Middle East, The: Leadership And Identity (Egypt)

[Music] the faces of modern Egypt the faces of ancient Egypt two lands yet the same land separated in time by thousands of years but United by a lifegiving river the Nile the River cuts a thin fertile Valley through the massive desert system that makes up most of this country the Nile is the foundation of Egypt's 7,000 year old civilization in the 7th Century the Arabs conquered Egypt and permanently changed its character today Egypt is the most populous Arab State and Cairo its capital is the world's largest Arab City Islam is the state religion of Egypt and more than 90% of Egyptians are Muslims about 10% are Coptic Christians Muslim and Christian like many families they sometimes disagree but from their different religious faiths comes a strong sense of family Unity that works to help unite the nation since ancient times most Egyptians have lived in the valley and Delta of the N River and most are villagers who make their living farming the land life here follows the ancient patterns and offers very few luxuries sometimes not even the bare necessities but these conditions are changing because of a government serious about improving life in the rural areas the changes began in 1952 when the monarchy of King faruko was overthrown in a revolution of egyp army officers led by Gamal Abdul Nasser the Republic of Egypt was established and Nasser was its first president under a new constitution in 1956 then Egypt took over full control of the Suz Canal a vital shipping link between three continents now all revenues from the canal went to Egypt and to fulfill a long held dream of controlling the Nile Egypt began the building of the High Dam at a swan the full project was completed in 1970 with the help of the Soviet Union then to further change the old ways of life NASA's new government enacted a series of land reform laws the laws limited the amount of land any one person could own the government took over land owned by 2,000 wealthy Egyptians and divided it among 170,000 landless peasants this redistribution of the land was only part of the government's program of improving life for the [Music] farmers citation throughout the country had been poor especially in The Villages the Nile was the only source of of drinking water in many areas now the government has piped clean running water to many [Applause] [Music] villages ancient remedies like these roots used to be about the only medical help the rural people had available diseases were common and infant mortality very high many children did not survive their early years now hundreds of combined service units are at work in these rural areas at centers like this one the people are provided not only with Medical Aid but with social and Educational Services there are more doctors at work now throughout the country five times as many as there were 20 years ago the changes improved the quality of life for the crowded farming and Village population but it is still a growing population and the land is limited the fertile Nile Valley and Delta are barely 3% of the country and yet more than 90% of the people live here the rest of Egypt is a dry windy rainless desert with only an occasional Oasis this small area fertile land must be cultivated and irrigated very carefully because of the peasants great dependence on agriculture in trying to improve agriculture the government has set up experimental Farms this is one of them an experimental dairy [Music] farm since ancient times Farmers have worked together to get the highest yield possible from every ploted land cultivation and high productivity result in some crop surpluses which can be exported but most of what Egyptian Farmers produce still must be used to feed their country's own growing population life in the farm Villages depends on the canals of the valley and Delta fed By the Waters of the N River they provide irrigation for in crops and navigation for carrying the crops to Market periodically the canals must be cleaned of mud carried Down The Long course of the Nile villagers work together to keep the canals deep and the water [Applause] flowing but the mud that clogs the canals is rich in minerals it can be used to fertilize the farmland these canals also act as a network that unites the villages with the cities the farmlands with the busy Market places nothing shows the variety of Egyptian life more clearly than the City Marketplace here Farmers Exchange ideas and learn about farming methods and political events in the city the City Marketplace is also the area where most rural people who move to the city will settle a rapidly growing rural population and limited land have forced many Egyptians to give up Village Life they trade the quiet country for the frenzied activity of the city streets the move is not an easy one city life life is more impersonal and less secure but most Villages cluster together and carry on their Village traditions in spite of the strong Urban influences surrounding them some will find jobs in Egypt's textile industry cotton introduced in the early 1800s is the country's most important commercial product the textile indust industry employs more workers than any other Urban business textiles and cotton Goods make up over half the value of Egypt's merchandise exports migration to the cities and population growth have created Egypt's serious housing problem the need for housing is so acute that families will move into a building before it's fully built buildings are going up in in all the cities especially lowincome housing for the great numbers of poor City [Music] dwellers but large city population means that people are one of Egypt's main resources so much construction work is done by hand for construction the people take what they can from the land mud bricks are molded here in a technique that is 5,000 years old Timber must usually be imported from Syria so rock quaries are continually worked to supply needed building materials as they were in the age of the pyramids the whole process of getting the rocks from the quaries to the building sites is a slow one and camels are still being used as they have been for thousands of years [Music] [Music] the rocks are shipped along the Nile and its canals to construction sites in the cities the face of the Egyptian city is changing yet a distinct Arab flavor is still common in the large Urban centers Cairo has kept its basic Islamic character and at the same time reflects the foreign influences that have shaped Egypt's [Music] history Cairo is a Metropolis of more than 8 million people and a cultural center for the Arab world the movement from the villages to the cities is one great change affecting the people of Egypt but another movement is taking place a social movement a closing of the gap between the city people and people still living in the rural areas the major carriers of this change are the government leaders and a growing middle class in the past many of Egypt's University educated people left their country in search of New Opportunities now some of these people see encouraging signs of opportunity in their own land many of them are products of an improved Egyptian educational system schooling is free on all levels the government is also attempting to improve the quality of Education stressing foreign languages and scientific research methods and teacher education illiteracy is a problem even with free education a large proportion of the people still can't read or write students at this ancient Islamic University can be used in the battle against illiteracy if they will go back to their villages to teach Egypt's press and broadcasting industry also take part in this campaign inside the offices of alam the nation's leading newspaper the daily effort of reflecting and shaping policy goes on the newspaper is read throughout Egypt and much of the Arab world [Music] television and radio networks are also growing bringing more of the rural people in touch with the world outside their Farm Villages Egyptian television and radio broadcast the whole Middle East television and radio the press and a middle class that is spreading a new way of life all of these elements are closing the gap between City Life and Village Life between the people of the cities and the rural peasants with their traditional ways but whether or not this narrowing of Egypt's economic and cultural Gap can continue depends to a large part on Egypt's economic condition since the beginning of recorded history Egypt has been a land of Crossroads it was a natural path for trade routes by land and by sea and it still is and its economy benefits from this position the Suez Canal one of the Egyptian people's major resources is a vital waterway in World [Music] Trade although war with Israel in 1967 closed the canal to shipping for 8 years today the Waterway is open earning money for Egypt and being improved as well with the help of foreign Nations this dredging operation is being done by Japan the canal will also be widened to increase the volume of shipping it can handle the banks will be built up more shipping through the canal will bring in more revenue for the economy of Egypt the Aswan Dam also has a role in Egypt's economic growth it's provided irrigation water to help reclaim small areas of desert land at the same time the dam is a tremendous new source of hydroelectric power it has more than tripled the country's electrical output in the few years it's been in operation more power is available for Egypt's heavy Industries Egypt must depend on growing and expanding Industries if its economy is to improve electricity is also being brought to more of the people in the rural areas in this way the dam is also helping to draw villagers closer to City people but since the Aswan Dam went into operation changes have occurred in the waters of the Nile and its canals shrimp no longer come up the Nile from the Mediterranean and fishing nets are not as full as they once [Music] were yet fishing fleets can Now operate south of the dam on Lake masser a whole new industry has been born more new industries were will probably develop when the full natural resources of Egypt are tapped during space flights over Egypt pictures were taken with special film that gave the Egyptians exciting information beneath the Sands of Egypt's deserts lie vast mineral resources they offer the promise of an economy that is not dependent on the narrow strip of fertile land that follows the Nile and its Delta locating the resources was important but getting them out from Deep beneath the desert hands will be difficult in the Suz region oil research is underway large deposits of oil and natural gas have been [Music] found there are many offshore deposits already being [Music] worked oil May begin to play as key A Part in Egypt's economy as it does in other countries of the Middle [Music] East but even oil won't help the Egyptian economy much if there isn't peace between Egypt and its neighbor Israel the Egyptian people have faced the destruction of wars with Israel conflict that has been costly in lives and property conflict over the political rights of Egyptians and Israelis and Palestinians the Egyptians honored their dead but they would rather have peace yet Egypt's role in Arab causes has forced the government to spend more and more for military projects since 1970 the Egyptian people have begun laying more emphasis on peace and domestic development under the leadership of President anoir sadad a permanent peace would mean much more money could be used for building the Egyptian economy for drawing together the people of Egypt and building the future they dream of their past lies all around them reminders of a glorious civilization that Blended African and citic cultures and left a great artistic Heritage but this past is Egyptian not Arab and though the Arabs who are the Egyptians of today are guardians of that significant Heritage they still must find their identities as Egyptians young Egyptians are growing up in a land trying to find its identity as a nation helped by a government now taking a leadership role in the process identity Pride purpose leadership forces at work shaping Egypt and its people [Music] for