An Egyptian wedding, which was described as “legendary,” sparked widespread controversy in Egyptian circles because of its exorbitant cost, which according to local media estimates was estimated at about 12 to 15 million Egyptian pounds (one dollar equals 30.90 Egyptian pounds), which some saw as not commensurate with the living conditions being witnessed. The country.
The wedding ceremony was performed in the city of Talkha, in the Dakahlia Governorate, (about 136 km north of Cairo), by singers Tamer Hosni, Mohamed Hamaki, Wael Jassar, and Hamada Hilal, along with popular singers Ahmed Shaybah and Reda Al-Bahrawy. The ceremony witnessed the presence of a large number of invitees, amid huge installations of lights. Lighting devices, decorations and flowers.
Social media pioneers in Egypt circulated a number of video clips that showed the wedding ceremony, amid criticism of the extravagance and attempt to show off on the part of the wedding owner, Hossam Al-Sayyad, 32 years old, who works as a pharmacist in the United States, owns a group of pharmacies, and is considered an Egyptian investor. In the United States, in light of the high prices witnessed in Egypt. While another group described what the Egyptian young man did as personal freedom, and that he had the right to be happy as he pleased.
Egypt is witnessing increases in the prices of basic commodities, and is suffering from an economic crisis due to the repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian war and before it the Corona virus pandemic, which caused the exodus of more than 25 billion dollars from the country in less than one month, according to statements made by the Prime Minister during an economic conference held. In October 2022.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Dr. Hoda Al-Mallah, Director of the International Center for Economic Consultation and Feasibility Studies, believes that in light of an economic crisis with social repercussions that Egypt has been facing for months, “it was not acceptable for the organization of this ceremony to be so extravagant,” especially with Since the beginning of this year, the government has resorted to rationalizing spending, and taken a number of decisions regarding the controls and rules of this rationalization, and urged citizens to do so, in light of the state of high prices and inflation.
Wael Jassar during one of the wedding segments (artist Wael Jassar’s Facebook page)
The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics in Egypt announced last week that the annual inflation rate in cities reached 37.4 percent last August.
Commenting on what was raised by the wedding, the wedding host said – in television statements – on Monday: “I received many phone calls, and everyone asked me about the cost of joy, but I did not mention a specific amount, but what I would like to say is that joy costs a very much.” He added: “I have been living in America for 18 years, and I traveled there when I was 14 years old, and I was adhering to my Egyptian upbringing and the customs and traditions in which I was raised.”
Local media reported that the groom’s mother said that the party lasted for 11 hours, and that she did not know what her son was preparing, pointing out that the family distributed 8 heads of cattle and 10 sheep to the poor and needy on the henna night that preceded the wedding.
However, the economist believes that “the amount of spending on the wedding puts us in the face of an economic, social and moral crisis,” pointing out that it is “a kind of extravagance, which is inconsistent with all religions and customs,” as she put it.
She adds: “What we saw was behavior that indicates showing off with money, in light of the suffering of thousands of Egyptian families from the economic crisis, and in conjunction with new social measures announced by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, with the aim of reducing the burden of living on the shoulders of citizens, and therefore it was natural for this wedding to raise criticism.” “It’s great for him under these circumstances.”
Al-Mallah points out that in the face of the repercussions of the global economic crisis, the citizen needs to modify his economic behavior and control his consumer decisions, demanding that there be official legislation to control this matter, in addition to spreading awareness and correct guidance, in order to coexist with the current situation and keep pace with the changes that the world is witnessing. .
2023-09-21 00:36:47
#Egypt #legendary #Talkha #wedding #showmanship #economic #crisis
