A long school year in Cairo
It's
almost the end of the school year in Egypt. Exam preparaions are
normally the dominant subject this time of year but the chatter is
different among the students here in Cairo. Nowadays when students
talk about ‘results’ they often mean those of the presidnetial
elections.
For
the students of the Jesuites School in Cairo this has been a very
eventful school year. I was invited to spend a day with a group of
secondary students and discuss how they feel about the current
political situation and who they hoped would rule their country.
The
Jesuites is one of the oldest and most prestigious schools on Cairo.
It also has a mix of Muslim and Christian students.
It
is a boys’ school , situated in the neighbourhood of Faggala, about
two minutes away from Abbasiya where the latest clashes between
protesters, armed individuals and military forces have left at least
eleven dead and hundreds wounded.
The Jesuites boys
All classroom pictures courtesy of Jesuites Cairo students |
It's
also five minutes away from Tahrir square the epicentre of the
Egyptian revolution and the many sit-ins and demonstrations that
followed after.
“We
could just look out of the window and see it all happen.Marches ,
demonstartions everything. ” Fawzi Al Asmar, one of the lead
teachers told me. “It’s all right at our doorstep.”
A
lot has changed since January 25th 2011 for these
students.Politics is no longer a boring subject their parents talk
about. It has touched them closer than they’d ever thought
possible.
The
Jesuites Cairo students I was speaking to have a lost a friend last
February. Karim Khouzam was one the 70 people killed when violence
broke in Portsaid after a game between the popular Al Ahly club and
the city’s home team of Al Masry which many blamed the securty
forces for.
This gas mask from days of protesting in Tahrir hangs in students' classroom |
Karim Khouzam was a student at Jesuites Cairo . He died in the Portsaid Stadium violence. |
“Before
February, I felt that the protests, the violence ... all of this was
happening to someone else. But when Karim died , I thought, this is
my friend this could happen to me” Raymond Bolous, one of the
students, told me.
The
next day the studnets did not go to classes and left school early to
attend the funeral. After that they went on marched to Tahrir Square
denouncing the violence and the army’s rule of Egypt.
"A fresh face"
Most
of these young teenagers are not old enough to vote but they have
very strong opinions about the thirteen presidential candidates.
“I
don’t feel that any of them are competent enough to be president.
They are either Islamists or Folool (Arabic word for remnants of the
old regime)” Ali Shihata told me.
“We
need someone who represents the revolution – someone young. A fresh
face” Mustafa Sadek another student said.
Of
all the eight students that I met Mustafa Sadek was the most involved
in politics. He’s part of a new student movement that he and his
friends from other schools organised mainly to spread political
awareness among school students aroumd Egypt.
An
ambitious project, but chose to start with his friends.
“Now
we talk politics during our lunch breaks and after school we go on
protests and join marches” Mustafa told me.
“Mustafa
had encouraged us all to get into politics” Rami ,class mate of
Mustafa’s said.
“It’s
not just in school”Mustafa added. “We try as much as we can to
talk to the general public get their opinion about what’s happening
in the country.”
“For
example, when I’m in a taxi with a friend we start up a
conversation deliberatley so the driver can near us and get invloved.
“You
find out really interesting things. For instance now most taxi
drivers I talk to are fed up with the Muslim Brotherhood and tell me
they regert voting for them in the parliamentary elections” Mustafa
said.
Note your average classroom: Students have filled the walls with revolutionary posters and Tahrir memorabilia |
The
growing anger with the current political situation is palpable
everywhere I go. At best it’s expressed in heated discussion
between political rivals. At worst it’s deadly violence.
But
many people see these students as a sign of hope and say that as long
as they are engaged in what’s happening in the country there's
still a chance for real change.
At
the end of the school day the students take me for a walk around
their school.
They
are so obviously proud of it and its heritage.They take me to their classroom. At first glance it looks like any other classroom but a second look at the walls and it feels like a piece of Tahrir square!
Revolutionary posters against military and Islamic rule, A strip of an article with the title R.I.P Karim, a gas mask hanging from one of the boards and pieces of a guitar which broke in one of the protest.
I asked them if their teachers object to these heavily politicized posters.
"Not at all!" Mustafa told me. "They love it. They encourage us and I feel they respect us more . Our French teachers are really interested in it all!" He continued.
I asked them once more
about the elections. What if someone that they really did not want
took office... what can they do about it?
Ali
smiled and said. “That’s easy. Tahrir Square is five minutes away
remember!”
NOTE:
Since I met the students of Jesuites, protesters did indeed take to Tahrir square after the announcement of that the presidential run-offs will be between Mubarak's last Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq and the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi.
Mr. Shafiq's campaign headquarters was set ablaze last night. t's not know n who exactly is behind the attack but it seems to be in an angry response to him making it to run-offs.
The numbers in Tahrir Square are still no parallel to the thousands that showed up throughout the last fifteen months but there's enough anger and confusion in Egypt to promise more protest and possibly more violence.
2 comments:
I enjoyed your piece. I like the way you write, and I do relate to it since I live overseas myself. And yet I'm still very Egyptian.
Here's my take on the election fiasco.
http://azzasedky.typepad.com/egypt/2012/05/the-worst-case-scenario-the-second-round.html
Thanks Azza! I think I've become more Egyptian ever since I started living abroad and whole lot more Egyptian since Jan25...(If that makes any sense at all!) I think Egypt's got so much potential so much young energy embodied in those lovely young students and millions like them!But this country keeps sabotaging itself! It's painful!
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