Don't you just judge Egypt !!!

In Egypt, People are warm and welcoming, and they love laughing and smiling; their smiles are genuine and radiate so brightly that it forces you to smile back (not the perverts though, it doesn’t work with their smile!). After a few encounters, you can easily talk about your family or yourself in details, without feeling awkward about it.

In Turkey, a lady who I had just met on the bus told me: “We don’t have psychologists here, women sit together and talk it out, between friends, we don’t need some sort of therapy or a weird looking sofa!”. And she was right, I learnt lots about and from some people on a bus ride because the idea of intimacy is different.

I feel it is pretty much like this here – people seem ‘solidaire’ and one of my Egyptian work colleagues here in Cairo told me during my first week at school : “we are a family here, if you need ANYTHING, you just let me know”.

Recently, I have felt a sort of “patriotic” Spleen for Egypt; I have started to stop focusing on my lovely guarded microcosm, and think harder on what is going on in town today, what brought this place onto its knees.

As much as you can talk about many things here, religion and politics aren’t part of it. Keeping in mind the purpose of my blog, I can objectively say that I have met people from both sides of the triangular political fence: the ones who feel injustice in the current situation, the ones who are pleased by the recent changes in leadership; there is also the third kind, the ones who didn’t and still don’t support any of the regimes. As expats, the best thing to do is to remain quiet, as your views are obsolete and your understanding of this nation is limited.

I have just watched a documentary entitled the Square and it makes me feel even more touched by Egypt, by the struggle of its people. The square, referring to Tahrir, I feel should be renamed for “circle”. On the outside would be the symbolic roundabout in Tahrir, where most protests, tears, rapes, euphoric chanting, achievements, beatings and deaths have happened, and the understatement, the lurking truth, would refer to the vicious circle in which Egypt is trapped.

From Istanbul, I watched the Egyptian revolution, the same way as people outside this country do nowadays; I felt happy for Egypt as the revolution unfolded until I read about the violence on the square, then I patronised. Today, seeing the conditions in which people live, getting closer to the issue, observing the way life unfolds in Egypt and knowing how everybody else judges this country, I feel anger and sadness.

Anger, because despite the despicable current acts of violence and chaos, you have to give it to the people of Egypt, for their history and resilience. Their revolution was such a brave act, when, for once, people stood together and overthrew a regime that seemed invincible! The first world should learn from their actions, their unity against a bigger power, and respect how much strength, determination and belief it took to the people! Perhaps, we, Westerners, should learn from rebellion and revolution, perhaps we should use the 2011 actions as a source of inspiration. As a French person, I think of 1789 as a great turning point in the history of my country, as well as the recent May 1968 national strike as a proud moment when the people made history – I only wish that the protests would quell here too.

This documentary shows how, time after time, the people have been manipulated, used as pawns, on the grand chaotic Egyptian chessboard. It shows you how people once stood together against a cause, but ended up being played against to become divided, against one another.

That also generates deep sadness because it didn’t work the first time, nor did it the second time and people, from all sides, are demoralised, tired and rightfully afraid of what lies ahead.

If you read this blog, don’t you just dare judging Egypt like I did a few years ago and still do sometimes now!

Don’t you look at your TV screen in a patronising way and criticise this country; don’t say a word if you do not have the strength of doing the same for your own nation! We are all pawns, the only thing that changes is how much light is shed on the chessboard you are being played on!

It’s always darker before the dawn, and I wish to Egypt as much light as possible, as soon as possible – so should you!