Much of this 4-day school week, cut short due to tomorrow being Revolution Day, was consumed with preparation for the presentation we held yesterday evening at a public library. The American students were asked to do something educational about the 4th of July, while the Egyptian students presented on their Revolution Day. It turned out to be a much bigger deal than we anticipated, with a packed audience and even local media. I think our performance, consisting of some reenactments of the revolution war, the signing of the declaration and a typical modern 4th of July, along with group singing of the national anthem and "This Land is Your Land" went well. Despite the language barrier, people laughed and clapped. After the show, we were filmed for the nightly news, reprising our performance of The Star Spangled Banner while holding a big American Flag, in the middle of a park in Nasr City, while amused Egyptian passerby looked on. Quite surreal.
The Egyptian group, on the other hand, had several issues they were unwilling to disclose. I did notice they had neglected to put on their costumes and apparently cut out some part they were planning to do. They also turned part of their act, utterly inexplicably, into an impromptu piano and singing recital having nothing to do with the subject at hand. For one reason or another, they left upset. At least we got some info on the holiday, which, by the way, is really just a day off from school. As far as I can ascertain, aside from getting the day off from school, nothing is done to mark the holiday save a small parade. It contrasts sharply with the importance of the 4th of July in our country.
Does the relative lack of celebration reflect anything about national feeling? I wouldn't be so sure; many Egyptians have struck me as very nationalistic. They see their country as a regional powerhouse, which given its cultural and military might is almost certainly a fair assessment. The military, as I read about before coming and then have observed on the ground, is revered to a degree that makes this dovish westerner uncomfortable. With its massive defense ministry complex, its swank officers' clubs and ubiquitous faux ancient-Egyptian motifs depicting the army as direct descendants of the conquering Ramses the Great, Cairo demonstrates consistently the high esteem the military holds in this society.
On Wednesday afternoon, happy to be done with our penultimate week of school, a couple friends and I decided to spend some time downtown. We went to the top of the Cairo Tower, a tall tourist trap whose latticework frame looms large over the downtown, especially at night when its gaudy purple lighting makes it look a little like a giant glowstick. Afterwards, a girl in our group had to leave with her host siblings; many of the girls on the trip have to deal with the fact they are treated much differently than the guys, include much earlier curfews and restrictions on who they can hang out with. Us guys wandered downtown for a while, where I continued to be interested by how Western all the shops and restaurants were. One street we walked down had almost nothing save American fast food chains. Unable to find an Egyptian-style Café, and not wanting to go too far from the Metro, we eventually settled on hanging out at Cilantro, an Egyptian chain very much in the Starbucks mold, though to my mind more inviting and with much better food.
Just a quick note before I go: I may be going to Sharm El Sheikh either this weekend or next. In true Egyptian style, plans remain up in the air even though it's possible we could leave today.
No comments:
Post a Comment