Magdi Abdelhadi radio documentary on Mubarak´s Egypt

BBC´s Arab Affairs analyst, Magdi Abdelhadi has made a two-part radio documentary on Mubarak´s Egypt, The first is about the institution that formed Mubarak, The military and it´s impact on Mubarak , as well as it´s importance and impact in Egyptian society, far beyond it´s traditional military role.

It can be found at the Arabist in full here.



The second part was to be broadcasted yesterday, and can be found here, it´s about Mubarak´s legacy and the future.

You will find it here.

Both are well worth your while, and the most striking comment comes at the end of part two, from former free-officer and minister under Nasser, Sarwat Okasha:

¨We didn´t think of governing the country, even some of the officers that participated in the revolution were not happy with what happend, because the should make elections for people¨

Magdi Abdelhadi question: But they say that the democracy seen in Egypt today was never seen before, that´s what President Mubarak says

Sarwat Okasha: ¨Yes that he says(laughter), but ask any man, he is going to lead this country to a system of royalty, because of the needs of his son, Papa i want to be like you(laugther), and everything is going this way¨

Magdi Abdelhadi question: If you knew that this is how things would develop, would you

Sarwat Okasha: ¨I would never, never participated, no.¨

It reminds me of a blog post i wrote back in 2006, named ¨we have had enough of corruption¨, the photo montage seen was a Time Magazine cover in September 1952, with an interview , with the then Prime minister, and later Egypt´s first President Muhammed Naguib.

Text of Obama´s Cairo speech

Above is the much anticipated speech to ¨the Muslim World¨, below
is the speech in text as prepared by the White House, i don´t know if something was changed in it.

I will comment as soon as possible, wa salamu alaikum..

Egypts awaits Obama

al Jazeera´s Amr Khakhy talks to people on the streets of Cairo the day before Obama arrives.

NPR speaks to Egyptian activists, one of them being 3arabawy.

BBC´s Justin Webb interview with Obama on eve of Cairo

On the eve of Obama´s Keynote speech in Cairo ¨to the Muslim World¨ has given an interview to the BBC, anyone interested in the 16 mins interview conducted by Justin Webb can find it here, as well as the full transcript here.