An article published recently in the UChicago student newspaper, the Maroon (http://www.chicagomaroon.com/2011/2/15/cairo-students-discuss-time-abroad),
asked students of the Cairo Study Abroad Program to recount their experience of being evacuated from Egypt amidst the turmoil of the revolution. Unfortunately, the interviews conducted were narrowly focused on personal reactions and did not inquire about our understanding of the situation in Egypt, nor the reasons why we did not want to leave the country unless we had no choice, nor the reasons we feel compelled and justified to relate our experience to others.
The Maroon article, which reads more like a transcript than a proper journal piece, provides no context for the events that were taking place when we were evacuated. The main title itself is misleading: “Cairo students discuss time abroad.” Indeed, we would have loved to discuss our time abroad. We had a phenomenal experience living in Cairo, learning about its history and learning to explore the city and enjoy its culture as Egyptians do. We would love to tell everyone about the amazing people we met, the friends we made, the things we discovered, and how it all fostered a sincere love and appreciation for the country and its people. But this part of our experience is entirely missing from the Maroon’s account.
The subtitle is more accurate: “Students in Cairo's study abroad program reflect on the confusion and frustration surrounding their evacuation from Egypt.” Already, the author is misconstruing what we took away from this experience. Yes, the evacuation process was frustrating, confusing, and traumatic, but these are not the sentiments that define our experience of the revolution, to say nothing of our time spent in Egypt. Our primary concern during the evacuation was each others’ safety, not our own discomfort. Our prevalent reactions to the events around us were admiration for the bravery and camaraderie of Egyptian people, shock at the violence they faced, and solidarity with their cause. I, as well as many of my peers, thus feel a responsibility to communicate the events in Egypt, and our first-hand experience of them, to the rest of the world.
In recounting the first few days of the revolution to friends and family, I always return to a particular memory that stands out. I had been watching the chaos unfold from my uncle’s living room, in a suburb away from Cairo’s downtown area. Things had been quiet in our neighborhood until then. By Saturday afternoon, the riot police had retreated and joined criminals in the streets that were looting stores and terrorizing the city. The army couldn’t control the situation, and they announced on the news that civilians must protect themselves. I braced myself for violent reaction.
But my assumption was proven wrong. Immediately, all of our neighbors were in the streets, arming each other with whatever they could find – baseball bats, pipes, hammers, kitchen knives – and they quickly established a patrol system. Men patrolled the streets all night. They set up posts and took shifts. They were so organized. Nobody panicked – everyone was completely calm and focused. It was a very powerful message that told me a lot of things (of which I was already aware from my time in Cairo, but had never witnessed in such powerful effect): 1) Egyptians have an incredibly strong sense of community, and love and loyalty for each other; 2) Egyptians are so used to functioning without the aid of government infrastructure that in times like this, they know exactly what to do; 3) Egyptians have been living with so much oppression and frustration under Mubarak’s regime that they would rather live through these difficult times than to return to the way things were. I was very panicked and afraid throughout the ordeal – afraid for my cousins demonstrating in the streets, afraid for my friends stuck in our apartments not far from Tahrir Square, afraid for the future of Egypt – but I was reassured by the focus and determination I saw in Egyptians. I am so grateful to have witnessed the revolution in Egypt and among Egyptians, because it helped me to understand what was happening in an invaluably real and personal way.
I share these experiences with people because I believe the best way to support the Egyptians’ cause right now is to communicate with others about these events. Media coverage of the demonstrations played a major role in their success. It increased pressure on outside governments – especially the United States – to encourage Mubarak to step down and listen to the people’s demands. As Western observers, the best role our study abroad group can play is to help spread awareness and understanding of the revolution. We owe it not only to the Egyptians, but also to our own communities, to discuss the significance of the events surrounding our experience.
When the demonstrations first made CNN headlines, one of the first thoughts I had was that this must all seem somewhat bizarre to most Americans. A paper we recently read in class by Timothy Mitchell discusses the lingering need of the West to exhibit the East within an exotic or sensationalized framework (which historically served a purpose of justifying colonialization). Ever since the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922, the Western picture of Egypt has been composed by an infatuation with pharaonic history. The average American knows nothing about modern Egypt (apart from what they may have generalized about the Middle East since the Iraq War). Now suddenly, Egypt has become the Land of Revolution, the Land of Freedom Fighters – a framework that Americans can easily grasp. The remarkable events we now see on the news are reshaping the American framework of Egypt and the Middle East. We need to offer our own first-hand accounts to that framework, to augment what the media has shown (with which, for once in my life, I have been very happy).
The events in Egypt have challenged not only the American general public’s conception of Egypt, but also that of the American government – and this is an important point for Americans to understand, one that we have also been discussing in class. ‘Egypt, the Land of Freedom Fighters’ is easy for Americans to grasp because the United States has treated democratic freedom essentially as its own patent. Philosopher Alain Badiou commented that the recent Tunisian demonstrations were initially viewed by Western media as “a desire for the West.” It is completely ignorant to presume that democracy can only be achieved through Western intervention or influence. The Egyptians demonstrated this as well, that direct Western intervention is not essential to overthrow a dictator. This is causing the US government a lot of anxiety. President Obama called it a “failure of intelligence” on the part of the CIA that the US did not predict the Egyptian Revolution. Perhaps one of the most striking realities of the Egyptian Revolution is that it was successful without US intervention. Egyptian protestors did not ask the US for help, other than to cease US support of Mubarak’s regime. We are witnessing what Badiou termed the “dewesternization” of the Middle East. Because they were “not invited to the party” (as put by our professor, Rohit Goel), the US government is finally having to re-evaluate its foreign policy in the Arab world.
To conclude, the Cairo Study Abroad group has been studying and discussing the significance of this revolution, both in class and on our own, and we care very much about the present and future of Egypt and the entire Arab world. We do not regret or resent our experience. We are honored to have lived through them. And we are grateful for this opportunity to set the record straight.
In the author’s defense, I’m sure the Maroon article was not intended to misrepresent any party or minimize important issues. However, this is not the first time, in the course of these events, that the Maroon has misrepresented us and glossed over the significance of the Egyptian Revolution. I hope to see a proper response published. Nevertheless, despite the pains and controversy involved, I am glad that the recent article generated a lot of interest in the situation. It also forced our group to consider carefully what we choose to relate about our experiences, and how what we recount will come across to different audiences. For instance, while reading the Maroon article, I wished I had explained more explicitly that when we were trapped in the crowds in the airport, it was not the personal trauma that had the greatest affect on me, but rather the palpable fear that was gripping the country. Because we were witnesses, it is our duty to recount these events to others, and we want to make sure we do justice to the people of Egypt, the university staff that worked tirelessly to keep us safe, ourselves, and to people who are hungry for truth from first-hand accounts. We fully appreciate the political, historical, and emotional significance of this revolution, and our appreciation is deepened by what we witnessed and what we ourselves experienced. For my part, I feel both privileged and humbled to have witnessed the first several days of the Egyptian Revolution, and the incredible bravery and humanity the Egyptians demonstrated in their darkest and finest hours.
