Farouk

One of the most controversial TV series during Ramadan was King Farouk.

Although I am personally against studying history from soap operas, TV series, or movies, it should be also clear that the Egyptian history has been falsified; whatever history we learnt in schools is not the truth in many parts, it was rewritten with a lot of omissions and a lot of inclusions. Clearly History is found in reliable history books and Drama even historical one remains drama you love or hate the main actor.One has to admit that this series has attracted a lot of interest, and I find that the attitude of the Egyptian media authorities was extremely myopic, because borders have fallen down and that satellite broadcasting made material available.The questions I have are:

1.       Why did Egyptian TV refuse to produce it?

2.       Why the presidency palaces were not opened for filming on the real sites?

3.       Why it was not broadcasted on Egyptian TV?

I actually challenge anybody to come with a reasonable logical cause.

What I found strange that suddenly in Al Akhbar an article appeared attacking the art work, Rose El Youssef magazine dedicated a whole issue for Farouk with interviews and articles mostly by Egyptian left wing. Al Ahram had also an article attacking Farouk the king all have also accused the series of falsifying history without presenting any proof only personal testimonials based on memoirs.

I tend to see this overreaction strange as if suddenly a TV series will bring back monarchy to Egypt and replace the Republican system, although it happened in Spain after Franco, but the monarchy was not back through a TV series even with a strong captive audience and lots of discussions.There has been many TV series documenting and providing witness for the state of the Egyptian farmer before the revolution, who by the way did not declare the republic immediately, it was declared only in 1954 two years later,  and no one commented or overreacted.

From the couple of episodes I managed to watch the series looks at Farouk and the political arena so it is a series about the monarchy, as many movies and series were done about other leaders and heads of states from Alexander the great, Salah El Din, Napoleon to Nasser and  Sadat. So what is wrong? It was movies that helped do propaganda to the 1952 revolution; as the famous movie we all memorize; Rod Qalby. It was in this movie  that  the Pasha was pictured as extreme arrogant evil. To my knowledge art has always been used to support a change not to start it up.

What is wrong in discovering that Farouk was not all evil? What damage will happen if we discover that he was at one point in his life a nationalist who decided to send the army to fight the Hagama in Palestine?  Would a bright positive side to the King deprive the 1952 revolution of its raison d’etre? I don’t think time never goes back, we feel only nostalgia to old times, a sign of nostalgia was the creation of several groups on facebook concerning the Royal Family, one has already 822 members, and the second with almost 10,000 members exchanging and displaying photos articles and videos.

The revolution used the term corrupt King to promote its action, may be this is what the series attempted to clear the image of a corrupt King, while what was a real reason for the coup was not only the king, it was the whole political instability of the country and the presence of the British troops and their continuous interference in the political life. 

History is history but it seems that we could not over the generations get rid of an old Pharaonic habit of destroying the predecessor and his history in order to gain legitimacyUnfortunately the discourse and the extreme hostility to a piece of art reveals to me an ever increasing negative attitude of irrational discourse and discussion characterized by no compromises and extreme hostility to a differing opinion or view, it is a sign of lack of confidence, no one is bringing facts to the discussion everyone is defending his opinion as fact.

What should be born in mind that when a vacuum exists something comes and fill it, so if Egypt decided not to produce the series, someone else will do, If Egyptian TV decided not to broadcast another channel will and so forth.

A last word does this attack have a hidden agenda? Being a non believer in the conspiracy theory I would say no, but I think that it may in fact attempt to clear the air from all the negative comments and release the whole Media system from the accusations of being complacent vis a vis this series and that Egyptian History should be produced by Egyptian specially after the previous blunder to handle the rumors about the President.