The Queue, by Basma Abdel Aziz
Oh, bureaucracy...can't live with it, can't...well... This incredibly smart satire from Egyptian journalist Abdel Aziz is slim but gut-wrenching. The Gate is the authority in this unnamed nation; it stands tall and blank above a city that recently bore witness to a small rebellion, called the Disgraceful Events. Yehya is the center around which this tale is spun, an innocent young man who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and fell victim to a stray bullet. He'll be just fine, as long as the bullet is removed. But before the surgery can occur, his doctor, Tarek, is informed that it is unlawful for any bullet to be removed from a body, dead or alive, without proper authorization. So Yehya is sewn up, given some documents, and sent to wait in the line forming before the Gate. There he meets and interacts with other citizens waiting for the Gate to open so they can get the documents they need: a stamp of True Citizenship to protect them from losing their job; a certificate to allow a surgery for a daughter's heart condition; a medal and recognition for a cousin, dead in service to this country.
But the Gate does not open. Instead, the queue gets longer and longer. An economy develops around servicing the members of the queue and for those waiting who still need to make money to support their families. Rumors abound about when the Gate might open, and about just what actually happened during the Disgraceful Events. Fatwas and regulations are issued through official radio, TV, and newspaper channels but still the Gate does not open. As Yehya's condition worsens, his friends try to help him get the documents and surgery he needs, but he cannot risk losing his place in the queue. Religion becomes entwined with patriotism and citizens start to lose themselves as they seek protection from each other and the Gate.
This is a searing look at modern day authoritarianism, a case in point for how countries are subsumed by a culture of fear when rumor is all there is and one authority controls everything. It is grimly humorous, absurd in its details but chillingly true to how a place under strict control, such as North Korea, functions. It is an explanation as well as a warning, showing how average people get drawn into the most ridiculous of beliefs.
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But the Gate does not open. Instead, the queue gets longer and longer. An economy develops around servicing the members of the queue and for those waiting who still need to make money to support their families. Rumors abound about when the Gate might open, and about just what actually happened during the Disgraceful Events. Fatwas and regulations are issued through official radio, TV, and newspaper channels but still the Gate does not open. As Yehya's condition worsens, his friends try to help him get the documents and surgery he needs, but he cannot risk losing his place in the queue. Religion becomes entwined with patriotism and citizens start to lose themselves as they seek protection from each other and the Gate.
This is a searing look at modern day authoritarianism, a case in point for how countries are subsumed by a culture of fear when rumor is all there is and one authority controls everything. It is grimly humorous, absurd in its details but chillingly true to how a place under strict control, such as North Korea, functions. It is an explanation as well as a warning, showing how average people get drawn into the most ridiculous of beliefs.
Shop local!
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