Stagnant Water, Stagnant Politics

Every morning after I exit the metro station at Tahrir Square, I pass a barefoot woman selling menadil, glance out towards the Egyptian museum in search of armored vehicles or protesters, and begin to hold my breath. As I walk past the wall adorned with ever changing revolution slogans, I don’t dare inhale. About three weeks ago, a mysteriously pungent puddle appeared alongside the crumbling sidewalk that leads to the gate of the AUC downtown campus. Somehow, despite Cairo’s desert climate, the tenacious cesspool refuses to evaporate. Its size and shape are constantly changing, and it is now home to some frightfully smelly bacteria, a pair of old shoes, and a wide variety of unrecognizable debris.

As I scurry past the stagnant water, balancing on the curb so as to avoid plunging into the slime or the adjacent dirty sand, it is hard not to be discouraged. It’s not just that I’m bothered by the lack of government services or nonexistent infrastructure for waste removal. Nor am I simply distressed by the widespread disrespect of public space that stems from decades of living under a dictatorship, fostering the ideology that “It’s not our sidewalk, it’s Mubarak’s.” Instead, the cesspool serves as a nagging reminder of the frightening stagnation in post-revolution Egypt— and I’m not just talking about the water.    

When Muslims and Christians took to the streets in January calling for unity and democratic change under the slogan “One Hand,” it seemed that sectarian strife might be surmountable. Similarly, when Mubarak stepped down, and the army stood alongside the people, there was true hope that Egyptians could break the bonds of dictatorial rule. Though true progress towards democracy has been frustrating elusive in the shadow of revolutionary fervor, until a few days ago I really thought that positive political developments were on the horizon. Maybe I was just getting too caught up in the Insha’ allah Bukra Mumkin (IBM) or “ God Willing Maybe Tomorrow” attitude. But even after the crackdown on the sit-in this summer, or the storming of the Israeli embassy that I witnessed from my balcony last month, I was still cautiously hopeful.

On October 9^th, my optimism was shaken. Just a few hours after returning from Tahrir Square, I read Twitter accounts and watched news coverage of the clashes between Coptic Christian protesters and the military police that erupted outside the Maspiro state media building.  The ensuing violence left some 25 protesters dead as civilians were hit by live gunfire and crushed under heavy military vehicles. Even more disturbingly, the state media produced a live account of the events that was reminiscent of the Mubarak era and depicted the protesters as a Christian mob that had assaulted the army. Failing to mention civilian deaths and falsely reporting that the US had offered to send troops to protect Christians, rumors spread like wildfire. Hearing that Christians were attacking the largely Muslim army “which has loyally stood by the revolution,” a group of Muslims took to the streets and a frighteningly sectarian skirmish followed. I even heard one account (bear in mind this is from a Christian professor) that a Muslim man wielding a sword chopped a Christian protesters head in half during the fighting.

As the largest outbreak of violence since the days of the revolution, the events of October 9^th are very discouraging. They highlight the virulent persistence of sectarian tensions and  demonstrate that the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) has no intention of giving up power any time soon and will take drastic measures to maintain it. More ominously, the eruption of violence provides SCAF with a perfect excuse to extend emergency laws and impose other dictatorial restrictions on the Egyptian people. Sure the civilian cabinet and generals publically apologized and the state media admitted fault, but I find it hard to believe that such a “band aid” can heal the gaping wounds in Egyptian society and politics.

Bizarrely, the past few days have been eerily quiet. No one has gathered in Tahrir Square, and I haven’t seen any military police in the area. I’m sure Friday will bring a new wave of protesters as happens most weekends, but I have been very surprised by the absence of a visible reaction to the violence. Are Christians just laying low? Is the army trying to save face?

As always the future is unclear, and walking by the cesspool each morning makes it appear particularly bleak. While I’m not trying to argue that the events of October 9^th marked the death knell of Egyptian democratization, they clearly underscore the obstacles that citizens face today. Though I am confident that the stagnant water on the downtown sidewalk will eventually dissipate, overcoming political and economic stagnation is a much more ominous task. The revolutionary storm that rained down on Egypt has left quite the pernicious puddle in its wake. 

Rosh Hashanah Cario Style

Intrigued by the prospect of attending a Rosh Hashanah service in Cairo, last Wednesday I boarded a bus with a few other CASA students and the last few remaining members of Cairo’s Jewish community and headed off to a temple in Maadi. Today, Cairo’s Jewish population consists of only a handful of elderly widows. Sitting on the bus listening to these women “kvetch” about the long walk to the bus stop and praise their children’s accomplishments in Egyptian dialect, it became clear that Jewish grandmothers—whether from Long Island or Cairo— have a lot in common.

 We quickly struck up a conversation with Goldina, a woman in her late sixties of Ukranian, Russian, and Iraqi Jewish descent who grew up speaking French at home and attending English school in Cairo. She told us of the virulent anti-Semitism and dramatic transformation of the lives of Jews in Egypt following the Arab defeat in the 1967 war as most of Egypt’s Jews left for Israel, Europe, or the US. She explained that her mother had polio and had been unable to move so Goldina hadn’t wanted to leave her. While she still wants to leave Egypt today, she told us that she could never leave her three dogs. Interestingly, she has no desire to go to Israel where she feels that the security situation means that no one can truly “live” or “have a life.” Chatting with Goldina about everything from recipes to her favorite youtube videos, the bus ride flew by.

Arriving at the temple in Maadi, we passed a huge crowd of police officers in military uniform. While we thought they were providing security for the service—especially in light of the recent attack on the Israeli embassy—we later learned that they were simply striking for higher wages. As we entered the temple (after showing our passports) we walked into a small crowd of expats that included the American and Austrian ambassadors to Egypt.

Apparently the Israeli ambassador usually leads the service, but because of the recent attack on the embassy he was unable to attend. Realizing that there was no one available to perform the service, a few CASA students who read Hebrew got up with their prayer books and led a rather impromptu abridged Rosh Hashanah service that reminded me of a combination of Arabic class and a bar-Mitzvah. I tried to follow along in an English copy that was actually a 1941 British army Jewish prayer book that included “the prayer to go into battle” and “the prayer for going abroad” in addition to the regular holiday prayers. While it was slightly awkward as an Egyptian man kept coming by to tell the CASA boys to read/sing louder, the American ambassador seemed quite taken with them as she admired them over her pink reading glasses. She actually invited my friend Andrew to eat dinner at her table after the service and gave him her contact information on a napkin!

The service was followed by apples and honey and a delicious pot luck style meal at tables set up in the courtyard outside the temple. Overall, a very sweet—if not bizarre— start to the new year!   

Other happenings:

1)      I started tutoring at St. Andrews Refugee services this week and met some really interesting South Sudanese and Eritrean refugees

2)      Celebrated my 22^nd birthday with a CASA potluck, my friend’s housewarming party at an amazing 2 story apartment that has wrap around balconies overlooking the Nile and  a delicious trip to Lucille’s (an American diner style restaurant)

3)      I’m planning on going to an AUC trip to the North coast next weekend for the long weekend (October 6^th is Armed Forces Day celebrating Egypt’s 1973 “victory”) so that should be fun!

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

Wedding Crashers

After an afternoon of exploring Coptic Cairo, Ben and I wandered outside of the Christian cemetery into the back alleyways of an adjacent Muslim neighborhood. As we strolled past trash piles, donkeys and stray dogs, we were suddenly surrounded by a group of kids. “Take our picture!” they begged as they posed around us. “There’s a wedding tonight!” they exclaimed and they grabbed us by the hands and took us to an alley where their entire extended families were dancing in the streets. After dancing with the family members for an hour and snapping about a hundred pictures of all the children, we were invited to come back to the wedding party at 7:00.

We headed back to Dokki to seek refuge from the heat (it was about 105 degrees and 73% humidity on Friday) and stopped by Tahrir Square on the way. In addition to the usual group of protesters and political organizers shouting slogans from megaphones, we also witnessed a man scaling a lamppost while waving an Egyptian flag. While it was a pretty dangerous stunt, it was very powerful to see a giant flag being waved above the square as the man stood precariously balanced atop a street light.

Soon it was time to head back to Masr ‘Adim or Coptic Cairo for the wedding. Not knowing what to expect, as we walked up towards the alleyway the kids we had met earlier that day grabbed our arms and escorted us to the wedding party. We were seated right in the center and Mohamed, a relative of the groom, kept taking pictures of us on his cell phone which he then broadcasted on a TV screen in the center of the celebration. He told us about his work selling aluminum in Libya, gave us each one of his necklaces, and invited us back for lunch on Sunday.

As the night wore on, I soon learned that my role at the wedding celebration would be to dance with every single woman and child in the neighborhood (including the bride!). Women who I had never met before would pull my arms in opposite directions each telling me that it was there turn to dance with me. While it was kind of overwhelming, and I felt pretty out of place being in the center of a wedding party when I didn’t know anyone (and of course being about a foot taller than most of the elderly woman who wanted to dance with me) all in all it was a lot of fun.

Although we stayed at the wedding celebration for about four hours, Ben and I were still pretty unclear about what was going on. The bride spent most of the time just sitting (looking pretty upset) on the edge of the circle of dancing women. We never saw the groom and although we each asked multiple guests where he might be, we received conflicting answers from “he’s right back there” (pointing down the alleyway) to “he has other plans tonight” and “he’s coming later.”

Also, there was a strange combination of women in niqabs on the one hand,  and men drinking beer, and other women dancing very sexually in front of all the men on the other. Concepts of what’s “haram” or “hilal”--- what’s acceptable or forbidden under Islam--- don’t always seem logical from our outsider perspectives. When we left the wedding at 11:00 the food still hadn’t been served, and although we were exhausted from all the dancing, I think the party was really just beginning. We’re planning to go back for lunch on Sunday and to bring the family some of the pictures we took, so maybe we’ll find out more when we return! 

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

      

The Authority of the Sardines and an Unusual "Snow Day"

While Google Translate can be a very helpful homework tool, some restaurants in Cairo use it a little too liberally. A few days ago during our rather unusual "snow day" caused by violent clashes between the police and protesters in Tahrir Square, I went out to a restaurant right near my apartment with some friends. We quickly noticed some translation problems on the menu, and some of our favorites included "Authority of the Sardines," "Snakes," and "Magic Authority of Papaganog." Among other issues, the fact that the word in Arabic for authority or power "sulta" and salad "salata" are both spelled as سلطة just with different short vowels had clearly created some issues for the restaurant owner.

I think the Uighur (Chinese-ish) restaurant we visited recently had the right idea when they made a picture menu with no words in any language. When we inquired as to the name of a particularly delicious dish, the Uighur waiter replied in broken Arabic that it was called "Chow Mein." Ah, the wonders of food globalization!

In addition to the "Authority of the Sardines," I've witnessed some more serious "authority" problems recently with the outbreak of a new round of clashes between protesters and the police on Tuesday and Wednesday. Although the worst of the violence occurred literally right outside our university, when our classes resumed (surprisingly) the next morning, most traces of the ishtibakat (clashes) had been cleared away. With the exception of some new graffiti and a couple of tents set up in Tahrir Square, there were few remnants of the chaos that had erupted the day before. While  the street cleaners in my neighborhood don't seem to particularly motivated to remove the piles of trash or tree branches littering the sidewalks, downtown street cleaners had been hard at work. By morning all of the tear gas canisters (a lovely little gift from our own government with Made in the USA printed on the sides), bricks,  and Molotov cocktail remains had been swept away. Though the KFC, Pizza Hut, and local Kiosks were mostly closed, life seemed to continue as usual for the most part.

It seems strange that conditions can return to "normal" so quickly, but  I guess that's life in the midst of post revolutionary uncertainty. Egypt's (democratic?) future will likely remain unstable and unknown for a long time, but people must continue to try and support themselves and live their lives. On a personal note, it was bizarre to find myself comparing our "revolution day" to a snow day, but that's really what it was like. As I followed local news sources and Twitter feeds for news of the protests, it was not a far cry from watching the weather channel while tracking a storm, wondering if classes would be canceled. When I found myself disappointed to have classes resume on Thursday (as I hadn't fully prepared for my 2 presentations or quiz) I had to stop and remind myself that having classes meant that calm had been restored in Tahrir. I'm not used to having my homework schedule be determined by changing world events, but that's the reality when your campus is adjacent to the site of one of the largest revolutions in recent history!

Melodrama, Taxis, and Politics

As I emerged from my room yesterday, I was surprised to find the wife or our simsar (the apartment broker)’s wife asleep on our living room couch. Zaynab is like a character out of a muselsel or Egyptian soap opera... I’d cast her as the crazy aunt from the reef (countryside). She’s constantly screaming, hugging someone, or pausing to pray. Zaynab has been very involved in solving our apartment problems and always arrives with a miscellaneous entourage of helpers in toe. Whether they be plumbers, carpenters, or landline installers, they always seem to answer to her. This weekend our water is mysteriously cut off once again though no one else in our apartment building seems to have any plumbing trouble. While plumbers are able to turn the water back on temporarily, we’re still hoping for a more permanent fix (though permanent fixes don’t seem to be all that common around here…).

A few days ago I went to an Egyptian movie called “Sarakh al-nimla” or The Scream of the Ant, a story of a man who helps encourage his neighbors to protest against rising prices and corruption in the local and national government. Though it was an interesting language experience, the melodrama was pretty unbearable. Picture an entire cast of characters just like Zaynab. Plus movie going in the Middle East tends to have much higher levels of “audience participation” than I’m used to including chatting on cell phones, crying babies, and lots of movement around the theater. The popcorn was good though!

Each week CASA brings a lecturer to talk to us on Thursday afternoons. The first lecturer was a taxi driver who was full of interesting stories including a tale of a woman who gave birth inside his cab! While he didn’t have the best advice on how to avoid getting ripped off, it was interesting to hear his thoughts on the Revolution, Egyptian traffic laws (or lack there of) etc.

This week we heard from a female activist from the Kefaya movement who had been heavily involved in the Revolution. Although she discussed her goals for the new government and constitution and the need to combat corruption, she didn’t really specify how these goals could be achieved or what the appropriate path for Egyptian democracy and political reform might be. As new political offshoots seem to be formed almost daily and each Friday different groups continue to gather in Tahrir Square, it seems that electing leaders who will adequately represent all the competing interest groups in Egypt will be a formidable task.

Other Happenings:

-          Trying Sudanese food for the first time which was delicious! (a little bit like Ethiopian)

-           Consuming a “Boreo” (Egyptian Oreo) milkshake (YUM)

-          Actually grocery shopping/ market hopping for the first time following the arrival of our new fridge (it’s actually 9 feet tall!)

-          Bought my plane ticket to Spain for my summer break!

-          Still working on getting internet in our apartment…..we’ve finally bought a plan and actually have a landline now though so hopefully I can Skype with you all soon!