The crux of the matter

Gamal El-Ghitani, author of several acclaimed novels, including Zini Barakat, is editor-in-chief of the weekly literary magazine Akhbar Al-Adab which led a fierce campaign against the minister of culture two years ago over the proposed relocation of the Islamic Museum. Ghitani was also, until he resigned this month, the editor of a series (Al-Zakha'r) reissuing classics of Arabic culture and published by the General Organisation for Cultural Palaces. In this capacity Ghitani began republishing the complete diwan of Abu Nuwas in four volumes, a project which he now claims has been effectively banned by the ministry
"It is entirely beyond my comprehension that at a time when absolutely everything, even heavy industry, is being privatised, why culture should not be privatised too, or why the government should insist on imposing a guardian on culture.
"If you look at what the General Egyptian Book Organisation was publishing 30, 40 years ago, you will see at least some remarkable publications; recently it has produced nothing worthy of commentary. But the issue is ultimately one of eliminating the Ministry of Culture altogether. The cultural achievements of the first half of the 20th century are by far the more notable, and they were made through individual and group initiatives in the absence of a Ministry of Culture. Youssef Idris, Naguib Mahfouz: they are ultimately products of the first half. As for us, the generation of writers who emerged in the 1960s: we struggled, climbing up a slope that has been getting steadily steeper and steeper. We may have been given a chance at one time but nobody is being given any chance now. If not for the translation project championed by Gaber Asfour [secretary general of the Supreme Council for Culture], the translation movement would almost certainly have relocated to Beirut by now.
"There is no doubt that the GOCP played a positive role in this context, providing young talent with an outlet and endorsing some remarkable texts. GOCP is the cultural establishment's last card; now it is being put down, too. And the real target is Gaber Asfour. He is next in line. As you can see it is a completely arbitrary process. I mean, when you are the minister and you acknowledge a major mistake that has been made in your ministry you resign rather than dismiss a perfectly hard-working and well-meaning bureaucrat like Ali [Abu-Shadi]. When the minister appears on television and says what he said, I consider that a call for murder. A young man like the one who made an attempt on Mahfouz's life might be vindicated in his determination when he sees the minister himself promoting such ideas.
"I want you to quote me as saying, 'Who does Farouq Hosni think he is, in order to have the presumption to decide for Naguib Mahfouz the parameters within which to write.' If it is to serve a purpose at all, a Ministry of Culture must take it upon itself to defend my freedom as a writer, not to restrict it. That is the crux."
Interview by Youssef Rakha
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