The Journey of some Thousand Miles
For the upcoming week, I decided to interview Magdy, the founder of the chess group I wrote about. It’s been a long and eventful journey in the city for him, which he’s generously shared.
Magdy - Founder and Host of our Social Chess Club
What brought you first to London and where did you move from?
I moved from Cairo, Egypt to London to study for a postgraduate degree in computing. That was my initial reason to come here.
How long ago was this?.
It was October 1979.
Oh wow, so it’s been a long time for you here. What were your first impressions of the city? Were you surprised by anything, and do you think that it has changed a lot since the time you came here?
October 1979 was my second visit. My first visit was in July ‘76, and because of that visit, I decided to come again for postgraduate study. I liked the culture, atmosphere and setup of the country here, of London, I mean. When I came the first time, in 1976, I was still studying at Cairo University. Three years later, once I’d finished, I came with the intention to complete my postgraduation and go back home. I was fascinated with the culture here, which I found different from what I was used to back home. I decided to carry on from there, and the aim changed several times. And now, nearly 45 years later, I am still here.
So, when you say that the culture was very different, can you tell me how?
Yes, the ease of making girlfriends, which wasn’t easy back home. That was the main reason for changing my mind and continuing to stay here.
When you moved here, how did you meet people or make friends? Right now, there are so many apps like Meetup and online communities, but how was it back then?
During that time, the Internet and social media were non-existent. The Internet was there but had very limited use for business. That was my main topic of study – Computing and Computer Science. I made friends at university, and back then I used to go to pubs and discos and make friends there.
Nice, so the traditional way rather than online.
(Laughs) Yes, there was no online back then.
What gave you the idea then to start a chess club?
You are jumping 45 years now (true story!). Long journey, alright. Traditionally, I like socialising, meeting people, and being active in the community. Before starting the chess club, I was involved in other things. I decided to change what I was doing before in terms of community and socialising. My activity in the community was limited, so when I came across Meetup, I joined several political discussion groups. One was Communalist, and another one was called Universal Basic Income. They were mainly about community governments and better communities and societies. Joining these two clubs gave me the idea of doing something practical and getting people together around something they like, with the hope that it develops into a community where they care for each other. That was my idea behind the chess club, because I have liked chess since I was young, since my teenage years, and it’s one of my passions. During the year, as you can see, it has now grown to more than 320 members in the club.
That’s very impressive! Ok, I’m going to jump back now to 45 years ago and toggle between then and now. So have you found parts of the city that remind you of home?
No, there isn’t (laughs). It’s totally different.
London to Cairo - from Songs and Poems by Sandra Hillawi
What is the most interesting cultural exchange you’ve had since coming here?
I have become more tolerant of others, I can put myself into another’s shoes and not jump to conclusions. Before I was, I’d say, bad-tempered in discussions. I learned to calm down and listen to the other side before jumping to conclusions, and also accommodating other people’s ideas and views. That’s the major change in my way of thinking and way of life, that I tolerate others.
And is London now home to you? It would be, right? Or do you still feel like a visitor? For me, it’s just been one and a half years, and I vacillate between the two.
For me, London or the UK is home now. I haven’t been to Egypt for the last eight years. Before, I used to go every three to four years once, for at least three to four weeks. Now, with the political situation in Egypt, I don’t feel like going there anymore.
You talked about how London has changed you as a person and how you are more open-minded now. Has it also changed the way you think about your roots?
No, the roots are still there. The basics are still there. The basics are good, but the practice isn’t. When I came to England, it was much better than what it is now. People changed, became more materialistic in Egypt. In London, that’s the way it is, people are mainly materialistic. There is no strong spiritual side to the way of life in England here, but that doesn’t affect me. I carry on being a practising Muslim and mixing with Muslims as well as any other faith or non-faith. Back home, the religious side was much better before than what it is now. Religion is supposed to make you better, not worse. In Egypt, relations have been affected by education and the economic situation. I think their way of thinking and morals have become corrupt.
You mentioned England was much better back then. Is there anything you’d like to change about London to make it similar to how it was, or are you happy with how things are?
Some things definitely need to change. The culture that existed before was better than what it is now. Margaret Thatcher made society here like a war for individuals to earn a living, ignoring their social well-being and communities. Instead, everyone was for themselves. Before Margaret Thatcher, it was a more integrated society. People would watch out for one another, care for one another, and greet each other on the streets. Margaret Thatcher promoted tax cutting on the grounds that people were better and wiser with their own money, so as not to take money from them in taxes, and made people just vote for themselves and even ignore their close friends and family.
Margaret Thatcher, also called The Iron Lady, was the longest-serving British Prime Minister of the 20th century and the first woman to hold the position.
So, are you saying Margaret Thatcher was not a good politician because she broke the community culture?
Yes. She was a good economist, but I wouldn’t say she was a community builder.
Do you think things have improved today?
No, since then, UK is still getting over the changes made by Margaret Thatcher in her 11 years. I’m a socialist mainly, I like to look after society, and see society look after itself. UK has not recovered yet. The Labour Government didn’t stay long enough to change things. So hopefully, sometimes with the Conservative Government, you get good characters, but after John Major, the Conservative Party isn’t functioning as a Party anymore. After him, the Conservative Party lost their way, there was infighting. They were not concentrating on how to make society better in the UK. You see, politics affects society because politics controls how money flows and how the economy progresses. If there is no security regarding jobs and income, then people tend to misbehave culturally.
Ok, this is my last question, what advice do you have for someone moving here today, as someone who moved all those years ago?
The advice is to integrate, as soon as possible, with the community and find ways of communicating with other cultures, not just go to the area where you find people similar to your nationality and culture. You need to be open and mix with all the people around you. Because integrating brings harmony and peace between people. You don’t fear people if you know them. (I completely agree with that.) If you isolate yourself from the community, then it causes problems.
“You don’t fear people if you know them.”
That’s very true. That’s something that I also believe in. Thank you so much Magdy for your time and wisdom, and for the chess club. 😊
