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"Open Sesame" program is an educational program by the GCC Joint Program Production Institution (GCC JPPI). The first series was produced in 1979, and the second in 1982. The show was a great success, and when the late Mohammad Al-Sanousi was in charge of this institution, he presented the program's episodes free of charge to Egyptian television for our brothers in Egypt to benefit from them.
But the program was not shown on Egypt TV and was put away. Later Sanousi met the TV official there and asked her why the program was not shown? Sanousi said he was astonished when he heard her answer: "Do you want the Egyptian public to say that you produce better series than us?"
This story reminds me of an English official during the 1980s, who was still thinking that he is living in Great Britain. So he went to Tokyo to improve the balance of trade. This official returned from Tokyo loaded with several Japanese demands that he was forced to meet, including broadcasting sumo wrestling weekly on British TV!
So, the message of Sanousi is clear to all Gulf countries, as many of our brothers in Egypt do not know about the Gulf's civilization and development; rather maybe their media, and their films in particular, reflect negative images about us. We understand the column by Al-Jumhuriya Newspaper Editor-in-Chief Abdelrazzaq Tawfiq, in which he divulged the grudge that is in his heart against Gulf countries and accused them with the usual framed charges since Nasser's reign.
There is no doubt that this journalist does not represent the good-hearted brotherly people of Egypt, as the first who answered him were Egyptian readers and journalists. Yet the issue Sanousi presented and was revealed to us by Tawfiq remains valid in front of the Gulf media. The leadership of the Gulf media must listen to the message of Sanousi and read the column of Tawfiq to have a firm stand against attempts of some media figures to deprive their people from being open towards others under any pretext.
I remember here what Egypt TV did during an interview by renounced media personality Jassem Al-Shihab with Egyptian composer Riyad Al-Sunbati during the 1960s, when Egyptian TV edited the interview, removing the Kuwaiti interviewer and adding an Egyptian one without regard to all media values.
The Gulf Cooperation Council is facing tendentious attacks from all directions, which makes it imperative for media officials to carry out their duties in order to reflect the real image about the Gulf based on the reciprocity rule. It is time to know where we stand and understand the Japanese lesson.
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