A state of shock, anger and disappointment has gripped the students and graduates of the Faculty of Tourism and Hotels at Helwan University, as well as its teaching staff and employees, over the past few days, after news spread that the faculty would be moved from its current headquarters on the Manial Corniche to another building inside Helwan University. The faculty’s administration confirmed the news in a statement issued on Friday, explaining that it had received an official letter from the Armed Forces Land Projects Agency, based on higher directives, providing for the non-renewal of usufruct contracts for all riverbank land stretching from Shubra to Helwan, including the land allocated to the faculty’s educational and administrative activities.
The Faculty of Tourism and Hotels at Helwan University announced that it had received a letter from the director of the Armed Forces Land Projects Agency, based on presidential directives, providing for the cancellation and non-renewal of usufruct contracts for all Nile accretion land from Shubra to Helwan. The decision covered several facilities, including the Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, the Floating Theatre, the Waterways Police Club, Umm Kulthum Garden and other clubs. The letter stated that these lands are state property and had been allocated to these facilities under usufruct, and that their belongings must be moved immediately.
In its statement, the faculty said the decision puts it in a critical position that threatens its presence at its current location, which has been part of its identity and history for decades. It pointed out that its current location, close to tourist areas and hotels, enhances the educational and practical experience of its students and serves its academic goals.
The statement stressed that moving the faculty would negatively affect students and teaching staff, leading to difficulties in adapting and commuting and to a decline in the integration between educational programmes and practical activities. The faculty also called on the concerned authorities to reconsider the decision, stressing that investment in education and tourism begins with preserving and developing existing institutions, not replacing them.
Students’ Fears
Students launched two hashtags, (Renew the Faculty of Tourism and Hotels’ usufruct, and No to moving Tourism and Hotels), to express their rejection of the decision, which they believe will negatively affect the educational process, stressing the heritage and architectural importance of the faculty building.
Student Khaled Barakat says in a post on his Facebook account: “As students, we woke up to the news that the Faculty of Tourism and Hotels had been sold to a foreign investor. The alternative currently available, in Helwan University itself, is a building which, even if complete, has no kitchen for practical lessons. Helwan University is also very far from most students, and the faculty’s location is the most important thing about it, because of its proximity to the hotels where students receive their practical training throughout the year. The same goes for students of the aviation and tourism studies department, who find the faculty’s location close to tourism companies and archaeological sites, which they need to visit constantly to carry out the tour guiding department’s projects.”
Meanwhile, student John Hany described the faculty’s announcement of the decision as devastating news and an obituary for history, memories, education and art, stressing that the faculty’s success is linked to its distinctive geographical location, overlooking the Nile and close to tourist landmarks, hotels, theatres, palaces, the Egyptian Museum, the Opera, Garden City and Downtown, which makes it suitable for studying tourism.
Commenting, Omar Reda, a second-year student at the faculty who lives in Cairo, says faculty members informed students that the first semester will be their last at the faculty’s current headquarters, and that negotiations took place between the administration and the concerned authorities over the faculty’s land before the start of the academic year, but officials ultimately settled on moving it. He stressed to Zawia3 that students of the tour guiding department benefit from the current location near the Egyptian Museum, and students of the kitchen department rely on organising visits to nearby hotels, things that will not be available to them if the faculty is moved to Helwan, Cairo’s southern suburb, given its distance and the fact that lectures at the faculty end late in the evening. He and his colleagues fear that there will not be enough space for them to study, which will affect their attendance of lectures.
Mohamed Tarek, a first-year student at the Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, expresses to Zawia3 his fears about the effect of the decision to move the faculty to Helwan University, as it may require him to move out of the student housing where he lives with fellow students from outside Cairo, instead of travelling from Suez Governorate to Cairo, or to bear the burdens and costs of transport to Helwan University, which is far from the housing and from the places of work training at hotels and tourism companies.
Losing Funding Grants
The importance of the faculty’s geographical location lies in its receiving funding grants from a number of hotels, major restaurant chains and airlines, and it will be threatened with losing those grants if its headquarters is moved, as Shaimaa Abdel Tawab, professor of history at the Faculty of Tourism and Hotels at Helwan University, stresses to Zawia3, noting that the administration and teaching staff still know nothing about the new headquarters at Helwan University to which the faculty is supposed to be moved.
The university professor points out that the decision to move the faculty is not final, and that the administration, led by the faculty’s dean, Soha Abdel Wahab, is holding firm in defending its right to the land on which the building has stood for 75 years and to its distinctive geographical location, and is still holding meetings and negotiations on the matter.
In a related context, on various social media sites, a number of Cairo University professors and teaching staff expressed their dismay, since the Faculty Members’ Club, located on Abdel Aziz Al Saud Street in Manial, is a recreational outlet for their families. The club’s board of directors issued a statement on Thursday announcing that it had received a letter from the director of the Armed Forces Land Projects Agency, based on presidential directives issued regarding the cancellation and non-renewal of usufruct contracts for all Nile accretion land from Shubra to Helwan, including the accretion land in the area planned for the development of the Kasr Al-Ainy hospitals on Roda Island, noting that the letter informed them that their belongings must be moved immediately.
The statement explained that the board, now in permanent session, is making every effort to find suitable solutions, knocking on every door and pursuing every legitimate path to try to keep the headquarters, and is also studying all proposed scenarios and solutions in a way that does not conflict with the interests of the members or national interests.
Demolishing Cultural Landmarks
The crisis experienced by the students, graduates and staff of the Faculty of Tourism and Hotels comes days after cultural and artistic circles were shocked by the decision not to renew the usufruct contract for the land of the Floating Theatre (the Fatma Rushdi Theatre / Theatre House, which dates back to the 1960s and has two stages, the large one seating 480 spectators and the small one 250, and which was renovated and reopened in 2019).
Figures active in the cultural field circulated an image they said was of a letter from the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Defence, addressed to the head of the Minister of Culture’s office sector on 28 September, bearing the number 14/527413, regarding the Armed Forces Land Projects Agency’s cancellation and non-renewal of usufruct contracts for all Nile accretion land in the area planned for the development of the Kasr Al-Ainy hospitals on Roda Island, including: (the “Fatma Rushdi” Floating Theatre / Theatre House). The letter, signed by Staff Major General Mohamed Mostafa Radwan, director of the Armed Forces Land Projects Agency, directed that the necessary steps be taken for the Floating Theatre to move all its belongings from the plot of land under usufruct within a week of the letter’s date, hand the land over to the committee formed by the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and the Armed Forces Land Projects Agency, and go to the agency’s headquarters to pay the financial dues owed to the state for its presence on the land until 30 September.
The decision angered and upset many intellectuals and artists, who issued a statement against the demolition of the Floating Theatre, in which they demanded that the state stop the demolition of the theatre, which represents an artistic necessity and an important cultural outlet for a large segment of the Egyptian people. They demanded that, if demolition is necessary, the armed forces’ projects agency build a theatre in the same area or nearby to replace it, serving soldiers and members of civil society and under its supervision, and denounced the demolition of cultural landmarks without providing alternatives.
For its part, the Cultural and Artistic Committee of the Journalists’ Syndicate affirmed its rejection of any attempt to touch the Floating Theatre in Manial, describing it as a long-established cultural and artistic landmark which, since its establishment in the 1960s, has witnessed distinguished theatrical works and on whose stage a large number of Egyptian theatre stars have stood, making it an integral part of Egypt’s cultural and artistic memory and a beacon of art and creativity on the banks of the Nile. In a statement on Tuesday, it noted that the theatre’s distinctive location in the heart of Cairo gave a magical character to the performances presented there, calling on the responsible authorities to take into account the cultural and historical value of the Floating Theatre, which represents an important part of Egypt’s artistic heritage and soft power.
Writer Ahmed El-Khamissi says the cultural community received the news of the non-renewal of the Floating Theatre’s usufruct contract with deep regret, as it represents an important part of Egypt’s long-standing cultural and intellectual presence, but he considers it the tip of the iceberg and part of the general picture of theatres: about half of the 25 theatres of the culture palaces are closed, the Zamalek Theatre on 26 July Street has been turned into a cinema, the “Luna Park” theatre in Ibrahimiya in Alexandria has been turned into a wedding hall, the Mohamed Farid Theatre has been closed for some time, and a decision was issued to demolish the Al-Salam Summer Theatre.
He stresses to Zawia3 that cultural policy sees no importance in the role of theatre; rather, its attention is focused on selling theatres and replacing them with garages and wedding halls that bring in money for the state, instead of considering the number of enlightened minds Egypt would gain from theatre, calling on the Minister of Culture to act and save the situation.
Youssef Ismail, former director of the National Theatre of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture and former head of the National Festival of Egyptian Theatre, reveals that plans to remove the large and small Floating Theatres extend to the Al-Salam and Metropole theatres, describing the matter as a tragedy, since Egypt needs to build more theatres in proportion to population growth and to develop old theatres suffering from outdated infrastructure and weak technological capabilities, not to demolish theatres.
Speaking to Zawia3, he warns that demolishing those theatres will reduce the number of Cairo’s theatres to about four: the National Theatre, the Al-Tali’a and Al-Hanager theatres, and the Children’s Theatre, which will have bad consequences for the cultural and artistic community, most importantly leaving those theatres’ workers without work, in addition to limiting Egypt’s soft power in confronting terrorism and the forces of darkness.
Rania Fathallah, a theatre artist and professor at the Institute of Cinema and Theatrical Arts, expresses her deep sadness, and that of her fellow theatre artists, at the news of the authorities’ intention to remove the Floating Theatre, stressing that it represents an artistic and cultural value and landmark on which generations of theatre artists in Egypt were raised, which produced many theatrical masterpieces and which was a gathering place for artists. She stressed to Zawia3 that the theatre’s ideal location and the car park next to it were among the reasons that attracted audiences to visit it and attend performances.
Parliamentary Moves
The controversy and dismay caused by the decision angered cultural, artistic and educational circles, reaching parliament. MP Doha Assy, a member of the House of Representatives’ Culture, Media and Antiquities Committee, submitted a briefing request to Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Culture Ahmed Hanno and Minister of Higher Education Ayman Ashour, in addition to the ministers of local development and of water resources and irrigation, regarding the removal and demolition of the Floating Theatre in Manial El-Roda. She also demanded disclosure of all the details surrounding the fate of a number of other theatres, such as the Modern Al-Salam Theatre and the Metropole Theatre, whether in terms of sale or lease.
In statements to Zawia3, Doha Assy stresses that demolishing theatres threatens Egypt’s theatrical heritage and pioneering role in theatre, especially since the number of theatres in Egypt has become very low, and that the Floating Theatre, which is rumoured to be facing removal, is also a centre for the Youth Theatre and the Touring and Confrontation Theatre, and that there is talk that the Metropole and Al-Salam theatres are also threatened with sale or lease. This prompted her to submit a briefing request, but it has not been discussed in parliament and the government has not responded to it; however, on Sunday she submitted an urgent statement to the Speaker of the House, and with a number of MPs she placed on the agenda of new business the discussion of the briefing requests and how to deal with the decision if it is confirmed to have been issued. She expressed her surprise at Minister of Culture Ahmed Hanno’s denial that he had received a decision regarding the Floating Theatre, while intellectuals are circulating an image of an official letter on the evacuation of the theatre, stressing that the truth will emerge after the government responds to parliament.
The Minister of Culture had announced on Monday, in press statements, that no decision had yet been issued on whether or not to demolish the Floating Theatre in Manial, that the whole matter was mere speculation with no basis in truth, and that the ministry had not yet been officially notified of the urban plan for the Manial area.
The MP says: “Four years ago, it was rumoured that the Mansoura Culture Palace would be demolished because of a Ministry of Transport project, which prompted me to submit a briefing request at the time, and a committee of officials was formed and recommended not demolishing it. The same happened with the ‘Cairo Eye’ Ferris wheel project in Zamalek, after parliamentary interventions, while the situation was not reviewed in the cases of other buildings because there were no legal papers protecting them.”
For her part, MP Maha Abdel Nasser submitted a briefing request on Saturday addressed to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Minister of Culture, regarding the decision to withdraw all state-owned Nile accretion land held under usufruct from Shubra to Helwan and to evacuate the facilities on it, stressing that the current location of the Faculty of Tourism and Hotels at Helwan University is not merely a plot of land that can be replaced or withdrawn, but part of the faculty’s identity and history and a key factor in achieving students’ academic and training goals, thanks to its proximity to hotels and tourist sites, preparing them for the labour market in one of Egypt’s most important economic sectors. She asked: How can the government talk about developing education in Egypt as one of the main engines of renaissance and sustainable development while taking decisions that reduce the integration between educational programmes and practical training? And does the government realise that such decisions will cause serious harm to students and teaching staff and affect the level of university education in this vital sector?
The MP explains that the Floating Theatre, against which an evacuation decision was issued, is one of the oldest theatres in Egypt, dating back to the 1950s, and that the decision included the evacuation of Umm Kulthum Garden in the Manial area, which was opened more than 25 years ago, in 1998, to be a destination and outlet for the residents of central Cairo because of its many social and recreational activities. She stressed the importance of the garden’s large green spaces, which will be removed when this decision is implemented, calling on the government to reconsider this ill-considered decision, to distinguish between land that can be withdrawn and land that cannot, and to reorder priorities and considerations of public interest.
Maha Abdel Nasser explains to Zawia3 that, following actress Samiha Ayoub’s appeal to President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to stop the demolition of the Floating Theatre, and then the appeals of the Faculty of Tourism and Hotels at Helwan University and the Cairo University Faculty Members’ Club over the decision not to renew the usufruct contracts for Nile accretion land, she submitted a briefing request and has not yet received a response from the government, stressing that parliament has no information about the circumstances of the decision, which contradicts what the government announces about preserving and developing the Egyptian character and developing education.
Auction
The decision comes despite assurances by Hani Sweilam, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, on 20 September, of continued cooperation between the ministry and the Armed Forces Land Projects Agency in issuing the necessary licences for Nile accretion land in the stretch from Shubra El-Kheima to Helwan, with full compliance with the conditions and laws regulating this matter, explaining that through cooperation between (the Ministry of Irrigation, the Armed Forces Land Projects Agency, the Ministry of Interior and the Committee for Regularising Occupancies), many cases of illegal infilling stretching from Shubra El-Kheima to Helwan are being removed.
The Armed Forces Land Projects Agency, established by Presidential Decree No. 531 of 1981, had announced last year that it was offering plots of land on the banks of the Nile, “Nile accretion land”, for use in tourism activities, at a public auction at 12 noon on 20 March 2023 at the agency’s headquarters in Nasr City, explaining that the plots are located at various sites in Cairo and Giza, in the areas of (Zamalek Island, Maadi, Manial Island, Old Cairo, Tura, Dar El-Salam, El-Maasara and Imbaba), and are suitable as floating tourist moorings, restaurants and cafeterias.
The agency had previously published an advertisement in a number of state newspapers on 20 December 2022, offering prime plots of land on the banks of the Nile at public auction under an annual usufruct system, including (Zamalek, Agouza, Dokki, Garden City, Manial, Maadi, El-Maasara, El-Moneeb, Imbaba and Warraq).
At the same time, the agency published on its official website guidelines and instructions for registering an application to issue or renew an activity licence on Nile accretion land from Shubra El-Kheima to Helwan, which included registering the application data, taking care to record all required data accurately, and recording any numerical data, such as (national ID number, mobile number, land code and land area), in English numerals, explaining that the status of the application can be checked, after the data has been registered and reviewed, to find out the date to attend at the Armed Forces Land Projects Agency.
Ambassador Nader Saad, the official spokesperson for the Cabinet, had announced on 6 April last year the offering for investment of a number of assets with views of the Nile located within Cairo and Giza governorates, including land and buildings belonging to government bodies not moving to the New Administrative Capital, and the transfer of a number of those assets to the Sovereign Fund of Egypt, pointing to the state’s current efforts to increase the number of hotel rooms amid demand from investors to pump investment into these projects.
Human rights lawyer Malek Adly, director of the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights, considers the government’s view of part of Egypt’s cultural and popular fabric and its architectural and historical heritage as prime plots of land to be a bad one, whether regarding private properties or those allocated for public benefit, such as the Faculty of Tourism and Hotels of Helwan University and the Floating Theatre of the Ministry of Culture, and legal entities such as the clubs of faculty members, judges, the Administrative Prosecution and the waterways police, noting that suddenly stripping these places is illogical, especially since the academic year is under way, and the authorities could have increased the financial value of the usufruct contracts.
He explains that if the government decides not to renew usufruct contracts, the court is supposed to settle the dispute between it and the beneficiary bodies, according to the duration of the contract, whether or not there are violations, and the public interest, as happened with the shops and vendors in the commercial market the government removed to extend the third metro line; the Egyptian Center won the case, and the court ruled for compensation in favour of those affected and for shops similar to those that had been removed.
At a time when social media is witnessing wide solidarity with the Faculty of Tourism and Hotels and the Floating Theatre, and amid moves by some MPs, the faculty’s students and the workers at the Floating Theatre, Umm Kulthum Garden and the clubs affected by the decision not to renew the usufruct contracts are living in anxiety and fear of the consequences of that decision if it is implemented, while intellectuals warn of the consequences of touching cultural facilities and the effect on Egypt’s cultural heritage and soft power.
