Authoritarian Propaganda by Day, Democratic Revolution by Night

Attending classes alongside Tahrir Square, signs of the continued struggle towards Egyptian democracy are everywhere. Especially in the aftermath of the July 8^th protests, the square has transformed into a tent city and civilian volunteers have set up “tefteesh” or checkpoints to search bags and verify the identification of anyone who passes through. New graffiti and banners proclaiming slogans of the revolution and demands for change crop up daily. Egyptian flags are everywhere and at night impromptu concerts and poetry readings create a festive atmosphere and cut the tension (however temporarily) between various factions.

On the night of July 8^th I ventured down to the square to take in the scene. It’s truly remarkable to see so many individuals holding signs with their political demands and calling out messages through their megaphones. It may be disorganized and chaotic, but that’s the form civil society seems to be taking as Egyptians struggle to take charge of their futures. After years of authoritarian rule, without any democratic infrastructure the road ahead is sure to be rocky. As the parliamentary elections are postponed and the plan for a new constitution remains murky, building a new government will be no easy task. That being said, seeing Egyptians of all ages, political ideologies, and religious beliefs gathering in Tahrir and vying to play a role in the political future of their country is inspiring.

In sharp contrast to the revolution in my backyard, last weekend I visited the October War museum­ that was built with help from the North Korean government and boasts a life size panoramic diorama of the Egyptian “victory” in the 1973 war with Israel, a cartoon like production of toy Egyptian military vehicles routing Israeli forces, and impressive murals of Egyptian military prowess from the time of the pharos forward. Interestingly, even aftermath of the January 25^th revolution, the museum still includes posters of Mubarak and attributes Egyptian military strength to his effective leadership.

Watching school children clap enthusiastically as a plastic Egyptian military destroyed Israeli paper airplanes, I wondered how the chaperones were going to explain Mubarak’s presence in the museum. Educational reform in general is going to be an important part of democracy building in Egypt and it will be interesting to see how the new government chooses to teach the youngest generation about the Revolution and Egyptian history and politics in general in the coming years.

The October War museum is just one symbolic example of the so called “felool al-nizam” or  remnants of the Mubarak regime that persist in the aftermath of the revolution. Figuring out how to eliminate the elements of the regime that are truly obstacles to democratic change while preserving some semblance of political, social, and economic infrastructure will certainly be challenging in the coming weeks, months, and probably even years.

Aside from my night and day experiences of propaganda and revolution, some other happenings include:

1)      Atending a concert in Al- Azhar park featuring an Egyptian soft rock band “Cairoke” and an American “country star” who sang everything from Lady Gaga to Alanis Morrisette. Watching the American signer dance up against a backdrop of beautiful mosques was a little strange culturally, especially when you factor in the Egyptian teenage boys jumping up and down like teenybopper girls at a Miley Cyrus concert. The show ended with a really powerful rendition of “Sout al-Horia,” the anthem of the Egyptian revolution, which seemed particularly poignant on the eve of the July 8^th protests   

2)      Bowling at the ministry of defense’s “International Bowling Center” with a group of Egyptians and Casa Students. I’m not fully sure what the center has to do with the military, although an armed soldier did tell me that I was not allowed to wear my bowling shoes into the bathroom!

3)      Hearing a lecture from the famous Egyptian author and political writer Alaa al-Aswany on literature and democratic change in Egypt