Injy El-Kashef cheers as two tribal elders give a lesson in empathy "I have a dream." Martin Luther King is not alone in having a seemingly impossible vision. Two years ago Walid Ramadan, the general manager of Fustat Wadi Al-Gemal, a tented village in the Protectorate of Wadi Al-Gemal, 45km south of Marsa Alam, and the founder of the EDPS (Egyptian Desert Pioneers Society), spoke the exact same words about the goal he had set himself. A passionate ecologist, he was determined to celebrate the lives of the Bedouin who inhabit Egypt's deserts. And now his dream has come true in the form of "Characters of Egypt", a festival celebrating the way of life of Bedouin tribes. Peace, generosity of spirit and mutual respect were the essence of the three-day encounter which lasted from 29-31 October with the help of 50 volunteers who left their jobs for three weeks in order to offer their help in realizing the event. Cutting across distances -- in some cases exceeding 1,500km -- tribal representatives from Siwa and Farafra in the Western Desert, from Northern and Southern Sinai and from Nubia converged onto Wadi Al-Gemal where members of the Bishariya and Ababda tribes, inhabitants of the Eastern and Southern deserts stretching from Marsa Alam to the Alba Mountain eagerly awaited the encounter. Under the roof of one tent, for the first time in history, 120 Bedouins from across the country shared stories, music, poetry, food, arts, sciences and problems, as well as participating in a variety of entertaining games, mountain climbing and camel races. "Characters of Egypt" -- a joint effort between the EDPS, which shouldered most of the organisational tasks, and the Wadi Environmental Science Centre (WESC), headed by Lynn Sigouin Freiji, who oversaw the administrative and financial components -- proved a veritable feast of the senses for Bedouins, foreigners and Egyptian desert aficionados alike, despite the complete lack of support both from official bodies or sponsors. Al-Kharafi Group of Port Ghalib withdrew the funding it had promised over a year ago shortly before the inauguration of the festival, leaving Ramadan and Freiji with the seemingly impossible task of raising the necessary money in a matter of weeks. Yet generous souls will rise just as suddenly as unreliable spirits falter. As Al-Kharafi pulled out a Bedouin from Jordan, who has requested anonymity, offered financial assistance. Other donors include UNESCO, the European Union, the SSRDP (South Sinai Regional Development Programme), Ashoka and Wadi Food, while the festival's banner was designed by artist Azza Fahmi. Twenty-two television channels including CNN, Italian, French, German and Danish television as well as OTV, NileTV and MBC, covered the three-day event. Although a heavy security presence somewhat marred the otherwise peaceful atmosphere conveyed to the world through the similarly heavy media presence, towards the end of the festival apologies were offered on behalf of the security personal who explained to Ramadan that they had come to realise how some of their actions, borne of misconceptions and lack of awareness, proved unnecessary. To the attendees' delight the security forces eventually stated they were eager to learn more about the tribes and that they, like all other guests, had thoroughly enjoyed attending this rich cultural event. "Every aspect of this event was a portrayal of Egypt to the outside world. We would like to cooperate with official bodies in order to garner even more success for next year's round of the festival. We are all working towards the same goal, our country, and so let us unite," Ramadan told Al-Ahram Weekly. Following the roaring success of this year's "Characters of Egypt" expectations are being pinned on the support and collaboration of the various ministries concerned with ecotourism in the coming rounds of what the organisers hope will become an annual celebration. As to questions over the possible danger to preserving tribal heritage posed by interaction with each other and the outside world, Ramadan responds with a simple question: "Are awareness, knowledge and evolution not every human being's right? Take Egypt and America as an example. In order to preserve our identity should we refuse to learn what other countries have achieved or should we instead gain this experience, get in the loop of where human evolution is leading the world, and then still choose, willingly, to preserve our identity? The Bedouins are not an open air museum; they cannot be kept in the dark just for our entertainment. They have the same rights as anyone else to learn from one another, to trade, to evolve, and only through this exposure will they realise how much respect they solicit, and only through meeting others will they recognise the full value of who they are." When the tribal elders sat together to enlighten the crowd about their different customs and the challenges they face, no sooner had the sheikh of the Bishariya told of the serious water problem threatening his tribe -- no rain has fallen in their desert for 10 years -- than the sheikh of Southern Sinai announced that his people would offer technical and executive help, and even raise the necessary funds, so that together they and the Bishariya could dig wells in search of water. Observers shook the tent with their applause as they witnessed the first fruit of kheir (bounty) resulting from Bedouin cooperation. Seven tribes from the far corners of the desert demonstrated the power of their traditions and the rich heritage they have preserved while the rest of the country has all but lost its identity. As a member of the Farafra tribe began humming our anthem, attendees rose to their feet one by one, standing in respect. In the main tent 200 people, Bedouin and Cairene alike, sang " Biladi " together, as one body.
