A Preview: Voices of Egypt
Turnstyle on Wednesday, Jul. 27th
Journalist Shadi Rahimi arrived in Cairo in early July to document the stories of a post-revolution Egypt, focusing on young people, and hip hop culture. Soon she’ll be introducing Turnstyle audiences to some of those youth; this album is a glimpse of the people she met on her first visit to Egypt who drew her back for a longer stay.
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- A young boy in Tahrir atop a statue of nationalist hero Omar Makram, who is celebrated for his resistance against Napoleon I’s invasion of Egypt. The boy was protesting along with thousands of others on May 27, when Egyptians returned to Tahrir for the “Second Revolution.” Among their demands, protestors are continuing to ask for trials for police and officials like ousted president Hosni Mubarak; jobs and fair wages; an end to military tribunals for civilians who have been arrested; and democratic elections.
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- Women’s car on the subway.
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- The day before the May 27 protest, soldiers arrested rally organizers who were disseminating flyers and posters, and the army said they wouldn’t protect the people. Gun shots the night before and rumors of armed thugs hired by police frightened many. But thousands came out and held a peaceful demonstration. Beginning in July, thousands have camped out in Tahrir in continued efforts to receive their demands.
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- Keeping an eye on Libya.
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- Intellectual protest sign: Parliament should be dissolved and an article should be added to the constitution cancelling immunity for corruption.
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- No military tribunals for protestors.
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- Grandmother and grandson in front of a nut and spices shop on Talaat Harb Street, in the bustling downtown district of Cairo on a Friday night. The weekends in Egypt, which is predominantly a Muslim country, are Fridays and Saturdays. The Islamic Sabbath begins on Friday, and extends for some businesses and offices into Saturday.
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- A brother and sister posing on the street by a mosque near Tahrir Square, where hundreds prayed before joining the rest of the demonstrators on May 27 for the “Second Revolution.” The recent demonstrations in Tahrir in July, where people have been camping out for nearly a week, have led the interim military government to deliver on some demands, including firing nearly 700 senior police officers. But the military has also delayed parliamentary elections initially expected to take place in September.
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- A popular bazaar called Khan el-Khalili, in an Islamic district of Cairo. These cheap foreign-made camels play popular Egyptian songs. There are few tourists seen here nowadays, perhaps because of concerns about stability and security highlighted in local and foreign press. Such worries are perpetuated by the interim military government in protest of continued demonstrations in Tahrir (Liberation) Square and elsewhere.
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- A woman I interviewed in Tahrir Square in mid-May, during a smaller demonstration. She spoke to me the day following U.S. president Barak Obama’s speech on the Arab Spring, She compared President Obama to former president George W. Bush, and said both were “liars.” She urged the American people to express their voices and stand up against American foreign policies in places like Egypt, Iraq and Afghanistan.
america • cairo • egypt • hip-hop • mubarak • obama • tahrir square
