THE SANDSTORMS that wrap, choke, and blind Cairo in a periodic haze are a reminder of the desert’s proximity. Driving west out of the city, free from the congestion of inner Cairo, it is a shockingly fast escape out of the metropolis on flyovers that traverse a brief ribbon of greenery, dissolving into the beige of the desert and the gauntlet of gaudy advertisements for … Continue reading Egypt’s Megafantasies
CAIRO – Mostafa Wafa, 24, recalls the time he was walking through Saft el-Laban – the tough, mostly informal suburb of Cairo where he lives – when a group of children approached. They greeted him warmly, but they were breathless and excited, and held knives and sticks. “Uncle Mostafa – we beat them up!” they boasted, referring to kids on another street. The incident stuck … Continue reading Children of the revolution: Egypt’s grassroots education movement
As the fourth anniversary of the Syrian uprising passes, reduced support is pushing some Syrian families in Egypt towards dangerous choices. CAIRO – “This place was full of life,” says Jan Abaza, coordinator of the Souriyat Association, as she walked through the empty rooms of the social centre for female Syrian refugees in Heliopolis, Cairo. Until last week Souriyat’s centre echoed with the sounds of … Continue reading Syrian refugees in Egypt struggle amid UN funding crisis
Hossam Assad, a 42-year-old Syrian refugee, says his family lives for Fridays. “This is his favourite time of the week, going to football training,” Hossam tells Al Jazeera, gesturing to his eight-year-old son, Abdullah, as they walk through the noisy, crowded Cairo neighbourhood of al-Tawabeq. “Coming home from football training is his worst time of the week.” The rest of the time, daily life is … Continue reading Syrian refugees in Egypt: The Assad family
Egypt is typically associated with searing sun. Yet, for many people who live in densely packed urban areas, the light scarcely penetrates the narrow streets. “I get about half an hour of sunlight a day coming into my building” says Magdy, a 36-year old tuk-tuk driver who lives in Boulaq El-Dakrour, an informal neighbourhood of Cairo where many of the streets are barely wider than … Continue reading Beginning to see the light: Shining the sun’s rays into Cairo’s dark streets
6th OF OCTOBER CITY, EGYPT – Blood was spattered across the floor of the café and on the walls of the kitchen counter. In the corner were smashed sheesha pipes. A computer monitor lay crumpled on a desk. It was the aftermath of a brutal attack that the café owner described as “like something out of an action film”. Late on 23 November, around 10 … Continue reading Unprotected: Refugees attacked with machetes in Egypt
Writing by Patrick Keddie 