Letter from Cairo 25th February 2011

The garden of our oasis near the Dahshur Pyramids

'I have a farm in Africa', to quote Meryl Streep in 'Out of Africa'.  My husband and I indeed own a small farm 45 kilometres south of Cairo.  We have some livestock but mostly produce mandarins and mangos.  This has, for more than 20 years, been our weekend escape from the hustle and bustle of Cairo and is much loved by Egyptian and overseas friends alike.  If we walk up a hill to the east of our land we have an incredible view of the vivid green fields of alfalfa, an important forage crop, which gradually meets the desert and ends in a panoramic view of the Dahshur Pyramids.

We originally bought 3 acres of land and built one small room, a tiny kitchen and a minute bathroom all with wooden beams.  We used to spend the day there and return to Cairo for the night.  Over the years, we have expanded and added to both the land and the house, and now have a somewhat sprawling property of  9 acres and a one-storey rambling house with a domed sitting room, two bathrooms, 4 bedrooms and a much larger kitchen.  We did not construct a villa in the style of many Egyptian country properties which are built to flaunt personal wealth as we felt that such ostentation would be inappropriate in an agricultural area where many families live in mud brick houses and whose sole possessions are often a single donkey and a few chickens.  We designed it ourselves and used local materials and builders. We also created a swimming pool built of concrete and coated with white crushed mosaic in the style of many of the natural spring pools that can be found in oases such as Siwa.  The garden is lush with greenery and the pool is always dappled with the reflection of the surrounding foliage.  There are some beautifully untamed and uncut palm trees (Phoenix dactylifera) whose branches bow under the weight of vast quantities of dates during the months of August and September. 

Unfortunately our environment has been somewhat spoilt in recent years as small plots of land have been bought up adjacent to our land and, even though this is strictly an agricultural area, bribes have been paid to the local police and, as a result, an iron workshop has been constructed to the north of the farmhouse blemishing the landscape and adding noise pollution.  To add to this, our farming neighbours whose family has greatly multiplied over the years, also managed through bribery and corruption to build a four story house 5 metres from our southern perimeter and overlooking our swimming pool.  Happily we had the prescience to plant some ficus trees but by some miracle a gigantic, fast-growing white berry tree suddenly appeared which flourished so well and so rapidly that it now almost conceals the hideous, tasteless edifice which had become the blight of our lives.

Further north of our farm is an enormous mango plantation owned by the El Gabry family, who are also movie producers and own a number of film studios; they have, during the last forty years, acquired and reclaimed acres and acres of desert land.  Much of this land was purchased from the state for very small sums of money through the usual channels of bribery.  To the south of our farm the Imbaby family, who own automobile showrooms, also possess very large tracts of reclaimed desert land.  As an additional money-making device they have also, for some time, been extracting pebbles and sand from the desert which they sell to construction companies in the same atmosphere of bribery which has been omnipotent in Egypt for the last forty years.

On the afternoon of Wednesday 23rd February, my husband received a phone call from our guardian in Dahshur announcing that there were some suspicious looking people camping out on our land.  After a number of phone calls and further enquiries it became apparent that these men were hiding from the army; however, at that point we had no more details.  By Thursday afternoon it was obvious that these men were not going to leave so my husband leapt into his Jeep and roared off to investigate the matter, leaving me behind.  I was greatly put out that it was deemed too dangerous for me to accompany him but he pointed out that my pellet rifle would not act as a suitable weapon even though I am an excellent shot.

However, when he arrived at the farm the men had already fled.  It eventually transpired that, in the previous few days, members of our rural population had begun to invade the lands owned by the El Gabry and the Imbaby families, had deposited themselves there, armed with kalishnikov machine guns, and were refusing to move.  The above mentioned families asked the army to intervene in order to protect their estates; they army arrived and there was an exchange of gunfire and the men in question finally took flight and hid in our leafy grove to the great consternation of our guardian.  He in turn called the army, at which point there was another exchange of gunshots and the men in question disappeared once again.

There are many incidences like this occurring all over Egypt which are the result of the fall of the regime and its brutal, thieving police force and the civilisians' ever increasing realisation and confirmation of the sheer magnitude of bribery and corruption at all levels in this society.  Everyone wants a piece of the cake which has been attainable only by the privileged few.

In the meantime, we have observed another momentous day in Tahrir Square where, yet again, enormous crowds of both Muslims and Christians have met to pray and to voice their discontent with the caretaker government.  The demonstrators were a little thin on the ground early this morning and I was somewhat worried that we might be losing our momentum but happily I was proved wrong. 

Letter from Cairo 21st February 2011

City of Nantes renames it's Place de La Liberation, Tahrir Square!

Life is full of strange happenings and coincidences.  Apparently, the city of Nantes in France has changed the name of one of its biggest squares from 'Place de la Liberation' to 'Place Tahrir' maintaining its original name in small letters underneath.  What is particularly interesting for me is that my husband was there in 1994 at the 'Festival des Allumees' where he accompanied the Egyptian singer 'Hakim', who had been picked, amongst other singers, to represent Egypt's world of music.  My husband owned, at that time, the most prestigious music production company in Egypt and Hakim was one of his star singers.  For six years, from 1990 to 1995, Nantes chose a different city to be represented in their festival and that particular year they chose Cairo.  The festival included Egyptian music, food and art and took place in different venues in Nantes over a period of six days from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.  The festival was attended by thousands of French citizens as well as North Africans and Egyptians living in France.  It was an enormous success and one cannot help but wonder if this was the beginning of an empathy for Egypt and that, as a result of the popularity of the festival, they have taken up our cause.

Meanwhile, I must share a few anecdotes with my readers.

I hate to say this but there was something to be said for having contacts and 'knowing the right' people here and I will explain why.  The Mogamma in Tahrir Square, which is the National Government Administrative Complex, is a maze of many small rooms and many large rooms with windows, behind which sit a lot of aggressive very poorly paid civil servants who deal with nationality certificates, resident's visas, residents' permits, passports, renewal of passports and so on. It is a massive, sprawling building with thousands of employees, most of whom have very little to do.  When you have any papers which need sorting out you go to wherever they send you and try, very hard, to wait patiently and eventually someone will scribble a signature of some sort on your piece of paper.  You are then sent elsewhere to another room on another floor where someone will stamps it with a rubber; you will then be sent somewhere else where someone else will add a postage stamp; they in turn will ask you to photocopy such and such a document.  You do this and return to where you came from, or are sent elsewhere, and will be asked to photocopy another of your documents (this is in fact the main thme of one of Hakim's songs - 'Henak aloulna hena', 'Over there they told us to come here').  By this time, you may start losing a little patience and you either obey or explode in frustration asking why you were not told to photocopy both documents at the same time.  If you behave like a quiet little mouse, you may but only may, complete your day triumphantly with paper in hand, duly signed and sealed.  However, if perchance you lose your temper you will probably have to start all over again and almost certainly on another day because you will already have wasted a whole morning there.  This was our experience for our first decade or so in Cairo. Eventually, my husband, through contacts, befriended someone (no names) who was the head of the Mogamma and other governmental organisations.  Life became easy; every time we as a family needed to renew any papers, we would sit in the plush office of said gentleman, drinking black sweet coffee, while his lackeys did all the running around for us.  Unfortunately, this gentleman disappeared with the old regime and last week my husband had to visit the Mogamma to finish my Egyptian citizenship and went through the rigmarole of past years.  His temper was sorely frayed by the time he returned home.

On a brighter, post-Mubarak note, an Egyptian friend of mine who is a young Muslim girl was invited by a Christian colleague from the American University in Cairo to attend a revolution celebration at a church near Tahrir Square.  When she spoke to me I could see that she was totally uplifted and she said "I want to share this experience with you as it portrays the unity taking place in our new free Egypt."  Apparently the service celebrated the youth movement who had participated in the demonstrations as well as some of the supporting media.  The diocese had also invited the families of the martyrs of the revolution to attend the service.  My young friend recounted that although she lives nearby, this was the first time in her life that she had entered the church and upon arrival she encountered an ambience of unity, peace and love and said that the atmosphere was electric.  She added "I joined the masses as they began singing their lovely songs of worship to which I was totally able to relate, even as a Muslim."  She related that the priest asked those who had attended the anti government demonstrations in Tahrir Square to stand up, which they did, and that there was great applause for them. She then told me that further on into the service, speeches were made by leading Christian figures, followed by speeches from members of the 25th January Youth Movement.  Most of these young men were Muslims and the fact that they were attending a Christian service and speaking out in this holy place, and being applauded by the congregation, was revolutionary in itself.  They told the stories that I have mentioned in a previous letter of how, during the days of violence, the Christians had protected the Muslims while they prayed in the square and vice versa. To my friend's surprise, a young member of the Muslim Brotherhood was present at the service.  She was very pleasantly surprised that not only was he invited to attend the service, but that he was greatly accepted by the Christian congregation and was applauded after giving an amazing speech about how the past and recent problems between both religions had been incited by Mubarak's regime. He added that Egypt needed to stop using phrases like 'Wehda Wataney' meaning 'National Unity' which is a phrase that has been used to describe the possibility of a unity between Muslims and Christians here, and use only the word 'EGYPTIANS' as a symbol of unity.  Her final words to me were "I cried, and like many other days in Liberation Square, I felt unity, happiness and freedom!"

However, we need here to look back on a darker side of this revolution and listen to a story told to me by a 15 year old Egyptian girl who comes from an upper middle class family and who lives in a villa with extensive grounds in the desert in a sparsely populated area on the Alexandria road, between the Wadi Natroun Prison and the Fayoum prison.  On Saturday 28th February 2011 at 9.30 a.m she woke to the sound of gunshots.  She looked out of her window to see her father firing at some men, who she later learnt were escaped armed prisons, who were also being fired at by the military from the opposite side of the road.  She heard their cries of pain and watched as they fell to the ground.  She later discovered that her father had not wanted to shoot at these men but that, after calling the armed forces for help, they had told him that he must shoot to protect his family as the prisoners were armed and dangerous.  When the military arrived, more and more prisoners had surrounded the walls of the house and the army gave one warning shot before shooting any man who did not obey orders.  Eventually when the situation had calmed down the family fled to their downtown appartment. The young girl in question told me that the worst thing was hearing the gunshots and the cries of the dying men as, initially, she did not know who and what was involved.  After the prisoners who had not been shot were caught, they confessed to the military that the police officers had released them and given them weapons, under instructions from the Ministry of the Interior.  This young girl, verging on adulthood, told me "After that experience I couldn't sleep for days. Before that point in time I had no feelings for Hosny Mubarak or his regime as they were not affecting me directly but after hearing the confessions of the prisoners my feelings turned to intense hatred."  While she told me her story, she was in a state of excited and suppressed agitation.  I can only hope that she will be strong enough to put aside such a horrendous experience.

Rumours are now escalating that tomorrow, Tuesday 22nd February, there will be massive demonstrations to overthrow every single member of the old regime and those who have recently been appointed.  This is unusual as apart from the first demonstration which took place on 25th January, most of the large demonstrations have taken place on Fridays.

ONCE AGAIN, WE WAIT!

Letter from Cairo 18th February 2011

Over a million people in Tahrir Square with their heads bent in prayer

Today, we walked towards Liberation Square with the hope of joining in with what looked to be another massive crowd who were congregating in the thousands; this time they are not there to protest but to celebrate victory.  However, they are also sending out a message which is that they want to ensure that the revolution goes in the right direction.  However, sadly, we could not get further than Midan Talaat Harb as every street was packed with people and so blocked that there was no way we could have made our way through without being crushed.  I have, however, and still am talking on my mobile to many friends there.

There must be well over a million people in the square alone, not to speak of the surrounding streets, and this is obviously by far the biggest manifestation so far.  Today was the first Friday that we witnessed the crowds gathering before the midday prayers and Liberation Square was already filling at 8 a.m.  Wherever you look, people are jumping, dancing and celebrating but, at the same time, there is a will on the ground to keep the pressure up on the military council.

The most interesting feature today, was the appearance of Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian Islamic theologian who was imprisoned under King Farouq in 1949, then three times during the reign of former President Gamal Abdul Nasser, until he left Egypt for Qatar in 1961 and has now returned home.  He is something of a contraversial figure and has always been considered a Muslim extremist but his sermon in the square today was ground-breaking.  He sounded like a moderate and spoke of secularism to a great extent.  He even mentioned that his granddaughter had been demonstrating in the square every day.

He asked for the Egyptian army to open the Rafah boarder crossing which is the only passage between Gaza and Egypt.  Another of his astounding declarations was a request that the people should not let anyone hijack this revolution and he seemed to insinuate that this included the Muslim Brotherhood as well as the army.

But of the many issues that he spoke about, the most amazing moment was when he asked us not to forget that the Muslims and the Christians were together during this revolution and that this has broken the back of the sectarian clashes that have taken place over so many years.  He also reminded us of the day in Liberation Square when the Christians formed a circle around the Muslim protestors to protect them from the so-called pro-Muburak demonstrators, while they prayed. He then continued to express his wish for the whole square and surrounding streets to join him in prayer, Christians and Muslims alike, adding that they could worship while standing as these were special circumstances.  This was somewhat amusing in the sense that, even had the crowd wished to kneel, it would have been utterly impossible as the people was packed like sardines and there seemed to be little room to breathe.

Throughout Al-Qaradwi’s sermon my husband continually repeated ‘I don’t believe my eyes and my ears!’  Never, ever in all my years in Egypt have I felt such solidarity between the two religions and this is in itself revolutionary and begs the question that has been asked so often recently as to whether the regime intentionally incited religious unease.

It was indeed a breathlessly beautiful moment in time and at the end of his sermon the crowd erupted with a new chant ‘El Shaab yurid tathir El Bilad’ – ‘The people want the purification of the country.’  This had the same impressive rhythm as the previous chant and was quickly picked up by the entire crowd and one wonders how they managed to recite it in such perfect unison.  There has been a succession of chants all day, including the national anthem and ‘Egyptians, hold your heads up high’ and even ‘Walk like an Egyptian’!  However, we can still hear, from time to time, the old chant ‘El Shaab yurid Escaat El Nezam’ – ‘The people want the fall of the regime’ and the reason for this is that the people feel that the regime has not been entirely eradicated.  They are also asking for the removal of Ahmed Shafik, the new Prime Minister, who was also a member of the old establishment. 

Although four members of the old regime are in prison awaiting trial for misuse of the country’s funds, the demonstrators feel that corruption is endemic in many levels of society and that many more people should be brought to justice.

Many fears have been expressed both locally and abroad that the Muslim Brotherhood would take this opportunity to put themselves in power but it has become fairly apparent that this is not what the youth of Egypt desire.  They are crying out for democracy and the right to chose who rules their country.  Even the more extreme members of the Brotherhood appear to be climbing down several rungs of their ladder and there is a wonderful story which somehow substantiates this.

A friend of ours, who I shall call ‘Ahmed’ when trying to make his way to the square on Friday 28^th January, when the demonstrators were attacked, became involved in conversation with a group of youths, one of whom was a bearded member of the Muslim Brotherhood, who I shall call 'Mohamed'.  In the middle of the discourse, Mohamed said to Ahmed ‘I am sorry’.  Ahmed looked extremely bewildered and said ‘Sorry for what?’ Mohamed replied, and here of course I will need to paraphrase, ‘I am sorry because I allowed myself to feel superior because I thought that I was taking the right path, unlike people like yourself, and I thought that I and people like me would be the chosen ones to lead the revolution.  God has proved to us that we were wrong and that our sense of superiority was a sin.  I was judging others when only God can judge.

The revolution appears to have reconfigured the religious scene here and clarified the public’s position towards religious institutions and discourses.  The Egyptians suddenly perceive some of the religious dialogue as being part of the corrupt and repressive regime and seem to be challenging these discourses.
This is truly a people’s revolution and I personally have great hopes for the future of Egypt.  But, I repeat, this is only the beginning of the beginning.

Nevertheless, the scene in Liberation Square is very different to the scenes that we are witnessing in other countries such as Yemen, Lybia and Bahrain where there is a great deal of violence.  Barhrain in particular seems to be the centre of great carnage where live bullets are being used and we can hear appeals for help to the rest of the world.  The contrast could not be greater and we should be proud of ourselves and consider ourselves extremely lucky that, in spite of the reactions of the police force on 28th January when they used tear gas and rubber bullets against the demonstrators, and the violence incited by the regime against the protestors on the 2nd and the 3rd of February, we have managed to carry out a peaceful revolution. 

There is a small group of pro-Mubarak demonstrators in one of the back streets Cairo but it has to be said that they are not against the revolution, they simply want to give him a happier send-off.

Night has fallen and the festivities continue; however, there were a few alarming bangs in the square but these were simply fireworks being fired into the air, again in great contrast to the bangs caused by gunfire elsewhere in the Arab world.  It has to be said, however, that lighting fireworks in the middle of such a vast crowd could be potentially dangerous.

Yesterday, I received confirmation of my Egyptian citizenship, the timing is perfect, and I can now say that I am truly proud to be an Egyptian - I shall walk with my head high and walk like an Egyptian.





Letter from Cairo 16th February 2011

Tahrir Square is back to normal!

The whole world seems to be going mad, especially the Arab world.  After Tunisia and Egypt, there were uprisings in Algeria and Yemen and of course the usual scuffles in Iraq, but now Bahrain seems to have joined the list.  And the chants are the same “El Sha3b yurid escaat el nezam” - “The people want the fall of the regime”.  This whole situation really is snowballing but, selfishly, all my hopes are with Egypt and I think we stand a good chance of coming out of this in a positive manner.

Everything is moving so thick and fast that it is extremely difficult to keep up with things.

The army has managed to get rid of the hardliners in the square but the police are still protesting and many of our workers are staging strikes.  Obviously, with the dictatorial regime that we had, strikes were almost unheard of but now everyone is jumping on the bandwagon.  The nation seems to think that, because we have had a revolution, things are going to change overnight and that a non-existent government is going to hand out pay rises and dividends immediately.  They need to understand that, with the help of the army, Egypt is trying to get back to normal and that the country will be able to put together widespread changes - but they take time.

The army has, however, continued to make promises; they have declared that there will be a referendum within two months and that the constitution will be amended to enable free and fair elections and that this will be carried out within 10 days.

We still have the same cabinet but the Prime Minister has said that opposition figures will soon be appointed to the 'new' cabinet.  I have put the word new in quotes because the new cabinet is still part of the old regime.  However, if they do put in the promised members this could be a significant development but I fear that it will be a bumpy ride towards democracy. 

Meanwhile, Cairo rumbles on and were you none the wiser, you would not be aware that a revolution had just taken place and, in many ways, is still taking place.  The traffic is as heavy as ever and will be even worse when all the schools open next week.  The air is thick with pollution and the layer of smog lies, once again, over the basin in which Cairo sits.  It is particularly windy at the moment and the garbage which is strewn in the road is swirling and lifting as if it had a life of its own.  The weeds continue to poke their heads through crumbling pavements, the potholes continue to be a risk to life and limb and the trees are weighed down with their usual layer of dust.  Beside the wall of the Gezira club and in front of my window one can see the pavement, which has been dug up at least four times, to my knowledge, in order to repair pipes or electricity cables.  Broken tiles are pushed into piles at various points in the road, and walking from my house to the Gezira club is like taking part in an aussault course; you have to hop, skip, jump and duck in order to get from one end to the other.  And all this is in full view of the Marriott Hotel and designed for the pleasure of the tourists.

If Mubarak's regime is to be punished for misappropriation of funds and other sins, I would suggest that their greatest crime is the shameful neglect of the city of Cairo.  There is nowhere to take a stroll with a loved one or the family; no wide pavements, no decent walkways along the banks of the Nile, no clean gardens with tendered flowers.  It breaks my heart that the city that I love so much, despite its many faults, has been so sadly left to fall into disrepair. 

It must be said that lackeys of the so-called dignitaries always cleared the streets of traffic when their masters were chauffeured from one place to another, much to the indignation of ordinary citizens who, when going to or from work, would find themselves sitting in their cars or in buses at a standstill whilst streets and bridges were closed for the passing of some minister or other.  But I cannot believe that they were unaware of the unsightliness around them. 

Tourists arrive in the millions every year and their packaged tours enable them to see Egypt's great past.  However, the few who venture out of their hotels into the streets must be appalled by the sad state into which the city has been allowed to fall.  Of course, they will find the Khan Khalili souk very charming and vibrant in spite of the harassment of the multi-lingual shop owners who vie with each other to sell their somewhat tacky souvenirs.  They will enjoy a trip to the pyramids where, again, they will be harassed to buy more trinkets or to take a bumpy camel ride or to mount a horse which has passed its sell-by date.

I feel I can speak with greater freedom now.  There is so little that the toppled regime has done for its country and it is more and more apparent that personal gain was the primary aim of its members.  Where is the education reform that was promised for so many years?  The state schools have not changed in the thirty five years that I have been here.  The students still learn by rote and the present education system does not encourage critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork or innovation.  Yes, more schools have been built and there is an increase in enrollment rates but the system remains the same and, as a result, the public's general knowledge is very poor.  There is much social brainwashing in the schools as well as in the media and much ignorance, all fostered by the ex regime. 

However, many Egyptians have educated themselves and have become very aware, through internet, by watching foreign news and foreign films, that there is another world out there, a free democratic world, and this is what they have fought for in a most peaceful manner. 

But it is only the end of the beginning. What begins now is the struggle for Egypt’s future and we hope that it will be rebuilt slowly but surely and without external interference. 

Letter from Cairo 13th February 2011

Yes, Mubarak is out and the people rejoiced and many are still rejoicing but not everyone is satisfied with the outcome.  I have eavesdropped on a number of conversations today and people are beginning to worry about the next steps that the army will take or if indeed they will take any.  As the morning started, a few hardliners moved back to Liberation Square and the army tried to remove them gently; the news got round and more protestors moved to the square until by the evening there were fairly large numbers again; they are impatient and want all their demands to take place immediately. However, we have accomplished so much and while it is a good idea to keep the pressure up, the people need to be careful not to push too hard or everything we have achieved could fall apart.  The army has made commitments so, at this juncture, our citizens need to use wisdom and simply monitor the army’s actions, until next Friday.

On the other hand, perhaps they are right to keep a certain momentum going as the head of the army, General Tantawi, is something of a dictatorial character and the one thing that the army needs to prove, and soon, is that they have no intention of hijacking the system.

Meanwhile, ironically, there are now tens of thousands of people protesting in Rome and as many in other Italian cities, asking for the removal of Silvio Berlusconi for allegedly having sex with under-aged girls.  He has been accused of using his political power to cover up the scandal and denies everything.  I can hear the same word being used in Italian ‘Basta’ as has so often be used in Egypt over the past few weeks – ‘Kefaya’ – meaning ‘Enough’

Paradoxically, the police in Cairo protested in front of the Ministry of the Interior building today.  They want a pay rise!  They used brutality on Friday the 28th by attacking the protestors with water, tear gas and rubber bullets and then disappeared off the face of the earth in order to cause havoc, pandemonium and a total sense of insecurity, which put the government in a position to be able to say that it was the protestors who were destabilising the country.  

There are a number of new movements but one which stands out is the Kefaya Movement for Change.  This appears to be a coalition of the youth who want to create a political platform and who are calling themselves ‘The Youth Revolution’  However, this is just one group.  There are so many movements and voices but there is, at the moment, no ONE voice.  Can the youth movement galvanise and organise itself? 

Meanwhile the military authorities have dissolved the country's parliament and suspended the constitution.  This of course leaves the country with no leader, no parliament and no constitution.  The cabinet is still in place but is constituted of members of the old regime.  Basically we are left with the army and old regime figures.

Ideally, we need a multi political party but I don’t quite see how that can happen as most of the existing opposition parties don't seem to have much sway.

The whole scene is fast-moving and dramatic; but, no one expected it to be easy!

AND STILL WE WAIT

Letter from Cairo 12th February 2011

Singing, Dancing and Fireworks in Liberation Square

This is a truly historic moment and last night’s explosion of emotions was beyond words.

The last 24 hours of this revolution was a roller coaster, beginning with the crushing speech by Hosni Mubarak and ending with a very short speech by Omar Soleiman.  Mubarak tried to pull a fast one but the will of the Egyptian people prevailed, they simply did not give up and after his oh-so-humiliating, haughty and patronising talk they were back up on their feet and swelling in the millions all over the country.  Although there were ominous signs throughout the day, the people were more defiant and more determined than ever.  This man had ruled with an iron first and with draconian measures and he had to go.

One question remains, to which we may never know the answer, and that is ‘What happened between Mubarak and the army in those 24 hours?’  What went on behind the scenes?  I wish I had been a fly on the wall!

And, what a party there was in Liberation Squarelast night!  People were crying, cheering, laughing, hugging and kissing each other and were hysterical and beside themselves with joy.  We were speechless and no words can really describe our elation.  We fought for a great victory but, although it is the beginning of the end, it is only the beginning.

My hopes wavered enormously over the past few weeks but my husband was absolutely sure, from the moment that the army said they would not use force on the people, that that this was the end of the regime.  His faith never vacillated and he remained calm and full of hope throughout.  He is also convinced that the army will continue to do the right thing even though there are contradicting voices, some of which say that the Higher Military Council does not inspire confidence.  However, the Egyptian people have lost their fear and will continue to speak out.  In fact, enormous crowds have gathered in Liberation Square again today and I can hear such chants as ‘We are Muslims and Christians together, we are all Egyptians’.  However, they do want reassurance that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces will meet all their demands and requirements.  They also ask that a committee of five people be formed to run the interim period and that this committee be comprised of one military official and four civilians. 

Above all, however, they want the lifting of the Emergency Law which has been in existence for thirty years.  The emergency law is a tool which has been in the hands of the regime to storm many basic rights and freedom guaranteed by the Egyptian Constitution. Since the assassination of President Anwar El Sadat in October 1981 , the emergency law was renewed by a temporary resolution for one year and then has been extended many times again until today.  In other words, total suppression of human rights! So many Egyptians over the years have been jailed for no apparent reason and with no trial.

Another demand from the people is that investigations be carried out.into the corruption and the amassed funds of various former government ministers.  However, as I understand it, the Egyptian Public Prosecution has already started legal inquiries on several former government ministers and a former ruling party leader.  In particular, they are scrutinizing the former Trade and Industry Minister Rashid Mohamed Rashid, the former Minister of Tourism, Zoheir Garana and the former Minister of Housing, Ahmed El-Maghrabi.

Also among the accused is Ahmed Ezz, the former Organization Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Party, and a close confidant of President Hosni Mubarak's son, Gamal Mubarak.  These charges will include the encroaching on state-owned properties and the graft and embezzlement of public funds.  Last week, The Public Prosecution in fact ordered to ban the four, together with former Minister of the Interior, Habib Ibrahim El-Adly, from traveling abroad and froze their bank accounts pending the end of investigations.

Meanwhile, never in my lifetime has a revolution been witnessed by so many people; never have so many questions been asked with so little ability to predict what would happen. Questions which we continually asked each other were – ‘Will Mubarak leave?’ or ‘When will he leave?' or ‘Has he already exited, stage right?  Now we know, he has finally resigned.  At least we are almost sure, some people feel that this is a scam and that they army and the regime were in cohoots in order to create a situation whereby the demonstrations and the people would go home.  What a horrible thought!

There is an amazing clean up going in Cairo today and this is being carried out by people from all walks of life including the middle and upper middle classes.  They are out there with brushes, pans and  rubbish bags.  This was the result of a request on Facebook for all hands on deck.  One of my friends said ‘I filled 10 bin bags with Tahrir rubbish this morning, and there was a huge crowd of volunteers’

An enormous tribute must be paid to Al Jazeera International television channel. At the beginning of the uprising, while there was a total blackout on Egyptian state television, Al Jazeera was with us day and night and was our only access to the ongoing events. But, on Sunday 30^th Januray, the Egyptian authorities revoked the Al Jazeera Network's license to broadcast from the country, and shut down its bureau office in Cairo.  If ever we needed proof of the regime’s wish to stifle and repress the freedom of reporting and the freedom of speech, this was it! We all panicked as, at that point in time, the coverage by CNN, BBC, Euronews and others was scanty, to say the least.  But two incredibly courageous reporters were not intimidated by the authorities, or by the fact that several international journalists had been detained and one or two even beaten and threatened with their lives.  Hoda El Hamid and Ayman Moheydin brought unparalleled reporting from the ground in the face of much danger and were unremitting and tireless in their work which went well beyond the call of duty.  Hoda is a personal friend and when I saw her on 11^th February in the apartment in Liberation Square, where much information was being received and sent, she was only able to talk for a few seconds as she was glued to her laptop.  Later next day, when the revolution was at its end, we exchanged amusing messages and she expressed a desire for a hot shower, a cold drink and a change of underwear.  I remarked to her that on Friday morning, she was wearing the same clothes as I had seen her in the previous day, a crumpled pink jacket.  Proof indeed that she had not slept all night!  

I will be returning to work and although I might not write my Letter from Cairo every day, I will try to write it at least twice a week in order to keep my readers au fait with developments.

IN A WAY, WE STILL WAIT!

Letter from Cairo 11th February 2011

None of us got much sleep last night but no one can be as exhausted as the demonstrators who continued their chanting all night and the reporters who are covering the situation 24 hours a day.  We were all absolutely shocked by Mubarak’s statement last night; he and his regime just won’t give up!

We woke this morning to a deathly hush and an almost tangible, sinister atmosphere.  The street is totally silent outside my window and we await the Friday prayers.

Thousands camped out in Liberation Square and hundreds camped out in front of the state television building.  The Square has, with its tents and blanket covered bodies, become a small town in its own right, a mini community so to speak.  The tension has been building up all morning as thousands again make their way to various spots in Cairo. 

The supreme council of the armed forces made a conditional offer to lift the emergency rule and promised free and fair elections, but they set no date.  So many questions are being asked, especially with regard to the protestors who are making their way to the presidential palace.  IF the presidential guards fire on the protestors, will the army protect them? In which case, a small battle would be won. Reportedly, Tantawi and Suleiman cannot stand each other.  Therefore with his new expanded powers, Suleiman could technically fire Tantawy and order his replacement to open fire. This could be difficult to pull off, but is it conceivable?  This is an army of conscripts – a people’s army!

The Friday prayers have begun, after which we expect the most massive demonstrations yet.  I pray for the safety of these proud heroes as there is no accounting for what will happen today.

The crowds all over Cairo are multiplying by the minute.  The state television building is now surrounded and there is great tension between the army and the protestors outside the presidential palace.  I remember a friend, whose father is an important technocrat and who had an interview with Mubarak some months ago, saying that much of the time Mubarak is not informed of what is going on in his country and that his advisors deliberately keep information from him.  Could it be possible that he is unaware of the enormous number of protestors?  Could it be possible that he is not fully conscious of their demands?

As usual, we can hear a variety of chants one of which is ‘Illegitimate, illegitimate’; one presumes that they are referring to the regime and not to Mubarak’s mother’s marital status.

My son and his wife have just left to join the protestors, leaving us to babysit.  It is their turn today.  It is a day for the youngsters, the upwardly mobile!  The word ‘Yuppie’, which has bandied around for the past few days, does not really fit the Egyptians as it was originally used to describe someone who is (1) young, (2) possibly just out of college, and (3) who has a high-paying job and an affluent lifestyle.  The first two apply to the youngsters here but definitely not the third and that is their main problem; that is why they are taking a stand, that and a desire for freedom and dignity. 

I am copying the following quote from a friend, which I find an amusing analogy: John Cleese on Basil Fawlty: "He thinks that he could run a first-rate hotel if he didn't have all the guests getting in the way." Suddenly, Mubarak's presidential policies make so much sense!

We became so used the helicopters flying overhead that I have only just realised that I have not heard them for the past few days, perhaps they have run out of rotors.  The diamond rotor heads are extremely expensive to replace, perhaps Mubarak and his cronies could take the money from their private fortunes to replace them. 

I spoke too soon, one just flew over several times – the coffers have been raided!

Why, in fact is Mubarak not stepping down?  Is he worried that his assets will be frozen?  Is he worried that the tribunal will try him for acts of inhumanity?  Is this a typical Egyptian hard-headed trait “I will not back down.”?  Is this sheer stupidity and does he think he can continue to lead his sheep?  Are they still sheep?  Has he lost all sense of reality? 

4.15 p.m. – my son has just returned from the square and has become disillusioned.  How sad!  He is one of the millions who have fought for so long.  He says the dynamics have changed once more and that some people seem to have accepted that Mubarak has given over his power to Omar Suleiman and that they are a little appeased and want to get back to work. But, this is definitely not an acceptable situation as Soleiman was the head of the Secret Service and was obviously given the go ahead to torture political prisoners and anyone who was a threat to the regime.  Not only is he a poor replacement for Mubarak, but the regime could become even more ruthless.

6 p.m. local time – OH MY GOD!  He has stepped down.  I was on the phone to the BBC in London and whilst they were interviewing me they suddenly stopped and said ‘He has stepped down!’ I yelled to my husband to watch the news and he confirmed it.  This has somewhat interrupted the phone call but they have taken my blog address and may not find it necessary to finish the interview!

My liver and lungs have suffered over the past 18 days and I am so emotional that I cannot write anymore this evening.  Tomorrow, I will reflect on this momentous, historical occasion.

THE WAITING IS OVER!

Letter from Cairo 10th February 2011

No Comment

Last night, I thought I was losing my momentum and was beginning to despair that there would ever be an outcome of the present uprising in Egypt.  Therefore, I decided today to join the protestors in Liberation Square for a second time.  It was such an amazing experience that I am not sure that I will be able to put it into words.  However, I am going to try.

It took a lot of nerve to find the courage to attend the demonstrations, especially taking into view the two days of terrible violence last week.  However, a couple of deep breaths and two shots of my good friend Johnnie Walker set me on my way.  Attending a demonstration of this kind is not for the faint hearted!

My husband and I decided to walk to the square via Kasr El Nil Bridge and as soon as we started walking on the bridge, following the crowd, there was a feeling of elation which was difficult to understand as we are still at a stalemate with the regime.  But, one thing is sure, there is still a lot of hope for democracy and freedom and these people are not going to give up until they achieve their aims.

We arrived at our particular entrance to the square and were greeted by a number of soldiers who directed the women to enter by the left route and the men by the right one.  I was a little worried that I might lose my husband in the melee but he was waiting for me on the other side.  I had to show my passport and thankfully I had my Egyptian one with me; my bag was searched and I was a little worried that they might confiscate my camera but they did not bat an eyelid. 

We entered the square and the first thing that I noticed was that the dynamics had totally changed since my last visit there.  I had the impression that there was an enormous party going on; there were different platforms with people either singing or leading a chant.  The most popular chant is “El Sha3b yurid escaat el nezam” which, roughly translated, means “The people want the fall of the regime”.  This is a chant that I have heard continually over the last 17 days and it has a distinctive rhythm which has taken me some time to be able to perfect, but today I was ready to join in, in full voice.  However, I must repeat, I was particularly nervous; I had a feeling that I was going to come across a feeling of xenophobia but, au contraire, I was greeted with smiles and was gathered into the bosom of the crowd as I waved my flag in support of the uprising. 

We had a purpose as we moved through the crowd and that was to reach a building in the square on the opposite side of our entrance which is owned by a friend of ours.  After walking very, very slowly, shoulder to shoulder with the thronging mass, we finally reached our destination and, after tight security, managed to enter into the building.  We took the lift to the ninth floor and entered the apartment.  However, before arriving there it began to rain; usually at the first sight of a spot of rain Egyptians run for their burrows but somehow they seemed to greet the rain as a sign of good luck and let out a loud cheer.

When we arrived at said apartment, we were greeted by our friend and a large gathering of journalists, actors, singers and other well-known faces, some of whom were already friends and others who have now become friends.  This apartment is being used as a centre for all sorts of outgoing and incoming information.  The atmosphere there was as electric as the atmosphere in The Square.  One of the journalists, who is a personal friend, yawned continually as she spoke to me and then apologised, saying that she had had very few hours of sleep over the past few days.  Others were sitting with their laptops in various corners of the apartment sending out their news for their various news programmes. 

One day I will give the names of these people and hail them for their heroism in the face of a regime which absolutely did and does not want foreign journalists to report the truth.  This was proved by the number of journalists and reporters who were detained during these 17 days – at least 30 of them.

As we all chatted together and tried to sort out our present world, there was an enormous bang, the windows and doors rattled and we all froze for about ten seconds.  This was it! The army had turned their guns and canons on us and this was the end!  Then we joined in communal laughter – it was an unexpectedly loud clap of thunder.  Just one very violent clap, which was not repeated!  And then, a rainbow appeared!  It was particularly eerie and the timing was perfect.  Again, all the protestors in the square cheered – another sign of good luck?  However, the very fact that we all panicked for a moment was symbolic of the fear in which we still live.

We returned to Zamalek, through the outskirts of  Liberation Square as by now it would have been too difficult to move back through the centre, but the mood was the same, the chants were the same and the euphoria was the same.  All this brought to mind the student protests in Paris in May 1968 when about 800,000 students, teachers and workers marched through the French capital demanding the fall of the government under Charles de Gaulle and protesting at police brutality that had taken place during the riots of the preceding few days.

As I write, I always have an ear tuned to Aljazeera International in the other room.  Suddenly a cheer has gone up from the massive crowd but no one seems to know why.  There has been an announcement that the military council met, in the absence of Mubarak, and it seems that some sort of a decision has been taken.  My guess is that the military have confirmed that they are with the people – which would make a military coup impossible. But a coup of some sort will have to take place. If you think about it, the members of the military will have mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles and possibly children taking part in these demonstrations and they will not want to participate in a decision to turn on them.

There is incredible energy and excitement going on in the square and still no one knows why.

Senior military officials are reported to have said that the demands of the protestors will be met.  The crowd is getting more and more excited and the momentum is incredible.  Breaking news – Hosni Mubarak will step down tonight.  Can this be true?  A moment of panic, though, who will take over?

It now looks like a coup d’état!

Question:  Is the army stepping in to rule the country or to establish a peaceful transition?

This is getting silly!  Now the Prime Minister has said that Muburak is still in power and that no decision as been passed!!  Really I am writing absolutely during a moment in time.

The question is ‘Has people power had its way?’  My God, the situation is so tense and no on really knows what is going on.  I am beside myself!  Tomorrow was supposed to be THE big day but if final decisions are made tonight I will be extremely happy to have taken part in the last day of the revolution.

It is 10 p.m and by now huge floods of people have joined the protestors to wait for the long expected good news; there is an ever more festive atmosphere and an enormous feeling that tonight will be a night of victor.

Mubarak has spoken and the protestors have received the largest slap in the face so far.  Their rage and fury is almost tangible.

AND WE WILL GO ON WAITING

Letter from Cairo 9th February 2011

Mass prayers in Liberation Square

More concessions have been made by the government this morning and this includes releasing some 30 political prisoners – mostly members of the Muslim Brotherhood.  This is all like a game of strip poker, where the opposition are disrobing the regime layer by layer.  What will they do when they are down to their underpants?

We have just seen on the news that Omar Soleiman is threatening the Egyptian people saying ‘Either we have dialogue or there will be Martial Law’, now that is very worrying.  However, as a friend of mine has just commented – "And how would he expect to implement it? Using guns against 1.500.000 citizens in Tahrir Square? Setting a 24-hour curfew?" Good question.  But, I don’t think anyone or anything will stop the demonstrators now!  What if there is a repetition of Tiananmen Square?  Is that possible?  So far, the military have been with the people, will they really do a volte face now?

In all my Letters from Cairo, I have tried to remain more or less unbiased but this is becoming increasingly difficult. Firstly there was the violence on Friday 28^th, when someone turned on the protestors and here there is much speculation on who and how, although most of us already know the answer to that. Then we had the marauders on the street, again with many rumours and speculation on who and how and, again, many of us know the answers. 

I have just listened to the words of a friend who, like me is a member of the visual and performing arts in Cairo, and I quote “Between poetry, performance, and art, Tahrir Square is evolving into a platform where people can creatively express themselves without the threat of censorship.”

Following this, I was watching the news and seeing the reaction to Italy’s Prime Minister’s sexual activities.  Many people in the street were interviewed and were able to give their opinions, in spite of the fact that Silvio Berlusconi owns a large part of the media.  That is freedom of speech and freedom of the press!  If we had freedom of the press in Egypt, the corruption of the government and the news of the amassed fortunes of Mubarak and his cronies would have been released to the general public much, much sooner. 

Meanwhile, the media blackout in Egypt is beginning to lift as more and more of the state television employees are leaving their jobs.  The protestors in Liberation Square today had a blacklist of members of the state media who they were not allowing into the square, those who they deemed were responsible for helping the government with their censorship, especially during the past 16 days.

The crowd still builds in the square although some of the protestors have moved to the parliament building.  I cannot imagine what this will achieve since, we hope, the regime’s constitution is on it way out.

I have just listened to an analysis by a certain Father Henri Boulad, a Jesuite priest in Alexandria, and he believes that the major instigation for this uprising was that the Muslims of Egypt want to adapt themselves to a modern globalised world – as I said before, the Yuppies of Egypt!

AND WE WAIT!

Letter from Cairo 8th February 2011

The army protecting the people

I feel as if I have come out of a long period of hibernation!  With true hibernation, animals can be moved around or touched and not know it, and appear to be dead.  Obviously that is not my case but I have a sense of having lived in a semi comatose state for two weeks.  Some hibernating animals wake up and move around, have a snack and then go back into hibernation again; perhaps that is a better analogy. My apartment has been my burrow, apart from the regular sorties to the Gezira club, and I have eaten my ‘snacks’ without tasting them, while my stocks have petered out now and then and had to be replenished.

My family and I wanted to join the demonstrations again today but we left it too late and there are incredible queues on 6th October Bridge trying to get into what is now more commonly known as 'Liberation Square’.  It looks as if this could be the biggest demonstration yet.  I can see from my window massive traffic jams on the 6^th October Bridge as thousands of protestors make their way on foot.  Blue barricades have been erected around the square to protect them and, according to friends on the ground, all seems peaceful.

Meanwhile, the worms are coming out of the woodwork and there are reports of the fortunes that have been amassed by Mubarak and his regime.  He and other politicians appear to have collected between them riches purportedly calculated in billions of dollars.  This is not something of which we were ignorant, on the contrary it has always been in great evidence but no one ever had the courage to speak out.  It is said that a petition, signed by 40 prominent figures, is being sent to the Attorney General demanding that the culprits be taken to court, punished for sealing money from the state, and that their fortunes be released. 

The government this morning has announced further concessions and has promised constitutional reforms, and given their word that the perpetrators and their followers will not be punished. Yet, while these concessions are appeasing some of the protestors, the majority will accept nothing less than the stepping down of Mubarak and his regime.  And, despite the shutting down of all communications at the beginning of this rebellion, and the almost total blackout on state television, the word is out there and Egyptians are hearing it loud and clear. 

It is a fact that when a regime falls, the constitution usually falls with it; so, in my opinion, constitution reforms cannot be a solution.  This constitution was in fact tailored by the military regime of the past three presidents in order to give full power to the president

Nevertheless, fear of the regime still exists and it is felt that if Mubarak remains in power he will, like the Emperor Octavian, have a hit list, which he will fall back on in the future and take his revenge. 

This is the 15^th day of the demonstrations and we see a situation which is absolutely unique in the modern world.  Although the downfall of the Tunisian government caused by massive riots seems to have had a domino effect in the Arab World, nothing, but nothing like this was expected.  I cannot help but think that Tunisia was a dress rehearsal for what is taking place in Egypt.

The crowds gather in greater and greater numbers, sharing food and medical supplies and, again, according to friends on the ground, a whole new breed of demonstrators is present today, some of whom have joined the campaigners for the first time.  Entire companies are gathered in groups, holding up banners showing their company logos and among them, I have been told, there is also a sizeable group of civil servants.  The government continues to remain in denial and is simply not listening to the Egyptian people; it asks where the rest of the population is and pretends that the hundreds and thousands in Liberation Square do not represent the rest of the country.  Well, democracy may take some time to put in place in Egypt but it is already there in The Square.  Meanwhile, the tone of the protestors has changed slightly and they have ceased to demand the removal of Mubarak only and are now insisting on the cessation of the whole regime.

There is, once again a great sense of euphoria which is not, as yet, caused by the achievement of their demands but simply a celebration of their rights to assemble in a public place and to speak out for the first time in 30 years.

We momentarily had a glance at two state television channels and, yet again, there is a media blackout.  One channel was showing the Kasr El Nile Bridge with a few people and cars walking on it but omitted to show the 6^th October Bridge, which is the one being used by demonstrators to reach The Square.  The second channel showed a meeting between Muburak and his cronies, but had no sound.

I mentioned in a previous ‘Letter from Cairo’ that we have always been aware of the oppression here but never done much about.  A memory came back to me today – one which I seem to have put at the back of my mind.  In 1981 or thereabouts I took my father and my younger son, who was at that time 5 or 6 years old, to visit a friend’s farm near Benha, which is on the Cairo-Alexandria road maybe 70 or 80 kilometers from Cairo.  We visited the banana plantation and had a pleasant lunch and on our return journey back to Cairo, we stopped to take photographs as both my father and I were keen amateur photographers.  On the third or fourth stop to take pictures of the scenery and feeling very pleased with the quality of the photographs we had taken, I was suddenly grasped painfully on the shoulder and swung around to face some very angry looking policemen.  ‘You are not allowed to take photographs here’ I was told; my obvious question was ‘Why, we are in the middle of the country?’  One of the policemen then pointed across the countryside, through the trees and plantations, into the vague distance and said ‘There is a military post over there’.  I was then asked to produce my passport and I explained that I do not usually carry a passport when moving from one town to another in the same country and added, stupidly, that in my country we only need a passport when travelling abroad and that it was idiotic to ask me for it.  That did it!  The three of us were carried off to the local police station where we spent a good 2 or 3 hours waiting, while several phone calls were made.  We were then removed to another police station which I learnt later belonged to the security police.  After several more hours of waiting while nothing much happened, I insisted that I had the right to make one phone call.  Permission was not given.  Frustration was mounting and my father, at the best of times not the most patient of men, was beginning to lose his temper.  I managed to convince him that this was not England and that it would be much safer to remain calm and try and use gentle persuasion on any other strategies that I might come up with.  I then said to my son ‘Would you please pretend to cry loudly’, which he did but this had no effect, I then asked him to try to become more hysterical and produce real tears.  Being something of a thespian he was able to give a pretty convincing performance and I was finally allowed to make my one phone call.  Naturally, I called my husband and explained my predicament and he told me not to panic and that he would take immediate action and use his connections to get me out of there.  He consequently called a friend who was an aide of a previous Minister of the Interior and we were eventually released.  I wonder how long I would have remained there if my husband had not had the relevant connections!

This is just one story amongst a myriad of similar stories told by Egyptians and foreigners alike and examples of an oppression which, over time, we have become used to and meekly accepted.  We will no longer accept it.

It may be only a rumour but I have just heard that Suez Canal employees are on strike; that will put huge pressure on the government.

It is 8 p.m. here; the curfew is in place and still the crowds gather in Liberation Square.

AND WE WAIT!