own volition, the outcome of their work remains the same, the people were led to detach from the warfront and were thrown into a happy, frenzied rapture. However, the people’s happiness was cut short; people woke up on the 9th of June to this announcement: “Our troops have finished retreat west of the Suez canal. Please wait an official announcement by our president Gamal Abdel Nasser”. Go figure.

My father, a school boy at the time, spoke of it: “I almost went crazy!

What do you mean we finished the retreat? What retreat? Have we won or lost? I couldn’t understand

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Photo by middleeastmonitor.com

Oct ‘18 issue

for I was young. But older people understood, they then realized we were fooled. We had heard news of the defeat on the Israeli radio station and on the BBC; but we wouldn’t believe them or trust them, they were our enemies. We trusted our own national radio.”

The cat was out of the bag and the facade painted by the media was cracking with waves of displaced citizens from the canal cities and returning troops. Again my father speaks of those: “Your grandfather worked in Suez back then, you know.

And he would tell me of the Israeli planes roaring overhead and how they went into hiding. We also had that newspaper boy, he was enlisted and on the 2nd (or was it the 3rd) he came to us and told us he wasn’t delivering papers anymore because he was called to the front. We had to go to the kiosk now he said. On the 15th of June he returned to town once more, in a tattered uniform and swollen feet. He spoke of days, walking in the desert. It was terrible.”

This was the reality of war. But for days the newspapers and the radio spoke of another, different reality.

Media spoke of an Egypt which had ascended as a victor in its struggle against a bitter enemy. That image wasn’t a farce, it wasn’t a satire or

a comedy. For some, that image was real life. You see, it’s extremely difficult to picture a defeat a few hundred kilometers away when the official newspaper tells you precisely how many enemy fighters were destroyed (for the record, the number was claimed to be “over 86”). Media spoke of a reality where our valiant soldiers crushed their enemies. It spoke of our might and great power. It spoke of many things, but it didn’t speak of the newspaper boy and the thousands of men just like him.

At any given point in time and history of a nation, war is the reality of few of its people living on the frontiers and fighting. But it reaches deep into the minds and souls of the entire nation; it reaches through wires and lenses controlled by the media. The media at any given point can and will only show so much of the frontlines to the people at home to convey a message that supports their purposes (and the purposes of whomever signs the paychecks). For obvious reasons, the grim and painful reality of war and more so the reality of defeat can only serve the truth. Truth and complacency, of course, don’t always go hand in hand.

When the topic is brought up in history classes, much speculation

and finger-pointing goes around.

Who was responsible for such a defeat? Was it the intelligence or the military itself? Our aircrafts were bombed on the ground like sitting ducks; how did such a thing happen?

There’s indeed a lesson to learn in this story; a lesson about politics and military tactics. But people often miss rather a crucial lesson about the war: the newspaper headlines. A lesson of deception and surrealism.

Media can and will often paint other worlds, some of those are made to entertain, some to distract. However, in war time, some are made to delude you. In wartime, morale is often given priority over the truth of what is happening on the front lines. Sinai was the victim of such prioritization. In a war, media will not necessarily dwell over the frontlines and it will instead announce unreal victories. It might as well announce nothing at all. Next time you watch the news and hear them talking about the latest scandal or the strike organized by “ungrateful workers”, it may be worth a deeper look and a modicum of incredulity. In essence, every art employed by the media was, in its most basic stages, harnessed and honed to perfection by propagandists.

AUC Times

Page 44

By Hana Ezzat

A BREATH OF

DREAMS Beep beep..

My hands find my alarm clock and shut it off. I sit up in bed and stretch myself out. I fling the white duvet off me and place my feet on the floor, the white fluffy carpet protecting me from the coldness of the harsh December winter. I make my way over to the bathroom and reach for my facial wash and begin my usual morning routine. After drying my face I look in the mirror again and smile; perfect, not a blemish in sight. I go downstairs to the kitchen to have breakfast before my morning run. I have so many meetings today, I have to hurry up. As soon as I am done with my breakfast, I make my way upstairs to get dressed. I have an hour before I have to get ready for my first meeting so that’s go“Leila Mohamed! Are you paying attention?” The voice of my professor startles me and I jump in my seat a little. The class laughs quietly and my face heats up .

“Y-yes... Um… No, Professor. I honestly wasn’t, but I promise it won’t happen again.”

My professor looks at me doubtfully as I give her my best smile. She still doesn’t look convinced, but she turns around and starts to explain the lesson again. I try to pay attention to her, but I can’t. My mind won’t let me.

It’s somewhere else, as usual. I stare at the board, blankly, and drift off...

Well that was intense! I walk back into the house, trying to regulate my breathing. I head upstairs for a shower

and spend an hour in there, relishing the hot water. After I’m done, I go to my room to get dressed. I can’t decide on what to wear, but I eventually settle on a cream-colored dress and nude heels. I put my hair into a sleek bun, making sure that there isn’t a stray hair in sight. After making sure that everything is up to my standards, I head downstairs and as soon as I do, the intercom rings.

“Miss Leila, they’re waiting for you in Board Room Four.”

“Miss Leila, your driver is downstairs.”

“I’ll be right down. Thank you, Geoffrey.”

I blink and look around to find myself in the empty classroom with my friend, Farah, standing in front of me.

“Hello, Miss Leila, how is your morning so far?” My Driver, Marty, gives me the charming smile that always seems to brighten my day.

“Oh my God, how did I manage to daydream through the whole class?”

“It was fine, Marty. How about yours?”

“Better now that I’m at work.” I laugh heartily. Marty always makes my mornings better.

As we were on our way, I look out he window and am once again in awe at the scenery surrounding me. New York City never ceases to amaze me, I moved here three years ago and I haven’t regretted it since. Sure, I miss my family and friends back in Egypt, but this is a dream come true. I still can’t believe it sometimes, how I ended up here, in the back of a car heading to a publishing house to finalize my book cover.

“Miss Leila, we’re here.”

I get out of the car. As I walk towards the building, I notice a couple of photographers taking pictures, but I pay them no attention.

I head over to the board room and as soon as I enter everyone stands up, which brings a wide smile to my face.

“Sit down everybody, and let’s finalize this book cover deci-.”

“Leila, class is over. Come on, get up.”

“It’s nothing new Leila, you’ve always been like that.. But you really should start to pay attention. The professor almost busted a vein on her forehead every time she saw that you weren’t concentrating.”

“I honestly don’t know what’s wrong.

I’ve been in my head for the past few days.”

“It must be some incredible world up there.”

“Oh you have no idea…”

We leave the classroom and meet up with our other friend, but I’m not in the mood for their conversations.

I lean my head back and close my eyes.

‘I’m so proud of you, honey. I’m in front of the TV now, I’ll be waiting for you.

Call me right after.”

Oct ‘18 issue

Page 45

Photo by Nadine Hani

“Okay, Mama, I love you, give Baba a kiss for me.”

I hang up the phone and take a deep breath. I look in the mirror, is it obvious that I’m very nervous? Of course I am!

“Leila, are you ready?”

“Yes, let’s do this.”

I leave the dressing room and someone walks up to me and puts my mic in place.

“Introducing the author of the bestselling novel ‘The Dark Side of You’, Leila Mohamed!”

The applause is deafening as I make my way onto the stage, I am blinded by the sudden light but I keep walking and make my way over to the white couch.

I give a big smile as I sit down with the one and only, Ellen Degeneres.

“Leila.. Wow. Look at you! You seem overwhelmed. Are you?” Ellen says.

“Um… Just a little bit.”

“No, don’t you worry, we’ll ease into it.

Let’s start with the basics okay? You’re from Egypt, aren’t you?”

Also, the fact that my lead antagonist is female really brings a whole new meaning to murder. Writing has been a passion of mine for ye-’

“Yes, I was brought up in Cairo by my parents along with my two siblings.”

“Oh my God, Leila! I’ve been calling your name for five minutes now!”

“Tell us, how did all of this happen?

What I understand is that you were in your senior year in college, and then everything just fell into place.”

I shake my head and pout a little, I was just getting to the good part.

“It was pure luck how I got here, I entered a short story competition back in university and had somehow won.

After that, a big publishing house in New York contacted me because they wanted to publish a book of mine. It’s all so surreal.”

“As usual. I swear, I would give anything to be inside your head right now.”

“Your book, ‘The Dark Side of You’, is a murder thriller. What gave you the inspiration to write it?”

“Well, I’ve always been interested in darker stories and in the minds of killers, like why someone would take a life. In this case, the whole reason behind all these killings is vengeance.

“Sorry, I zoned out.”

“You and me both.”

We go up to class and as we’re walking, a flyer on one of the boards catches my attention.

“Calling all writers! Writing competition. Submit and get the chance of a lifetime.” I freeze in front of the board and my mind goes wild.

Ellen, here I come!

‫‪٢٥‬‬ ‫صفحة‬ ‫‪Page‬‬ ‫‪46‬‬

‫‪AUC Times‬‬ ‫‪AUC‬‬ ‫‪Times‬‬

‫كتبته والء جبة‬

‫أنا مرؤوس‬

‫إذن أنا غير موجود‬

‫تصوير ملك وجيه‬

‫السيطرة‪...‬النفوذ‪...‬االستبداد بالرأي الواحد‪،‬‬ ‫جميعها مترادفات ُتعبر عن مصطلح واحد‪ ،‬أال‬ ‫وهو السلطة‪ .‬أولئك الذين يتقلدون السلطة‬ ‫والمناصب القيادية ‪ -‬أ يًا كانت المؤسسة أو‬ ‫الكيان الذي يتولون إدارته ‪ -‬يعيشون بعيدا ً عن‬ ‫بايق العاملين‪ ،‬بمعنى آخر‪ ،‬يعيشون «عالم موازٍ»‬ ‫تماماً‪ ،‬وال يدركون ما يم ّر به العامة‪.‬‬

‫أ كبر قدر ممكن‪ ،‬حتى لو كان ذلك على حساب‬ ‫المهنية وجودة العمل‪ ،‬واألهم من ذلك‪ ،‬راحة بايق‬ ‫العاملين الذين يف كثير من األحيان ما يتعرضون‬ ‫للكبت واالضطهاد بسبب عدم الرضا عما يقومون‬ ‫به‪ ،‬أو بسبب شعورهم بأن وجهات نظرهم ال ُيعتد‬ ‫بها‪ ،‬وأنهم مجرد مجموعة من الماشية التي من‬ ‫السهل استبدالها يف أي وقت‪.‬‬

‫كل يف مكانه من تجاهل أو انعزال اإلدارة عنه‪،‬‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫وعلى هذا األساس‪ ،‬يرى التقرير أن مفهوم اإلدارة‬ ‫السلطوية والتحكم يف البشر الذي ُيعد سائدا ً يف‬ ‫بعض الدول حول العالم‪ ،‬بشكل عام‪ ،‬ويف عالمنا‬ ‫العريب بالتحديد يعتبر مضادا ً لفكرة اإلنتاجية‬ ‫بشكل عام‪ ،‬والتي من المفترض أن تكون الهدف‬ ‫األساسي ألي كيان أو مؤسسة‪.‬‬

‫«إن مفتاح اإلدارة هو التخلص من المديرين»‪،‬‬ ‫كانت هذه إحدى أشهر العبارات التي قالها‬ ‫«ريكاردو سيملير»‪ ،‬رجل األعمال البرازيلي‪ ،‬وأحد‬ ‫أشهر رجال األعمال يف العالم‪ ،‬يف إحدى مؤتمرات‬ ‫«‪ »TED Talks‬ليعبر بها عما يشعر به معظم‬ ‫العاملين يف أي مؤسسة حيال اإلدارة‪ ،‬كما أ كد‪ ،‬من‬ ‫خالل عبارته السابقة‪ ،‬أن التفكير السائد يف اإلدارة‬ ‫التى تقوم على قهر العاملين‪ ،‬ىف أغلب األحيان‪ ،‬لن‬ ‫يكون ناجحاً‪ ،‬بحسب ما نشره المنتدى االقتصادي‬ ‫العالمي عام ‪.٢٠١٧‬‬

‫وىف هذا الصدد‪ ،‬تحضرنا بعض أشهر األقوال‬ ‫المأثورة مثل «الباب يفوت جمل»‪« ،‬يمشي‬ ‫واحد يجي غيره ألف»‪ ،‬وغيرها من األقوال التي‬ ‫ُتعبر عن عدم ا كتراث أرباب العمل يف أغلب‬ ‫المؤسسات بما يفكر فيه العاملين‪ ،‬لتستمر الدائرة‬ ‫المفرغة دون نهاية بحيث يقوم كل من بيده األمر‬ ‫بقمع المرؤوسين‪ ،‬وبالتايل تفتقر المؤسسة إىل‬ ‫الوالء واالنتماء اللذان يعتبران حجر الزاوية لنجاح‬ ‫وريق أي كيان يتطلع إىل االزدهار والتقدم‪.‬‬

‫ويستطرد المقال قائالً‪« :‬إنه قد حان الوقت إلعادة‬ ‫تعريف مصطلح «المدير»‪ ،‬والتساؤل عما إذا‬ ‫كانت فكرة «اإلدارة» الموروثة من الحقبة الصناعية‬ ‫لم تعد ُتجدي نفعا ً يف وقتنا الحايل»‪.‬‬

‫لألسف‪ ،‬نجد يف يومنا هذا أن السواد األعظم‬ ‫دائما ما يعيشون يف جزر‬ ‫ممن يتقلدون السلطة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫منعزلة عن من حولهم من مرؤوسيهم‪ ،‬ال يعبأون‬ ‫بغيرهم‪ ،‬ألن كل ما يكترثون به هو الحفاظ على‬ ‫مناصبهم أطول فترة ممكنة‪ ،‬وذلك من خالل‬ ‫تنفيذ األوامر التي صدرت لهم ممن هم أعلى‬ ‫منهم سلط ًة ونفو ًذا‪ .‬السبب يف ذلك يف أغلب‬ ‫األحيان لألسف ال يكون لصحة تلك القرارات‪،‬‬ ‫أ كثر منها رغبة يف ضمان االستمرار يف مناصبهم‬

‫يأيت ذلك يف الوقت الذي تشير التقديرات إىل أن‬ ‫حجم القوى العاملة على مستوى العالم تبلغ‬ ‫بنحو ‪ 3.5‬مليار شخص‪ ،‬وفقا ً للمنتدى االقتصادي‬ ‫العالمي‪ ،‬ومن غير المتوقع بأي حال من األحوال‪،‬‬ ‫بحسب تقرير المنتدى‪ ،‬أن ينتقل يف ظل الشكل‬ ‫خال من اإلدارة يف المدى‬ ‫الحايل لإلدارة إىل هيكل‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫القريب‪.‬‬ ‫لنا أن نتخيل كم اإلحباط أو على أقل تقدير اال ّ‬ ‫مباالة التي يشعر بها غالبية هؤالء األشخاص‬

‫ويعود المقال ذاته ليقول إن فكرة السيطرة اآلن‬ ‫تبدو غير معقولة‪ ،‬والسيطرة على األشخاص قد‬ ‫تماما‪.‬‬ ‫تأيت بنتيجة عكسية‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ومن هذا المنطلق يجب على كل مدير ورئيس‬ ‫المتغيرات‬ ‫أن ينظر بعين الحكمة‪ ،‬وأن يتأمل ُ‬ ‫التي تحدث من حولنا‪ ،‬وأن ينزل قليال ً إىل العامة‬ ‫ويحاول االنخراط معهم‪ ،‬ومعرفة مشاكلهم‪،‬‬ ‫ومحاولة العمل على حلها‪ ،‬ألن ذلك سيعود‬ ‫بالمنفعة على الكيان الذي يتوىل قيادته‪ ،‬كما يجب‬ ‫أن يدرك جيدا ً أن القيادة ال تكون فقط بإطالق‬ ‫األوامر وتكليف المهام للمرؤوسين ومشاهدتهم‬ ‫يقومون بتنفيذها‪ ،‬بل بالتمكين والنزول من البرج‬ ‫العايل‪ ،‬واالنغماس مع العامة‪ ،‬ألنه السبيل الوحيد‬ ‫للريق والتقدم‪.‬‬

‫‪٢٠١٨‘18‬‬ ‫كتوبر‬ ‫عدد شهر أ‬ ‫‪Oct‬‬ ‫‪issue‬‬

‫‪٢٤‬‬ ‫صفحة‬ ‫‪Page‬‬ ‫‪47‬‬

‫كتبه محمود صبري‬

‫‪.‬‬ ‫‪.‬‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ا‬ ‫م‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ن‬ ‫م‬ ‫ي‬ ‫س‬ ‫آ‬ ‫ٌ‬ ‫خ‬ ‫ال‬ ‫ر‬ ‫تصوير ندى محمد‬ ‫ُتط َفأ األنوار‪ ،‬ويعم الظالم‪ ،‬وتخفت األصوات‬ ‫لثانيتين أو أ كثر‪ ،‬ثم يبدأ السحر مع أول نقطة‬ ‫تصطدم بالشاشة من شعاع الضوء القادم من‬ ‫الخلف‪ .‬يف تلك اللحظة‪ ،‬نسلم وقتنا‪ ،‬وحواسنا‪،‬‬ ‫ومشاعرنا طواعية لمؤلف ومخرج‪ ،‬لنذهب معهما‬ ‫يف رحلة لعالم آخر وواقع مختلف عن واقعنا‪ .‬قد‬ ‫يكون هذا الواقع يف مكان آخر وزمن آخر‪ ،‬وقد‬ ‫واقعا لبشر‬ ‫يكون يف مكاننا وزماننا‪ ،‬قد يكون‬ ‫ً‬ ‫آخرين‪ ،‬وقد يكون واقعنا الذي ننتمي إليه ولكن‬ ‫بعيون مختلفة‪ .‬إنه سحر السينما‪.‬‬ ‫أحيانًا‪ ،‬أتخيل نفسي ضمن الحضور يف أول‬ ‫عرض سينما يف العالم يف باريس عام ‪،1895‬‬ ‫وأحاول استيعاب مشهد القاعة المظلمة‪ ،‬والصور‬ ‫المتحركة على الحائط ألول مرة‪ .‬يف األغلب‬ ‫ستكون استجابتي قريبة من استجابتهم عندما‬ ‫لما ظهر‬ ‫هرعوا خارجين من القاعة متدافعين ّ‬ ‫على الشاشة قطار مسرع‪ ،‬فتخيلوا أنه حقيقي‬ ‫وسيدهسهم تحت عجالته‪ .‬ولكنني متأكد ً‬ ‫أيضا‬ ‫أنهم استمتعوا بذلك الفن الجديد أ كثر من‬ ‫استمتاعنا به هذه األيام‪.‬‬ ‫يعتقد كثير ٌ من الناس أنهم يذهبون إىل السينما‬ ‫كوسيلة للهروب من الواقع والعيش يف الخيال‬ ‫لفترة قصيرة يعودون بعدها لواقعهم‪ ،‬ولكنني‬ ‫مؤمن بشدة بخطأ هذا االعتقاد حتى منذ طفولتي‪.‬‬ ‫دخلت السينما ألول مرة يف عام ‪ ٢٠٠٠‬وكنت‬ ‫ً‬ ‫طفل صغي ًرا‪ ،‬ومن حينها وبعد مرات عديدة‪ ،‬كنت‬ ‫مقتنعا كطفل أن الفيلم الذي أراه يف السينما هو‬ ‫ً‬ ‫حياة يعيشها أناس آخرون‪ ،‬وأنا أدفع المال وأدخل‬

‫تلك القاعة ألشاهد حياتهم بتفاصيلها من تلك‬ ‫النافذة المضيئة‪.‬‬ ‫وعندما كبرت‪ ،‬لم يتغير هذا كثي ًرا؛ فالسينما يف‬ ‫نظري ما زالت نافذة لواقع جديد مختلف نذهب‬ ‫أشخاصا ال نعرفهم من‬ ‫إليه بمحض إرادتنا لنرى‬ ‫ً‬ ‫قبل‪ ،‬يف الماضي أو يف المستقبل‪ ،‬يف مكان نعرفه‬ ‫أو لم نسمع به أبدًا‪ ،‬نعايش مشاكلهم ونخوض يف‬ ‫تعقيدات عالمهم‪ ،‬ونكتشف أسرارهم وخباياهم‬ ‫التي من خاللها ربما يمكننا أن نكتشف أنفسنا‬ ‫وخباياها‪ .‬يف حياتنا اليومية‪ُ ،‬تختبر قيمنا‪ ،‬ونكتشف‬ ‫أنفسنا باستمرار مع كل موقف نمر به‪ ،‬وتكون‬ ‫الختياراتنا تبعات‪ ،‬ولقراراتنا عواقب وأثمان علينا‬ ‫أن ندفعها‪ .‬لكن يف قاعة السينما وحدها نمر مع‬ ‫شخصيات الفيلم بمعضالت إنسانية وأخالقية لم‬ ‫نمر بها بالضرورة يف واقعنا‪ ،‬وتسنح لنا الفرصة‬ ‫بتحدي أفكارنا‪ ،‬واختبار قيمنا مع كل حدث‪ ،‬أو‬ ‫اختيار يقف البطل أمامه دون أن يكون هناك‬ ‫نتائج الختياراتنا‪ .‬وبعد انتهاء الفيلم‪ ،‬تظل عقولنا‬ ‫مستمرة يف مراجعتنا يف مواقفنا‪ ،‬فنتعرف على‬ ‫أنفسنا‪ .‬وقد ال يكون الفيلم بالضرورة َم ْع َب ًرا لواقع‬ ‫جديد‪ ،‬ولكنه أحيانًا يكون يف صميم واقعنا‪ ،‬يراه‬ ‫بعين أخرى ومنظور مغاير؛ ليسلط الضوء على‬ ‫مشكلة أو قضية ما‪ ،‬فنتمكن من رؤيتها بوضوح‪.‬‬ ‫يف أواخر القرن العشرين وبفعل العولمة‪ ،‬زادت‬ ‫أهمية السينما كوسط يستطيع البشر من خالله‬ ‫التعبير عن هوياتهم وثقافاتهم أمام العالم‪،‬‬ ‫والتعرف ً‬ ‫أيضا على أفكار وثقافات من مناطق‬ ‫شتى وشعوب أخرى‪ .‬كان لذلك أهمية بالغة‬

‫يف تواصل الحضارات ومعرفتها بعضها البعض؛‬ ‫فتمكن العرب من إنتاج أفالم تحكي عن ظهور‬ ‫اإلسالم يف شبه الجزيرة العربية‪ ،‬وتمكن الغرب‬ ‫من صناعة أفالم توثق للحربين العالميتين‪ .‬ثم‬ ‫تطور األمر ليقتبس المصريون من األدب الروسي‬ ‫قصصا ألفالمهم‪ ،‬وتلهم حضارة الصين القديمة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫موضوعا‬ ‫المبدعين يف أمريكا لتكون أساطيرها‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ألفالمهم‪ .‬ثم تسارع التطور التكنولوجي‪ ،‬فزاد من‬ ‫أهمية السينما كوسيلة للتعبير عن الذات‪ ،‬فلم‬ ‫تعد صناعة السينما حك ًرا على شركات اإلنتاج‬ ‫العمالقة‪ ،‬بل أصبح كل مهتم بالسينما قاد ًرا على‬ ‫صياغة أفكاره يف شكل فيلم باستخدام أدوات‬ ‫بسيطة غير مكلفة‪ .‬وصارت السينما المستقلة‬ ‫هي المستقبل بعيدًا عن جمود صناعة السينما‪،‬‬ ‫ونضوب أفكارها وإبداعها‪.‬‬ ‫دائما ما تهبنا السينما فرصة لتوسيع مداركنا‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ومعرفتنا بالعالم‪ ،‬حتى ذلك الذي لم نعش فيه‪.‬‬ ‫فهي تغوص بنا يف أعماق الماضي‪ ،‬فنعيش أعما ًرا‬ ‫فوق أعمارنا ونعرف تاري ً‬ ‫خا لم نعشه رغم أنه قد‬ ‫يكون ساهم يف تشكيل حاضرنا‪ ،‬أو تهوي بنا إىل‬ ‫طبقة دنيا يف المجتمع‪ ،‬فتصدمنا بحقيقة انفصالنا‬ ‫حتى داخل طبقات المجتمع الواحد يف البلد‬ ‫مرض ما‪،‬‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫الواحد‪ ،‬أو نعايش فيها معاناة مرضى‬ ‫ونشاهد الحياة بأعينهم‪ .‬هكذا تعيدنا السينما إىل‬ ‫ما أفقدتنا إياه سرعة الحياة وتفاصيلها المعقدة‪،‬‬ ‫وتربطنا مرة أخرى بذواتنا وبني جنسنا‪ ،‬وتمنحنا‬ ‫الفرصة من جديد للتأمل يف حيواتنا وما حولنا من‬ ‫معاين‪.‬‬

‫‪٢٣‬‬ ‫صفحة‬ ‫‪Page‬‬ ‫‪48‬‬

‫‪AUC Times‬‬ ‫‪AUC‬‬ ‫‪Times‬‬

‫تصوير ياسمين النواوى‬

‫يف الحشا تسكن النوايا والقصص الغابرة‪ ،‬تلك‬ ‫حسنت‪.‬‬ ‫التي يختار المعظم أال يبوح بها ق ُبحت أم ُ‬ ‫إنما تجيء على الناس فترة فيها تنضح أرواحهم‬ ‫بما تَكِنّ ‪ ،‬لندرك حينها أننا قد عدمنا الحقيقة إال‬ ‫ً‬ ‫قليل‪ .‬هذا ما يجري لنا عندما نستمع بفيه فاغر‬ ‫لماضي أحدهم‪ ،‬أو س ّره يف ساعة صفاء‪ ،‬أو لحظة‬ ‫غضب‪ .‬عندما نصغي لما يدور يف أذهان األقرباء‬ ‫من لسان غيرهم‪ ،‬وعندما نتوقف هنيهة نرقب‬ ‫أفعالهم‪ ،‬والحديث الذي يتراءى من خلف الحديث‪.‬‬ ‫فكل ما نخال أننا نعرفه‪ ،‬وكل ما نحسب أننا قد‬ ‫أدركنا منتهاه‪ ،‬هو يف األصل طريق يؤدي آلخر‪ ،‬ممر‬ ‫يفضي إىل المنتهى‪.‬‬ ‫لسنا بالضرورة نصل للجوهر وندرك من الغير‬ ‫حتما نفطن إىل أن اآلخرين‪،‬‬ ‫دواخلهم‪ ،‬ولكننا‬ ‫ً‬ ‫كشأننا‪ ،‬يحملون بجوفهم الكثير مما قد نستوحشه‬

‫يف البدء‪ ،‬مما قد نستنكره ونبغضه‪ ،‬أو نستحسنه‬ ‫حتما ‪..‬‬ ‫ونميل إليه‪ .‬ليس كل مستتر عي ًبا‪ ،‬ولكن‬ ‫ً‬ ‫كل عيب يستتر‪ .‬قد تكون الحجب الفاصلة بيننا‬ ‫سميكة راسخة‪ ،‬وبكرور الزمن تنحل وتتهتك حتى‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫تشف ما خلفها‪ ،‬ولذا‪ ،‬فإن العالم اآلخر قد يكون‬ ‫على بعد أميال‪ ،‬أمتار‪ ،‬أو خطوة‪ .‬قد يكون هذا‬ ‫نتمعنه‪ ،‬نختار‬ ‫العالم عِ ظة لنا وهدى‪ ،‬طريق عندما‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫جملة‪ ،‬أو استعارة‬ ‫الم‬ ‫ضي فيه آلخره‪ ،‬الحيد عنه ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫بعضه وهجر البعض اآلخر‪ .‬قد يكون ما نكشفه هو‬ ‫الجحيم يف أوج استعاره‪ ،‬لظى من جهنم نخشى‬ ‫منها دن ًوا وإال ذبنا ح ًّرا‪ ،‬وقد يكون نو ًرا من خلف‬ ‫رماد‪ ،‬أو كمحار يعانق آلئل ناصعة‪ .‬والبعض يحمل‬ ‫أ كثر من عالم وأ كثر من قصة‪ ،‬وكلما تنافر الظاهر‬ ‫والباطن‪ ،‬وكلما تباينت العوالم بجوف أحدهم‪ ،‬كلما‬ ‫َع ُظم ما خفي‪.‬‬

‫ليس القول أن نتوجس من الغير خيفة‪ ،‬أو أن‬ ‫نظن فيهم الكذب حالما يبلّغون خب ًرا أو يهمون‬ ‫بالحديث‪ .‬بل القول أنه كلما سنحت الفرصة‬ ‫لنخوض تلك الحكايا‪ ،‬كان زادنا يف الحياة أثرى‪ .‬إننا‬ ‫نعيش فوق عمرنا عم ًرا إذا ما أُذن لنا بالدخول‬ ‫أو اإلنصات‪ .‬وإنه تلك العوالم ال تتطلب منا سف ًرا‬ ‫ولب ُم َّتقِد‪ .‬تتطلب منا‬ ‫متاعا‪ ،‬إنما آذان صاغية‬ ‫وال‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫وإقداما‪ ،‬دن ًوا وابتعادًا‪ ..‬فتمنحنا يف المقابل‬ ‫حذ ًرا‬ ‫ً‬ ‫بصيرة ورؤية‪ .‬إن الناس ال تنتظر مكانًا يحويها‪،‬‬ ‫ألننا أ كبر من العوالم التي ندّعي أنها تحكمنا‪،‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ومن سوانا أحجية‬ ‫التباسا‬ ‫وأ كثر منها‬ ‫وتداخل‪ .‬إننا َ‬ ‫ً‬ ‫لبعضنا البعض ال تنحل يف ليلة وضحاها‪ ،‬وإننا‬ ‫جميعا نتحاور‪ ،‬نتحاب‪ ،‬نتباغض‪ ،‬نتجاىف‪ ،‬ونتواصل‬ ‫ً‬ ‫شئنا أم أبينا ‪ ..‬من وراء حجاب‪.‬‬

‫‪٢٠١٨‘18‬‬ ‫كتوبر‬ ‫عدد شهر أ‬ ‫‪Oct‬‬ ‫‪issue‬‬

‫‪٢٢‬‬ ‫صفحة‬ ‫‪Page‬‬ ‫‪49‬‬

‫كتبته مريم البرنس‬

‫مــن وراء‬

‫ح ج ـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ـا ب‬ ‫نطلق لفظ «اآلخر» على كل ما ال نعرفه من‬ ‫غيب كالموت‪ ،‬ما وراء الطبيعة‪ ،‬الماضي‪ ،‬أو اآليت‪.‬‬ ‫دوما أن كل ما يقبع يف عوالم بعيدة‪،‬‬ ‫نحسب ً‬ ‫قاصية هو آخر غريب‪ ،‬ال نألفه وال يألفنا‪ ،‬ونخال‬ ‫أن العوالم األخرى هي أ كوان تشرق لها شموس‬ ‫من مشارق غير مشرقنا‪ ،‬وتغرب من غير مغربنا‪،‬‬ ‫يخضع قاطنوها لقوانين ال علم لنا بها أو ِق َبل‪،‬‬ ‫أبعادها وحساباتها تحيد عن خاصتنا‪ ،‬لم يوقظنا‬ ‫ضجيجها سل ًفا‪ ،‬ولم تؤرقنا همومها‪ ،‬ثراها لم تطأه‬ ‫يوما‪ ،‬وهواؤها لم نستنشقه ً‬ ‫قبل ولم‬ ‫أقدامنا ً‬ ‫نزفره‪.‬‬ ‫لربما نحن لسنا بذاك االغتراب عن تلكم العوالم‪،‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫عوضا عن األميال‬ ‫ربما بيننا وبينها بضعة أشبار‬ ‫الطويلة‪ ،‬واألسفار المحفوفة بالمجهول‪ .‬إن كل ما‬ ‫مبهما‬ ‫ال نحيا فيه أو نجوب طرقاته نحسبه لبكًا‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ألننا نرى العوالم حاوية للتفاصيل‪ ،‬تسن القوانين‬ ‫لمن يلج أبوابها‪ ،‬تخضع لها الرقاب‪ ،‬ويرضى‬ ‫بشروطها كل من يفد‪ .‬العوالم ُتشكّل ال تتشكل‪،‬‬ ‫تحوي ال ُتحوى‪ ،‬ولو أن بعض العوالم ُتخلق من‬ ‫نسج خيالنا‪ ،‬ننفخ فيها من روحنا وآمالنا ‪ ،‬نطمس‬ ‫بها ما خلّفته األيام من ندوب‪ ،‬ونحرز فيها ما تبقى‬ ‫من ينوعنا مما سهت عنه نوائب الدهر وحوادثه‪.‬‬ ‫يف جنح الليل كل يجول طرقاته ‪ ،‬يفكر ماله‪ .‬هنالك‬ ‫من يطبق مسامعه‪ ،‬من يراجع الماضي أو يلتمس‬ ‫من الزمن أن يحث خطاه‪ ،‬يستعجل األجل لهالك‬ ‫ذا ٍو‪ .‬ذاك يبكي مواجعه‪ ،‬وآخر ينتشي بحاضره‪،‬‬ ‫وثالث يستبق اآليت‪ ،‬ولكن يتوجسه‪ .‬قد نشبه‬ ‫نياما يف مضاجعنا‪ ،‬لكن لكل منا عالمه‪.‬‬ ‫بعضنا ً‬ ‫ولكن‪ ..‬يف كثير من األحيان‪ ،‬ال يدرك الناس تلك‬ ‫الحيوات التي بداخلهم‪ ،‬أحيانًا يجهل الناس حوايا‬ ‫جوفهم‪ ،‬يضلون بين أروقة نفوسهم‪ ،‬ويجهلون‬ ‫ما يجول يف قرارة صدورهم‪ .‬يحتجب الناس عن‬ ‫أنفسهم‪ ،‬فنخال أنه البعض يخادع‪ ،‬يتلّون‪ ،‬ويتح ّرى‬ ‫الكذب عمدًا‪ .‬يفرغ الناس إىل ذاتهم‪ ،‬يراجعون‬ ‫نفسا ال يعرفونها‪ ،‬هنا‬ ‫األيام والساعات ليجدون ً‬ ‫مقدامة ثابتة‪ ،‬وهنا محجمة متذبذبة‪ ،‬هنا ترى‬

‫ً‬ ‫باطل‪ ،‬وهنا تخلط الحابل‬ ‫الحق ح ًقا والباطل‬ ‫بالنابل‪ .‬إن ما بجوفنا قد ال يحول بيننا وبين الناس‬ ‫فحسب‪ ،‬بل قد يحول بين النفس ونفسها‪.‬‬ ‫تلك الدُنا التي نحار ويحار فيها الغير‪ ،‬هي مجموع‬ ‫حيواتنا‪ .‬هي كل ما سمعنا وعلق بأذهاننا‪ ،‬كل ما‬ ‫رأينا‪ ،‬فقابلناه باستحسان أو استهجان‪ ،‬هي كل‬ ‫ما لم نستطع أن ننسى أو نتجاوز‪ .‬فقول لئيم‬ ‫غصت به خوافقنا يف حوالك الليايل‪ ،‬كان جنون‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫الليل يف أحد عوالمنا‪ ،‬فالليل بالداخل يستعير من‬ ‫ظلمة ليلنا‪ .‬ثم حديث عذب أو لفتة طيبة بهما‬ ‫انبلج الصبح بعدما انشقت الظلمة‪ ،‬ألنه الصبح‬ ‫قبسا من فجر الدنيا‪ .‬إن كل ما‬ ‫بدوره يخطف‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ينبت بداخلنا تبذره حياتنا وما نلقاه فيها‪ .‬كل فعل‪،‬‬ ‫وقول‪ ،‬وإيماءة‪ ،‬ونظرة‪ ،‬يلقون حج ًرا يف البناء الذي‬ ‫ً‬ ‫جهل‪.‬‬ ‫نُش ّيده عمدًا أو‬ ‫فلو لم تكن العوالم بذلك القصو حد الوحشة‪،‬‬ ‫ولو لم تكن بذاك الدنو حد األُلفة‪ ،‬فقد تتزيا بزي‬ ‫آخر غير الذي نعهده‪ ،‬وقد تصادفنا بغتة دون أن‬ ‫نعي أننا قد وطئنا أعتابًا غير خاصتنا‪ ،‬وطرقنا أبوابًا‬ ‫ليست مشرعة لسوانا‪.‬‬ ‫عوالما وأ كوانًا‪.‬‬ ‫يحدث أن نصير لبعضنا البعض‬ ‫ً‬ ‫إذا ما فتّشنا يف خوافق أحدنا اآلخر‪ ،‬يف السرائر‬ ‫والخفايا‪ ،‬قد ن َ ُلج أبعادًا أخرى‪ ،‬وبالدًا بعيدة‪،‬‬ ‫وغياهب ظلمات أو محاريب من نور‪ .‬ما من أحد‬ ‫ينبش الصدور فيستخلص منها خيرها وشرها‪،‬‬ ‫ولكن األيام واألحاديث‪ ،‬الخالفات وانقطاع الود أو‬ ‫شفا الجرف‪ ،‬يسبرون غور المهج‪ ،‬يزيحون غمامة‬ ‫العين‪ ،‬يهتكون الستار‪ ،‬لنرتطم بقرار النفس أو‬ ‫نت ّوسده‪ ،‬فكل وما يجد‪ .‬إن األنفس ألقدر على‬ ‫استيعاب العوالم من المساحات واألبعاد‪ ،‬إنها‬ ‫لتجمع متنافرين يف آن‪ ،‬وتفصل متالحمين يف‬ ‫إبهاما وعج ًبا تسير‬ ‫بوتقة واحدة‪ .‬أ كثر العوالم‬ ‫ً‬ ‫حولنا كل يوم‪ ،‬ترانا وتعرفنا حق المعرفة‪ ،‬تتبادل‬ ‫معنا أطراف الحديث‪ ،‬تبث لنا مخاوفها أو تزف لنا‬ ‫بشرى‪ ،‬تودنا وتخاصمنا‪ ،‬تصلنا وتهجرنا‪ ،‬ونحن عنها‬ ‫يف غربة‪.‬‬

‫‪٢١‬‬ ‫صفحة‬ ‫‪Page‬‬ ‫‪50‬‬

‫‪AUC Times‬‬ ‫‪AUC‬‬ ‫‪Times‬‬

‫كتبته ندى مدحت‬

‫ا‬ ‫د‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ح‬ ‫ما ب‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ب‬

‫تصوير چورچينيا باسيلي‬

‫كيف يبدو‬ ‫شكل‬ ‫العالم بعد‬ ‫ان دمر‬ ‫نصفه‪...‬‬

‫‪...‬نصفه‬ ‫اآلخر؟‬ ‫هذا العالم أ كبر من أن تدركه نظريت المحدودة‪.‬‬ ‫أتشوق ألن أعرف كيف يبدو العالم‪ ..‬كل العالم!‬ ‫كيف تبدو كل العصافير؟ هل يختلف غناؤها من‬ ‫مكان آلخر؟ هل كل الفتيات جميالت رغم كل‬ ‫االختالفات التي قد توجد بينهن؟ هل كل الحدائق‬ ‫هادئة وباعثة للسالم مثل حديقتنا الصغيرة؟ هل‬ ‫كل المساجد آمنة؟ هل كل اآلباء طيبون؟ هل‬ ‫كل األطفال ال يملون من اللعب؟ هل تصرخ كل‬ ‫األمهات على أوالدهن بنفس الطريقة؟ كم من‬ ‫لون موجود يف هذا العالم الكبير؟ هل يذهب‬ ‫كل اآلباء للعمل يف نفس الوقت؟ وهل كل‬ ‫األطفال يتذمرون من الذهاب إىل المدرسة‪ ،‬وإذا‬ ‫إذا ما مضوا اليوم لع ًبا مع أصدقائهم ال يودون‬ ‫الرحيل؟ ما هو مصير كل قصص الحب؟ ماذا‬ ‫تفعل كل المعلمات أثناء العطلة الصيفية؟ كم‬ ‫عدد القصص التي ُتقرأ لألطفال قبل النوم كل‬ ‫يوم؟ ما هو عدد حفالت الزفاف التي يمكن أن‬ ‫تقام يف تلك الساعة؟ ما هو مقدار الكهرباء الذي‬ ‫يستخدمه سكان األرض؟ ما الفرق الشاسع الذي‬ ‫يشعر به آباؤنا تجاه زماننا هذا؟ ما هو الفرق‬ ‫الشاسع الذي طرأ على لون األرض ورائحة الهواء‬ ‫وأنواع األسلحة؟!‬

‫لكن تلك األسئلة لم تعد تناسب طبيعة عالمنا‬ ‫اآلن‪ .‬العالم تغير كثي ًرا‪ ،‬أصبح أسرع وأعنف وأ كثر‬ ‫رع ًبا‪ .‬لم يعد عالمنا كما كان بعد أن شوهته‬ ‫الحرب‪ .‬يجب أن تكون أسئلتنا مناسبة للواقع‪.‬‬ ‫أتساءل‪ ،‬كم هو عدد القنابل التي أُلقيت على‬ ‫هذه األرض كي تلعننا بهذا الشكل كلما مشينا‬ ‫عليها؟ ما نوع الصواريخ التي هدمت كل تلك‬ ‫البيوت؟ كم عدد الذين هجروا بيوتهم وحيواتهم‬ ‫وأوطانهم؟ هل مازالت كل العصافير تغرد؟ كيف‬ ‫تبدو الفتيات بعدما يشاهدن حبي ًبا أو قري ًبا منزوع‬ ‫الروح واألطراف؟ كيف تبدو الحدائق بعدما تحترق‬ ‫بجثامين من كانوا يعتصمون بها؟ كيف تبدو‬ ‫البيوت بعدما تنسف بأهلها؟ لماذا لم تعد كل‬ ‫المساجد آمنة؟ هل مازال كل اآلباء موجودين؟ أما‬ ‫زال األطفال قادرين على اللعب؟ هل يمكن لمن‬ ‫رأى المجزرة أن يضحك مجددًا؟ كم من أم فقدت‬ ‫القدرة على التوبيخ أو حتى الكالم؟ هل هناك‬ ‫أية ألوان تصبغ عالمنا اآلن غير األحمر والرمادي‬ ‫الدا كن؟ هل مازال اآلباء يمضون إيل أشغالهم‬

‫صباحهم‪ ،‬أم لديهم من الكوارث ما يشغلهم‪،‬‬ ‫ومن المعوقات ما يمنعهم؟هل مازال األطفال‬ ‫يتذمرون من الذهاب للمدرسة‪ ،‬أم أنهم يمضون‬ ‫يوما؟ هل مازلت‬ ‫أوقاتهم حالمين بالعودة إليها ً‬ ‫قصص الحب قادر ًة أن تحدث؟ أم أن أصحابها‬ ‫يموتون قبل أن تبدأ؟ هل فقدت كل المعلمات‬ ‫الطريق لمدارسهن التي اختفت تحت الركام؟ هل‬ ‫يوجد من يقرأ لألطفال القصص قبل أن يخلدوا‬ ‫للنوم؟ هل يستطيع كل األطفال النوم؟ هل‬ ‫يفتقد األطفال آباءهم وألعابهم‪ ،‬أم ال يستطيعون‬ ‫تذكر أي شيء غير أصوات التفجيرات‪ ،‬ومشاهد‬ ‫القتل؟ كم هو عدد الشهداء الذين يموتون يف‬ ‫اليوم الواحد؟ كم تبلغ مساحة األرض التي ال‬ ‫تصل إليها الكهرباء؟ كم عدد األحياء التي لم يعد‬ ‫العالم يعرف عنها شيئًا؟ وال عن سكانها وشوارعها‬ ‫ومساجدها حدائقها ومعلماتها؟ كم عدد الذين‬ ‫مازالوا يكافحون كل لحظة رغم كل شيء؟ كيف‬ ‫يبدو شكل العالم بعد أن دمر نصفه نصفه اآلخر؟‬

‫‪٢٠١٨‘18‬‬ ‫كتوبر‬ ‫عدد شهر أ‬ ‫‪Oct‬‬ ‫‪issue‬‬

‫‪٢٠‬‬ ‫صفحة‬ ‫‪Page‬‬ ‫‪51‬‬

‫كتبته مريم جعفر‬

‫و‬ ‫ل‬ ‫س‬ ‫يب‬ ‫ا‬ ‫م‬ ‫ل‬ ‫م‬ ‫ح‬ ‫ر‬ ‫عال‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ة‬ ‫تصوير چورچينيا باسيلي‬ ‫يوما يف احتمالية أن تستيقظ يف العالم اآلخر؟ العالم الذي فقدت‬ ‫هل فكرت ً‬ ‫فيه األشياء معناها‪ .‬الحفلة هناك أصبحت مكانًا للضرب واإلهانة وانتهاك‬ ‫حقوق اإلنسان‪ ،‬والزمن هناك بال معنى‪ ،‬فالماضي مشوه‪ ،‬ومستقبل مجهول‪،‬‬ ‫والحاضر عبارة عن سلسلة من األحداث المتكررة التي تهدف إىل انتزاع‬ ‫كل معاين الحياة‪ .‬هذا العالم الذي ال يدخله أحد بمحض إرادته أبدًا‪ ،‬بالرغم‬ ‫من أن دخول هذا العالم أمر يسير ال يكلفك سوى أن تبدي رأ يًا ُمخا ِل ًفا أو‬ ‫ُمختل ًفا‪ ،‬فإن الخروج منه شبه مستحيل‪ .‬هذا العالم له ألف مدخل‪ ،‬وليس‬ ‫خال من الفن ‪ ..‬والحياة‪.‬‬ ‫منه مخرج‪ .‬هو عالم بغيض‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫يمكنك أن تعرف الكثير عن حياة الشعب من دعاباتهم‪ ،‬فهي الكوميديا‬ ‫السوداء التي تحمل يف طياتها الكثير من المعاين‪ .‬من بين الدعابات التي‬ ‫كتبت عن عالم مسلويب الحرية‪ ،‬وكانت األكثر تعبي ًرا عن وضع سجناء الرأي‪،‬‬ ‫هي قصة السجين الذي كان يبحث يف مكتبة السجن عن كتاب فلم يجده‪،‬‬ ‫وعندما سأل عنه‪ ،‬قال له المسؤول‪« :‬إننا ال نملك الكتاب‪ ،‬ولكنك ستجد كاتبه‬ ‫يف الزنزانة المجاورة!»‪ .‬بالرغم من أن هذه الدعابة بعيدة بعض الشيء عن‬ ‫الواقع ‪ -‬فلن نجد سجنًا فيه مكتبة‪ -‬ولكن تلك الدعابة تكشف الكثير عمن‬ ‫ألقت بهم كلماتهم خلف القضبان‪ ،‬وما أ كثرهم!‬ ‫ً‬ ‫منزل للكثير ممن كانت كلماتهم قادرة على‬ ‫لطالما كان عالم مسلويب الحرية‬ ‫رفع الظلم وإنارة الظلمات‪ .‬هؤالء المتهمون بزعزعة أمن واستقرار البالد‪ ،‬كانت‬ ‫يوما هي زعزعة أمن واستقرار الجهل يف عقول الشعوب‪ .‬يف بعض‬ ‫غايتهم ً‬ ‫الدول‪ ،‬ينبغي أال تتحدث إال بصوت السلطة‪ ،‬وال تتحدث إال إىل السلطة‪ ،‬كما‬ ‫سامعا‪ ،‬أو متحدثًا باسمهم‪ ،‬فصوت واحد‬ ‫ال ينبغي أن تلتفت إىل الشعب‬ ‫ً‬ ‫يجب أن يسود‪ ،‬أال وهو صوت السلطة‪ .‬من أجل هذا‪ ،‬يقول صنع هللا إبراهيم‪:‬‬ ‫­­«لماذا ينبغي أال نتحدث إال عن جمال الزهور‪ ،‬وروعة عبقها‪ ،‬بينما الخراء يمأل‬ ‫الشوارع‪ ،‬ومياه الصرف الملوثة تغطي األرض‪ ،‬والجميع يشمون الرائحه النتنة‬ ‫ويشتكون منها؟»‪ ،‬فهل من الوطنية أن ال تتحدث عن ما تراه‪ ،‬بل أن تتحدث‬ ‫عن ما تراه لك السلطة؟ وال تعقل وتفكر‪ ،‬بل أن تفكر لك السلطة؟ أن تلغي‬ ‫حواسك‪ ،‬وتستشعر ما تمليه عليك السلطة؟‬

‫تماما عن مقاييس عالمنا‪ .‬اإلنسان‬ ‫للحياه يف هذا العالم أبعاد أخرى مختلفة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫جا بالحشرات‪ ،‬وأقرب إليهم ألنهم ليسوا هم الدخالء‬ ‫يف هذا العالم أقل انزعا ً‬ ‫عليه‪ ،‬بل هو الدخيل عليهم‪ .‬الحشرات وحدها قادرة على الصراع من أجل‬ ‫البقاء يف تلك البيئة التي يسكن فيها العشرات يف غرفة بالكاد يصلها الضوء ال‬ ‫جميعا‪ ،‬و يأكلون ما ال تشتهيه نفس أبداً‪.‬‬ ‫تتسع لهم‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ولكن هللا أنعم على اإلنسان بقدرة على التكيف مع األوضاع‪ ،‬تلك القدرة التي‬ ‫تبقي اإلنسان ح ًيا رغم أنفه‪ .‬تجربة هذا العالم تجربة كاشفة‪ :‬تكشف اإلنسان‬ ‫أمام نفسه‪ ،‬وتكشف المجتمع أمامه‪ ،‬وتكشف له قبح الحياة‪ .‬يكتشف اإلنسان‬ ‫أن نفسه مثابرة‪ ،‬قادرة على إيجاد أسباب الحياة يف أحلك الظروف‪ ،‬وقادرة‬ ‫على خوض معارك من أجل البقاء‪ .‬أما المجتمع‪ ،‬ف ُيكشف تواطؤه وتناسيه‬ ‫لكل من يدفع حريته ثمن كلمة حق‪ .‬أما الحياة‪ ،‬فيكتشف قبحها ورتابتها‬ ‫وخلوها من المنطق‪ ،‬ففي العالم اآلخر قد يحدث كل شيء وأي شيء‪ ،‬دون‬ ‫أي سبب حقيقي‪.‬‬ ‫يف عالم مسلويب الحرية‪ ،‬تختزل حقوق اإلنسان كلها يف حق واحد‪ ،‬وهو الحياة‪،‬‬ ‫إذا ما كانت الحياة خلف تلك القضبان هي ح ًقا حياة‪ .‬اختزلت كل معاين الحياة‬ ‫يف الطعام والشراب‪ ،‬ومكان االستلقاء‪ ،‬ولو كان لإلنسان استطاعة أن يعيش‬ ‫دون أي منها‪ ،‬النتزعوها منه؛ ففي هذا العالم‪ُ ،‬يعطى اإلنسان ما يكفيه للبقاء‬ ‫وليس للحياة‪ .‬هل توجد حياة بال كرامة‪ ،‬وال حرية‪ ،‬وال فن؟‬ ‫يف هذا العالم الكثير ممن يدفعون ثمنًا لمستقبل لم نره بعد‪ ،‬ولكن عالمهم‬ ‫يوما‪ .‬هم‬ ‫المظلم لم يطفئ النور الذي أنار عقولهم‪ ،‬و لن يمحو األثر الذي تركوه ً‬ ‫تركوا لنا إرثًا سيحكي التاريخ عنه من وجهة نظر أخرى‪ ،‬فيضيء الماضي لنا‬ ‫المستقبل‪ ،‬ونبدأ من حيث انتهوا هم‪.‬‬ ‫«ربما ننفق كل العمر ‪ ..‬كي ننقب ثغرة‬ ‫ليمر النور لألجيال ‪ ..‬مرة!» – أمل دنقل‪.‬‬

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‫تصوير آية ناشد‬

‫على النكتة إيل قلتها يف الفصل»‪ ،‬فقاطعتها‬ ‫بشهقة خرجت مني ال إراديًا‪ ،‬فأكملت حديثها قائلة‪:‬‬ ‫«مش بس كده‪ ،‬أنا لما سألت بقية المدرسين‪،‬‬ ‫قالوا يل إن بقاله أ كتر من كام يوم مش بيضحك‬ ‫على نكتهم‪ ،‬ومش بيصقف لصحابه لما يكتبوا‬ ‫طبعا أنا بأكد لك إين‬ ‫حاجة على السبورة! حضرتك‬ ‫ً‬ ‫بقولك الكالم ده عشان قلقانة عليه بجد»‪ ،‬فأجبتها‬ ‫حاثًا إياها على استكمال الحديث‪ ،‬وأنا يف حالة‬ ‫ذهول‪:‬‬ ‫طبعا‪ ،‬أنا متفهم‪ ،‬وهو من غير حضرتك‬ ‫«أ كيد‬ ‫ً‬ ‫وبايق المدرسين مين يريب األطفال‪ ،‬ده إنتوا‬ ‫أصحاب الفضل كله»‪ ،‬فأكملت حديثها قائلة‪:‬‬ ‫«ال يا فندم ما تقولش كده‪ ،‬إنتوا األساس‪ ،‬وأنا‬ ‫سعيدة جدًا إن لسه يف آباء زي حضرتك مقدرة‬ ‫ومهتمة‪ .‬أنا مش عايزة أقلقك أ كتر‪ ،‬بس أنا‬ ‫ً‬ ‫فعل قررت إن ما ينفعش أسكت أ كتر من كده‪،‬‬ ‫خصوصا بعد ما شكيت إنه ممكن يكون مريض‬ ‫ً‬ ‫بالمرض الوحش‪ ،‬وحضرتك أ كتر واحد عارف قد‬ ‫إيه األوالد يف السن ده معرضين للمرض ده بشكل‬ ‫خطير‪».‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫أردفت بعد تنهيدة‪:‬‬ ‫قليل‪ ،‬ثم‬ ‫صمتت‬ ‫«وحضرتك أنا عشان أتأكد بنفسي‪ ،‬رحت أتكلم‬ ‫معاه شوية بعد الفصل وسألته‪ :‬مين أ كتر مدرسة‬ ‫بتحبها؟ ولألسف اتأكدت إنه مريض لما قايل اسم‬ ‫مدرسة تانية»‪.‬‬ ‫ارتعش جسدي بالكامل من وقع الصدمة‪،‬‬ ‫سريعا وأنا يف حالة‬ ‫فشكرتها كثي ًرا‪ ،‬وأغلقت الهاتف‬ ‫ً‬ ‫علي فعله‬ ‫من الرعب والتخبط‪ ،‬فأنا ال أعلم ما‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫وخصوصا أنها من الواضح حالة‬ ‫يف تلك الحالة‪،‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫سريعا‪.‬‬ ‫متأخرة يجب التعامل معها‬ ‫ً‬

‫ذهبت إىل غرفته وأنا ال أعلم ماذا أقول له‪ ،‬ولكن‬ ‫يجب أن أواجهه بالحقيقة‪ ،‬وأن أعلمه بأنه مريض‪،‬‬ ‫مريض بداء الحقيقة‪ .‬ذلك المرض الذي كان‬ ‫قديما‪ ،‬ولكننا استطعنا إقصاءه والقضاء‬ ‫منتش ًرا‬ ‫ً‬ ‫عليه‪ ،‬ولكن من الواضح أنه لم ينت ِه بالكامل‬ ‫وأصاب فتاي‪ ،‬ولكن يا إلهي كيف حدث ذلك! إن‬ ‫الحقيقة إذا انتشرت ستدمر كل ما وصلنا إليه‬ ‫اآلن‪ ،‬فنحن نحيا بسبب النفاق‪ ،‬ونحن لن نصير‬ ‫أي شيء من دون كلمات المديح تلك‪ ،‬والمجاملة‬ ‫التي ال تصدر من القلب‪ ،‬بل إنها تخرج فقط‬ ‫الكتساب الرضا ممن حولنا‪.‬‬

‫عشان نبسط إيل قدامنا ونعمل إيل إحنا عايزينه‪،‬‬ ‫هو ده إيل المفروض تعمله‪ .‬مش وإنت صغير‬ ‫اتعلمت إن اليد إيل ماتعرفش تلويها تبوسها‪ ،‬ولو‬ ‫إن كان لك عند الكلب حاجة قول له يا سيدي‪،‬‬ ‫وإيه كمان فاكر؟»‪ ،‬فرد يف امتعاض‪« :‬معاهم‬ ‫معاهم‪ ،‬عليهم عليهم»‪.‬‬ ‫«شاطر‪ ،‬إنت الزم تعمل كده‪ .‬عشان لو ما خفيتش‬ ‫من المرض ده‪ ،‬هنضطر نوديك المصحة قبل ما‬ ‫أي حد يعرف‪ .‬ده مرض معدي جدًا‪ ،‬ولو أي حد‬ ‫عرف إنه عندك‪ ،‬هيبعد عنك ومش هيكون عندك‬ ‫صحاب‪ ،‬ماشي يا حبيبي؟»‬

‫«إيه أخبار المدرسة يا حبيبي؟»‬ ‫«الحمد لله يا بابا»‪.‬‬ ‫«حبيبي أنا كنت عايز أسألك سؤال‪ ،‬إنت ليه ما‬ ‫ضحكتش على النكته إيل المدرسة بتاعتك قالتها‬ ‫النهاردة؟»‬ ‫«عشان مش بتضحك»‪.‬‬ ‫«طب وإزاي تقول ألختك إن إيل هي البساه‬ ‫وحش؟!»‬ ‫«عشان مش عاجبني يا بابا‪ ،‬دي الحقيقة»‪.‬‬ ‫متصنعا الرزانة‪:‬‬ ‫حاولت كتم صدمتي‪ ،‬وسألته‬ ‫ً‬ ‫«وإنت عرفت الكلمة دي منين؟»‬ ‫فأجابني بمنتهى البراءة‪:‬‬ ‫«قريت عنها‪ ،‬الحقيقة هي عكس النفاق‪».‬‬ ‫«طب جميل‪ ،‬وإنت ليه عايز تكون مش منافق؟‬ ‫ده غلط يا حبيبي‪ ،‬إحنا كلنا منافقين‪ .‬الزم تكون‬ ‫منافق كويس لو عايز تكبر وتنجح‪ ،‬أو حتى تعيش‪،‬‬ ‫الزم تكون زينا»‪.‬‬ ‫«أنا مش عاجبني إين أ كون كذاب‪ .‬أنا حبيت فكرة‬ ‫إين أقول إيل عايز أقوله وحاسس بيه»‪.‬‬ ‫«يا حبيبي ال ده مش كذب‪ ،‬إحنا بننافق بس‬

‫ولكن كل ذلك ال يقاس بحجم الكارثة التي وجدتها‬ ‫يف طيات مذكراته عندما قرأتها بعدما استسلم‬ ‫للنوم‪ .‬وجدته كات ًبا‪:‬‬ ‫«أنا ال أصدقك يا أيب‪ ،‬فأنا أشعر بأن النفاق كارتداء‬ ‫األقنعة المزيفة‪ ،‬وقد سئمت منها‪ ،‬أريد أن أ كون‬ ‫أنا‪ ،‬أن أفعل ما أريد وأن أقول ما أريد دون تملق‬ ‫أو خوف من مرض الحقيقة؛ فالحقيقة ليست ولن‬ ‫تكون أبدًا ً‬ ‫مرضا‪ .‬أنا لست بمريض‪ ،‬بل النفاق هو‬ ‫المرض ذاته! النفاق ُيكسب صاحبه مظهر االحترام‪،‬‬ ‫سموما أقوى من سم الثعبان‬ ‫ولكنه يخفي‬ ‫ً‬ ‫بداخله‪ .‬الجميع أصبحوا مثل المهرج الذي يجيد‬ ‫لعب األدوار‪ ،‬ياليق كل إنسان بوجه‪ ،‬و ُيحدثه بنغمته‬ ‫الخاصة‪ ،‬ويضرب على الوتر الذي يرضي صوته‪،‬‬ ‫ويشجي إيقاعه‪ ،‬ولكني لست بمهرج!»‬ ‫سريعا‬ ‫فوقعت المذكرات من بين يديّ‪ ،‬وهرولت‬ ‫ً‬ ‫لزوجتي‪ ،‬بأرجل تبذل قصارى جهدها أال تخذلني‪،‬‬ ‫ولسان يخرج الكلمات بصعوبة‪« :‬عارفة رقم‬ ‫مصحة الحقيقة؟!»‪.‬‬

‫‪٢٠١٨‘18‬‬ ‫كتوبر‬ ‫عدد شهر أ‬ ‫‪Oct‬‬ ‫‪issue‬‬

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‫كتبته منة هارون‬

‫يف زمن‬ ‫ص‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ل‬ ‫الرق‬ ‫ش‬ ‫ر‬ ‫«إذا كنت يف دولة النفاق‪ ،‬فاعدل بساق‪ ،‬ومل‬ ‫شاما إىل‬ ‫بساق‪ ،‬وال تحقق‪ ،‬وال تدقق‪ ،‬وانسب‬ ‫ً‬ ‫عراق‪ ،‬وال تخاصم وال تصادق‪ ،‬وقابل الكل بالعناق‬ ‫فأي شيء كأي شيء‪ ،‬بال اختالف وال اتفاق‪».‬‬

‫«يا حبيبي ال ده مش‬ ‫كذب‪ ،‬إحنا بننافق‬ ‫بس عشان نبسط‬ ‫إيل قدامنا ونعمل إيل‬ ‫إحنا عايزينه‪ ،‬هو ده‬ ‫إيل المفروض تعمله‪.‬‬ ‫مش وإنت صغير‬ ‫اتعلمت إن اليد إيل‬ ‫ماتعرفش تلويها‬ ‫تبوسها‪ ،‬ولو إن كان‬ ‫لك عند الكلب حاجة‬ ‫قول له يا سيدي‪ ،‬وإيه‬ ‫كمان فاكر؟»‪ ،‬فرد يف‬ ‫امتعاض‪« :‬معاهم‬ ‫معاهم‪ ،‬عليهم‬ ‫عليهم»‪.‬‬

‫جمد الدم يف عرويق‪ ،‬وتركني‬ ‫اليوم حدث شيء َ‬ ‫فارغ الفاه‪ .‬حدث لم أ كن أتخيل حدوثه أبدًا‪ ،‬فهو‬ ‫مرب أن يرى ابنه يمر به‪،‬‬ ‫شيء ال يريد أي أب أو‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫خصيصا يف أيامنا هذه‪.‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫يوما طبيع ًيا‪ ،‬هادئًا كأي يوم تقليدي‪ .‬أجلس‬ ‫كان ً‬ ‫يف مكتبي الفخم وأحتسي قهويت‪ ،‬أقلب األوراق‬ ‫بين يدي ببطء‪ ،‬وال اقرأ ما فيها كعاديت‪ ،‬حتى أصل‬ ‫آلخر ورقة‪ ،‬فأذهب بعيني آلخرها ألجد تلك الخانة‬ ‫التي أبحث عنها‪« :‬التوقيع»‪ .‬أمسك بقلمي ذي‬ ‫الفصوص الكرستالية‪ ،‬أخط بعض الخطوط جان ًبا‬ ‫ً‬ ‫مشكل رم ًزا هالم ًيا ال ُيفسر‪ ،‬ولكن الكل يعلم أنه‬ ‫يدل على اسمي‪ ،‬فمن ذا الذي ال يعلم من أنا يف‬ ‫تلك الشركة؟‬ ‫وها أنا أُنحي األوراق جان ًبا ألنظر إىل الشاشة‬ ‫المضيئة القابعة أمامي‪ ،‬فأتفحص الرسائل‬ ‫اإللكترونية‪ ،‬ثم أمسك الهاتف وأنا أتصنع الغضب‬ ‫مكلما أحد مساعديني‪« :‬صباح الخير يا أستاذ‪،‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫إنت مردتش على اإليميالت ليه؟»‪.‬‬ ‫«وراك إيه يا فندم‪ ،‬أنا مش عايز حجج‪ ،‬نص ساعة‬ ‫وأاليق كل اإليميالت قدامي»‪،‬‬ ‫ومن ثم أنهي مكالمتي بعد تحويل صويت إىل نبره‬ ‫مصطنعا ضحكة‪:‬‬ ‫أقل حدة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫«إنت عارف‪ ،‬أنا بس عايزك تتعلم‪ ،‬أنا بدربك‬ ‫عشان تقدر يف يوم تكون مكاين‪ .‬إنت عارف عشان‬ ‫توصل للمكان إيل أنا فيه ده محتاج تعب قد إيه‪.‬‬ ‫طبعا إنت عارف الحاجات ديه مش بالساهل‬ ‫أ كيد‬ ‫ً‬ ‫والزم تتعب جامد عشان توصلها»‪ ،‬ثم أُنهي كالمي‬ ‫حازما‪« :‬يال شوف شغلك بسرعة‪ ،‬مش عايز أي‬ ‫ً‬ ‫تأخير للعمالء‪».‬‬ ‫وبعد لحظات من تركي للهاتف‪ ،‬أشعر بهزات‬ ‫جوايل وهو يحرك ذراته جاهدًا‪ُ ،‬محتكًا بزجاج‬ ‫مكتبي‪ ،‬مصد ًرا ذلك األزيز المزعج الذي يدفعك‬ ‫سريعا لمنع االحتكاك‪،‬‬ ‫إىل االنتباه واإلمساك به‬ ‫ً‬

‫وإيقاف قشعريرة جسدك‪ .‬أنظر إىل الشاشة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫قليل‪،‬‬ ‫ألتعرف على المتصل‪ ،‬فيعبس وجهي‬ ‫ولكني أجبره على صنع ابتسامة عريضة وأجيب‬ ‫سريعا‪:‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫«ألو‪ ،‬صباح الخير على أحسن عميل عندنا يف‬ ‫الشركة‪ ،‬صباحك جميل يا باشا‪ ،‬إيه األخبار‪ ،‬وإيه‬ ‫أخبار األوالد‪ ،‬الولد الصغير واحشني جدًا‪ ،‬لسه‬ ‫شقي وال كبر؟ أما بنت سعادتك بقت بسم هللا‬ ‫ماشاءهللا عليها‪ ،‬ما تنساش أنا حاجزها البني!»‬ ‫طبعا‪ ،‬مش ناسيك! أنا شغال على تصميماتك‬ ‫«ال‬ ‫ً‬ ‫بقايل أسبوع مابنمش‪ ،‬عشر دقائق وهتاليق كل‬ ‫حاجة وصلت لك»‪.‬‬ ‫يوما مره ًقا ولكنه معتاد‪ ،‬آمر ذلك بفعل هذا‪،‬‬ ‫كان ً‬ ‫وأشكر ذلك لفعله ذاك‪ ،‬وأبتسم لتلك ألحييها على‬ ‫ذوقها الرائع يف تناسق لون حذائها مع حقيبتها؛‬ ‫ولكن ما إن عدت إىل المنزل‪ ،‬حتى شهدت ما لم‬ ‫أ كن أتوقعه ابدًا‪ ،‬فقد وجدت ابنتي تسأل ابني‬ ‫على رأيه يف ما ترتديه‪ ،‬وقد كانت ترتدي بلوزة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫وبنطال أخضر فاقع اللون‪:‬‬ ‫حمراء بها نقط صفراء‪،‬‬ ‫إنت ما بتعرفيش تختاري»‪.‬‬ ‫«وحش‪ِ ،‬‬ ‫وقفت ابنتي يف ذهول‪ .‬أظن أنها لم تفهم ما قاله‪،‬‬ ‫فهي لم تعتد تلك الكلمات‪ ،‬أو هذه اللهجة يف‬ ‫الكالم‪ ،‬بينما تركها ابني وأ كمل مسيره إىل غرفته‪،‬‬ ‫وكأنه لم يفعل شيئًا‪.‬‬ ‫ولكن تلك كانت البداية فقط‪ ،‬فقد جاءين هاتف‬ ‫من مد ّرسته يف الفصل‪ ،‬وكانت تتكلم بلهجة حذرة‬ ‫أثارت القلق يف جميع خاليا جسدي‪:‬‬ ‫«مساء الخير يا أستاذ‪ .‬آسفة لو كنت بكلمك‬ ‫يف وقت مش مناسب‪ ،‬بس أنا قلقانة على ابن‬ ‫حضرتك خالص‪ ،‬تصرفاته يف المدرسة ما بقتش‬ ‫تطمن‪ ،‬وحضرتك عارف مصلحة األوالد هي أهم‬ ‫حاجة عندنا‪ ،‬وبالذات ابن حضرتك‪ .‬أنا بعامله زي‬ ‫ابني بالضبط»‪.‬‬ ‫فأجبتها ومستوى قلقي قد فاق عن المعدل‬ ‫الطبيعي بمراحل‪:‬‬ ‫أرجوك ما تقليقنيش أ كتر من‬ ‫«خير إيه الحاصل؟‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫كده!»‬ ‫فأجابت بنفس اللهجة القلقة‪:‬‬ ‫«ابن حضرتك النهاردة كان الوحيد إيل ماضحكش‬

‫‪١٧‬‬ ‫صفحة‬ ‫‪Page‬‬ ‫‪54‬‬

‫يف محاولة جادة إلقناع سالم بأهمية مد نسل عائلته لجيل جديد عن طريق‬ ‫مشاركته زوجته (التي لم يلتقيها بعد) يف إنجاب فرد جديد يحمل لقب‬ ‫العائلة‪ ،‬قرر أبو وأم سالم التطرق إىل أسباب جديدة عن تلك التي عاد ًة‬ ‫ما يلجآن إليها‪ ،‬وتدوينها يف دفتر الستخدامها الح ًقا يف محاوالتهما إلقناعه‪،‬‬ ‫متأن وأيقنا باستحالة وعي سالم بها‪،‬‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫أسباب كانا قد توصال إليها بعد تفكير ٍ‬ ‫أو بجحوده غير المبرر يف حالة وعيه بها واستمراره لرفض اإلنجاب‪ .‬تفادى أبو‬ ‫وأم سالم التركيز على األسباب المتمحورة حول الشكل العام وحقهم العريف‬ ‫جها تركيزهما إىل أسباب أ كثر عصرية ‪ -‬أسباب تمس‬ ‫يف الفخر بولد الولد‪ ،‬وو ّ‬ ‫حياة سالم‪ ،‬الشاب «المنزوي»‪.‬‬ ‫حتما يخشى‬ ‫سالما‪ ،‬كبايق الناس‪،‬‬ ‫تصدّرت تلك األسباب الجديدة قناع ُة أن‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫الوحدة‪ ،‬لذلك وجب عليه تفاديها من خالل تبنيه أ كثر الحلول سهول ًة ‪ -‬أن‬ ‫يتسبب يف إيجاد فرد جديد فقط ليعفيه أرق الوحدة‪ .‬هذه المرة لم يغفل‬ ‫أبو وأم سالم عن تأمل الردود المحتملة لتلك الحجة والحجج األخرى التي‬ ‫صاغاها بعناية استعدادًا لمواجهة سالم لمساعدته يف حسم قراره باإلنجاب‪.‬‬ ‫فقد نما إىل وعيهما أن سالم‪ ،‬لنزعته لتعقيد األمور‪ ،‬سيستنكر تلك الحجة‬ ‫باعتبار أن الوحدة أسهل أن ُتحل أو ُتخ َّفف بالعالقات التي ال تقتضي التسبب‬ ‫يف إيجاد فرد جديد يحمل نصف مخزونه الجيني الذي يكرهه لنقائصه‬ ‫المحبطة وزوائده التي بغير محلها‪ .‬لذا‪ ،‬ج ّهزا حجتين مع ّززتين أولتهما أن االبن‬ ‫باق وسيكون له عونًا عندما يتقدم به العمر‪ ،‬وثانيتهما أن وجود االبن يوطد‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫عالقته بزوجته (التي لم يلتقيها بعد) ويعلمه المسؤولية‪ .‬كان تبني منظور‬ ‫سالم للنظر إىل األمور صع ًبا على الرغم من فعاليته يف توقع طبيعة ومنطلق‬ ‫استجاباته للحجج المعروضة عليه‪ .‬حيث استنتج أبو وأم سالم أنه على الرغم‬ ‫جز عن اتخاذ أي‬ ‫من العقالنية والمسؤولية الظاهريتين لهذا المنظور‪ ،‬فإنه مع ِّ‬ ‫قرار حقيقي‪ .‬لذلك قررا بأن يضعا حدًا لألسئلة التي سيدرها هذا المنظور‬ ‫ً‬ ‫فمثل لم يخصصا وقتًا للتفكير يف صعوبة الجزم‬ ‫كلما استقبل حجة جديدة‪،‬‬ ‫بأن الحفيد المنتظر هو من سيعتني بأبيه يف أواخر سنينه‪ ،‬أو بأن عالقة سالم‬ ‫حتما ستحقق استقرارها المنشود بطفل‪ ،‬لما‬ ‫بزوجته (التي لم يلتقيها بعد)‬ ‫ً‬ ‫يف تلك األفكار من نزعة تشاؤمية‪.‬‬ ‫السبب الثاين‪ :‬أن يف رفض اإلنجاب تمرد غير مثمر ومعاداة لسيرورة الطبيعة‪،‬‬ ‫فمن منطلق أننا فانون وأن إنجازاتنا (المادية والمعنوية)‪ ،‬مهما بلغ مدى‬ ‫تأثيرها ‪ -‬وبغض النظر عن نسبية المعايير المتبناة يف تقييمها ‪ -‬فانية هي‬ ‫األخرى‪ ،‬أليس من األوىل أن نضمن بقاء نسلنا ليستفيد بما سنخلّفه أو لينجح‬ ‫فيما فشلنا يف تحقيقه؟ تلك اإلنجازات التي يمكن الجزم بأن كل األجيال‬ ‫القادمة ستقدّرها بنفس درجة تقديرنا لها‪ .‬توقع أبو وأم سالم هنا ردًا على‬ ‫حمل‬ ‫شاكلة أن سالم نفسه لم يختر أن يكون موجودًا من األساس حتى ُي ّ‬ ‫جز‪ ،‬وأنه يعافر ليوفر لحياته معنى ثابت يمنحه أي‬ ‫مسؤولية إ كمال ما لم ُين َ‬ ‫درجة من االستقرار‪ ،‬أو على األقل مشتتات تلهيه عن التفكير يف مثل هذه‬ ‫األمور‪ ،‬وأن يف محاولة تقديم خيار اإلنجاب كموفر لهدف لحياته تحايل على‬ ‫غياب هدف موضوعي من خالل إدخال فرد جديد يأخد مكانه يف دائرة العنت‪،‬‬ ‫ويعفيه مسؤولية التفكير يف هذا الصدد‪ .‬هنا جه ّزا ردًا يتمثل يف أن الحياة‬ ‫رغما عن غياب المعنى ودون اعتبار لما نظن أننا نعلمه أو نجهله‪ ،‬مما‬ ‫تمضي‬ ‫ً‬ ‫خصوصا بالنظر إىل سهولة اتخاذه من‬ ‫يقلل من الحاجة إىل دراسة قرار اإلنجاب‬ ‫ً‬ ‫قبل الكثيرين‪ ،‬وأنه ليس لنا أن نصادر على األجيال الجديدة حق التخبط يف‬

‫‪AUC Times‬‬ ‫‪AUC‬‬ ‫‪Times‬‬

‫حتما جميلة ‪ ..‬وال يمكن أن تكون‬ ‫تلك العشوائية الجميلة‪ ،‬ألن تلك العشوائية‬ ‫ً‬ ‫إال جميلة‪.‬‬ ‫السبب الثالث‪ :‬أن يف حالة تقريره اإلنجاب‪ ،‬ستتسنى له فرصة فريدة يف أن‬ ‫يشتت ترا كمات غضبه المكتوم يف دفعات يوجهها إىل ابنه كلما خ ّيب ظنه‪،‬‬ ‫واع‬ ‫تلك الترا كمات المتكونة من خيبات أمل وعدم رضا بالنفس وتقاعس ٍ‬ ‫عن فعل ما كان يجب فعله يف سنينه الفائتة‪ .‬المثير يف هذا السبب أنه يخلق‬ ‫مساحة من تق ّبل النفس تتسع كلما عجزت الذرية عن تحقيق المأمول منها‬ ‫جا يبعث تأمله على‬ ‫يف ظل توفير جميع مقومات النجاح‪ ،‬حتى تصبح نموذ ً‬ ‫الرضا بالنفس‪ ،‬ويعزز قناعة أن ما تم تفويته يف السنين الضائعة ُمغتفر ‪-‬‬ ‫فالجيل الجديد فشل هو اآلخر برغم ما أتيح له من تسهيالت‪ .‬توقع أبو وأم‬ ‫سالم هنا أن يندد ابنهما بتلك الدعوة الصريحة بتفريغ غضبه على من ال‬ ‫يستحقه لما سيتركه يف نفسه من آثار سلبية ستستمر معه وتؤثر على قراراته‬ ‫يف المستقبل‪ ،‬لكنهما تذكرا أن سالم لم يعاين من أي مشكلة مع اتباعهما‬ ‫فدائما ما بدا لهما صح ًيا على المستويين العقلي والسلوكي‪،‬‬ ‫لتلك الممارسة‪،‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫طبعا قراره بعدم اإلنجاب‪.‬‬ ‫باستثناء‬ ‫ً‬ ‫السبب الرابع‪ :‬على الرغم من نقائصه المزعومة وعدم جاهزيته‪ ،‬يظل سالم‬ ‫ً‬ ‫مسؤول بالمقارنة مع أقرانه ال ُرعن‪ ،‬مما له أن يس ّوغ قرار اإلنجاب‪ .‬فحتى‬ ‫شابًا‬ ‫ً‬ ‫مسؤول مثله‬ ‫إذا لم يكن ُمل ًِّما بما تقتضيه األب ّوة‪ ،‬فإنه على األقل سينتج فردًا‬ ‫أو‪ ،‬يف أسوأ االحتماالت‪ ،‬أقل تشوهًا من المتوسط السائد‪ .‬ليس هناك ما يجبر‬ ‫سالم على فرض معايير صارمة على تربيته البنه‪ ،‬فما الداعي إىل تأنيب‬ ‫النفس على فشلها يف تحقيق توقعات فرضتها هي يف حين أن ال أحد يعبأ‬ ‫بمالقاة حتى نصف تلك التوقعات؟ ال عيب يف استثمار الثقة المتكونة عن‬ ‫كاف لإلقدام على اإلنجاب‪ ،‬فمادام‬ ‫تأمل النماذج غير الناجحة وأخذها كمحرك‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫الناتج النهايئ فوق المتوسط ‪ ..‬فما أقصى ضرر يمكن أن ينتج؟ تذكرا هنا لفظ‬ ‫دائما ما يستخدمه سالم يف وصف مجهوداته يف تحقيق‬ ‫«ميديوكر» الذي‬ ‫ً‬ ‫المأمول وفو ًرا ق ّررا توظيفه يف إيصال فكرتهما من خالل إيضاح أن هنالك‬ ‫نوعا ما‬ ‫درجات للـ«ميديوكر»‪ ،‬وأنه ال ضرر من حياة تحتل درجة مرتفعة‪ ،‬بعيدة ً‬ ‫عن المتوسط على مقياس الميديوكر‪.‬‬ ‫خرج سالم من غرفته ويف يده دفتر متوسط الحجم‪ ،‬وح ّيا والديه ثم جلس‬ ‫أمامهما يف صمت كسرته أمه بسؤالها عن دراسته‪ .‬رد سالم باقتضاب ُم َط ْمئنًا‬ ‫أمه على نتائج الفصل الدراسي رغم صعوبته‪ ،‬ثم شكرها على فتح موضوع‬ ‫أراد مناقشتهما فيه منذ فترة طويلة‪ .‬فتح الدفتر عند صفحة معينة كان قد‬ ‫عنونها بـ «أسباب تجعلني أدرس الفلسفة وأترك الهندسة»‪ ،‬وبدأ يف سرد‬ ‫أسبابه لتغيير مجال دراسته بعد اجتيازه ثالثة سنوات من كلية الهندسة‪.‬‬ ‫أغلق أبو سالم دفتره‪ ،‬وتنهد ثم أعاد فتحه على صفحة يعود تاريخها إىل ثالث‬ ‫جل فيها أسبابًا تجعل الهندسة الخيار األنسب لسالم‪ ،‬وبدأ بأخذ‬ ‫سنوات‪ ،‬س ّ‬ ‫مالحظات جديدة على الهامش‪ .‬بعد أن انتهى سالم من عرض أسبابه‪ ،‬ساد‬ ‫جميعا طريقة‬ ‫الصمت لدقائق تالها اقتراح أبو سالم البنه وزوجته بأن يتركوا‬ ‫ً‬ ‫«الدفتر» يف الحوار لفشلها المتكرر يف تحقيق تزامن بين الموضوعات المراد‬ ‫مناقشتها بينهم‪ ،‬وأنه من األفضل أن يكون الحوار بينهم أ كثر تلقائية‪ .‬وافقت‬ ‫أم سالم ووافق سالم ثم ساد الصمت مرة أخرى‪.‬‬

‫‪٢٠١٨‘18‬‬ ‫كتوبر‬ ‫عدد شهر أ‬ ‫‪Oct‬‬ ‫‪issue‬‬

‫‪١٦‬‬ ‫صفحة‬ ‫‪Page‬‬ ‫‪55‬‬

‫كتبه عمرو عليم‬

‫أبو وأم‬

‫)‬ ‫ن‬ ‫س‬ ‫و(اب‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ل‬ ‫م‬

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‫‪AUC Times‬‬ ‫‪AUC‬‬ ‫‪Times‬‬

‫كتبته ساره زكي‬

‫ناو وات؟‬ ‫تخيل عزيزي القارئ أن اليوم هو يوم التخرج! إنه يومك األخير يف حياة أطول‬ ‫نشاط ظللت تفعله طوال حياتك‪ .‬اآلن فقط يمكنك أن تخطو خطى ثابتة يف‬ ‫طريقك نحو االستقاللية التي يحلم بها أي شخص يف مقتبل حياته‪ .‬ال شيء‬ ‫اآلن قد يعثرك! أو هكذا ظننت أنا‪...‬‬ ‫مشاعر مختلطة تتصارع داخل فؤادي‪ ،‬فلم أعلم إن كان علي أن أغتبط كل‬ ‫هذه الغبطة أم ال‪ .‬مغادرة مكان تكونت فيه أجمل أيام حيايت‪ ،‬حاملة كمية ال‬ ‫بأس بها من الذكريات ليس هينًا مما ال شك فيه‪ ،‬ولكن كل ما كان يجول‬ ‫بخاطري يف تلك اللحظة إنه لربما يضع هذا اليوم ح ً​ًدا لقيو ٍد عدة فرضت علي‪،‬‬ ‫وضغط نفسي ال نهايئ‪.‬‬ ‫الجميع يصبحون يف ذروة حكمتهم حين تتخرج‪ .‬نصائحهم لم تتوقف من‬ ‫علي من كل صوب وحدب‪ ،‬فمنهم من حذرين من صعوبة المرحلة‬ ‫الهطول‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫المقبلة‪ ،‬ومنهم من هنأين‪ ،‬فأنا أصبحت مسؤولة مسؤولية كاملة عن‬ ‫مصاريفي الشخصية وما شابه‪ .‬لم أعر ضجيجهم المحيط يب أي اهتمام‪ ،‬فقد‬ ‫كان شغلي الشاغل هو االستمتاع بتلك الفترة االنتقالية‪ ،‬فليس علي المذا كرة‬ ‫أو حضور امتحانات بعد اليوم‪.‬‬ ‫األيام ال زالت متشابهة‪ ،‬ولكن باختالف نوع الضغوط الملقاة على عاتقي‪ .‬بعد‬ ‫رأسا على عقب‪ ،‬وتصبح حقل تجاربهم‬ ‫التخرج‪ ،‬تنقلب توقعات الناس منك ً‬ ‫الجديد‪ ،‬فمن المفترض بعد انتهايئ من هذا القسط من الراحة المؤقتة‪ ،‬أن ابدأ‬ ‫رحلة شاقة طويلة من البحث المكثف عن وظائف‪ .‬المقصود هنا بالوظائف‬ ‫بأي شيء يجلب األموال بغض النظر عن الهدف أو المحتوى‪ ،‬فقد تحولت‬ ‫مهمتي يف الحياة إىل أن أصبح آلة مهتمة فقط بجمع األموال يف أسرع‬ ‫وقت‪ ،‬فهذا ما وجدنا عليه آباءنا‪ .‬لقد تعلمت طوال السنين الماضية أن دور‬ ‫المهندس هو إفادة المجتمع عن طريق حل مشاكلهم وتسهيل حياتهم عن‬ ‫طريق العلم‪ ،‬فأين ذهبت كل تلك المبادئ؟ أصبح رفضي لهذا الفعل بالنسبة‬ ‫ألهلي تذم ًرا و تمردًا ال داعي له‪ ،‬فكل الخريجين عليهم أن يسلكوا الطريق‬ ‫الصعب يف البداية «عشان يرتاحوا بعدين»‪.‬‬ ‫كانت لدي توقعات أخرى لهذه الفترة‪ ،‬فقد كنت أنتظر بفارغ الصبر أن أعيد‬ ‫ا كتشاف نفسي‪ ،‬فأنا ظللت حبيسة هذا البكالوريوس اللعين لمدة ‪ ٥‬سنوات‬ ‫متصلة‪ ،‬امتصت كل ما بداخلي من طاقة وحب لالستطالع‪.‬‬ ‫مع مرور الوقت‪ ،‬بدأت أنصاع ألفكار من حويل‪ .‬أصبحت أفكر بشكل مستمر يف‬ ‫حيايت المهنية‪ ،‬على الرغم أنه ال زال من المبكر جدًا علي االنضمام لهذا العالم‪،‬‬ ‫فأنا ال زلت متخوفة من تلك الحياة الجديدة‪ .‬تقدمت للعشرات من الوظائف‪،‬‬ ‫كل يوم أبحث وأبحث‪ ،‬ولكن بال أي نتائج سوى الرفض‪ .‬حتى اآلن‪ ،‬أنا لست‬ ‫مقتنعة كل ًيا بما أعمل فيه‪ ،‬و لكن ليس لدي أي خيار‪ .‬ال أجد جوابًا ممن‬ ‫تقدمت اليهم‪ ،‬وعندما أ كون يف قمة حظي السعيد كان طلبي يالىق بالرفض‪.‬‬

‫ا كتشفت أن تخبطي ما هو إال شيء طبيعي يف هذه المرحلة الهامة‪ .‬اتخاذ‬ ‫قرارات بتلك المصيرية هو فعل لم أعتده طوال حيايت‪ .‬قراراتنا الخاطئة ما هي‬ ‫إال دروس حياتية مصغرة‪ ،‬واندفاعي يف قرار البحث عن وظيفة دون اقتناع‬ ‫حتما‬ ‫دائما‪ ،‬ولكنها‬ ‫أو تفكير مسبق هو ربما خطأ من سلسلة أخطاء قد تأيت‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ليست النهاية مادمت أتعلم‪.‬‬ ‫«ال تقبل بحياة ال تشعر فيها بالحياة» ‪ -‬شمس التبريزي‪.‬‬

‫تصوير ياسمين النواوى‬

‫ما الخطأ الذي اقترفته حتى ال يلتفت أحد لتقدمي للوظيفة؟ هل ينقصني‬ ‫شيء؟ هل مهارايت ودراستي غير كافية؟ البد وأن هناك خطأ ما إما متعلق‬ ‫يب أو بهم‪ .‬إجماع الناس على رفضي جعل الريبة تتمكن مني وجعل ثقتي‬ ‫بقدرايت تهتز‪ .‬الحزن يتملك قلبي‪ ،‬فهديف الزائف أصبح يف مهب الريح‪،‬‬ ‫ومستقبلي أصبح إىل زوال‪.‬‬ ‫لم أنا حزينة؟ أنا‬ ‫مستقبلي إىل زوال؟ هل هذه هي نهاية المطاف بالنسبة يل؟ َ‬ ‫لست مستعدة بعد‪ .‬ليس من الطبيعي أن أحزن على شيء لم أرده قط‪ .‬ليس‬ ‫من الطبيعي أن أشعر بخذالن كل من نصحوين بسلك هذا الطريق‪ .‬ليس علي‬ ‫أن أحقق أحالم الناس على حساب راحتي‪.‬‬

‫‪٢٠١٨‘18‬‬ ‫كتوبر‬ ‫عدد شهر أ‬ ‫‪Oct‬‬ ‫‪issue‬‬

‫‪١٤‬‬ ‫صفحة‬ ‫‪Page‬‬ ‫‪57‬‬

‫ج‬ ‫و‬ ‫د‬ ‫و‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ح‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ه‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ة‬ ‫‪،‬‬ ‫كتبه فادي صفوت‬

‫أم أ كذوبة عالم وهمي؟‬

‫تصوير نيللي عشماوي‬ ‫افتكرت لما كان عندي ‪ ١٨‬سنة‪ ،‬كنت بخرج يف‬ ‫البلكونة الساعة ‪ ٦‬الصبح علشان أجرب أتنفس‪،‬‬ ‫وأسأل نفسي هو أنا لسه عايش النهارده؟ كنت‬ ‫ً‬ ‫فعل موجود‪،‬‬ ‫محتار يف سبب وجودي‪ .‬ده لو كنت‬ ‫والوجود ما انتهاش‪ ،‬ودلوقتي متلخبط يف التشابه‬ ‫بين العالم األرضي والعالم اآلخر‪ .‬افتراض إين‬ ‫أ كون ُمت ودخلت النار‪ ،‬وهي دي النار اللي أنا‬ ‫عايش فيها وارد‪.‬‬

‫ ‬ ‫كنت بقعد أفكر يف الروبوت ومشاعره تجاه حياته‬ ‫المليانة إنجازات ونجاح‪ ،‬والمعنى ورا كل حاجة‬ ‫بيعملها‪ .‬مش قادر أتخيل حياته ممكن تكون‬ ‫ناجحة إزاي من غير معنى ألفعاله‪ .‬زي ما أنا مش‬ ‫اليق معنى ألفعايل‪ ،‬وحيايت ضايعة‪ ،‬بدور على‬ ‫حقيقة وجودي اللي خايف يكون وهم بقنع بيه‬ ‫نفسي علشان أ كمل يف كدبة الحياة‪.‬‬

‫افتكرت الوقت اللي بقضيه بالليل قبل ما أنام‪،‬‬ ‫وأنا براجع حصالة إنجازات اليوم النهاردة‪ ،‬وأشوفها‬ ‫إتملت أد إيه‪ .‬بس بالقيها فاضية وخفيفة‪ ،‬ما‬ ‫اختلفتش عن إمبارح‪ .‬يعني إمبارح هو النهاردة!‬ ‫وبكرة أ كيد شبههم‪ .‬لسه هصحى تاين يوم أذا كر‬ ‫العريب‪ ،‬وأحفظ معاين الكلمات المختلفة‪ .‬ما هي لو‬ ‫مكنتش مختلفة‪ ،‬مكنش هيبقى ليها معاين وكنت‬ ‫ارتحت‪ .‬كانت هتبقي زي الحياة‪ ،‬ليها معنى واحد‬ ‫باهت‪ :‬ال معنى مش موجود‪.‬‬ ‫بسأل نفسي‪ :‬هو أنا وجودي هنا صح وال غلط؟ لو‬ ‫وجودي ليه تأثيرات جانبية متعبة‪ ،‬يبقى أحسن‬

‫مكنش موجود! كتير بقول لنفسي إن ده وهم‬ ‫ومش حقيقي‪ ،‬وبشوف إن المعنى اللي بيسيبه‬ ‫وجودي هو أ كبر بكتير من أي تأثيرات هتاخد وقتها‬ ‫وتنتهي‪ .‬المعنى بيكمل‪ ،‬لكن المشكلة هيجيلها‬ ‫وقت وتنتهي‪ .‬بس برضه برجع أتشكك بعد كده‪.‬‬ ‫بتشكك كتير يف سؤال هو إيه اللي بيخلي األم‬ ‫موجودة مع طفلها؟ وليه إحنا موجودين ومعانا‬ ‫ناس تانية؟ ده لو كانت الناس التانية كمان‬ ‫حاسين إنهم بوجودهم؟ فكرت كتير يف فيلم ‪toy‬‬ ‫‪ ،story‬وعن وجود اللعب وحياتهم زينا‪ .‬ده كان‬ ‫السؤال الوحيد اللي ليه إجابة سهلة عندي‪ .‬إجابة‬ ‫إنه وارد يحصل‪ .‬اللي خالين أفكر يف وجودهم‬ ‫دايما موجودين معانا‪ ،‬إننا‬ ‫وحقيقتهم إنهم‬ ‫ً‬ ‫بنسيبهم وبنرجع نالقيهم مستنينا‪ .‬عايزنا ومش‬ ‫رافضين إننا نتكلم معاهم‪ .‬مبيزهقوش مننا‪ .‬دايما‬ ‫بيتحضنوا ويحضنونا‪ .‬وكتير بيناموا جنبنا‪ .‬علشان‬ ‫هما بيحبونا و عايزين يفضلوا قاعدين معانا‪.‬‬ ‫وجودهم بيدي إحساس بوجودنا‪ .‬ووجود كل حد‬ ‫حوالينا هو وجود لينا إحنا نفسنا‪.‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫فعل حاسس بنفسي وأنا بتنفس‪،‬‬ ‫بس النهارده أنا‬ ‫ألين حاسس بالحياة‪ .‬حاسس إن يف وجود حواليا‬ ‫وحركة جوايا‪ ،‬الحركة دي هي إحساسي بالحياة‪.‬‬ ‫كتير بتوتر بخصوص بكرة‪ ،‬وإن يف حاجات كتير‬ ‫محتاج أخلصها‪ ،‬وإن الدنيا هتخرب بكرة لو ما‬ ‫أنجزتش كل ده‪ ،‬بس اتاكدت بعدين إن الحياة‬ ‫مش طالبة مني غير وجودي‪ ،‬ومش طالبة إين‬

‫أموت نفسي علشان الحياة تتعاش‪ ،‬هي هتتعاش‬ ‫بوجودي وبكل نفس حقيقي بتنفسه‪.‬‬ ‫دايما علشان أشفق على نفسي المسكينة‪،‬‬ ‫كنت‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أقولها إن الحياة النهارده مش محتاجة منك غير‬ ‫إنك تكوين موجودة‪ .‬مش مطلوب منك أي حاجة‬ ‫تانية أ كتر من كدة النهارده‪ ،‬مش الزم أفكر يف بكرة‪،‬‬ ‫أنا موجود بس النهاردة لغاية ما أنام‪ ،‬وجودك بس‬ ‫كفاية وده بيدي معنى للحياة‪ .‬أنا مش مركز الكون‬ ‫لكن أنا موجود جواه‪ ،‬وأنا سبب وجوده الحقيقي‪،‬‬ ‫يبقى وجودي النهارده ده وحده كفيل إن الكون‬ ‫يتنفس‪.‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫فعل موجود‬ ‫فكرت كتير يف وجود اإلله ولو هو‬ ‫وإحنا موجودين‪ .‬يبقي هو إدانا وجود زي وجوده‪.‬‬ ‫وجود وسط الخليقة مع وجوده‪ .‬اللي مكنش حاجة‬ ‫بقي موجود واإلله كمان موجود‪.‬‬ ‫بقينا موجودين يف روح وجسد بيتنفسوا‪،‬‬ ‫وبيشاركوه الوجود يف الطبيعة والكون‪ .‬اتالمسنا‬ ‫مع حب اإلله يف أبسط صورة أولية للحب‪ ،‬وهي‬ ‫الوجود يف حياة اللي بتحبه‪ .‬حب وشركة يف الوجود‪.‬‬ ‫دلوقتي أنا عندي كل يوم جديد بيكون هدية‬ ‫مستنيني النهارده أ كون موجود فيه‪.‬‬ ‫متيقن إن اإلله موجود‪ ،‬واإلحساس بوجوده بيدي‬ ‫األمان وسط غياب كل شيء‪ .‬حتي لو أنا مش‬ ‫حاسس بوجودي أو وجود أي شيء‪ ،‬فأنا متأكد إنه‬ ‫موجود‪ .‬حتى اللي ما يعرفهوش‪ ،‬عارف إنه موجود‪.‬‬ ‫يف أي ديانة هو موجود‪ ،‬وطالما أوجدنا وأشركنا‬ ‫معه فأكيد مش هيبخل علينا بوجوده اللي‬ ‫بنلمس معاه وجودنا‪.‬‬

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‫‪AUC Times‬‬ ‫‪AUC‬‬ ‫‪Times‬‬

‫المصدر‪elcinema.com :‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫وجمال عن أفالم عواد التي سبقته‪ ،‬على‬ ‫حا‬ ‫جمو ً‬ ‫وتشاؤما‪ ،‬ولعله أحد‬ ‫الرغم من أنه األكثر قتامة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أهم األفالم التي قدمت لنا رؤية مغايرة للمجتمع‬ ‫يف عهد مبارك ‪ .‬مهدي ( يحيى الفخراين) يعيش‬ ‫حياة تعيسة‪ ،‬ويقابل أزمات الشباب المعتادة‬ ‫كأزمة السكن والزواج‪ .‬يف أول مشهد نرى مهدي‬ ‫يتحدث مع مقاول تلقى منه أج ًرا منذ خمس‬ ‫سنوات‪ ،‬ليحجز له شقة حتى يستطيع الزواج من‬ ‫خطيبته (عبلة كامل)‪ .‬يفاجأ مهدي بأن المكان ال‬ ‫زال صحراء جرداء على الرغم من كالم المقاول بأن‬ ‫عملية البناء ال تتوقف‪ ،‬وحين يسأله مهدي عن‬ ‫الخوازيق الالزمة للبناء‪ ،‬يجيب المقاول‪« :‬خوازيقنا‬ ‫مابتتشفش»‪ ،‬فينظر له مهدي بتعجب ليعلق‬ ‫المقاول‪« :‬متبصليش‪ ،‬بص لمستقبلك»‪ ،‬مشي ًرا‬ ‫إىل الخالء‪ .‬الحديث عن المستقبل هو الهاجس‬ ‫خصوصا مع ضعف‬ ‫الذي يسيطر على مهدي‪،‬‬ ‫ً‬

‫إمكانياته المادية وسط مجتمع تتوحش فيه‬ ‫الثقافة االستهالكية‪ ،‬فيسمع مهدي نصيحة عالم‬ ‫أمريكي ( علي حسنين ) بالتلفزيون‪ .‬تضمنت‬ ‫النصيحة ً‬ ‫حل لمشاكل المواطن‪ ،‬وهي ضرورة‬ ‫التجمد حتى تنتهي مشاكل الحاضر‪ ،‬فيقوم مهدي‬ ‫بعزل نفسه داخل ثالجة‪ ،‬ولكن حتى العزلة ال‬ ‫ترحمه من بطش السلطة بعد أن يقبض عليه‬ ‫بسبب جريمة ملفقة‪ .‬بعد إعدام مهدي‪ ،‬يجد نفسه‬ ‫يف ثالجة المشرحة وسط بشر يرون فيه الزعامة‬ ‫والمهدي المنتظر الذي سيقودهم للحرية يف‬ ‫مواجهة الشرطة التي ترغب يف ترك أجسادهم‬ ‫للعفن‪ .‬الصدام بين الطرفين ينتهي بإجهاض ثورة‬ ‫مهدي ورفاقه لصالح النظام‪ ،‬ليستمر االستقرار‪،‬‬ ‫أو جبل الجليد الذي يحاط به الوطن‪ .‬توقف عواد‬ ‫عن الكتابة بعدها لما يقارب عشر سنوات‪ ،‬ليعود‬ ‫بسيناريو متوسط القيمة حوله المخرج سعيد‬

‫حامد لميلودراما ركيكة‪ .‬بينما على الجانب اآلخر‪،‬‬ ‫تعددت نجاحات شريف عرفة مع كتاب كبار‬ ‫كوحيد حامد‪ ،‬أو كتاب يف بداية توهجهم كأحمد‬ ‫عبدهللا واألخوان محمد وخالد دياب‪.‬‬ ‫يذكر شريف عرفة يف إحدى حواراته‪ ،‬أن ما كان‬ ‫يشغل تفكيره هو وصديقه ماهر عواد هو الحس‬ ‫اإلنساين الذي يلمسه المشاهد‪ ،‬وليس طرح‬ ‫القضايا الكبرى التي تتحكم األيديولوجيا يف طرحها‪،‬‬ ‫فالقضية يف تلك األفالم هي أحالم شخصيات‬ ‫بسيطة تصطدم دفء مشاعرها بطنطنة‬ ‫المتسلحين‪ ،‬بصكوك حب الوطن‪ ،‬ليهتف عرفة‬ ‫وعواد مع أصدقائهم حمص وحالوة‪« :‬هتشوفوا‬ ‫طريقنا مودي لفين‪ ،‬على ما تهل سنة ألفين‪،‬‬ ‫حنكون فوق وأطول واحد فيكو حايجي تحت ركبنا‬ ‫بشبرين»‪.‬‬

‫‪٢٠١٨‘18‬‬ ‫كتوبر‬ ‫عدد شهر أ‬ ‫‪Oct‬‬ ‫‪issue‬‬

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‫كتبه عمر أبوحمر‬

‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ح‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ا‬ ‫م‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ن‬ ‫م‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ي‬ ‫س‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ماهر عواد وشريف عرفة‬

‫مع نهاية عقد الثمانينات‪ ،‬سطع الثنايئ الموهوب‬ ‫ماهر عواد وشريف عرفة بمجموعة من األفالم‬ ‫المتميزة والمختلفة عن كل ما تقدمه السينما‬ ‫المصرية‪ .‬خصوصية أعمال الثنايئ جاءت من‬ ‫محاكاتها للواقع بشكل ساخر دون صخب أو‬ ‫كليشيهات «أفالم المهمشين»؛ فلن تجد يف تلك‬ ‫األعمال صرخات مصطنعة تحاول شحذ الدموع‪،‬‬ ‫أو شعارات جوفاء تعطي الحق لصناع الفيلم‬ ‫عالما ساح ًرا يموج‬ ‫بوعظ المشاهد‪ ،‬ولكنك ستجد‬ ‫ً‬ ‫بالمشاعر‪ ،‬وتصطدم عواطف شخصياته بوجدانك‬ ‫تماما داخل عالمهم‪.‬‬ ‫حتى تغوص‬ ‫ً‬ ‫قويل يا باشا (كلمة رضوان المفضلة)‬ ‫من الواضح أن عواد و عرفة لم يرغبا يف تقديم‬ ‫الصورة النمطية للمهمش التي تفترض أن‬ ‫المهمش فقط هو الفقير الذي ال تخرج صراعاته‬ ‫عن دائرة المادة‪ ،‬لكن الصراع بين المهمشين‬ ‫والسلطة هو صراع على الحرية‪ ،‬بل على قيمة‬ ‫الحياة نفسها‪ .‬يف الفيلم األول «األقزام قادمون»‪،‬‬ ‫يكتشف المخرج شهاب (يحيى الفخراين) أن‬ ‫حياته غارقة يف الزيف والنفاق‪ ،‬بعد أن أخرج‬ ‫مجموعة من اإلعالنات عن ديسكو‪ ،‬لينجح يف‬ ‫جذب مجموعة كبيرة من الشباب الذين يلقون‬ ‫حتفهم بحريق الديسكو‪ .‬يبدأ شهاب بالتساؤل عن‬ ‫عموما‪ .‬يهرب شهاب‬ ‫قيمة عمله وعن دوره بالحياة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫إىل منطقة معزولة ليريح أعصابه‪ ،‬فيكتشف عالم‬ ‫األقزام البسيط العاشق للحياة والهارب من قيود‬ ‫رأس المال‪ .‬التناقض الذي قدمه عرفة بين صورة‬ ‫العالقات العاطفية والمشحونة بالمودة بين األقزام‬ ‫وبين صخب المدينة بماديتها‪ ،‬واألغنية التي كتبها‬ ‫الشاعر الكبير عصام عبدهللا بالفيلم‪ ،‬يسهالن على‬ ‫المشاهد استيعاب التغيير الراديكايل يف حياة‬ ‫شهاب‪ .‬الصدام يحدث بين العالمين‪ ،‬حين يحاول‬ ‫أحد رجال األعمال رضوان (جميل راتب) االستيالء‬ ‫على أرض األقزام لبناء أحد مشروعاته‪ .‬الثورة هي‬ ‫منفذ األقزام الوحيد لكي يعود لهم حقهم المهدور‪،‬‬

‫وهي ً‬ ‫أيضا النتيجة المفضلة عند عواد للصراع بين‬ ‫هذين العالمين يف أغلب أفالمه‪.‬‬ ‫بقى لنا درع وسيف‬ ‫يقدم فيلم الدرجة التالتة فانتازيا عن عالم كرة‬ ‫القدم‪ ،‬ليصبح الصراع بين إدارة إحدى النوادي‬ ‫و جمهور الدرجة التالتة‪ ،‬والذي يقوم أحد أفراده‬ ‫(أحمد زكي) بسرقة كأس البطولة لشعوره بأنه من‬ ‫حق الجمهور الذي كافح من أجل فريقه‪ .‬السؤال‬ ‫عن أحقية إدارة النادي باالحتفاظ بالبطوالت‪،‬‬ ‫يشبه سؤال يوسف إدريس حول عبثية فكرة‬ ‫وجود السيد والعبد يف رائعته «الفرافير»‪ ،‬ولكن‬ ‫بالفيلم‪ ،‬نجد التصاعد الدرامي لمحاوالت السلطة‬ ‫لخلق معارضة هزلية‪ ،‬ودغدغة عواطف الناس‪،‬‬ ‫والمتاجرة بجهلهم‪ ،‬وتقزيم مكانتهم خارج أرضهم‪.‬‬ ‫الفيلم يقدم مشاهد ساخرة من نمطية الخطبة‬ ‫القومية‪ ،‬لنرى الكأس حين يسرق ينتقل من‬ ‫المزارع للعامل بمصنع الحديد‪ ،‬ثم للراقصة وسط‬ ‫حالة بهجة شعبية بمجرد عملية اختالس مؤقتة‬ ‫للحق المسلوب‪ ،‬باإلضافة لهتاف أحد أبناء الدرجة‬ ‫التالتة الدائم ( بقي لنا سيف و درع) حين تقوم‬ ‫اإلدارة بخداعهم‪ ،‬وهو نفس الهتاف الشهير الذي‬ ‫أطلقه السادات بعد نصر أ كتوبر‪.‬‬ ‫أنا وطني بنشد و بطنطن‬ ‫يف األقزام قادمون و الدرجة التالتة‪ ،‬يصنع عواد‬ ‫عالما للمهمشين له قوانينه خصوصيته‪ ،‬ولكن يف‬ ‫ً‬ ‫«سمع هس» و«يا مهلبية يا»‪ ،‬نشاهد مجموعة‬ ‫من الشخصيات يف مواجهة صريحة مع المجتمع‬ ‫كله‪ .‬ربما نتج ذلك عن يأس صناع تلك األفالم‬ ‫من احتمالية الثورة‪ ،‬أو لعلها نقمة على الذين‬ ‫يحاولون نفاق الناس وسط دعوتهم للتغيير‪ .‬يف‬ ‫«سمع هس»‪ ،‬صراع حمص و حالوة (ممدوح‬ ‫عبد العليم و ليلى علوي)‪ ،‬ليس فقط مع غندور‬ ‫(حسن كامي) الذي سرق لحن أغنيتهم «أنا‬ ‫حمص حمص يا حالوة» وحولها ألغنية وطنية‬

‫(أنا وطني بنشد وبطنطن)‪ ،‬ولكنها مع كل من‬ ‫حا يف‬ ‫احتقروا أمانيهم البريئة‪ ،‬وهو ما يبدو واض ً‬ ‫االستعراض الرائع (هاشوفوا) المكتوب من قبل‬ ‫بهاء جاهين‪ ،‬حيث يظهر َمنْ يسخر من أحالم كل‬ ‫طبقات الشعب‪ ،‬بداية من المتسول حتى رجال‬ ‫األعمال‪.‬‬ ‫هللا الوطن عناب‬ ‫التجربة األخيرة بين الثنايئ كانت األكثر فرادة‬ ‫وذاتية بين التجارب األربعة لوجود خطين‬ ‫دراميين مشتبكين‪ ،‬أحدهما يقوده مؤلف ومخرج‬ ‫(أحمد راتب وعبد العزيز مخيون) اللذان يجدان‬ ‫صعوبة يف إيجاد تمويل ودعم لوجيستي لتصوير‬ ‫فيلمهما‪ ،‬ليظهر الخط الثاين‪ ،‬وهو فيلم داخل‬ ‫الفيلم يتناول فترة الملكية يف مصر‪ ،‬ومحاولة‬ ‫عصابة بقيادة راقصة ( ليلى علوي) للقضاء على‬ ‫الملك‪ .‬الفيلم يتناول بشكل جريء عبثية نظام‬ ‫الحكم يف مصر‪ ،‬سوا ًء قبل انقالب ‪ 23‬يوليو أو‬ ‫بعده‪ ،‬ففي الحالتين‪ ،‬ال يوجد سبب مقنع لوجود‬ ‫من يحكمون يف مناصبهم‪ ،‬وهو ما تسخر منه‬ ‫مونولوجات جاهين ومودي اإلمام‪ ،‬كاألغنية‬ ‫التي غناها يوسف عيد (يا دنيا أنا بسألك ليه أنا‬ ‫مطلعتش ملك)‪ .‬الفيلم يقارن بين خطورة الفنان‬ ‫بحريته على النظام‪ ،‬وبين النضال المسلح (وهي‬ ‫تفصيلة تجدها يف فيلم عرفة األخير «الكنز»)‪،‬‬ ‫ولكن يف نهاية الفيلم يفشل الطرفان يف الحصول‬ ‫على أهدافهم‪ ،‬ويلقى بكل صناع الفيلم وممثليه‬ ‫بالسجن بعد أن هتف الملك (حسن كامي) يف‬ ‫األغنية األخيرة‪« :‬الملك يفضل ملك فوق دماغهم‬ ‫سيد أبوهم»‪.‬‬ ‫متبصليش‪ ،‬بص لمستقبلك‬ ‫توقفت تجربة الثنايئ عرفة وعواد بعد أربعة أفالم‪،‬‬ ‫لتبدأ تجربة جديدة بين ماهر عواد وسعيد حامد‬ ‫بداية من فيلم الحب يف الثالجة‪ ،‬والذي يظهر‬ ‫فيه شريف عرفة كضيف شرف‪ .‬الفيلم ال يقل‬

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‫‪AUC Times‬‬ ‫‪AUC‬‬ ‫‪Times‬‬

‫تصوير ياسمين النواوى‬

‫‪٢٠١٨‘18‬‬ ‫كتوبر‬ ‫عدد شهر أ‬ ‫‪Oct‬‬ ‫‪issue‬‬

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‫كتبه إبراهيم عبدهللا‬

‫الحاضر‬ ‫الغائب‬ ‫الظلمة‪ .‬نعم‪ ،‬إنها الظلمة‪ .‬أشعر ببرودتها يف‬ ‫أطرايف‪ ،‬وبخوائها يف روحي‪ .‬لم أعهد ذلك من‬ ‫نفسي فيما سبق‪ ،‬وما كنت أرجو أن أ كون‬ ‫الشخص الذي يتراءى يل حال ًيا كل صباح يف‬ ‫المرآة‪ .‬ينظر إيل بعينين مِ لؤهما الالشيء‪ .‬يتعمد‬ ‫هامسا‪« :‬لنذهب إىل العمل‬ ‫أحيانًا إشعاري بذلك‬ ‫ً‬ ‫اآلن‪ .‬ليبدأ يوم لعين آخر‪ .‬هيا نستقبل ما ينتظرنا‬ ‫من األذى‪ .‬دعنا ال نتأخر‪ ،‬أو لعل الموت األكبر يأيت‬ ‫فنستريح»‪ ،‬وهل نستريح؟!‬ ‫صار صوت صديق السوء هذا معتادًا لدي‪ ،‬والحق‬ ‫َ‬ ‫مس ُض ِّره‪ ،‬وإن كنت أحيانًا يضيق به‬ ‫أين ألِفت َّ‬ ‫وات من قبل‬ ‫الم ِ‬ ‫صدري‪ .‬وإين ما كنت ألرضى بهذا َ‬ ‫ٌ‬ ‫محاوالت كثيرة ٌ قمت بها‪،‬‬ ‫يا صديقي‪.‬‬ ‫ومساع ال‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫تحصى خضت غمارها ألفتدي نفسي مما أشعر‬ ‫به اآلن‪ .‬كنت أعلم أين حين أ كف عن المحاولة‪،‬‬ ‫فلسوف أعلن االستسالم األبدي‪ .‬ما زلت أذكر‬ ‫تجاريب الحثيثة للنجاة‪ ،‬كنت أود لو أنفجر من‬ ‫داخلي‪ ،‬فتحدو يب روحي إىل دنيا الناس التي‬ ‫يتحدثون عنها ويتندّرون بجمالها وبهجتها‪ .‬لو رأيت‬ ‫حماسة حديثهم‪ ،‬أليقنت أن هذا ليس لجمال ما‬ ‫يصفون؛ إنه بَر ُد األُنس فيما بينهم وبين أحبتهم‪.‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫حامل قل ًبا وحيدًا‬ ‫بالله لو جاب أحدهم بالد الدنيا‬ ‫مثلي‪ ،‬لما انتشت روحه بمثل ذلك الذي يصف‬ ‫من الجمال‪ .‬وما الجمال إن لم يجد من الناظرين‬ ‫إليه من يقدِّر ُه فيحدث الناس به؟ ليت شعري‪،‬‬ ‫جم اللسان بال عِ لّة‬ ‫مع من أتحدث؟! أشعر أين ُمل َ‬ ‫وال سقم‪.‬‬ ‫الوحدة يا صديقي! هي النار تأكل األرواح بال موت‪،‬‬ ‫وال حياة‪ ،‬تنهشها تاركة فيها بعض أنفاس تظل بها‬ ‫ُمعذب ًة تترجى الزفير األخير‪ .‬حاولت تَكرا ًرا أن أخالط‬ ‫الناس‪ ،‬لكنّي وجدت مِ ن صدّهم وسخافاتهم‬ ‫ما ّ‬ ‫رغبني عنهم إىل وحديت‪ .‬ما وجدت فيهم من‬ ‫ُيقدّر أن حديثي إليه تطلب مني جهدًا جهيدًا‬ ‫ألتجاوز حدود نفسي‪ .‬قد ال يكون انطوايئ مألو ًفا‬ ‫اللم ُم بَع ُد ليميل‬ ‫مسني َ‬ ‫لك‪ ،‬أعلم هذا‪ .‬لكني ما َّ‬ ‫الناس عني بهذه الطريقة‪ .‬آمن الناس بالحرية‬ ‫واالنفتاح‪ ،‬وزعموا سعيهم للتواصل عبر األثير مع‬ ‫من يف نصف األرض اآلخر‪ ،‬وجابوا األرض بح ًثا عن‬

‫السعادة مع هؤالء‪ ،‬لكنهم كفروا بأن السعادة قد‬ ‫تكون بجوارهم‪ ..‬أو لعلهم تناسوا‪ .‬إن السعادة قد‬ ‫حديث يتجاذبون أطرافه فيما بينهم‪ ،‬أو‬ ‫تكمن يف‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫قلب لطالما أرهقته آالم‬ ‫يف سرور ٍ يدخلونه على‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫بسيط ُيشرِكون فيه أولئك‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫عمل‬ ‫الوحدة‪ ،‬أو ربما يف‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫عل الدفء يداعب‬ ‫المنسيين يف صقيع العزلة‪َّ ،‬‬ ‫المدام‪،‬‬ ‫كأس ُسمٍ بِلون ُ‬ ‫قلوبهم مرة أخرى‪ .‬الوحدة ُ‬ ‫تتجرعه وأنت مضام‪ ،‬تغتبقه حتى الثمالة‪ ،‬ال لشيء‬ ‫إال إلفالس جعبتك من اختيارات أ ُ َ‬ ‫خر‪ .‬وإال‪ ،‬فحدثني‬ ‫عما قد يلهيك عن الوحدة إن كنت انطوائ ًيا‬ ‫بطبعك؛ إن هذا لشيء ُعجاب! تعاين الوحدة وال‬ ‫تدري مخالطة الناس؟! ال تحدثني عن الكتب‪ ،‬فإنها‬ ‫ٌ‬ ‫محيصا‬ ‫تلمست فيها‬ ‫يل‬ ‫ً‬ ‫صديق قديم‪ ،‬لكنه عاجز‪ّ .‬‬ ‫عن وحديت‪ ،‬قرأتها وتش ّر بت ما فيها‪ ،‬وما زادتني‬ ‫إال حنينًا لما قرأ ُته فيها مما بين الناس من عالئق‪،‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫وبغضا‪ ،‬صفا ًء وتوت ًرا‪.‬‬ ‫بكل ألوانها‪ ،‬ح ًبا‬ ‫هائل‪ ،‬أنا ما كذبتك يا صديقي‪ .‬إن كنت‬ ‫األمر جد‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫ً‬ ‫فعل‪ ،‬لكنك‬ ‫كمثلي القديم فأنت تحب الناس‬ ‫عد ِْم َ‬ ‫ت كل وسيلة للتواصل معهم‪ ،‬وما زاد‬ ‫الطينَ بِلّ ًة إال بَ َل ُه من أحببت‪ .‬حبك للناس يدفعك‬ ‫نحوهم‪ ،‬فتحاول تقديم ما تظن أنه قد ُي ِّ‬ ‫رضيهم‬ ‫عنك‪ .‬تحاول يف صمتك هذا تقديم مساعدة ما‬ ‫سألوها‪ ،‬تلتقط لهم ما أسقطوا‪ ،‬أو تلفت انتباههم‬ ‫إىل ما غفلوا عنه‪ ،‬لعل رؤيتك تفعل هذا لهم قد‬ ‫تجذب نحوك قلوبهم‪ .‬أنت ً‬ ‫أيضا تحاول جهدك‬ ‫أن تحادثهم‪ ،‬لكنك بعد كل هذا ال تجد يف قسمات‬ ‫ً‬ ‫قبول يذكر‪ .‬ناهيك عن العيون‪ ،‬وإن‬ ‫وجوههم نحوك‬ ‫ٌ‬ ‫لحديث يطول‪ ،‬وإن غابت عنه الكلمات‪ .‬تأيت‬ ‫هذا‬ ‫أحدهم بكل حماسة الدنيا‪ ،‬فيقابلك بنظرة تقتلك‬ ‫كمدًا بهول فتورها‪ .‬تكاد عيونهم تنطق أنْ من‬ ‫هذا لنحادثه؟ وتكاد عينك تستجديهم‪ ،‬ولكن بال‬ ‫جدوى‪ .‬تنقلب على عقبيك منكسر القلب‪ ،‬والنار‬ ‫يف أحشائك تشتعل‪ .‬ثم يحين الوقت ليعصف‬ ‫جفوك‬ ‫بك الشك‪.‬‬ ‫آلعيب يفَّ أم يف الناس؟ ربما َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ألنك لست أ كثرهم وسامة‪ .‬ثم إن لسانك ليس‬ ‫األعذب بينهم‪ ،‬ولست أفضلهم تأن ًقا لينظر إليك‬ ‫أحدهم‪ .‬أم هي المادة؟ لربما لو كنت أ كثر ً‬ ‫مال‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫النفض الناس إليك‪ .‬تسأل نفسك ثائ ًرا‪« :‬كيف‬ ‫يكون يف الناس من يحكم على إنسانيتي‪ ،‬روحي‬

‫ووجداين ومجموع ما يفّ من أحاسيس ومشاعر‪،‬‬ ‫بناء على خِلقتي أو طريقة حديثي ومظهري أو‬ ‫مستواي االجتماعي؟ كيف ولم أختر لنفسي‬ ‫مقياسا بينكم؟ أال ت ّبت معايي ُر‬ ‫نصبتُموه‬ ‫أغلب ما ّ‬ ‫ً‬ ‫َ‬ ‫أحكامكم!»‪ .‬تسأل نفسك وأنت تعلم أنك على‬ ‫َ‬ ‫المنطق يف تسلسل أفكارك‪ ،‬ثم‬ ‫األرجح قد جان َ ْبت‬ ‫تلتمس لنفسك العذر‪ ،‬ولك هذا‪.‬‬ ‫اآلن يرهقك التفكير حتى تَملَّه‪ ،‬ثم تعود إىل عزلتك‬ ‫ج َلل‪ ،‬أنت اآلن‬ ‫ولكن مع فارق بسيط‪ ،‬وإن كان ذا َ‬ ‫تعود للعزلة بي ٍد قد غسلتها مِ ن الناس‪ .‬توقن أن‬ ‫عزلتك على برودتها لهي أ كثر حرار ًة مما القوك‬ ‫به من َ‬ ‫ش َبم‪ .‬اآلن تختلف الرؤية‪ .‬تر ُقب العالم من‬ ‫زاوية أخرى‪ ،‬بعيون زجاجية ال تجسر التعابير أن‬ ‫تزحف إليها‪ .‬إنه السأم‪ .‬وكيف لك أال تسأم وقد‬ ‫استمر جهادك سنينًا مديد ًة لتكسر حاج ًزا نفس ًيا‬ ‫من الفوالذ حتى تتواصل مع أناس ما تحملوا حتى‬ ‫عناء ابتسامة مصطنعة يف وجهك؟! مع الوقت‬ ‫يصير الحاجز أ كثر سمكًا ودُهمة‪ .‬أتعلم يا صديقي؟‬ ‫حتى حين تفرض المواقف اجتماعي مع الناس‪،‬‬ ‫أنا اآلن من ّ‬ ‫يفضل االبتعاد‪ .‬ما عاد لدي صبر‬ ‫ألحتملهم أو أبرر طول صمتي إليهم‪ .‬صرت بالكاد‬ ‫أحتمل نفسي وصخب صراخها‪ .‬أبتعد بلسان حال‬ ‫يقول «إليكم عني ال يكن بكم ما يب»‪ .‬اآلن تشيخ‬ ‫روحي وتصدأ مشاعري من فرط ما انفصلوا عن‬ ‫واقعي‪ .‬ما عدت أشعر بحياة حقيقية داخل أسوار‬ ‫نفسي الخاوية على عروشها‪ .‬خال عالمي من‬ ‫ألوان الحياة‪ ،‬واندثر اهتمامي بوجود عوالم أخرى‬ ‫تستحق االستكشاف‪ ،‬وإن ادعى الناس ذلك‪ .‬قيل‬ ‫إن العالم هو المجال الجامع ألصناف الخالئق‪،‬‬ ‫وما اجتماعهم إن لم يتواصلوا ويتقبلوا اآلخر‪ ،‬وإن‬ ‫اختلف عنهم أو بدا غري ًبا؟! اآلن أعلن مويت وإن‬ ‫كنت يف عالم األحياء موجودًا‪.‬‬ ‫وإين يف ظلمة نفسي هذه أوصيك يا صديقي بما‬ ‫يلي‪:‬‬ ‫«ال تكن سب ًبا يف إحضار أحد آخر إيلّ يف عالم‬ ‫الموىت الذي أحياه‪ .‬ال تعبس يف وجوه الناس ما‬ ‫حييت‪ .‬ابتسم إليهم ما استطعت‪ .‬شارك الناس‬ ‫الحياة‪ ،‬فكم فيهم من حاضر غائب!»‬

‫صفحة ‪٩‬‬ ‫‪Page‬‬ ‫‪62‬‬

‫‪AUC Times‬‬ ‫‪AUC‬‬ ‫‪Times‬‬

‫كتبه مايكل ماجد‬

‫ا‬ ‫ة‬ ‫أل‬ ‫ع‬ ‫م‬ ‫ر‬ ‫م‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ا‬ ‫الج‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ة‬ ‫وأخواتها‬ ‫تصوير سايل الفيشاوي‬

‫يف عام ‪ ،٢٠١٦‬نجحت الجامعة األمريكية بالقاهرة‬ ‫يف الحصول على المركز رقم ‪ ٣٦٥‬يف تصنيف ‪QS‬‬ ‫العالمي للجامعات‪ .‬إنجاز كبير للجامعة صاحبة‬ ‫إحدى أعلى التصنيفات يف الشرق األوسط‬ ‫بِ ُرمته‪ .‬تعلي ًقا على ذلك اإلنجاز‪ ،‬قال عميد كلية‬ ‫الدراسات العليا بالجامعة «إن هذا اإلنجاز هو‬ ‫مدعاة للفخر لكل طلبة الجامعة»‪ .‬إحنا جامدين‬ ‫أوي‪.‬‬ ‫من جهة أخرى‪ ،‬قال الدكتور محمد مجاهد‪،‬‬ ‫نائب وزير التعليم المصري‪ ،‬يف إحدى لقاءاته‬ ‫التلفزيونية‪« ،‬إن مستوى التعليم األساسي يف‬ ‫مصر (من المرحلة االبتدائية وحتى الثانوية)‪ ،‬هو‬ ‫أحد أسوأ مستويات التعليم األساسي يف العالم‪،‬‬ ‫وذلك حسب التصنيف الذي يشمل ‪ ١٤٠‬دولة يف‬ ‫التعليم األساسي»‪.‬‬ ‫________‬ ‫ب كبير يصاحبنا نحن طلبة الجامعة األمريكية‬ ‫تر ُّق ٌ‬ ‫عند بداية كل فصل دراسي‪ .‬ليس بسبب‬ ‫الصعوبات يف تسجيل المواد‪ ،‬كال‪ ،‬وليس بسبب‬ ‫مصاريف الجامعة التي وصلت إىل أرقام يف‬ ‫مستوى دخل المواطن الساويرس‪ .‬ال بسيطة‪ ،‬دي‬ ‫فكّة‪ .‬لكننا مع بداية كل فصل دراسي نهتم بما‬ ‫هو أهم من ذلك وتلك‪ .‬نترقب توديع المطاعم‬ ‫التي أغلقت أبوابها و«طِ فشت» من الجامعة‪،‬‬ ‫عمن سيحل مكانهم‪ .‬هل سيستمر‬ ‫وإزالة الستار ّ‬ ‫«بوتشرز برجر» أم سيرحل كما رحل «شاورمة‬ ‫جراچ»؟ هل سيصمد «صاب واي» ّ‬ ‫ول هيخلع‬ ‫زي ما «زوبا» خلع؟ هل سيصمد «باسكن‬ ‫روبنز» الذي لم يهتز لسنوات أم سيلحق بـ«كايرو‬ ‫كيتشن»؟ ونظ ًرا لمأساوية الموضوع‪ ،‬سألنا أحد‬ ‫طلبة الجامعة عن معاناته مع التغيير المستمر‬ ‫لمحال األكل يف الجامعة‪ ،‬فأوجز وقال‪« :‬الفود‬

‫كورت ملوش قيمة من بعدك يا ماكدونالدز»‪ ،‬ثم‬ ‫رحل والدموع يف عينيه‪.‬‬ ‫وعلى صعيد غير متصل بالمرة‪ ،‬كان ‪ ٣١٢‬طال ًبا ‪‪‬‬ ‫بمدارس أسيوط قد تعرضوا لحادث تسمم‬ ‫يف مارس ‪ ،٢٠١٧‬عقب تناولهم وجبة التغذية‬ ‫المدرسية‪ ،‬وقام حينها وزير التربية والتعليم بوقف‬ ‫صرف وجبات التغذية المدرسية لحين إشعار آخر‪.‬‬ ‫________‬ ‫تتنوع األنشطة الطالبية المتاحة لطلبة الجامعة‬ ‫األمريكية ما بين أنشطة للتمثيل والغناء والرقص‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أيضا‪ ،‬فإحدى األنشطة الطالبية يف الجامعة هو‬ ‫نشاط تعليم الرقص كرقص «السالسا»‪ ،‬و الرقص‬ ‫الفلكلوري؛ فإدارة الجامعة تحرص على إثراء‬ ‫الجانب غير األكاديمي من حياة طلبة الجامعة‪.‬‬ ‫من ناحي ٍة أخرى‪ ،‬كانت جامعة قناة السويس قد‬ ‫أوقفت أحد أساتذتها عن العمل يف عام ‪٢٠١٧‬‬ ‫بسبب نشرها عدة فيديوهات على صفحتها على‬ ‫الفيسبوك ظهرت فيها وهي ترقص‪ ،‬وقالت إدارة‬ ‫الجامعة «إن ذلك يحط من هيبة أستاذ الجامعة‬ ‫ومن رسالته‪ ،‬ومن مسؤوليته يف نشر القيم‪،‬‬ ‫والثقافة النبيلة‪ ،‬واالرتقاء بها»‪.‬‬ ‫___________‬ ‫إحدى أهم إدارات الجامعة األمريكية هي «الكارير‬ ‫سنتر»‪ ،‬أو المكتب المسئول عن مساعدة الطالب‬ ‫يف االنتقال بنجاح من الحياة األكاديمية إىل سوق‬ ‫العمل‪ .‬يقوم المكتب بتنظيم ورش وملتقيات‬ ‫للتوظيف‪ ،‬ومقابالت مع العاملين بأكبر الشركات‬ ‫المصرية والعالمية‪ .‬كما يوفر الموقع الخاص بهذا‬ ‫المكتب وظائف شاغرة تناسب مجاالت دراسة‬ ‫أغلب الطالب‪ ،‬لتسهيل عملية إيجاد الوظيفة‬ ‫عليهم‪ .‬فقط اضغط على زر التقديم‪ ،‬استنى يف‬ ‫الصالون‪.‬‬

‫هذا وقد وصلت معدالت البطالة يف مصر عام‬ ‫‪ ٢٠١٧‬إىل ‪ ٪٢٤.٨‬لفئة الشباب ما بين أعمار ‪١٥‬‬ ‫إىل ‪ ٢٩‬عام وفق تقديرات الجهاز المركزي للتعبئة‬ ‫العامة واإلحصاء‪ ،‬وقد حدد الجهاز ً‬ ‫أيضا نسبة‬ ‫البطالة بين اإلناث التي وصلت إىل ‪ ٪٣٦.٥‬يف ذات‬ ‫العام‪.‬‬ ‫________‬ ‫تفخر الجامعة األمريكية‪ ،‬وتتباهى من بين‬ ‫الجامعات المصرية الشقيقة بأن عندها َ‬ ‫خضار‬ ‫(بفتح الخاء) أ كتر منهم كلهم‪ .‬أجمد جاردنز يف‬ ‫الشرق األوسط بعون هللا‪ .‬فالجامعة األمريكية هي‬ ‫الجامعة الوحيدة خارج قارة أمريكا الشمالية التي‬ ‫تم ذكرها يف دليل جامعة برينستون للجامعات‬ ‫الخضراء حول العالم‪ ،‬وذلك للسنة الثالثة على‬ ‫التوايل‪.‬‬ ‫يقول مؤشر المدن األفريقية الخضراء (‪African‬‬ ‫‪ ،)Green City Index‬الصادر عن مجلة‬ ‫اإليكونومست البريطانية‪ ،‬أن المساحات الخضراء‬ ‫يف القاهرة الكبرى تبلغ أقل من متر مربع‬ ‫للشخص الواحد‪ ،‬مما يقل بوضوح عن المساحة‬ ‫المتوسطة لبايق دول المؤشر‪ ،‬والتي تبلغ ‪٧٤‬‬ ‫متر مربع للفرد الواحد‪ .‬وتقترح منظمة الصحة‬ ‫العالمية أن يكون الحد األدىن ‪ ٩‬أمتار مربعة‬ ‫للشخص الواحد‪ ،‬والمساحة األمثل بين ‪ ١٠‬و ‪١٥‬‬ ‫مربعا‪.‬‬ ‫مت ًرا‬ ‫ً‬ ‫________‬ ‫إنجازات ومزايا كثيرة مهمة نحظى بها كطلبة‬ ‫الجامعة‪ ،‬ال أقلل منها‪ .‬فقط أ ُ َذكِّر نَفسي أن مصر‬ ‫ليست «البالزا»‪ ،‬وليست الجامعة األمريكية‪،‬‬ ‫وليست التجمع الخامس‪.‬‬

‫‪٢٠١٨‘18‬‬ ‫كتوبر‬ ‫عدد شهر أ‬ ‫‪Oct‬‬ ‫‪issue‬‬

‫صفحة ‪٨‬‬ ‫‪Page‬‬ ‫‪63‬‬

‫كتبته كوثر الشريفي‬

‫م‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ف ـي‬ ‫ص‬ ‫ف‬ ‫تصوير ندى محمد‬ ‫أنت اآلن مطالب بأن تكون هنا‪ .‬مطالب بأن تكون‬ ‫حاض ًرا يف واقعك المتغير بكثرة‪ ،‬يف مساحة‬ ‫جديدة عليك‪ ،‬وحياة تشعر بأنها ليست لك‪.‬‬ ‫أنت اآلن تعيش أفضل نسب ًيا‪ ،‬بل أفضل بكثير‪.‬‬ ‫الكهرباء ال تنقطع إال فيما ندر ولدقائق ال تطول‬ ‫أبدًا‪ .‬أنت تستطيع أن تجد ما ًء على مقربة منك‪.‬‬ ‫ما ًء للشرب‪ ،‬ما ًء لتغسل مالبسك المتسخة حتى‬ ‫ولو بعد يومين!‬ ‫الجميع حولك يشتكي بطء شبكة االتصاالت‬ ‫واإلنترنت‪ ،‬ولكنك وحدك تشعر بأن األمر عادي‬ ‫جدًا‪ ،‬فأنت تعلم عدد الساعات التي قرضها‬ ‫االنتظار من عمرك‪ .‬كنت تنتظر الكثير من األشياء‪.‬‬ ‫تنتظر أن تصبح الليايل خالية من أصوات الرعود‬ ‫البشرية‪ ،‬أن تجد مال ًذا لروحك المرتعشة‪ ،‬أن يأيت‬ ‫حمل هذا الملف أو‬ ‫الماء‪ ،‬أن تعود الكهرباء‪ ،‬أن ُي ّ‬ ‫ذاك‪ ،‬بعد أن يئست من أن تجد يف واقعك شيئًا‬ ‫ُينسيك وجع العيش‪ ،‬وتواءمت مع االنتظار‪.‬‬ ‫أنت تشعر باالمتنان‪ ،‬رغم أنك لم تأكل بانتظام‬ ‫منذ أن وصلت هنا لوقت طويل‪ .‬ربما ألنك تشعر‬ ‫لمنْ بقوا‬ ‫بالذنب كلما تذكرت أن ما تأكله يعد تر ًفا َ‬ ‫لم المبالغة؟ أنت فقط تشعر بالذنب‬ ‫هناك‪ ،‬أو َ‬ ‫على حياة أفضل بعد جحيم طويل‪ .‬جحيم؟ أنت‬ ‫لم تعش يف جحيم كجحيمهم‪ .‬جحيمك كان‬ ‫ً‬ ‫حتمل‪ .‬أما جحيمهم‪ ،‬فقد جاوز الجحيم بمراحل‪.‬‬ ‫ُم‬ ‫سمعت البعض منهم يتمنى الموت‪ ،‬من يدعو‬ ‫بدنو القيامة وانتهاء هذا العالم‪ ،‬فكيف تساوي بين‬ ‫جحيمين بكل سهولة؟!‬

‫أنت تلوم ذا كرتك كثي ًرا‪ ،‬ولكنك المسؤول عن‬ ‫نبشها واستباحتها‪ .‬أتفهم نبشك‪ ،‬فكيف لك أن‬ ‫ال تفعل هذا وأنت تسمع خب ًرا يؤلمك كل يوم؟‬ ‫ال من خلف الشاشات الزجاجية الكاذبة‪ ،‬ال‪ ...‬أنت‬ ‫تسمع كل هذه األخبار من أقرب الناس إليك‪ .‬أنت‬ ‫تعيش واقعهم داخلك‪ ،‬فكيف ال تهتك عرض‬ ‫ذا كرتك؟! أتدري ما المضحك؟ ذا كرتك ال تحتاج‬ ‫دائما ألن تعود إىل الوراء‪ ،‬فالحاضر نفسه متمثل‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أمامك من خالل القنوات اإلخبارية‪ ،‬يف أسئلة‬ ‫الناس التي تحاول أن تفهم ما الذي يحدث هناك‪،‬‬ ‫يف تلك البقعة الجغرافية المنسية التي أصبحت‬ ‫معروفة اآلن فقط برائحة الرماد والبارود والجوع‬ ‫المدقع‪ .‬تتضارب األنباء‪ ،‬يختلط الماء بالدم‪ ،‬حتى‬ ‫يميع كل شيء يف لحظات‪.‬‬ ‫أتعلم ما المؤلم اآلن؟ عجزك‪..‬عجزك هو وحده‬ ‫المؤلم اآلن‪ .‬شعورك بالذنب قد تصالحت معه‬ ‫بعد أن أرغمتك «الحياة الطبيعية» التي عليك أن‬ ‫تعيشها على ذلك‪ ،‬ولكن عجزك؟ لن تتصالح معه‬ ‫أبدًا على ما يبدو‪.‬‬ ‫عجزك المقيت يستمر يف وخزك‪ ،‬تلسعك مرارته‬ ‫وال يبرحك‪ ،‬خاصة يف تلك اللحظات السعيدة‬ ‫القليلة التي تحاول الهرب فيها من كل شيء‪ .‬يف‬ ‫قمة االنتشاء اللحظي‪ ،‬يلح عليك عجزك‪ ،‬يلوي‬ ‫عنق كيانك‪ ،‬يصيبك بكدمات متفرقة ال تخبو أليام‬ ‫طوال‪.‬‬ ‫عليك أن تتعايش مع هموم يوم عادي‪ ،‬كأن تنسى‬ ‫مفاتيح البيت‪ ،‬كأن تفوتك الحافلة يف الصباح‪،‬‬

‫كأن تفكر بلقمة عيشك يف زمن البطالة‪ ،‬فتشعر‬ ‫بالغثيان من تفاهتك! أيعقل أن همومك قد‬ ‫أصبحت عادية هكذا؟ ترى وسادتك الملساء كل‬ ‫ليلة‪ ،‬تختلط خاليا عقلك بالظالم المقيت‪ ،‬تحاول‬ ‫أن تنام‪ ،‬فال تتوقف الحقيقة عن االلتحام بكافة‬ ‫أحالمك‪ .‬ال تتذكر متى كانت آخر مرة لم تصبح‬ ‫كوابيسا‪ ،‬ولكن هذا ال يهم؛ فكل ذرة‬ ‫فيها أحالمك‬ ‫ً‬ ‫َ‬ ‫«أصبحت دمية ككل هذه‬ ‫يف كيانك تهمس لك‪:‬‬ ‫الدمى المبعثرة على سطح هذا الكوكب»‪.‬‬ ‫دوما شعور معلق‬ ‫أنت اآلن يف المنتصف‪ .‬هناك ً‬ ‫مؤلم حين تكون يف المنتصف‪ .‬هناك ترى عالمين‬ ‫تماما‪ ،‬تختبر الكثير من المشاعر‬ ‫متناقضين‬ ‫ً‬ ‫المتباينة يف رائحتها ولونها‪ .‬تجد نفسك يف صراع‬ ‫دائم بين عقلين‪ ،‬بين قلبين‪ ،‬بين وجع وأمل‪ ،‬بين‬ ‫يأس وحبور‪.‬‬ ‫هناك يف المنتصف‪ ،‬ترى الموت يبدل الحياة‪،‬‬ ‫ترى الحياة تبدل الموت‪ ،‬ترى الخوف والتقشف‬ ‫والجوع‪ ،‬ترى البذخ والعافية والشبع‪ ،‬ترى القاع‬ ‫ومن فيه يحاول أن يتعايش مع قاعه بسعادة‬ ‫تستغربها‪ ،‬ترى العلو ومن فيه يشكو كدر علوه‪.‬‬ ‫أن تبقى يف المنتصف‪ ،‬يعني أنك على موعد‬ ‫دائم مع الذنب والنشيج‪ ،‬أنك على موعد دائم‬ ‫مع محاوالت لتحتوي نفسك المذنبة يف عينيك‬ ‫بالمزيد من الجلد والمحاولة‪.‬‬ ‫أنت تراقب من خلف زجاج آالف الحيوات‬ ‫المنعكسة على سطح عينيك‪ ،‬أنت تلحظ‬ ‫التفاصيل جميعها ومدى تناقصها‪ ،‬أنت يف جحيم‬ ‫وجنة حتى آخر نفس‪.‬‬

‫صفحة ‪٧‬‬ ‫‪Page‬‬ ‫‪64‬‬

‫‪AUC Times‬‬ ‫‪AUC‬‬ ‫‪Times‬‬

‫“من الطبيعي أن يتحكم الكلب يف ذيله‪ ،‬ألن الكلب‬ ‫أ كبر وأقوى وأذكى من ذيله‪...‬‬ ‫الكلب‪ ،‬فيجعله يدور حول‬ ‫الذيل‬ ‫لكن عندما يشغل‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫الذيل يف الكلب ‪”.‬‬ ‫نفسه‪ ،‬هنا يتحكم‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫مجاالت السياسة والعالقات العامة واإلعالنات‪ ،‬ومركزه األساسي هو غرفة‬ ‫جه للرأي العام‪.‬‬ ‫المؤتمرات الصحفية‪ ،‬خاصة تلك التي تنتج خطابات ُتو َّ‬ ‫أيبدو ذلك مألو ًفا؟‬ ‫وللـ «‪ »Spin‬طرق كثيرة تتباين يف تعقيدها وتكلفتها‪ .‬ولعل من أشهر تلك‬ ‫الطرق هي طريقة «انتقاء الكرز» أو «‪ .»Cherry Picking‬وأبلغ تعريف‬ ‫لتلك الطريقة هو أن الحقيقة أبدًا ال ُتعرض كاملة‪ ،‬بل أن من الذكاء أن‬ ‫يتم «انتقاء» بعض الحقائق وترك األخرى لتبرر أو تروج أو تضعف موق ًفا‬ ‫أو سلعة معينة‪ .‬ومن أبرز أمثلتها هو اقتطاع جزء من كالم ُمق َت َبس؛‬ ‫ليظهر معنى آخر غير المقصود من سياق الكالم‪ ،‬خاصة إن كان الجمهور‬ ‫كاف عن ذلك الكالم‪ ،‬كما يفعل مروجو «اإلسالموفوبيا»‬ ‫ال يعلم بشكل‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫يف حديثهم عن آيات الجهاد يف اإلسالم التي ُتنتَزع من سياقها المشروط‬ ‫المحكوم؛ لتُظهر اإلسالم على أنه دين إرهاب وسفك للدماء‪ .‬كما تستخدم‬ ‫تلك الطريقة بشدة يف التزوير الممنهج للتاريخ حيث يتم توجيه كافة‬ ‫األعمال التاريخية والفنية لتعظم من موقف أو أحداث معينة وتتجاهل‬ ‫متابعا جيدًا‬ ‫تماما كافة المواقف اللي تناقض ذلك التوجه‪ .‬فإن كنت‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫مغلوب على‬ ‫دائما‬ ‫للسينما األمريكية‪ ،‬فستعلم جيدًا أن الجندي األمريكي‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ٌ‬ ‫أمره‪ ،‬يعاين وحيدًا أمام قوى اإلرهاب‪ ،‬وهو وحده الذي يترك حياته وعائلته‬ ‫دائما األفضل واألذكى وأبدًا من ينتصر‪.‬‬ ‫من أجل السالم العالمي‪ ،‬وأنه‬ ‫ً‬ ‫طبعا يف ممالقة النظام الحاكم حيث يتم‬ ‫فيما يكثر استخدام تلك الطريقة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫تعظيم اإلنجازات القليلة وتجاهل اإلخفاقات العديدة لبعض الحكومات يف‬ ‫بعض الدول تحت تأثير اإلعالم المنحاز‪.‬‬ ‫وهناك طريقة أخرى ال تقل أهمية عن سابقتها‪ ،‬وهي طريقة «اإلنكار غير‬ ‫اإلنكاري» أو «اإلنكار الكاذب» «‪ ،»non-denial denial‬وهذه الطريقة من‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫أشهر الطرق التي يستخدمها السياسيون وأصحاب القرار يف خطاباتهم‪.‬‬ ‫اتهاما موج ًها‬ ‫انطباعا مبدئ ًيا أن المتحدث ينكر‬ ‫وتعطي تلك الطريقة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫حا يف حين أنه قد ال يكون يف ذلك أي إنكار ٍ يف األساس‪،‬‬ ‫إليه إنكا ًرا صري ً‬ ‫وبالتايل فإن المتحدث يثبت االتهام ضمنًا وينكره علنًا دون أن يتحمل‬ ‫ألفاظ شديدة‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫مسؤولية اإلنكار الكاذب‪ .‬وتعتمد تلك الطريقة على انتقاء‬ ‫الدقة تحمل يف طياتها أ كثر من معنى‪ ،‬ومن أمثلتها‪« :‬ال نية»‪« ،‬ال خطة‬ ‫مسبقة»‪« ،‬تحاول ‪ ...‬جاهدة أال»‪« ،‬ال تريد»‪« ،‬يف الوقت الحايل»‪ ..،‬إلخ‪.‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫فمثل إن تم توجيه اتهامات لحكومة ما بأن لديها النية لمضاعفة أسعار‬ ‫خدمة الكهرباء‪ ،‬وكان ذلك الخب ُر حقيق ًيا وقد يثير إقراره الرأي العام‪ ،‬فإن‬ ‫بتصريح يفيد أنه «ال نية للدولة أن‬ ‫المسؤول سيختار توقيتًا معينًا ليخرج‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫ترفع أسعار خدمة الكهرباء يف الوقت الحايل؛ فالحكومة تحاول جاهدة أال‬ ‫تثقل األعباء على المواطنين يف ظل الظروف االقتصادية الصعبة التي تمر‬ ‫حا أن الدولة «لن»‬ ‫حا واض ً‬ ‫بها البالد»‪ .‬للوهلة األوىل‪ ،‬قد يبدو ذلك تصري ً‬ ‫تقوم بمضاعفة أسعار الكهرباء‪ ،‬ولكنه يف واقع األمر ال يحمل أي إنكا ٍر‬ ‫لذلك؛ فعدم وجود النية هو مجرد حجة ستستخدمها الدولة الح ًقا عندما‬ ‫ُت َف ِّعل القرار وتبرر بأنها «مضطرة» بعدما حاولت جاهدة اجتناب ذلك‪ ،‬كما‬ ‫أن مصطلح الوقت الحايل ال يشمل بالضرورة الوقت القريب‪ .‬قس على‬ ‫ذلك أمثلة كثيرة جدًا‪ .‬وبالطبع هناك طرق أخرى رائجة كطريقة «نأسف‬ ‫لحدوث ذلك» أو بمعنى آخر «لقد حدثت بعض األخطاء ولكننا» والتي‬ ‫تبدو إيجابية ألنها تقر بحدوث األخطاء لكنها ال تلزم المتحدث أو المسؤول‬

‫بتحمل المسؤولية وال بذكر أسباب األخطاء‪ ،‬وغير ذلك الكثير‪.‬‬ ‫ورغم تعدد طرق الـ «‪ ،»Spin‬فإنني ال استطيع أن أتجاهل الطريقة‬ ‫األعظم واألكثر تأثي ًرا والتي أثبتت نجاحها كل مرة ويف كل مكان‪ ،‬وهي‬ ‫طريقة «الوطنية تعني ال أسئلة» «‪.»Patriotism means no question‬‬ ‫وكما تشرح الجملة بشكل واضح‪ ،‬فإن المواطن الوطني ح ًقا هو الذي ال‬ ‫وطبعا‬ ‫يسأل ماذا يحدث‪ ،‬وفقط يصدق ما يقال له‪ ،‬ويؤيد النظام صامتًا‪.‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫إذا ذكرت الوطنية‪ ،‬ذكرت معها التضحية من أجل الوطن‪ ،‬وإن ذكرت‬ ‫التضحية‪ ،‬كانت الحرب‪ .‬وهل هناك مبرر ٌ ألي شيء وكل شيء مثل‬ ‫الحرب؟ وهل هناك حقيقة أو حدث قد يغطي على بروباجندا الحرب؟ هل‬ ‫أحتاج أن أقول «ال»؟ إن كانت هناك مادة تسمى «مبادئ حكم البالد»‬ ‫فإن أول طريقة ستدرس للسيطرة على البالد وتمرير جميع القرارات دون‬ ‫معارضة‪ ،‬هي تزييف وجود حرب‪ ،‬أو إيجاد أو «اختالق» عدو يريد الشر‬ ‫بالبالد‪ُ .‬يع َرف ذلك يف يومنا هذا بـ «اإلرهاب»‪.‬‬ ‫والختالق الحرب أساليب محترفة كثيرة‪ ،‬وأولها داعي الحرب؛ تأمل تلك‬ ‫الكلمات القليلة‪« :‬أسلحة الدمار الشامل»‪ .‬كانت تلك الكلمات المرعبة‬ ‫عنوانًا وسب ًبا للغزو األمريكي للعراق يف عام ‪ 2003‬والذي أسفر عن‬ ‫مئات اآلالف من القتلى األبرياء باإلضافة إىل تدمير دولة العراق بشكل‬ ‫كامل‪ ،‬بح ًثا عن تلك األسلحة التي يعلم الجميع أنها لم تتواجد من البداية‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أصل يف العراق‪ .‬وبالنظر إىل خلفية تلك الحرب‪ ،‬فسنرى أنها كانت نتيجة‬ ‫مترتبة على أحداث ‪ 11‬سبتمبر ‪ 2001‬والتي هي ً‬ ‫أيضا أحداث ُمخ َت َل َقة‬ ‫ألسباب نعلمها أو ال نعلمها‪ ،‬ورغم الخسائر التي لحقت بالواليات المتحدة‬ ‫جميعا ال تمثل أي قيمة أمام الفوائد‬ ‫ج ّراء تلك األحداث والحرب‪ ،‬ولكنها‬ ‫ً‬ ‫طبعا‬ ‫والمصالح التي نالتها الدولة من ورائها‪ .‬وعلى رأس المستفيدين‬ ‫ً‬ ‫الرئيس بوش وحكومته التي لم تنجح يف حكم أمريكا فقط بل نجحت يف‬ ‫حكم العالم كله‪ ،‬وإخضاع جميع األطراف لمصالح الواليات المتحدة‪ ،‬ونهب‬ ‫دول كالعراق وأفغانستان‪ ،‬ونشر اإلرهاب وعدم االستقرار يف الشرق‬ ‫ثروات‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫األوسط‪ .‬لكن النجاح األعظم لحكومة بوش هو قدرتها على «بيع» تلك‬ ‫الحرب المزيفة للمواطنين األمريكيين وغيرهم الكثير حول العالم‪ .‬ولعلك‬ ‫ال تعلم عن قصة «الجندية البطلة لينش» التي ُزعِ م اختطافها من قبل‬ ‫الجيش العرايق يف بدايات الحرب‪ ،‬لتصنع قصتها ضجة واسعة يف بالدها‬ ‫وتهتز لها عواطف الماليين‪ ،‬قبل أن‪ ..‬لعلك تعلم النهاية‪.‬‬ ‫دائما قليلون مقارنة بالمحكومين‪ ،‬كان ال‬ ‫ألن من لديهم السلطة والحكم‬ ‫ً‬ ‫طرق لتكسر قاعدة «الكثرة تغلب» ليتسنى للحاكم أن‬ ‫مفر من تواجد‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫يحكم ويتحكم‪ .‬وألن الشيء الوحيد الذي يميزنا كبشر عن سائر الخلق هو‬ ‫وعلما يمكّن صاحبه‪ ،‬ويفتح له كل باب‪،‬‬ ‫العقل‪ ،‬كان استخدام العقل فنًا‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ويحقق له كل غاية‪.‬‬ ‫من الطبيعي أن يتحكم الكلب يف ذيله‪ ،‬ألن الكلب أ كبر وأقوى وأذكى‬ ‫الكلب‪ ،‬فيجعله يدور حول نفسه‪ ،‬هنا‬ ‫الذيل‬ ‫من ذيله‪ .‬لكن عندما يشغل‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫الذيل أذكى من الكلب‪ ،‬أو يكون‬ ‫الذيل يف الكلب‪ .‬وهنا تحديدًا يكون‬ ‫يتحكم‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫الكلب أغبى من أن يدرك كيف يتحكم يف ذيله‪ ،‬أو أن يدرك حقيقة ذيله‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أصل‪.‬‬

‫‪٢٠١٨‘18‬‬ ‫كتوبر‬ ‫عدد شهر أ‬ ‫‪Oct‬‬ ‫‪issue‬‬

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‫كتبه أحمد المنايلي‬

‫ا‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ال ِع ْ‬ ‫«لماذا يتحكم الكلب يف ذيله؟ ألن الكلب أذكى‬ ‫الذيل‬ ‫من ذيله‪ .‬فلو أن الذيل كان أذكى‪ ،‬لتحكم‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫يف الكلب»‬ ‫قد يبدو ُعنوان المقالة غري ًبا‪ ،‬ولكنني أقصده‬ ‫كل القصد‪ً .‬‬ ‫أول إلن يف ذلك عرفانًا للفيلم الرائع‬ ‫«‪ »Wag the Dog‬المأخوذ عن القصة التي‬ ‫تحمل نفس االسم لكاتبها الري بينهارت‪ .‬وثان ًيا‬ ‫العب أو ُي َ‬ ‫شاغل‬ ‫ألن حال ذلك الكلب الذي ُي َ‬ ‫حال عامة الناس‪ ،‬بما فيهم أنا وأنت‪،‬‬ ‫هو للحق‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫وليس يف ذلك إهانة إال فقط أننا نستجيب لتلك‬ ‫المالعبة‪.‬‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ً‬ ‫طفل يبكي‬ ‫تخيل أن أمامك‬ ‫بسيط؛‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ٌ‬ ‫وفهم األمر ِ‬ ‫بال انقطاع‪ ،‬وتعلم أن لبكائه سب ًبا أو مشكلة‪،‬‬ ‫كالجوع ً‬ ‫طعاما‬ ‫مثل‪ ،‬وليس بيدك أن توفر له‬ ‫ً‬ ‫يف هذه اللحظة‪ ،‬فماذا ستفعل؟ يف الغالب‬ ‫ستضطر أن «تالعبه» أو «تشاغله» بطريقة‬ ‫ما أو بأخرى لتجذب انتباهه‪ ،‬وبالفعل طالما‬ ‫استمريت يف مالعبته‪ ،‬طالما انشغل معك‬ ‫ونسى مشكلته األساسية‪ .‬وليس أسوأ من أن‬ ‫ينشغل اإلنسان عن مشاكله؛ فربما إن استمر‬ ‫طعاما‪.‬‬ ‫الطفل يف البكاء ستجاهد حتى توفر له‬ ‫ً‬ ‫لكن الطفل يشفع له عدم ا كتمال عقله‪ ،‬فماذا‬ ‫عني وعنك وعن عامة الناس؟‬

‫المصدر‪propagandasis.weebly.com :‬‬

‫من المفارقات أننا مازلنا نفتقد يف لغتنا العربية‬ ‫ً‬ ‫مقابل مباش ًرا للمصطلح اإلنجليزي «‪Spin‬‬ ‫‪ ،»Doctoring‬وهكذا نحتاج لشرحه أن نسرد‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫فعل إىل شرحه‪ .‬يبرز‬ ‫جمل طويلة‪ ،‬ولكننا نحتاج‬ ‫ذلك المصطلح كنوع من أشهر وأ كثر أنواع‬ ‫«البروباجندا» تأثي ًرا‪ ،‬و»البروباجندا» هي عملية‬ ‫جهة وغير‬ ‫عرض واسع للمعلومات بطريقة ُمو َّ‬ ‫موضوعية بهدف التأثير على أ كبر عدد من‬ ‫الناس تحقي ًقا ألجندة معينة‪ .‬لكن آلية الـ»‪»Spin‬‬ ‫أ كثر تعقيدًا من أن تقتصر فقط على تزييف‬ ‫الحقائق وتوجيهها‪ ،‬بل إن المتخصصين يف ذلك‬ ‫أوأحداث بشكل‬ ‫المجال قد يختلقون معلومات‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫كامل يتم الترويج لها على أنها حقائق‪ ،‬ويتبعون‬ ‫يف ذلك أساليب شديدة الخداع‪ .‬والهدف هنا‬ ‫ُمح َددٌ جدًا‪ ،‬وهو التحكم يف انتباه العامة وتوجيه‬ ‫الرأي العام‪ ،‬خاصة وقت األزمة‪ .‬وبالطبع فإن‬ ‫ذلك النوع من البروباجندا كَ ُثر ما يستخدم يف‬

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‫‪AUC Times‬‬ ‫‪AUC‬‬ ‫‪Times‬‬

‫المصدر‪ :‬مدى مصر‬

‫ليبدو تلك اآلراء الساذجة عديمة الجدوى؟ لماذا‬ ‫قد يظن بعضهم أن له أحقية ما يف إبداء آرائهم‬ ‫يف قضايا الوطن ومصالحه؟ وإن كان الوطن هو‬ ‫الوطن الذين هم مواطنوه!‬

‫السديد والكالم المفيد من اإلعالميين الذين يحبون‬ ‫الوطن ويشاركون المواطن الساذج بالقول الفصل‬ ‫يف أمور الوطن كافة؟‬ ‫أفال يستحق األغنياء منّا أفضل من ذلك؟ ال‬ ‫وهللا يستحقون! يستحقون منا أفضل من ذاك‬ ‫الكالم المليء بالحقد من شباب شاحب نحيف‪:‬‬ ‫«اإلنترنت العب يف عقولهم»‪ .‬أوليس هللا عز وجل‬ ‫هو الذى منح األغنياء ذاك المال؟ «هنكفر؟» حتى‬ ‫وإن كان زيدان بينما يقول ذلك يشعر ببعض‬ ‫الغضب تجاه الشاب الذى يقود السيارة الفارهة‬ ‫مسرعا بحوار حافلته‪ .‬غضب دفين تجاه ذاك‬ ‫ً‬ ‫الشاب الغني وتجاه نفسه لعدم غناها‪.‬‬

‫سريعا من جديد قبل‬ ‫قطع زيدان حبل أفكاره‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أن يجد نفسه يفكر يف أمور الناس‪ ،‬فيكون قد‬ ‫اقترف الذنب نفسه وأبدى رأيه عديم الجدوى‬ ‫أو التأصيل العلمي‪ .‬انتشلته ذكرى منذ بضع‬ ‫ساعات حين كان يجلس يف الحافلة‪ ،‬وإذا باثنين‬ ‫من الشباب يصعدان ويقفان إىل جواره‪ .‬تملكه‬ ‫حينها شعور من االشمئزاز تجاه الشابين؛ شعرهما‬ ‫طويل ويرتديان األساور‪ .‬وقفا إىل جواره وأخذا‬ ‫يتكلمان‪ ،‬يتكلمان يف البلد ومصالحها وذاك‬ ‫القرار العظيم الذى اتخذه شخص ما والذى‬ ‫اتفقا أنه خاطئ بل وإجرامى! ثم أخذا يتكلمان‬ ‫يف وضع البلد االقتصادي (الباهر كما ظن زيدان)‪،‬‬ ‫ويتكلمان عن الغنى واألغنياء‪ .‬يتكلمان عن تلك‬ ‫المجمعات السكنية المسورة المترامية على‬ ‫جانبي الطريق الذي تمشي به الحافلة ‪ 1062‬يف‬ ‫التجمع الخامس‪ .‬يتكلمان ذاك الكالم عن الطبقية‬ ‫المتوحشة‪ ،‬وانعدام العدالة يف توزيع الثروة‪،‬‬ ‫وكالما‬ ‫وانعدام ما يطلق عليه بالعدالة االجتماعية‪،‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫يحمل يف طياته نبرات من العدوان تجاه األغنياء‪،‬‬ ‫بل وشيئًا من الشيوعية؛ وإذا بزيدان يغضب لما‬ ‫يسمع ويشعر بالحنق تجاه المتكلم والمصغي‬ ‫على حد سواء‪.‬‬

‫ثم انتشله ذلك الغضب إىل يده المرتجفة‬ ‫غض ًبا وبها علبة السجائر‪ .‬فأشعل أخرى‪ ،‬وأخرج‬ ‫هاتفه‪ ،‬وفتح «فيديو» ألحد ذوى الرأي السديد‪،‬‬ ‫والعلم المديد‪ ،‬والكالم غير الملزم مع أنه ملهم‪.‬‬ ‫فتح «فيديو» ألخ كبير هو المناسب لمثل هذه‬ ‫المواقف‪ُ .‬يدعى الفيديو «لألبد»‪ .‬تلك الحلقة‬ ‫تشرح األسباب المنطقية واألبدية التخاذ صناع‬ ‫القرار ذلك القرار‪ .‬ولعل ما يستهوي زيدان من‬ ‫بفعل ما‪ ،‬يقوم به‬ ‫تلك األسباب هو أن من يقوم‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫ألنه يرى أن «األمر محتاج راجل»‪ .‬أوليس الوطن‬ ‫«محتاج راجل؟»‪ ،‬ومن يف سدة األمور هم خير‬ ‫الرجال؟ لذلك اختصهم القدر بمناصبهم كما‬ ‫اختص أخ كبير بكونه أخ كبير‪.‬‬

‫أوليس األغنياء هم الذين تحملوا أعباء المرحلة؟‬ ‫أوليس هم من ش ّبكوا أصابعهم ليسمحوا للسادة‬ ‫الزعماء باعتالء الوطن؟ الوطن هنا فرس جامح‬ ‫طبعا‪ .‬أوليست أموالهم هي تلك‬ ‫يف أوج أزماته‬ ‫ً‬ ‫التي تتدفق نحو صناديق دعم الوطن ودعم‬ ‫مسار تقدمه؟ أوليست أموالهم وأموال إعالناتهم‬ ‫وقنواتهم هي التى أعطت المنبر ألصحاب القول‬

‫سرح زيدان بعض الشيء‪ ،‬فإذا به يسمع هذه‬ ‫الجملة‪« :‬اإلنسان هو كائن اجتماعي تفاعلي‬ ‫أسمر…»‪ .‬هنا أخذ يتذكر بداية عالقته بأخ كبير‪.‬‬ ‫كان أول األمر يغضب وينفعل حين يرى أخ كبير‬ ‫ويشعر بشيء من التهكم يف صوته وهو يتكلم‬ ‫عن المواطن األسمر الذي هو زيدان وأقرانه‪ .‬ولكن‬ ‫ذلك الشعور تبدل بشعور القناعة؛ فلونه األسمر‬

‫هو مدعاة فخره الوطني‪ .‬ولوال حبه البالغ للصمت‪،‬‬ ‫لصدح بصوته ليمأل «الميكروباص» فيقول‪« :‬مصر‬ ‫هى أمي‪ ،‬نيلها هو دمي‪ ،‬شمسها يف سماري!» إن‬ ‫لونه األسمر ذاك هو عالمته المميزة كمواطن يحب‬ ‫الوطن زي عينيه‪.‬‬ ‫وكان غير ذلك يشعر بشيء من الريبة تجاه أخ‬ ‫كبير؛ فتلك العالقة بينه وبين المواطن األسمر هى‬ ‫عالقة غير عادلة‪ -‬ولكنها عالقة صحيحة‪ -‬وتلك‬ ‫سمة العالقات المبنية على االتجاه الواحد كمثل‬ ‫عالقة أخ كبير بمشاهديه‪ .‬فما ا كتشفه زيدان أنه ال‬ ‫عالقة بين العدالة والصواب‪ ،‬خاصة يف بلدان تواجه‬ ‫األزمات مثل وطننا الحبيب مصر‪ .‬ولكن مصر ال‬ ‫تواجه األزمات‪ ،‬ظن هو‪ ،‬فهو قد أ كل وجبة دسمة‬ ‫تسببت له بحموضة‪.‬‬ ‫وأخي ًرا‪ ،‬كان يشعر بشيء من الرهبة وهو يشاهد‬ ‫أخ كبير‪ ،‬بزاوية تصويره‪ ،‬وإضاءته الخافتة‪ ،‬وصوته‬ ‫الرخيم‪ ،‬وكلماته الفصيحة‪ ،‬ويف بعض األحيان‬ ‫األجنبية التي ال يفهمها هو‪ ،‬ولكنها تشي بشيء‬ ‫من المعرفة والعلم‪.‬‬ ‫ولكن كل ذلك انتهى وانقلب بزيدان حزينًا؛ ألن‬ ‫أخ كبير انقطع عن الحلقات لسوء األحوال الجوية‬ ‫ً‬ ‫فعل»‪ .‬لربما يقضي وقته يف‬ ‫ليس إال‪« ،‬والدنيا حر‬ ‫الساحل؟‬ ‫أغرورقت عيناه بالدموع‪ ،‬أو ابتلت ال اغرورقت‪ ،‬فقد‬ ‫تماما‪.‬‬ ‫يظن البعض أن الدمع قد جف من عينيه‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ربما كانت تلك دموع التأثر بكالم أخ كبير غير‬ ‫الملزم‪ .‬مع أنه صح‪ ،‬وهو ما يجعله بالضرورة ملزم‪،‬‬ ‫ولكنه غير ملزم‪ .‬أغلب الظن أنها كانت دموع الهواء‬ ‫المحمل بالغبار ودخان القمامة المحترقة على‬ ‫جانب الطريق‪ .‬ولكن ذلك غير مهم‪ ،‬فالمهم أنها‬ ‫دموع‪ ،‬والمهم أنه قد أحب أخ كبير‪.‬‬

‫‪٢٠١٨‘18‬‬ ‫كتوبر‬ ‫عدد شهر أ‬ ‫‪Oct‬‬ ‫‪issue‬‬

‫صفحة ‪٤‬‬ ‫‪Page‬‬ ‫‪67‬‬

‫كتبه عمرو عبدالعظيم‬

‫حضن‬ ‫ك بي ـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ر‬ ‫لم تكد الحافلة ذات رقم ‪ 1062‬تصل إىل ميدان‬ ‫عبدالمنعم رياض‪ ،‬حتى خرج منها المواطن‬ ‫«زيدان» متوج ًها بخطوات مسرعة إىل الناحية‬ ‫األخرى من «الموقف»‪ ،‬ليركب «ميكروباص» ما‬ ‫متج ًها إىل فيصل‪ .‬لم يكن زيدان على أي وجه من‬ ‫أوجه العجلة‪ ،‬ولكن يف تلك الساعات المتأخرة‬ ‫من الليل‪ ،‬يجد الجميع أنفسهم يسرعون إىل‬ ‫وجهاتهم؛ فليس لهم صالح بالبقاء يف الشارع‪.‬‬ ‫تباطأت خطواته شيئًا فشيئًا‪ ،‬ثم توقف‪ .‬راحة‬ ‫يده تستند إىل صدره ويتكئ باألخرى على سور‬ ‫قريب‪ ،‬أهي ذبحة صدرية أم ماذا؟‬

‫ربما كانت تلك دموع‬ ‫التأثر بكالم أخ كبير‬ ‫غير الملزم‪ .‬مع أنه‬ ‫صح‪ ،‬وهو ما يجعله‬ ‫بالضرورة ملزم‪ ،‬ولكنه‬ ‫غير ملزم‪.‬‬

‫ا ّ‬ ‫كل‪ ،‬إنّها مجرد نوبة من الحموضة‪ .‬يقف زيدان‬ ‫لم يشعر بالحموضة؟‬ ‫حائ ًرا أمام تلك الحموضة‪َ ،‬‬ ‫تأخذه األفكار إىل أن الحموضة دليل على وجبة‬ ‫دسمة ما قد تناولها اليوم‪ ،‬وأنه بمرتبه الهزيل‬ ‫ووظيفت ْيه قد تناول وجبة دسمة اليوم‪ ،‬فعالم يدل‬ ‫ذلك؟ «أ كيد دليل على النجاح االقتصادي الذي‬ ‫تشهده مصر!» قالها يف نفسه‪.‬‬ ‫هو ال يذكر متى تناول تلك الوجبة الدسمة اليوم‪،‬‬ ‫فالواقع هو ال يذكر ماهية تلك الوجبة الدسمة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أصل‪ .‬هو ال يذكر اليو َم سوى أقراص الطعمية‬ ‫المقلية يف زيت يوقد عليه منذ مطلع الشمس إىل‬ ‫مغيبها حتى اسودَّ‪ ،‬والذي لم ولن يتم تغييره إىل‬ ‫أن يرث هللا األرض ومن عليها‪.‬‬ ‫ولكنها ليست السبب يف حموضته! البد أنها الوجبة‬ ‫الدسمة الدالة على النجاح االقتصادى‪ ،‬ذاك أن‬ ‫مصر بالفعل تمر بنجاح اقتصادى باهر! وذاك أنها‬ ‫إن لم تكن الوجبة الدسمة‪ ،‬فالبد أنها‪...‬البد أنها…‬ ‫قطع زيدان حبل أفكاره هنا‪ ،‬وا كتفي بتوجيه نظرة‬ ‫صوب تمثال الشهيد عبدالمنعم رياض لبرهة‪ ،‬ثم‬ ‫عاد للمشي‪.‬‬ ‫حملته قدماه نحو المكان حيث يقف‬ ‫«الميكروباص» المتجه إىل فيصل دون تفكير‪.‬‬

‫كيسا من البلح األحمر‪،‬‬ ‫يتأبط تحت ذراعه‬ ‫ً‬ ‫تلك الفاكهة المصرية الصيفية األصيلة‪ .‬صعد‬ ‫الميكروباص‪ ،‬وجلس جوار السائق الذي صار‬ ‫يعرفه‪ ،‬ثم انتظر السيارة حتى تتحرك‪ .‬كان زيدان‬ ‫يحب السائق هالل‪ ،‬ذاك الشاب أسمر اللون‪ .‬فهو‬ ‫شاب مصري أصيل‪ ،‬وفوق ذلك‪ ،‬هو ليس كثير‬ ‫الكالم‪ ،‬كثير التنظير‪ .‬هذه نعمة بل وفضيلة‪ ،‬فماذا‬ ‫يدري هالل حتى ينظر يف موضوع أو آخر؟ بل ماذا‬ ‫يعرف زيدان نفسه حتى ينظر يف مواضيع وقضايا‬ ‫البلد هو اآلخر؟ أفال يجب أن يدعا األمور تجري‬ ‫إىل مستقرها دون الكثير أو القليل من اللغط غير‬ ‫المحمود؟‬ ‫فهم‬ ‫جواره‪.‬‬ ‫إىل‬ ‫وزيدان‬ ‫مقعده‬ ‫واتخذ‬ ‫هالل‪،‬‬ ‫صعد‬ ‫َّ‬ ‫جا علبة السجائر الكليوباترا وأهدى‬ ‫زيدان مخر ً‬ ‫باسما وقال «تشكر!»‪،‬‬ ‫أحدها إىل بالل الذى أخذها‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ثم أخذ واحدة هو اآلخر وأشعل لهالل بوالعته‪ ،‬ثم‬ ‫أشعل لنفسه وهو يغمغم «ربنا يتوب علينا منها»‬ ‫بين أنفاس من الدخان‪.‬‬ ‫دار حوار قصير بينهما مثل الذى يدور كل يوم عن‬ ‫نفس المواضيع‪ ،‬يتحدثان عن هذا أو ذاك منهم‬ ‫لوقت قصير‪ .‬مواضيع على شاكلة زحمة الطريق‪،‬‬ ‫حر الصيف «اللى ما يعلم بيه إال ربنا»‪ ،‬العيال‪.‬‬ ‫أشياء من ذلك القبيل‪ ،‬يتبادالن خبراتهما بها‪.‬‬ ‫زيدان من موقعه الهام واالستثنايئ كرجل كبير ذي‬ ‫خبرة بالحياة‪ ،‬وهالل من موقعه الذى ال يقل أهمية‬ ‫واستثنائية كشاب كادح يقضي يومه يف الشوارع‪.‬‬ ‫كان زيدان يحب تلك الساعات األخيرة من اليوم‬ ‫يف السيارة‪ .‬البشر متعبون‪ ،‬بعد قضاء يوم من‬ ‫قسطا من الراحة وال يميلون‬ ‫ل يريد‬ ‫العمل‪ ،‬وك ٌ‬ ‫ً‬ ‫للكالم‪ .‬وكان زيدان بالطبع يحتقر الكالم ويحترم‬ ‫بل ويقدس الصمت‪ .‬يحترم الصمت «وأي حاجة‬ ‫فيها عدم كالم‪ ،‬وعدم وجع دماغ‪ ،‬وعدم التعبير‬ ‫عن الرأي والكالم ده»‪ .‬ما هو ذاك الرأي ليعبروا‬ ‫هم عنه؟ من أين لهم بالعلم والخبرة بإدارة األمور‬

‫‪AUC Times‬‬

‫‪Page 68‬‬

‫رئيس التحرير‬ ‫محمود الحكيم‬

‫مستشار هيئة التدريس‬ ‫رامي علي‬

‫القسم العريب‬

‫مصممي الجرافيك‬ ‫ندى هشام‬ ‫منة بناين‬

‫مديرة تحرير قسم اللغة العربية‬ ‫كوثر الشريفي‬ ‫مساعد مديرة التحرير‬ ‫أحمد المنايلي‬ ‫المحررون‬ ‫عمرو عليم‬ ‫إبراهيم عبدهللا‬ ‫مريم البرنس‬

‫مديرة التصوير‬ ‫ندي محمد‬ ‫مديرة العالقات العامة‬ ‫آالء محمود‬ ‫مسؤول الشؤون المالية‬ ‫يوسف أبو حمر‬

‫حقــوق النشــر‬ ‫جميــع الصــور والرســومات الغيــر مذكــور‬ ‫مصدرهــا إمــا مســتخدمة بتصر يــح مــن‬ ‫صاحبهــا أو مرخصــة لإلســتخدام الغيــر‬ ‫التجاري‪.‬‬

‫تنو ي ـ ــه‬

‫‪ AUC Times‬مجلــة طالبيــة‪ .‬اي آراء مذكــورة‬ ‫يف المجلــة تمثــل الكاتب‪/‬الكاتبــة فقــط‪ ،‬وال‬ ‫تعكــس آراء فر يــق التحر يــر أو إدارة الجامعــة‬ ‫األمريكيــة بالقاهــرة‪.‬‬

‫‪/ auctimes‬‬

‫أبــو وأم (وابــن) ســالم‬

‫مــن وراء حجــاب‬

‫الســينما عالــم آخــر‬

‫‪٢٤ ٢٢ ١٦‬‬

‫‪Page 69‬‬

‫كلمــة رئيــس التحر يــر‬ ‫عزيزي القارئ‪،‬‬ ‫العوالم األخرى لم تكن يف يوم ما منحصرة يف زوايا الفانتازيا‪ ،‬والخيال‬ ‫العلمي‪ ،‬واألعمال االدبية وغيرها‪ ،‬بل هي كثيرة جدًا‪ ،‬متداخلة مع‬ ‫حيواتنا وأفكارنا؛ فالسؤال عن كينونة العالم اآلخر و"ماذا هناك‬ ‫يف الضفة األخرى؟" ال يمنعنا من خوضه واستكشاف ما لم يتم‬ ‫استكشافه من ذي قبل‪ ،‬بل إن هذا السؤال يتطفل‪ ،‬ويجادل‪ ،‬ويجذب‪،‬‬ ‫ويحاور بشغف حيواتنا الواقعية‪ ،‬حتى يسلبنا من ذلك الخط الفاصل‬ ‫بين واقعنا وإياها‪.‬‬ ‫لذلك‪ ،‬أنتهز هذه الفرصة ألسألك من هذا المنبر‪ :‬ماذا يوجد يف عالمك‬ ‫اآلخر‪ ،‬ذلك العالم القاطن وراء حياتك الواقعية؟‬ ‫َ‬ ‫قمت‬ ‫إن عوالمنا يف تفاعل دائم مع غيرها‪ ،‬منذ ذلك الوقت الذي‬ ‫فيه ً‬ ‫مثل بتقليب صفحات هذا العدد‪ ،‬ران ًيا لنوع من االنفصال عن‬ ‫محيطك؛ حتى تلك اللحظات التي يلتهمنا فيها الخوف والقلق بسبب‬ ‫تشوه واقعنا‪ .‬إنها يف تفاعل دائم يف تلك األوقات التي نستمع فيها‬

‫‪Oct ‘18 issue‬‬

‫إىل اآلخرين وعوالمهم الخاصة‪ ،‬أو حين نكتشف هويات جديدة‪ ،‬نلج‬ ‫حدودها غير المتوقعة لنقيم فيها‪ ،‬أو حين تواجهنا أخبار الصباح‬ ‫والمساء‪ ،‬لنرى كيف قد تم تركيب هذا العالم لنا! إنها يف تفاعل حين‬ ‫نرى العالم كما هو من خالل نظرتنا الضيقة ربما‪ ،‬وعند نومنا‪ ،‬حين‬ ‫يصبح الالوعي هو اآلمر والناهي‪ ،‬ويف عقولنا المتيقظة التي تحب‬ ‫مداعبة األفكار المجردة‪ ،‬وحين نحتاج إىل التعامل مع "ميتافيزيقية‬ ‫الحياة"‪ ،‬أو حين نتذكر األموات ونتأمل يف مصيرهم بعد الرحيل‪ ،‬وحين‪،‬‬ ‫وحين‪...‬يف كل مرة يومئ لنا فيها هذا الوجود وهذا العالم اآلخر‪ ،‬نجد‬ ‫أنفسنا يف مواجهة مع ما هو خارج نطاق عالمنا المحدود‪.‬‬ ‫أن يتم تقديم فكرة موحدة ومتناسقة عن "العالم اآلخر" أمر‬ ‫مستحيل‪ ،‬ألنه من صنع خيالنا وعقولنا‪ ،‬تلونه ذواتنا كما تشتهي‪.‬‬ ‫لذلك‪ ،‬نقدم لك عوالم أخرى متنوعة كعالم كاتبيها‪ ،‬ولنؤكد لك أنك‬ ‫لست وحدك يف عالمك الصغير‪.‬‬

‫المحتو يــات‬

‫العــب الكلب‬

‫الجامعــة األمريكيــة وأخواتهــا‬

‫هــل الوجــود حقيقــي؟ أم‬ ‫أ كذوبــة العالــم الوهمــي؟‬

‫‪١٤ ٠٩ ٠٦‬‬

‫م‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ـ‬ ‫ـ‬ ‫آل‬ ‫ـ‬ ‫ـ‬ ‫العالـ‬ ‫خ‬ ‫ـ‬ ‫ـ‬ ‫ـ‬ ‫ـ‬ ‫رـ‬

‫أ كـ ـ ـ ـ ــتوبر ‪٢٠١٨ -‬‬