Former Dean of the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts Ahmed Sakhsoukh said that the theatre is the real expression of living conscience, adding that if this art died, it would mean the death of human’s conscience. He blamed the Egyptian government for the current deterioration witnessed in the Egyptian theatre during the current period.
He added, during an interview with “Arabs Today”, that the burning of Egypt’s national theatre in 2008 is a repetition of a large number of burnings that undermined historic buildings. He added, “We lost the Opera building in 1970s in a similar burning to lose historic and civilized treasures returning to the era of Khedive Ismail in 1869. We also lost Beni Suef Theatre during the recent years.”
He stressed that such burnings come as a result of corruption and negligence which undermined the country’s cultural and artistic identity. He stressed that these burnings reflect the governmental ignorance of arts and culture.
He added that the theatrical art turned into a kind of trade since the era of economic openness under former President Anwar Al Sadat, saying that the approach adopted in dealing with the Egyptian theatre undermined this serious art.
He called the government for taking serious step to develop the Egyptian theatre during the coming period, adding that they should focus on improving the theatrical infrastructure to be fit for human use. He added that the government should benefit from the European experience to develop the theatrical art after World War II, saying that the governments issued laws to allow the establishment of theatres under the buildings to be one of the major centers to revive the art in the continent.