I was awoken this morning
by the sound of low flying helicopters. Surely out to "protect the
people" as they participate in the first post-Mubarak parliamentary
elections. I still haven't decided how to feel today. It is somewhere
between anxious and hopeful, doubtful and cynical. The elections are
here. The elections we have been hearing about for so long, the
elections I have spent weeks discussing with my friends, my students, my
co-workers. The elections that have been the backdrop of CNN and Al
Jazeera coverage of a heartbreakingly long and chaotic week in this city that I
have fallen so head over heels in love with.
While I would like to say
that today is the beginning of a new Egypt, the reality is that it is not.
It is more of the same bullshit with a shiny new cover. Many
Egyptians are battling with whether or not to vote in this scam of an election.
For one, most (even the most educated among Egyptians) have not had the
time, or the guidance to understand the candidates, the parties, or even the
overwhelmingly complex process itself. It took me hours to even gain a
basic understanding of the process. Not to mention there are almost 50
new political parties since February. There are many who are choosing not
to vote because they doubt the legitimacy of the elections themselves - how can
they participate in an election being run by a regime they are trying to
topple? But then there are the optimists. The ones that feel that
this election does matter, even if only symbolically. So we will see how
today and tomorrow go. The process here is in 3 stages. Cairo and 8
of the other Egyptian governates vote today and tomorrow, 3 weeks from now 9
more governates vote and 3 weeks form then the remaining 9 will cast votes.
 |
| Leaked Ballot |
I sat down many times
during the recent 6-day battle between protestors and security forces to write
this blog. Each time I began I was unable to finish. I didn't know
what to say, what angle to take, how much information to include. Should
it be my story? Should it be Egypt's story? From what I have seen
in the news it appears that the U.S. media did a fairly good job of
covering this so I will focus more on my experiences.
On Friday the 18th I went
to Tahrir with Scott and Theo. The mood was very upbeat. There have
been protests almost every Friday since I got here. Most call for an end
to emergency law and an end to military trials of civilians. Increasingly
however, as SCAF has failed over and over again to keep its promises, the call
has been for SCAF to step down. The protest on Friday the 18th was
organized mainly by various political parties. We were there for an hour
or so and had some interesting experiences. People left and right were
asking to take pictures with us, at times I honestly felt like a celebrity of
some sort. Most were happy that we were there, supporting them and their
cause. There were a few who asked why we were there which as always
turned into interesting conversation. One guy explained to us that the
end of the American Empire was near at which time the Middle East and Islam
would rise to be the new world power so we should consider becoming Muslims.
When we'd had enough we grabbed some popcorn and rice pudding with konafa
and headed out. (A note on Tahrir: AMAZING street food. Grilled
corn vendors, Tahrir sweet potatoes, popcorn, juice, etc)
Friday night families of
some of the martyrs from the January Revolution as well as some activists
peacefully spent the night in Tahrir. Saturday morning, security forces
stormed the square forcefully using batons and tear gas. By Saturday
evening the air was thick with tear gas and a central security force truck was
on fire. Thus began the 6-day battle between protestors and central
security. This battle did not happen in the midan (square) itself, but
on a side street, Mohamed Mahmoud St, leading to the Ministry of the Interior.
This street has been renamed "Eyes of Freedom Street" by protestors
because police purposely shot at protestors eyes. Dozens of people have
lost eyes in the lat week. A prominent activist named Ahmed Harara was
blinded this past week. He lost one eye during the Jan 25 revolution and
the other this past week at the hands of the police.
Central Security claimed
to be protecting the Ministry of the Interior and protestors were protecting
Tahrir. Throughout this 6 day battle tear gas (provided by the good 'ol
US of A) was constant. Protestors threw stones and Molotov cocktails
while the police shot tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition. The
tear gas used this time around is supposedly a CR mix as opposed to a CS gas
mix. This is illegal by international law and while the US won't use it
domestically, they have no problem supplying the Egyptian military and security
forces with a seemingly endless supply. This gas is much more harsh than
the gas used in January. It has led to multiple deaths by asphyxiation.
Convulsions, temporary blindness, temporary paralysis and other symptoms
generally not seen from tear gas have kept Tahrir's well-equipped and staffed
field hospitals full all week. I was lucky enough (note sarcasm) to be in
Tahrir on Monday the 21st when central security mass gassed the square.
Details are unclear but it is believed that they pumped gas through the
subway vents that run under the square. I will spare you the details but
will tell you that it was unpleasant.
The level of organization
and support in Tahrir is inspiring. Despite thousands of people in the
square an ambulance lane was kept open to bring injured protestors in to the
main field hospital (usually on motorcycles or carried by other protestors) and
then out to a nearby hospital if needed in ambulances. This was a CONSTANT
traffic. A Twitter feed, "Tahrir Supplies" coordinated what
supplies were needed at field hospitals with volunteers buying, delivering and
picking up supplies from all around Cairo. Medicine, surgical supplies,
inhalers, food, juice, blankets, you name it. On the days when tear gas
was strong in the square people were walking around with spray bottles
containing either milk or a yeast, water and vinegar mix to ease the incredibly
painful sting of the tear gas on steroids being used against the people. Even the men fighting on Mohamed Mahmoud were well organized, sending fireworks or flares up wherever new fights broke out so that medical help and more street soldiers knew where to go.
Those of you that know me
don't even need to ask if I was there. Of course I was there. I
witnessed the effects of CR gas first hand and I would do it again. One
of the most frustrating parts of this week for me has been reading accounts of Americans
and other foreigners who went to Tahrir and had bad experiences because they
failed to take the necessary precautions or decided to get more involved than
they should have. What is happening in Tahrir and on Mohamed Mahmoud is
NOT OUR BATTLE. I believe it is important to show support but I think it
is even more important not to get in the way. I feel that as a foreigner
going to Tahrir I have many responsibilities. First of all I am
responsible for making sure I am going to a part of the midan that is safe.
(Nowhere near Mohamed Mahmoud st). Secondly I have a responsibility
to go with people who know where I should and shouldn't be and who speak enough
Arabic to help me out if I get into trouble. Thirdly I have a
responsibility to be there for the right reasons.
I knew that going to
Tahrir (especially after Tantawi's speech in which he said "foreign
hands" were behind the protests) might not be the safest or most
comfortable place for me as a foreigner and a woman to be. While on the
18th people were loving the fact that we Americans were there, as the violence
intensified SCAF pointed fingers at foreign agendas and tear gas with the words
"Made in USA" fell constantly. This made people very skeptical
of foreigners in the square, for good reason. I knew that if I was going I
needed to be able to explain why. I also knew that for those of you at
home asking why I was there, I needed a good explanation. So here it
is...
I believe that what is
going on even right now in Tahrir Square is important. I support the
right of the people to speak out against their government without fear of
retaliation or violence at the hands of the military and the police. I
stand with the Egyptian people as they fight for democracy and justice in
whatever form it may take and for however long it continues. Who am I to
say that I stand with anyone if I am not willing to actually literally stand
with them. Furthermore, I have friends who spent all 6 days on Mohamed
Mahmoud St risking their lives for this cause. I would never be able to
reconcile saying that I support them if I stayed at home as they stood in
constant tear gas, under fire from live ammo and rubber bullets.
The last week has not been
an easy one but it has certainly been an inspiring one. I spent every day
worried about my friends on the front lines. Day in and day out I went to
work with this thought in the back of my head. At the same time I got to
spend every day surrounded by my students whose interest, curiosity and passion
inspire and uplift me every day. This is their future and they deserve
for it to be everything that has been promised to them. Everything that
they want. The Egyptian people are passionate, resilient and strong and
one day Egypt will belong to them. Until then you can bet your ass that
if Tahrir Square is in the news.... I’m there.
Love from Cairo,
Martha
No comments:
Post a Comment