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The audience of platforms in Egypt interacted extensively with a video posted on social media platforms of an Egyptian woman complaining about the high prices of basic commodities, especially meat, due to the economic crisis in the country as a result of the significant decline in the value of the Egyptian pound against the dollar.

In response to a question about the price of a kilo of meat, the woman said in the video, “I didn’t get it (I didn’t buy it) for months. My husband has been dead since last month, and he has no pension or anything.” The video received more than 15 million views on his Tik account. Tok.

According to figures from the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, the annual rate of general inflation in Egypt during last January reached 29.8%, which weakens the purchasing power of the Egyptian pound in local markets.

The Egyptian authorities announced a while ago that the minimum wage would be raised by 50%, to reach 6,000 pounds per month, which is equivalent to $194.

According to analysts, the economic crisis that Egypt is currently experiencing has been significantly reflected in the increase in prices of basic commodities, which directly affects citizens, their purchases, and their daily lives.

Citizens complained about the high prices of basic commodities, as the price of a kilo of local meat in Egyptian markets reached about 400 pounds, equivalent to approximately $13 per kilo.

Praise and sympathy

The episode (2-14-2024) of the “Shabakat” program discussed some of the activists’ comments, which responded to the woman’s complaint about the high prices of meat, and varied between those who sympathized with her because of the high prices, and those who praised her self-esteem and her contentment with the little money she had.

The account owner, Ahmed Al-Barshoumi, tweeted, wishing the woman - and her daughter who appeared with her in the video - happiness, “It is a sad thing, and the woman and girl are polite, and despite the pressure, they smile and have a light spirit. I wish them peace of mind and happiness.”

For his part, activist Abu Adham confirmed the reality of the problem of high prices in Egypt and said, “The problem that upsets you is that this woman, believe me, will take the 400 pounds to spend on living for the month, and she will not get (and will not buy) meat because of the outrageous high prices in Egypt.”

As for the tweeter, Mohamed Al-Sayed, he drew attention to the self-esteem enjoyed by the Egyptian woman, and wrote, “The best thing about this video is that wealth is truly the richness of the soul, and self-esteem does not go away under any circumstances.”

Activist Mohamed Al-Masry agreed with Mohamed Al-Sayed’s tweet about contentment and self-esteem, and added, “Despite the suffering they are living in and the high amount of high prices to the point that people refrain from doing things due to lack of material resources, most people are satisfied with little and always have contentment.”

For his part, tweeter Mustafa Azzam praised the activist who posted the video on his account and said, “Even if your award is simple, your appreciation for them is very great. You are a respectable man.”

According to reports, the video clip that was published of the Egyptian woman reached Egyptian businessman Naguib Sawiris, who re-published it on his account on the X website, and wrote, “Can someone who knows her send me her phone number? A respectable sample of our people.”

The next day, the activist who posted the video posted a tweet on his account and said, “Engineer Naguib himself spoke to me. Heba will enter a private institute in El Gouna (a tourist resort city in Hurghada owned by the Sawiris family), and she will also work the best job, except that all expenses have been paid. I am happy.” Very much, our Lord has made me a reason for their joy.”

Source: Al Jazeera