Back to School, Back to the Streets

Days of exploring southern Spain and relaxing on the cost in Dahab while gazing out at the mountains Saudi Arabia went by far too quickly and now I’ve found myself back in Cairo and back to school. Though there’s no crisp fall air or New England leaves, Ramadan has ended, the desert heat seems to be subsiding (slightly) and classes have begun.

The scene has changed dramatically at Tahrir Square, as during Ramadan the tent city of demonstrators was replaced by security forces who surround the center of the square sending a clear message that sit-ins will not be tolerated. Instead of passing hoards of protesters on the way to school, we now stroll by military vehicles and soldiers waiting for their turn to guard the square.   

On September 9^th, liberal and leftist groups organized a demonstration that brought thousands of protesters to Tahrir, calling for an end to military trails for civilians, the cessation of diplomatic relations with Israel, and the resignation of Prime Minister Sharaf among other demands. While the protest itself was peaceful, in the early evening hoards of angry protesters marched to the Israeli Embassy—just blocks from my apartment in Dokki.

Enraged by the Israeli killing of six Egyptian soldiers on August 18^th (I was quite nearby vacationing in the Sinai at the time), demonstrators have been gathering in front of the embassy for a couple weeks. However, frustrated by the lack of a response from SCAF, on Friday protestors emonstrators violently stormed the embassy sparking clashes with Central Security Forces.

Arriving back home at my apartment that evening, from my balcony my roommates and I felt the burn of tear gas in our eyes and noses, heard shouts of protesters, saw Molotov cocktails being thrown and clouds of billowing smoke. As the Central Security Forces played a game of cat and mouse with demonstrators, we observed the chaotic “battle” in the streets. While we were perfectly safe ten stories off the ground, the clashes were a little close for comfort.

Sadly, the attack on the embassy is representative of the many obstacles in the way of successful democracy building in Egypt today. Many Egyptians feel (rightly so) as though they do not have a voice in their interim government or a means of achieving change—whether in Egypt’s relationship with Israel or in domestic policies. Yet clearly storming an embassy is not the answer. This kind of violent reckless behavior invites SCAF to clamp down and moves Egyptians further away from their goal of democracy (not to mention the negative effect it has on the already suffering economy.)

Watching the clashes from my balcony, I was made painfully aware of the lack of progress in post-revolutionary Egypt and the dangerous absence of peaceful and effective means of political participation for everyday citizens. While things have calmed down for the moment, until greater institutional changes are made, it is only a matter of time until the next outburst occurs.  

Other Happenings:

1)      We’ve adopted a kitten! Her name is Nour and she’s absolutely adorable...oh, and she has a facebook if you'd like to meet her 

2)      We’ve discovered sushi in Cairo…and it’s actually pretty good!

3)      In addition to my CASA courses and the translating work I’m doing for Tahrir Documents, I’m about to start volunteering with a refugee services NGO where I’ll work with as an English tutor assisting Sudanese, Somalian, Libyan, Iraqi refugees in Egypt as they attempt to gain asylum and resettle in the US or Europe. It’ll be busy, but I’m looking forward to it!

4)      I’ve discovered humus in a can…..and  those of you who know a) how gross/weird Egyptain humus is b) how much I like humus and c) my appreciation of canned goods will understand how exciting this is