"Stop taking pictures you cunning white one!"
Trip Start
Jun 21, 2009
1
39
Trip End
Dec 22, 2009
Cairo, Egypt
Friday, November 20, 2009
"Stop taking pictures you cunning white one or I will throw a stone at you" are the words one angry protester hurled at me as I tried to document the anarchy that has taken over the streets of my neighborhood here in Cairo. On Wednesday, Egypt lost to Algeria in the game that decided which of the two would go to the world cup. I was told by my Egyptian friends that this would happen if Egypt lost, but immediately after the match, the eerie silence in the streets of usually-bustling Cairo calmed me, making me thing that Cairo might stay quiet after all. I was wrong. The anger just needed a gestation period. Last night, as I was coming home from a friend's house across town, my cab driver, hitting severe traffic, told my friends and I that we could make it no further by car. This is very unsafe, he told us, and he made us get out. We stood on a street corner as ambulance sirens and protester shouts echoed around us, trying to figure out what to do. We were told to take three different streets (and there were only three choices) by three different people. As nervous and out of control as we felt, it was also kind of exciting. We ended up walking roughly a mile back to our dorm through mostly calm, unaware of the war zone that was about 5 minutes away. Roused by reports of Algerian violence against Egyptians in both the Sudan and Algeria (including rumors of Algerians murdering Egyptians), angry young Egyptians set out to burn down the Algerian Embassy, located a couple of blocks away from where I live.
As I sat in the lobby of my dorm building at roughly 3:30 A.M., one of my friends walked in looking frazzled and excited. He told us he'd just been on the 26th of July street, a main artery through Zamalek (my neighborhood), and that there, things were anything but calm. Protesters fire bombed police and flipped cars. Shop windows were shattered. Debris flew through the air. Protesters hurled rocks and bricks at police. Police threw them back. So far, no deaths have been reported, but a number of injuries have been reported among the general populace and riot police force. I considered going out last night, but was told I would never make it to the main street. Barricades had been put up at every single intersection and only government traffic was making it through. People who lived in the area could get in to the safe zone, but nobody was getting out. I went to bed wishing I could get out to document the flames and destruction of the night.
This morning (well more like this afternoon, but I woke up late since I went to bed at 4 A.M.), I set out to get some pictures, assuming I would simply get to photograph the aftermath. Though definitely not a serious as last night, some were still going strong on the 26th of July Street. As I walked out onto the street, people were turning themselves into human barricades, blocking the street (turning main street into a parking lot). People shouted pro-Egypt and anti-Algerian cheers and jumped on cars. As we kept walking, we saw police coming our way, and almost magically the protesters dispersed. Plain clothes police officers began arresting some of the leaders as kids scattered in every direction. Bands of riots police braced for a broad daylight demonstration. As we navigated the road blocks, trying to explore more of the unrest, I realized that English was going to get me a lot farther than Arabic (a first here in Egypt). I played the dumb foreigner card as I walked up to sealed off streets, saying "Hello, do you speak English? I speak no Arabic and I am trying to get to my apartment. Can I pass?" Although I felt bad for lying to simply get closer to the heart of the action, it was worth it.
I can only imagine what is going to happen tonight. Don't worry, I'll be staying safe behind 10 lines of riot police in my room in a sealed-off safe zone. Not like I have much of a choice anyways...police aren't letting folks go anywhere with any level of ease.
I'll update you if anything happens.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8369983.stm
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