CAIRO,
October 8, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – The holy fasting month of
Ramadan does not only usher in spiritual peace and religious milieu to
the Egyptians, but it also provides career opportunities for the
unemployed.
Jobless
Egyptian youths, failing to get either government or private-sector
jobs, opt for selling Ramadan lantern, one of the Egyptian legacy
landmarks.
Ahmad,
a young man from the southern city of Asiut, stands near a box
showcasing Chinese-made lanterns in downtown Cairo with a number of
would-be buyers swarming around his goods.
"I
graduated from the faculty of commerce in 2003, and my hopes to get a
government job were dashed at the rock of nepotism," he told
IslamOnline.net.
"The
private sector was no better. They exploit the towering unemployment
rates in the country to offer low salaries, knowing that supply is
higher than demand," he lamented.
Ahmed
found lantern sale in Ramadan a relatively good business to eke out a
living.
"I
borrowed some money from friend and bought a large number of
Chinese-made low-priced lanterns from a wholesaler," he added.
In
Ramadan, people in Egypt find it part of their culture to buy lanterns
for their children, a custom that was introduced to the Egyptian
society by the Fatimids more than a thousand years ago.
Egyptian-made
Saeed,
a commerce institute graduate in the Delta city of Mansoura, has been
jobless since his graduation in 2001.
"I
have been searching for a job to provide for my family ever since, but
to no avail," he told IOL.
"I
traveled to Libya where I worked in home designing and managed to save
some good money to start a business in Cairo."
After
his return, Saeed decided to start the Ramadan lantern business in the
bustling Egyptian capital.
"Cairo
is indeed a cosmopolitan city where you can market your commodities
night and day and is also home to giant wholesalers."
Heba,
who holds a diploma in commerce, followed suit, but opted for
Egyptian-made lanterns instead.
"I
was upset by the torrent of Chinese-made lanterns on the local market,
which undermines the Egyptian industry, not to mention that the
lantern is the brainchild of the Egyptians."
Heba
decided to market lanterns manufactured in a local workshop owned by
the father of one of her friends upon a commission.
"I
visit government ministries and buildings to sell my product to civil
servants who are in large numbers, and manage to convince them of
buying the Egyptian not the Chinese lantern though it is a bit more
expensive."
The
number of unemployed people in Egypt is estimated at about five to six
million, making up an alarming 13 percent of the labor force.
The
country has recently seen the establishment of the "Union of the
Unemployed" by a group of jobless youths in the northern city of
Damietta.
