Nearly 80 years after his skeleton was displayed in the South Australian Museum, a German immigrant named Max Dressig was buried yesterday (Saturday) in the Australian city of Adelaide.
For decades, the skeleton of Dressig, known by his full name Johann David Max Dressig, has been on display for visitors at the museum, sitting on a small chair, with one leg raised, while the skeleton of a bird rests on his outstretched hand. The only thing distinguishing it from the animal skeletons surrounding it was a simple sign that read: “Human: Homo sapiens.”
Driesig, who was 62 years old, died of cancer in 1913, and bequeathed his body to his eccentric doctor, Professor Archibald Watson. The doctor turned his body into a skeleton, then sold it to the museum for 10 pounds sterling in 1920.
Anna Russo, who is responsible for returning the remains to their owners at the museum, said during his burial ceremony: “We do not know the nature of the conversations that took place between Max and Dr. Watson on his deathbed at North Adelaide Hospital in 1913, but we know the laws in force at that time, and we know that people were not allowed to donate their bodies to their doctors,” according to what the British newspaper “The Guardian” reported.
Rousseau added that the doctor, the hospital, and the museum were aware of this, noting that the museum was forced, in light of Dressig’s story and its history, to think carefully about the meaning of the dignity and respect he deserves.
The museum and the German community in Adelaide worked together to document Driesig's story and organize his burial in West Terrace Cemetery, inside a small coffin covered with the German flag. The burial ceremony was followed by a gathering at the German Club in the city, in which about 20 people participated to remember his life, his death, and his long journey to his final resting place.
Dreisig received an honorary medal in recognition of his courage during his participation in the Franco-Prussian War between 1870 and 1871. He moved to Australia in 1885, and became an important figure among the German community there.
According to an article published by the German Society of South Australia (Saga) in 1998, writer John Healy described Dresig in his youth as a handsome, slender man with dark, wavy hair. Healy pointed out that Dressig used to take children on donkey rides on Brighton Beach, and that he owned a gray mare named “Mary.” He also donated a dead penguin to the museum on one occasion, and on another occasion a locust.
According to Healy's account, in 1913 Dressig suffered from severe indigestion and lower back pain, so he consulted Watson, who diagnosed him with stomach cancer.
Watson, a professor of anatomy at the University of Adelaide, was arrested on charges of murder and human trafficking in the South Pacific, but escaped bail and traveled to Germany to study medicine.
Rousseau and others, in cooperation with the German Society of South Australia (Saga), worked for several months trying to find any relatives who might be alive; But they found no one, as it turned out that the family line had been completely cut off in 1960.
Dr. Rob Sant, chairman of the museum's board of directors, said the museum's practices at the time fell short of "the levels of respect and ethical responsibility to which we adhere today." He added: “Unfortunately, in a disturbing example of the scientific trends and museum practices that prevailed at the time - and which were not even legal - his remains were treated as a ‘specimen’ or ‘material’ of scientific importance, and as an addition to the museum’s collection.”
He continued, saying: “Max Dreisig’s story reminds us that museums have a responsibility not only to review our actions in the past, but also to ask: Who are the characters whose stories are being told? From what perspective? How were the people whose names appear in these stories treated? He concluded his speech: “Max will now be remembered with the dignity that befits him. May Max rest in peace.”
The visit of the Turkish mayor of Trabzon to Egypt, Ahmed Metin Genç, and his description of Egypt as the cradle of civilizations and that it occupies a special place in the hearts of the Turks as the “mother of the world,” and his reference to the position occupied by Mohamed Salah, the captain of the Egyptian national team, and the recent professional in the Turkish club Trabzon, created a new bridge in popular and tourist relations between Egypt and Turkey.
While attending the Trabzon Day event hosted by the Turkish Embassy in Cairo, the Mayor of Greater Trabzon stressed that his visit to Cairo is not limited to promoting the Turkish city, but rather aims to enhance friendship and cooperation between the cities, peoples and tourism sectors of the two countries.
Stressing that the development of relations in trade, investment, tourism and culture will benefit the two countries and the region.
The Mayor of Trabzon addressed Mohamed Salah’s transfer to Trabzon Sport Club, describing him as an “exceptional star,” explaining that his value goes beyond the stadiums to his stances in support of human values and addressing the conscience of the world in crises. He expressed his wish that Salah would lead the club to championships and bring the two cultures and civilizations closer together.
Mohamed Salah moved from the English club Liverpool to the Turkish club Trabzonspor, in exchange for 17 million euros annually, in addition to 20 percent of the revenues from any products bearing his name. According to what the club officials announced, who were keen to sign the contract with Salah in front of an audience of club fans and football fans, the number of which reached more than 35 thousand people.
The Turkish Ambassador to Egypt, Salih Mutlu Şen, said that the event aims to introduce Trabzon, its beauty, heritage, customs and traditions, but it also serves the relations between Cairo and Ankara.
He pointed out that the presence of Mohamed Salah in the ranks of Trabzon and the bond he created between the two peoples made the city closest to the Egyptians. The ambassador described the city as having unrivaled greenery and mountains anywhere, even in Ireland and the Scandinavian countries, in addition to its architectural and cultural heritage. He called on the audience to participate in promoting it through this direct experience and then visiting it.
The Trabzonspor Club page revealed that the delegation coming from Trabzon, which includes more than 158 people, arrived in the Egyptian capital and held meetings with representatives of the tourism sector, to discuss opportunities for tourism and commercial cooperation between the two sides.
Egyptian tourism expert Mohamed Karem believes that the visit of the Mayor of Trabzon to Cairo has important tourism and economic dimensions, as it reflects opportunities to increase investment and tourism exchange between the two countries. He added to Asharq Al-Awsat that Mohamed Salah’s move to Trabzon represents Egyptian soft power in Turkey, and reflects the influence of sports figures in promoting tourist destinations. He continued: “What is required in the coming period is to activate agreements between Egyptian and Turkish companies to prepare joint programs for Turkish destinations, especially in Trabzon, as well as calling for various Egyptian destinations. Trabzon is also distinguished by its mountainous nature, picturesque lakes, and wonderful natural scenes, which provides great opportunities for exchanging tourism programs.”
During the visit of the Turkish delegation from Trabzon to Egypt, he went to visit the village of Nagrig in Gharbia Governorate (Delta Egypt), the birthplace of Mohamed Salah, and met a number of residents, visited the youth center and met the mayor of Nagrig. The mayor expressed his happiness with his tour of the village of Mohamed Salah, calling on its people to visit Trabzon as well.
Egyptian sports critic, Lutfi Al-Saqaan, considered the visit of an official delegation from the municipality of Trabzon to Egypt and their interest in Mohamed Salah and benefiting from his presence in Trabzon to promote the tourism of the city of Trabzon as a natural and important matter that calls for pride and happiness. He added to Asharq Al-Awsat that “since Mohamed Salah contracted with Turkish Trabzonspor, there have been indications of an increase in tourism in the city, so part of Mohamed Salah’s deal in which the municipality participated was to stimulate tourism in the city by investing in the player’s fame.” And his fans.”
He pointed out that it is natural for the delegation to visit Mohamed Salah’s birthplace, the village of Nagrig, and deal with the situation in a marketing way for the Turkish city. “These people are working to stimulate tourism and marketing, and in accordance with the municipality’s contribution to the Salah deal, they came to Egypt to market the city of Trabzon to be a tourist destination for Egyptians in Turkey. This is part of marketing and investment in football away from the green rectangle, as marketing outside the stadium is what generates great returns,” as he put it.
He stressed that “Mohamed Salah’s presence in Trabzon has made him a distinctive mark in the city. Salah has become closer to an icon in Turkey, and this is the integral part of football, as it is not just a game. Rather, there are other things that happen outside the stadium. Naming the street in which Mohamed Salah lives after him is also a marketing matter. Salah has become a brand that is being marketed brilliantly in Türkiye.”
Bilateral relations between the two countries have witnessed prosperity in the recent period, especially after the visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Egypt last February, and his official reception by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and their participation in the closing session of the Egyptian-Turkish Business Forum, which was held in Cairo and attended by elite businessmen from both countries, where more than 460 heads and representatives of Turkish companies operating in Egypt or Interested in exploring new investment opportunities, as well as about 270 representatives of the Egyptian private sector.
The end of the series “Taala’ Nazil,” also titled “The Love That Was,” was harsh and painful, and sparked controversy among viewers across “social media” sites, while a group of followers saw that it was fair and that its heroine, “Noura,” portrayed by Mona Zaki, paid the price for her crime. Others sympathized with its hero, “Ali Dawoud,” portrayed by Mohamed Shaheen, stressing that he had not committed a crime against his wife until she took revenge on him in this way, and Mona Zaki won. Remarkable praise was given to her performance of this role, but the series also sparked controversy regarding the cruelty of revenge and the transformation of feelings.
The series, whose last two episodes were shown on the “Shahid” platform on Friday evening, and which topped “Trend” on Google on Saturday, revolved around a famous and successful musician who tells “Noura”, his wife, who is also his manager, about his secret marriage two years ago to the first woman he loved, played by Maryam Al-Khasht, and he tells her that he is expecting his first child from her, which gives her a great shock, especially since he asked her not to have children and she responded to him, then she discovered her inability to have children as she progressed. Age.
Noura begins a deceptive journey of revenge to destroy the man she loved. She does not leave his house, but shows him her love and dedication to his success. At the same time, she spoils his important contracts, drug him daily, and raises his suspicions about her cheating on him, while he drowns in drug use, is accused of stealing a global tune, loses confidence in himself, and spoils his relationship with his second wife, who asks to separate from him. Then Nora drinks from the same cup when she discovers that she is pregnant, and flies happy about it. But the doctor tells her that she must get rid of the fetus because it has deformities as a result of her husband's addiction.
“Noura” placing a spy program on her husband’s phone and monitoring his calls and movements raised the concerns of many husbands in reality, and this matter was raised by the journalist Amr Adeeb on the “Al-Hekaya” program, confirming that he had received many calls from men asking, “Does this program really exist?” It hosted experts in the field of information technology who confirmed that hacking a phone does not happen with just the push of a button, but rather requires downloading spyware directly onto the phone of the person to be monitored, which is a difficult and complex process that requires specific techniques.
The series, which takes place in 10 episodes, witnessed a performance match between Mona Zaki and Mohamed Shaheen, along with Maryam Al-Khasht, Mimi Gamal, Laila Ezz Al-Arab and Hamza Diab. It was written by Samaa Ahmed Abdel-Khaleq and Engy Al-Qasim and directed by Hani Khalifa.
Its author, Samaa Abdel Khaleq, denied that the series was based on a true story, and said that “the end was appropriate for a state of revenge,” stressing in statements to Asharq Al-Awsat that the characters in the series fall into a gray area, and that (Nora) is not evil, but rather a wounded woman who was subjected to injustice and wanted to avenge her dignity, as she was a support to her husband and contributed to his success. She pointed out that “the controversy that the series raised is a good thing because life itself contains paradoxes.” Many,” stressing that “the series did not present any scenes that offend modesty, despite its rating of +18 on the platform.”
She pointed out that Mona Zaki is one of the most important actresses of her generation and has added a lot to the character and work, saying: “We were writing the script with her in mind, especially after she got excited about the project after director Hani Khalifa presented it to her,” noting that Khalifa is one of the directors who has honesty and vision in dealing with the script.
Critic Nahid Salah described the end of the series as bold and tragic, as it does not provide a traditional victory for the heroine, nor does it make revenge synonymous with restoring dignity, as “Noura” succeeds in her battle against Ali, and is able to destroy him psychologically and professionally, but in return she loses the most important battle with herself.
She pointed out in statements to Asharq Al-Awsat that “the cruel dramatic irony is that the revenge that Nora began to take in defense of her dignity gradually turned into a force that devoured her from within, and the harshest thing in the end is not the fall of Ali, but rather the human price that Nora paid, who emerged not victorious and not completely defeated, but rather left us before a complex character, who began as a victim of betrayal and ended in a gray area between the victim and the executioner.”
Nahid Salah believes that this ending raises an important question: Can a person regain his dignity by destroying those who harmed him, or might he lose part of his humanity along the way? Pointing out that the ending is successful in its idea and significance, but she has reservations about the path that linked revenge and Noura’s loss of her dream of motherhood.
While critic Ahmed Saad El-Din praises the artistic level of the series, he believes that the scenario is the weakest link in it, and he said in statements to Asharq Al-Awsat that “The series (Tala’ Nazel) has the best artistic elements, thanks to the ingenuity of Hani Khalifa, and in choosing its heroes, so much so that we do not imagine any other actors other than Mona Zaki and Mohamed Shaheen. Director Khalifa also succeeded in the role of (The Broken Father), confirming his talent as an actor.”
He believes that the idea of the work is closer to a cinematic film, as it revolves around a revenge episode that is suitable for cinema and is not suitable as a television work because it has a negative impact on men and women, he says.
Saad El-Din added, “Man’s transition from love and absolute goodness to absolute evil is unjustified, so the end was illogical,” as he put it.
