Hala Halim surveys the controversy surrounding the Beni Sweif disaster and its impact on the cultural field The most emblematic moment in culture in 2005 was, arguably, the fire that broke out during a theatrical performance in a cultural palace in Beni Sweif on 5 September. Blamed on negligence, the blaze claimed about 50 lives, and left many injured. The Beni Sweif tragedy, almost coinciding with the presidential elections, became the focal point of an activist movement that had begun earlier this year in the form of different movements calling for political change. A concerted campaign, composed of previously existing groups like the Writers and Artists for Change, and especially formed ones like the Fifth of September Group, as well as, at a later stage, a Committee of the Families of the Victims of the Beni Sweif Fire, took several measures. In addition to composing a fact-finding mission, disseminating eyewitness accounts, holding rallies, and coordinating efforts, the campaigners submitted a number of requests to the public prosecutor. Among their demands was that an investigation into the responsibility of the ministers of culture, health and interior, as well as the governor of Beni Sweif, be undertaken, and that those responsible be prosecuted. Other demands made by the campaigners were to treat the victims as "martyrs", according them and their families due honour and compensation, and that state theatres should all be made to meet international safety standards. The more long-term demand voiced by many was for a full revision of state cultural policies and structures. One of the most salient criticisms centred on the Culture Ministry's neglect, over the past decade or so, of cultural palaces, a legacy of a 1960s "mass culture" project meant to spread theatrical appreciation in the deprived provinces. Instead, the complaint went, lavish amounts were being spent on international festivals taking place in the capital at showcase ministry venues. The issue became more embattled as September 2005 wore on. Soon after the fire came the announcement that the Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni, whose long tenure has been the subject of criticism on other grounds, had submitted his resignation on account of the disaster, and that it was rejected by President Hosni Mubarak. The resignation further polarised the cultural scene, with many critics dismissing it as "playacting", and other cultural figures, some with governmental posts and/or establishment profiles, signing a petition countering that of the Beni Sweif campaigners, demanding that the minister stay on in his post. The 17th Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre (CIFET, 20-30 September) brought the situation to a head. Boycotted by the campaigners, many of whom are people involved in the theatre and hence account for the main constituency of festival-goers, this year's CIFET suffered from nearly empty theatres. As 2005 draws to a close, the campaigners are saying that the authorities have yet to take responsibility for the Beni Sweif disaster. Minor measures have been taken, such as the temporary closure of theatres while they were being vetted for safety, and paltry pensions, largely under pressure from the campaigners, have been disbursed to those injured in Beni Sweif and the heirs of those who died. Some officials, furthermore, were removed from their posts. This latter move, however, has been read by the campaigners as in keeping with the well-worn governmental response of offering easy scapegoats, more so in view of the fact that no official report on the Beni Sweif investigation has been issued, nor have any ministerial-ranking officials been prosecuted. On Tuesday, 20 December, groups involved in the Beni Sweif campaign held a rally in downtown Cairo; in addition to reasserting their demands for the prosecution of those responsible for the Beni Sweif disaster, they were protesting against the banning of a Suez- based theatrical troupe's Cairo performance of a play commemorating the event, entitled Al-Mahraqa (The Holocaust).
