UnNews:Egypt singing different tune with Morsy
| Every time you think, you weaken the nation —Moe Howard | ✪ | UnNews | ✪ | Saturday, December 21, 2024, 16:48:59 (UTC) |
| Egypt singing different tune with Morsy | 
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7 December 2012
Cairo, Egypt -- In recent weeks the situation in Cairo has grown increasingly tense, with sporadic outbreaks of violence after the controversial decision by President Mohamed Morsy to grant himself sweeping new powers on the eve of an interim constitution.
Thousands have taken to the streets in renewed protests, offices of the Muslim Brotherhood have been set ablaze and the nations judiciary has gone on strike.
This morning, in what was considered by most analysts to be a bold move, Morsy announced that tonight he would address the protesters in person, in Tahrir Square, a place which has become the stage for the dramatic events of the past year.
All day long thousands of protesters streamed into the square in anticipation of confronting Morsy, and tonight it was standing room only when he mounted a platform erected earlier by his supporters. He strode confidently to the microphone and for a long moment he gazed out at the assembled throng. Slowly the protesters grew quiet. When there was silence except for the sound of the wind rustling in the protest banners filling the square, President Mohamed Morsy opened his mouth...and began to sing. Beautifully.
He began with I Dreamed A Dream and followed up with a haunting Memory from Cats, and then a Somewhere Over The Rainbow evocative of a young Mandy Patinkin. By the time he finished his fourth number, Bali Ha'i, the crowd was his. He proceeded to belt out one classic standard after another all night long.
"I have never been so moved in my life," said full-time taxi driver and part-time protester, Tasmir Harari, "When he sang 'Memory' it reminded me of when I was little boy and my parents sold my best friend in the whole world, Zoltan the goat, to the village butcher."
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the evening came at the end when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took to the stage and brought the evening to a close with an incredibly moving Time To Say Goodbye in a duet with Morsy.
"I never thought I'd say this," gushed fertilizer salesman Aholat Amanoor, "but, Allah bless Mohamed Morsy. He may be a traitor to the revolution, and a dictator, but his voice...Oh what a voice!"
"Ahmadinejad as well!" chimed in Manser Shaloub, "I've got goosebumps, and all the hair on my back is standing up!"
For weeks and months to come, pundits and talking heads the world over will be debating the impact and lasting effects of Morsy's performance, but to this reporter there is no doubt that, though he might have not won many minds, tonight in Tahrir Square, Mohamed Morsy is the King of Hearts.
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This article features first-hand journalism by an UnNews correspondent. |