April 3, 2008...11:17 am
Singing the song of angry men
To those of you who are news-aholics like myself, you might have read that within the last month, Egypt’s been having economic problems. This is nothing too surprising in a country that sets aside money to finance their international debts as the primary order of business when determining the annual budget. At least she’s no Zimbabwe (poor girl has 100,000% inflation. That’s a lot of weight to carry around).
But a few weeks ago, the inflation rate reached an 11 month high at 12.1%, and while it hasn’t slowed the economy, it has resulted in a cutback in bread subsidies, a service that the government has been providing since the 1970s.
I have to say, for the poor majority of Egypt’s population, the challenge living on less than a dollar-per-day has become harder in recent weeks. Bread here is so vital that the root of the word in colloquial Arabic means “life”. This country is suffering in a visceral way.
But even I was surprised to hear that on Sunday, April 6th, massive demonstrations will take place in all the major squares in Cairo, ending up at Midan Tahrir.
Where I happen to go to school.
In a country where most of the news your hear is from the street (and more accurate from that source than anywhere else), excitement crackled from campus to campus. Teachers consulted each-other and debated about the wisdom of holding class. “If one student shows up, I will teach,” a dedicated philosophy professor intoned. Students excited at the prospect of a day off and study-abroads thrilled and nervous to be on the cusp of history speculated about what Sunday will hold. I, too, confess excitement and a little bit of nervousness. Communitas can quickly turn into a mob mentality, and we can’t forget that the police can quickly turn from guardians to executioners (for Egyptians. I have a little blue book that exempts me from all that.) But I feel like it’s time Egypt stood up and did something for itself.
I’m not sure whether the school will remain open, but I just wanted to assure family, friends, and faithful fans (alliteratively) that I will be safe, have the US embassy on speed dial, and don’t foresee any personal risk. Don’t let CNN freak you out. If you have any concerns or questions that I can answer, please feel free to email me and I’ll respond as soon as I can.
For further reading on the economic situation in Egypt that paints a happier picture, please click here.
1 Comment
April 4, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Yo, Allie. Please used that vaunted intelligence and common sense and stay away from the demonstrations - which as you know often start peacefully but don’t end that way. How about a nice quiet trip across the border to Petra. It was the one thing we really missed on our tour but there was no way to carve out the time.
We’ll toss in a couple of prayers for you (to the Christian God.)
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