El Tahrir/Liberation square E-Book

N McNally

• Herausgeber: BoD - Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 121

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

A live story with unique photos off the ground of the peoples power movement in Cairo, Egypt, 2013.

Das E-Book El Tahrir/Liberation square wird angeboten von BoD - Books on Demand und wurde mit folgenden Begriffen kategorisiert:
Arabian spring,El Tahrir,Liberation square,Egypt,Tamarod

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

INTERLUDE

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CLOSING EXTENSION

INTERLUDE

Once settled at the table which would differ in shape and material due to the various cafes I regularly visited, space got made for the first newspaper to be unfolded carefully upon the wooden, metal or stone surface also withholding my cup of coffee, a glass of water and depending on the time of the day, the cherished croissant.

Through the procedure of reading, sipping and reading, turning page after page would I eventually come across information covering events or incidents which had taken place in north Africa. First the information dealt with governmental orders, new created legislations, direct decrees from the head person of those states, which mostly startled me as cruel and irrespective towards the people of those countries. I imagined the inhabitants weren’t as well off and living in surroundings comparable to the people of western European countries.

From descriptions and stories on the previous pages of the newspaper, Frenchmen, Englishmen and Germans as well as Swiss financial commentators and especially Dutch folk would merely point out that more or less the whole of Africa was the third world. Meaning by living standards the African continent was equivalent to Gypsy Sinti shanty towns on the fringe of their own European Union. North Africans didn’t have access to education, jobs, freedom of expression, democracy, travel rights and basic political involvement. Exactly like the Gypsy’s in the eastern part of the European union including also a few countries in the western part. And if you are poor in the west of the European Union you may have access but too very low quality of everything.

So, for maybe some years these stories would repeat themselves. People weren’t allowed to gather to talk about something that concerned them. Universities got closed. Criticism towards government became a criminal offence. A fish vendor got thrown into a dustbin lorry along with his stock of fish because he didn’t have a authoriziation. People began to ignite themselves with petrol. Taxes rose whilst border crossings shut for security reasons. Religious minorities in the mostly diverse populations came under pressure after responsible figures of the states would pose alongside leading personalities of the main dominant religous belief. State and clerics side by side in front of a palace interior that bore the splendour of a rich environment. Not far from the sealed couple either to their flanks or strongly lingering in the background where faces of moustached men with sunglasses dressed in earth tone coloured suits. The decorated generals of this and that state force and sometimes they would inform the people of a city, town or village what time they expected them to be at home for dinner. The people also got reminded due to the events on the previous evening not to forget anything for their dinners or they wouldn’t return home if they did and had gone out again to search for it. Meaning they could get assasinated. The handlings of people assemblies willing to express their discontent about regulations of their collective goods and the embedded possibilities of ascensions withheld within, which could lead towards the first world were confronted with deadly actions by police and military forces geared up in equipment provided by the first world.

Me sitting in the first world at a table sipping a watery coffee and going through a number of different newspapers, reaching the same conclusion every time after being confronted with the sports sector of the disclosing newspaper, that how long would the people of north Africa and deeper back in my mind, the people of the first world bear patronization by obviously corrupted establishments that showed the least of interest in even distribution of wealth and education. In the meantime, in these cafes I hardly ever came into conversation with present people touching these stories while I sat at my table turning the pages filled with news flanked by other tables. There was just no co-partner to comment on what had been written.

People around me didn’t really speak much about topics circulating in newspapers. But when someone did, he or she, mostly a he would banter on against a group of people in our region, disregarding them the right to free speech and expression and it was only wright that the police handled them severely and heavily for doing so. Then followed the final comment which was more so a question over the observation, that, who was going to pay for the whole mayhem caused? Shortly afterwards the newspapers would then inform that the local parliament had come up with new regulations on how their installed powers would in the future deal which such occurrences.

Over in north Africa parliaments had meanwhile altogether ceased to gather for discussions aiming to regulate further ongoing matters and future ones. Following the ever-growing assemblies of people and the spilling of blood in the efforts to discharge them, something was bound to change.

The people’s assemblies continued.

The newspapers I was reading now, would cover the assemblies and inform on what had been discussed amongst the congregated people and what their desires were in terms of future regulations for themselves. To achieve their longings meant that the group of people or person who had neglected their involvement in the distribution of their collective goods and had sought to deprive and deteriorate their lives, would soon stand in court and face justice or run to hide in a remote desert town or village most desirably never to return again.

Soon means in a short space of time but the newspapers repeatedly reported on more lethal street violence between stone throwing people occasionally additionally refurbished with Molotov cocktails against masses of stick and shield wielding policemen backed by colleagues distributing various gases and live ammunition.

Every now and then similar scenes just without live ammunition but instead with rubber bullets had and would still erupt close by my café table or in distance cities in the realms of the European Union. Discontent people expressing themselves over new regulations that would neglect and disrespect their livelihoods and environments. Which then in the first world at some stage of the event could turn violent and the police more or less easily by sheer strength and equipment would joyfully deal with the situation. Resistance from the people had little chance of success. Condemnation of the event was sure to follow in the next days morning newspaper. Violence from the people was wrong and it denied them their reason for being discontent. Violence from the police was tolerated and necessary to protect city streets from being filled to long with angry people claiming things.

Not so in north Africa. People remained in the streets day after day and challenged the police forces to stand their ground for their future regulations and beliefs. The people had voices in newspapers who echoed their demands and condemned the brutal police violence.

Only until concealment orders were issued against newspapers by the opposing figures in the chief positions of the state and the journalistic landscape dried up.

But their powers and forces couldn’t reach out to silence the European newspapers who continued to cover the peoples demands for freedom of speech and expression, political involvement and democracy for all citizens.

The further cases of access to education and the respect of diversity including the equal distribution of goods and wealth were missing a centre place in the narrative and created picture. Too great were the blazing street fires which in some cases licked the windows of government buildings till the pressure let them burst and the flames danced through to spend the night within. By the time day had dawned and past noon time, heads of states had fled the palaces and left the country or had got put under arrest with the prospect of getting trialled before a high court.

The people’s assemblies continued.

Democratic elections were scheduled with the support of the European Union. The people celebrated their achievements gained through their fearless persistence of assembling and chanting their demands to the spirits of the interweaving winds.

To me sitting in or outside the café or at home on my sofa reading the newspaper, it seemed like the Arab spring, the uprising of people had led to a revolution which would bring change and create a path for the majority of people to ascend towards the first world. Corruption was over, education could at last be free and mutual respect would be granted to everyone. The people just had to rearrange in parliament, summon their views and desires, vote their politicians and the better just lay around the corner. That’s how the situation looked like when I reached the sports sector of the newspaper. My conclusion now was an altercation had been achieved and wouldn’t it be interesting to hear from the people on first hand how they had endured the governmental hostility and accomplished their common visions.

Unmediated information is surely valuable and withholds the quality of true guidance against forces of opposition to one’s visions and common goals.

Egypt’s people had to endure a terrible corrupt puppet master for a long period in a person’s lifetime and had finally overthrown him with the help of the military, now voted into power in the country’s first democratic election, a man called Mohammed Morsi from the Muslim brotherhood.

The newspaper I’m reading now is reporting of new discontent, but to me its not clear from which source of power it is arising and Mr. Morsi isn't even 100 days in power as democratic elected president.

CHAPTER 1

Parallel to daily life in Egypt unfolding itself newly morning after morning informative events covering Egypt’s recent turmoil were being held in my Swiss town. The series of events was titled: What do the revolutions of the Arab spring mean for Europe?

These events were being organised by the federal bureau of foreign affairs.

What more could I want for preparation to my still in the shape of an idea adventure. The people invited to talk on the panels of these events were either inhabitants of the affected regions such as the likes of journalists or book authors or employees from diplomacy corps and intellectuals who were familiar with north Africa. The panels got moderated and the evenings would give insight to what had been developing and had happened in north Africa, what possibilities could the future bear for the regions and its people. Being introduced to some north African book authors I only found it wright and proper to purchase a book or two for further assimilation. Such as Nagib Machfu’s book Young Cairo and Susanne Schanda’s book, Literatur der Rebellion.

Beside all the talk of what and how things had happened especially in Cairo, a lady informed us on special public action which was just being organised for the very first time in Egypt’s modern history. A people’s petition had been lanced, which the initiators called Tamarod and it would last till the 30th of June 2013.

In detail the petition required the resignation of President Morsi. This meant as many people as wished to could sign up till the end of June. By then a clear number of participants was the result which withheld a precise will factor of the people of Egypt. Their voice as just recently had thundered through the foundations of the capital was surely to be unmistakably heard yet another time by the compatriots of power. I noted the name of the petition in my notebook, greatly thanked the speakers on the panel and stepped out into the cold wintery night air of February.

Not for long did Egypt remain in my mind with Tamarod left as a word in my notebook. Meanwhile I slowly became aware that going to Egypt didn’t seem like a place to go to for a young Swiss man who had a girlfriend who regularly went to Paris to live on the “Les grand boulevards”. There was nobody from my group of friends I could think of who could join me. Just telling someone of my idea would startle the person who then pointed out what had previously taken place in Egypt further inquiring about the present security situation. Listening to the anxious person didn’t feel to inviting in telling them about me wanting to gain first hand information on how to topple a corrupt government, let alone a possible chance in exercising and enlarging one’s knowledge in street combat. Nobody around me expressed their compassion for distance suppressed people, not even for the surpressed people in the first world.

So, quickly did I realise that my idea would just be my idea and most likely stay my idea. But to divert the anxiety of the listener I came up with a new idea which sounded more comprehensible while equally adventurous. Even I had to say to myself, that it promised a great experience if it happened as I imagined it could.

First, Egypt had two famous holiday destinations. Sharm el-sheik was the first but isn’t on Egyptian mainland and didn’t fit into my motion picture. The second place reasonably did fit and is called Hurgada. It lay between the red sea and the great river Nile and most people know it as a cheap holiday site. The red sea sounded very inviting to me also because of the prospect of me being able to tan up so I could mix in with the locals who surely weren’t as pale as I was. Then once satisfied with splashing about in the sea and roasting in the sand could well exist the possibility of sailing or traveling down the Nile into Cairo. That sounded to like a common holiday idea for a Swiss bloke, playing football in a local club and going out with a dentist’s daughter. Everyone who asked me what I was doing on my summer holidays, remember holidays are a main subject in first world life, was going to receive as an answer, Hurgada to Cairo on the Nile and my summer holidays were beginning on the 30th of June.