The Egyptian government is often enthusiastic to encourage loyalty to nation – in whatever form that might take.
And in a new advertisement for the Tayha Misr Fund, or "Long Live Egypt" fund, the President’s Office has pushed especially hard in encouraging financial involvement in nation-building – through the medium of earrings.
A short advertisement released this month tells of the supposed story of the life of Hajja Zeinab, or Zeinab al Mallah: an old Egyptian lady whose mother gifted her a pair of earrings, a family heirloom that had been passed down through generations.
Despite the many hard situations she faced, according to the video, Zeinab never thought of selling the earrings that were gifted to her by her mother.
That, however, was until she heard of the Tahya Misr fund. A Presidential coffer that ordinary Egyptians can donate to, regardless of how rich or poor they are, Tahya Misr is marketed as being a foundation of Egypt’s future. In the video, Zeinab decides to donate her earrings to the project – and is personally received by General Sisi in return.
The Tahya Misr Fund is under direct supervision of the President’s Office, and it donates to development causes like schools, clinics, or development of the slums. When it was launched in 2014, President Sisi personally pledged half his salary to the fund and urged ordinary Egyptians to join him in a bid to solve the country’s economic crisis.
It’s that spirit that the story of Hajja Zeinab hoped to convey. But not everyone was impressed by the messaging. Many tweeters found the focus on a pair of earrings amusing, others criticised the idea that a national economic burden was transferred on to ordinary people.
شيل يابني #النسر من علم مصو وحط مكانه #حلق_الحجه_زينب
— حفيد دافنشي (@NaniBody) 12 June 2016
You my son, remove the #Eagle out of the flag of Egypt, and add #The_earrings_of_Hajjah_Zeinab in place
#حلق_الحجة_زينب من اكتر الإعلانات استفزاز و تناقد دولة اقتصادها واقع فواحدة غلبانة اتبرعتلها بحلقها فعلشان يحتفلوا عملوا اعلان بمليون جنية
— Rawan Ragab (@Rowan_Ragab) 11 June 2016
#The_earrings_of_Hajjah_Zeinab is one of the most provocative ads. To counteract the failing economy of the country a poor lady donated her earrings, and to celebrate this they created an ad that costed one million Egyptian pounds.
جمهورية حلق زينب العربية pic.twitter.com/rf4jiAsxUo
— شاي سكر برا (@MuMoodi) 10 June 2016
The Arab republic of Zeinab earrings
#حلق_الحاجه_زينب pic.twitter.com/ZDvRDvH1JM
— هيباتيا السكندرية (@nagla_adel1011) 12 June 2016
Instead of making fun of the old lady who gave her earrings for the sake of Egypt, donate your silence for Egypt and have some respect.
Some commentators have criticised the fund for apparently avoiding proper auditing. "Nobody seems to know exactly how much money the fund has collected, where it comes from or how it is being spent," wrote Beesan Kassab in Mada Masr in April, arguing that the uncertainty raised "many questions about the nature of the fund and the auditing body supervising it."
