Mijn vorige blogpost krijgt, na de gebeurtenissen van de laatste weken, een bittere nasmaak. Cairo is tegenwoordig niet enkel de stad van de zon, koshary en verse fruitsappen, maar ook de stad van de opstanden, het geweld en de tranen. Ik hoop, net als vele anderen, dat Cairo snel de stad van vrijheid, democratie en hoopvolle gezichten wordt en dat er de Egyptenaren een mooie tijd staat te wachten.

Omdat de gebeurtenissen in Cairo mij enigszins harder raken dan de doorsnee Belg, zie ik het ook als een soort van plicht om hier een kleine tekst te posten over de revolutie. De tekst is geschreven de dag voordat de pro-Mubarak betogers hardhandig de mensen die hopen op een beter leven tegen de grond sloegen (letterlijk en figuurlijk). Ik vraag jullie om de tekst te lezen en om over de toestand in Egypte te praten, met iedereen die je kent. Het doet de Egyptenaren goed, zo weet ik, als we aan hen denken.

De tekst hieronder is geschreven door een docent op het instituut waar wij allen studeerden. Om veiligheidsredenen plaats ik zijn/haar naam hier niet onder, maar dit maakt het niet minder de moeite om deze tekst te lezen.

Veel liefs,

Elisabeth.

Dear all,

First of all, we are all okay and very much appreciate all your concern.

Secondly, I think I should share a bit of what is really happening here. Where to start?

Last Friday, on the day of anger, things became pretty scary, mostly when the demonstrators were attacked by the police and right after the imposition of the curfew. Within an hour after the curfew was in place, all security people and police were pulled out of the streets. A decision we were informed by a number of independent Egyptian newspapers was taken by the minister of Interior. Right after that, thugs and criminals -a lot of whom who were forced at gun point by their guards to leave the prisons they were in- entered the city and started ransacking all they could find. A lot of these people are well known thugs of the government, in fact known to the public due to their beating up voters in the last elections. That night, the streets were seriously unsafe and the ground work was laid for the army to come as saviors.

This excellent bit of military tactics also laid the ground work for the regime to come back not as the aggressor who shot and killed young intelligent brave activists, men and women (the oldest one to be shot was in his late seventies, I believe), but as the bringer of peace and order. Unfortunately for the regime, the demonstrators are not easily fooled, nor easily discredited. The big chess game so began.

Since Saturday, the regime has been broadcasting old war songs, pushing up the curfew to 3 PM (it has just been brought back to 5 PM now), warning people against joining the huge demo of yesterday, cut off the internet and mobile services, stopped the influx of gasoline to the city and spread rumors of lack of food (we are stocked up completely and just came back from the supermarket that is totally full of everything). This created a feeling of fear and unrest, gave rise to neighborhood youths and men patrolling their streets to protect their homes, and gave the impression in the foreign countries that we could not leave our homes without being shot.

Well, that is somewhat exaggerated. We in fact went out every day, went to the Institute, and joined the demonstrations on Tahrir Square, and as you see, we are fine. Up to about an hour ago, the square gave you the most magnificent feeling in the world. Everyone their was calm, determined, polite, friendly, working together, cleaning up, bringing each other food and drinks, simply wonderful.

Now, after Mubarak's well-timed announcement yesterday, this morning slowly pro-Mubarak demonstrations broke out, mostly instigated by the NDP itself and backed by people who benefit from his regime, or are afraid of change and the unrest it can bring. They have headed to the square and have started fighting with the peaceful young people, men, women and children who have been there since this started. Once again, Mubarak is proving what a filthy dictator he really is, there will be more blood on his hands before this all ends.

When I started writing this, I hoped it would be a positive, optimistic note, telling you about the people who are standing strong in spite of the bullets that were fired at them, the gas they inhaled,, and the friends and family they lost or no longer can find (like Wael Ghanaim, the Google man of Egypt, who mysteriously disappeared after Friday night), people I admire beyond description. I end this note asking you to speak out to save the demonstrators who are now being physically attacked by hoards of hooligans of Mubarak's regime. Please ask people to express their support for a new Egypt, for Egypt's right to determine its own future.

Please stay in touch with Egypt.