Remembering Ahmed Fouad Negm, the poet of the poor

Ahmed Fouad Negm will always be an inspiration to those who believe in freedom, justice and equality, Said Yassin writes in Arabic newspaper Al Hayat. Other digest topics: the GCC and Nelson Mandela.

The Arab intellectual scene lost the Poet of the Poor and the voice of the Egyptian revolution

He has been nicknamed the Poet of the Poor, the Voice of the Revolution, the Poet-Rifle, Uncle Ahmed, and most popularly Al Fagoumi, meaning the blunt one.

He is the Egyptian vernacular poet Ahmed Fouad Negm, who was renowned for his sharp criticism of Egyptian tyrants. He died on Tuesday at 84.

Said Yassin wrote in the London-based Al hayat that Negm was a significant voice in the Arab world, one that always swam against the tide. His criticism of Egypt’s authorities caused him to be constantly persecuted and sent to jail several times, over 18 years in total.

Negm was born 23 May 1929 to a poor family in the village of Kafar Abu Negm in the city of Abu Hammad, Al Sharqia governorate. After the death of his father, a police officer, he was put into an orphanage where he met singer Abdel Halim Hafez. At 17, Negm left the orphanage and worked simple jobs as a peasant, mason, tailor, shepherd and railway worker.

Negm started to write poetry in the 1950s and rose to fame when he teamed up with singer and composer Sheikh Imam. The satirical songs of the duo stroke a powerful chord with students and the common people and inspired protests in Egypt and the Arab World.

Guevara is Dead, Who Are They and Who Are We? And the Al Bitae (The Thingy) are some of Negm’s most popular versus, the writer noted.

In another article titled “A revolutionary until the last breath”, Toni Francis wrote in Al Hayat that Uncle Ahmed was mesmerised by the Arab Spring revolutions, which made him recall a lifetime spent between jail and poetry.

Writing for the Cairo-based Al Masry Al Youm, Nasr Al Qaffas said that Negm is the true colour of life, with its bitterness and sweetness; he is the shepherd who learnt the rue meaning of humanity; he elected to proudly lead a modest life and refused to kneel down to tyranny, the writer said.

He spread simplicity when most people spread complexity; he raised the flag of freedom and poked fun at the coward; he was the merchant of happiness despite his sufferings.

“Uncle Ahmed was a husband is his way, a father in his way, a friend in his way, and a foe in his way … he will always be an inspiration to those who believe in freedom, justice and equality,” Al Qaffas wrote.

Ahmed Maghrebi wrote in the London-based Al Yayat that the “Revolutionary Blues Poet” criticised Gamal Abdel Nasser after the 1967 defeat, made fun of Anwar Sadat and his policies, opposed Hosni Mubarak and took a firm stand against him handing power to his son Gamal.

The late Ahmed Fouad Negm was also against the Brotherhood’s power grip and recently criticised the Army Chief Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, the writer said.

Mandela is an icon who defeated instinct

South African leader Nelson Mandela did not become a global icon only because he spent 27 years in prison under the Apartheid. Nor was it merely because he fought the racial discrimination in South Africa, noted Amjad Arrar in an opinion article for the Sharjah-based newspaper Al Khaleej.

Mandela became an icon mainly because he defeated the instinct that most people who have been persecuted are overwhelmed with and set an extraordinary example of forgiveness.

After spending 27 years in the apartheid prisons, Nelson Mandela, emerging at the helm of a strong party, was capable of exacting revenge on the racists and their regime. But he displayed unparalleled forgiveness, let go all his sufferings behind bars and raised the slogan of reconciliation with his jailers.

Nelson Mandela did not search for a policeman or a torturer to return the insult. The payback and retaliation were not part of the dictionary of Mandela who raised above all ill feelings to set a model of tolerance.

Without Mandela, South Africa would be now sinking in blood, millions of South Africans would be in refugee camps in neighbouring countries, and the casualties would be in the hundreds of thousands, Amjad remarked.

Mandela left prison stronger than his jailers, and they knew that. And yet he invited them to dialogue for the sake of the greater good.

The GCC should take one unified stance

Uncertainty to what is coming is still dominant in the Gulf countries despite all the talks about the importance of the unification of the GCC policies, writes Ali Al Tarrah in the Abu Dhabi-based Arabic daily Al Ittihad.

Rumours have sparked fears, and even though they were denied, they should not be underestimated in a world that promotes rumours, he said.

As the Gulf Cooperation Council’s meeting in Kuwait is approaching, the situation is difficult because of the fragmented policies that are not moving towards integration.

There are different positions regarding the Egyptian crisis. But the majority of the Gulf states support reform, to get Egypt back to normal.

With regards to the Iranian issue, it is obvious that the Gulf states don’t hold any hard feelings against Iran. The UAE favoured diplomacy to achieve its legitimate right of its islands and initiated support to the Western-Iranian deal. And all the Gulf states seek to reconcile with Iran, their neighbouring country.

But if there is a new international approach to regional politics, they should not be at the expense of our security or common interests,” he said. Our cooperation is going through a critical stage. We hope that the next meeting will bring more actions than talks.

* Digest compiled by The Translation Desk