Revolution Roof & Rabbits

Mabrook Masr!!!!! Aiwa, Masr Horreya!!!!!!

Congratulations Egypt, yes free Egypt!!!

And hello World :-)

Well here I am, still here in Cairo and watching the post Mubarak events unfold.

Friday night (after Mubarak was ousted by the military coup) was one of the most amazingly happy occasions of my life! I have never been amongst so much happiness. It was insane downtown due to the crowds and celebration but a remarkable event.

So, we are awaking each day to a new Egypt; unfortunately the events here meant that several artists could not come; Madeleine Aleman and Florin Dan Prodan will hopefully join us later in the year. Florin has kindly invited me to the Borsec arts residency in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania to take part in their arts festival in May; so I shall be applying for funding and hopefully stepping foot in that amazing country.

Everyday life here seems to be returning to a reasonable normality; we can move around the city, curfew is greatly lifted and many venues are opening again. This means arts events can begin once more; my creative writing classes are now fully back on track and I will be staging the postponed open stage night 'Up On the Roof' soon at Darb 1718; Revolution Roof & Rabbits!!! :-))

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What follows is a series of open letters written throughout the revolution:

Feb 4th
Dear World
Hopes are high today and I am yet again humbled by the bravery and resilience of the Egyptian people as possibly over a million or more gather in the square and call for Mubarak to leave now, not tomorrow, not in some months but right now. Each day we have been subjected to governmental dirty tricks and lately more mind control methods and I must admit that my own heart was failing on a few occasions lately in the face of extreme violence visited upon the peaceful protesters from pro government people and thugs and hearing of so many friends being arrested and bizzarely accused of being spies of other nationality than their own. Foreigners are now being terrorised and I can only pray that this new thug tactic is going to leave the streets soon because otherwise what life is going to be left after the uprising has taken place; if I cannot take the metro, walk the streets, visit friends, live my life – Cairo was one of the safest places I have ever lived, now I might be accused of being an Israeli spy and threatened with a machete by a group of lie-believing men.
I haven't been down to Tahrir Square since Wednesday and life goes by in this daily stasis; unable to do anything other than household duties and try to write but failing as my focus alternates between Al Jazeera coverage, Guardian online and looking out of the window. Then there are the phone calls reassuring my mother as I say yet again 'No, I have no plans to leave' or emails informing friends in other countries of the situation here or local calls to ensure my loved friends here are still alive and OK.
I keep seeing the face of one of the dead protesters from Tahrir. I feel I knew him or maybe I just saw him at one of the artistic or music places I would hang out. Seeing the faces of the dead is awful. Those innocent souls who were killed so violently. And I wonder if the unidentified dead old woman is the lady I saw with white hair, walking slowly and alone just as I was leaving the square on Wednesday; my friend and I had sensed tension and decided to leave, 20 minutes later at home the TV showed us the insane acts of violence from the thugs attacking the crowd. My heart is hurting; sometimes I just want to go to sleep until it's all over, but what is 'all over', where is this going and what is on the other side?
Sometimes I feel like a bourgeoisie who just wants to drink gin and dance in high heeled red sneakers, sometimes I've been so scared I couldnt sleep and wouldn't take my shoes off and sometimes I've been so high I thought about all my plans for the future. Sometimes I feel ridiculous with my petty concerns as people are dying for freedom only a short walk from my house.
I've seen dead people and hurt people, cried when the F16s flew over, got used to gunfire outside the house, laughed and danced and clapped hands in a crowd following a musician in the protest. This uprising has provoked maybe every emotional response possible and I am taking B Vitamins to soothe my rollercoaster nerves.
One profound acknowledgement I have throughout this situation is the community spirit inbedded within Egyptian society; people here think with the pronoun 'we' and 'us', so sharply different to the Western 'I'. I have seen displays of this each and every day as people quite literally put their own lives on the line for others, or share food or provisions. If only those that are fearful that the extended situation will create a 'not having' would open their thinking, their souls to realise that if everyone stood firm together they would also share their resources until the 'job' of achieving revolution was done.
Standing together and standing firm is the only way to achieve this change. I salute the Egyptian people in their choice and may you be protected whilst you gain it and how I hope you gain it; but without the army clearly signalling it is on your side and without Obama actually saying something properly instead of dancing around 'My thoughts are with the Egyptian people' and of course without Mubarak actually standing down.. I worry as to how this change actually will occur. Though at the same time I know that continued resistance is a strong tool and also as the city, as the country, winds further into economic meltdown it is this financial wound that will start to make 'people in charge' do something.
I dont know, I have no answers, I'm babystepping my way through these revolution days trying to keep my heart alive as I see the bloodshed, trying to keep my mind level as I feel the fears.
Solidarity, peace, love and unity xxx

Feb 2nd
Dear World
I am writing this note and I feel sick and cold; only some hours ago Tahrir Square was full of peaceful people; children, women, men, old people; all types of people; westernised and traditional, all classes of society. The mood was good. The people had organised security checks on the way in and out of the square and inside it one felt safe. My friend and I walked around then went for a coffee, we walked back and things were changing. We saw a man on a camel and some people were laughing - not knowing that in some moments many men on camels were going to run violently towards the square to disrupt it. We got to the square again and saw several men with weapons who had been caught by the people and the army were tying them up, the security checks got stronger, people were getting agitated, we saw and heard pro- Mubarak people coming towards the square, then we saw an old man from within the square with a head wound - people were helping him. We saw women running. The people were trying to mobilise themselves because they could feel an agitation starting. My friend and I left the square and headed home; we got home and put on the TV and saw that everything had gone crazy down there. I'm watching it now, I'm watching extreme violence. My friends are down there, the good people of Egypt are down there. Mubarak is playing more and more disgusting dirty tricks. Where are the army??? They said they would help the people. The people are being hurt, killed. Buildings are on fire again. This is close to becoming a massacre. Please pray for Egypt. Pray for the safety of the people down in Tahrir Square and all over Egypt. Mubarak MUST go. He will not step down. The army are so far not pressurising him to. Obama is not telling him to go. What IS going to happen???
The Egyptian people have shown how amazing they are and how good their values are. This 'thug' element is destroying the wholeness and vision for now. God help everyone. I feel sick watching this violence and pain and upset. And where is the army? Where is the help?
I just saw on Al Jazeera 'Obama has asked for immediate transition of power' but what IS immediate?? Because people are being killed now. And the army are just standing there. We heard a woman screaming and crying as she was being crushed - and that is just one tragedy amongst many.
You know just yesterday people were so hopeful and so together, that when a truck of Mubarak people with guns started firing on the street near me ALL the men from the buildings and hotels,even the chefs with their hats, and protesters on the way down to the square - they all ran in the direction of fire to stop the violence. can you believe how brave they are. They ran into the shooting to get the people and stop it and they got them. this is HOW amazing people have shown themselves to be; this is just one instance. And the army told the people they would protect them so men, women, children, babies, old people, sick people, people on crutches - they are all down there now in that square - being attacked and the army are watching...



Jan 27th

Dear World

Thank you for your concerned messages asking if I am OK and let me tell you that I am OK.  I am OK because I live in a country where even though change is happening, people are still living their lives and acting decently.  The anger is at the government and those working to support the government.  I haven't been on any demonstrations, though I have wanted to, and felt fustrated about not being part of it, but I haven't been because I heeded my many good Egyptian  friends' advice and stayed away.  Therefore, I am fine.  However, my friends and all the other people who have been demonstrating for freedom have been subjected to a torrent of attacks by police and security forces using gas, water cannon, stones, batons, electric batons, beatings and both rubber and live ammunition.  Change is not going to come easy in a country which has been under such oppressive rule for so long, but the longer the demonstrations go on the more it hurts the economy and finally this is what starts to pick up the ears of the leaders.  As anyone with a brain knows, there will be dirty money invested in this country - just as all governments are corrupt and all police, army and security training is aimed at breaking down people; divide and rule.  So as each day passes and the financial situation becomes more unstable it is this that will hopefully create some knock on instability in the government. I for one am pleased to be living in a time where I see people having the balls to act.  Egypt is my chosen home and I do not fear the people or the place and I wish my brothers and sisters well.  So, I am more than OK, but think instead of the people out there on the front line who because of their Egyptian passport, because this IS their birth home, risk being beaten, taken without charge, tortured and can become one of 'the disappeared'.  I am sipping my peppermint tea meanwhile an unnamed man is lying in his own urine and blood in a diabetic coma in a National Security detention unit somewhere out in the desert. (Please listen to Jack Shenker's amazing first hand audio account: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/26/egypt-protests)  But before you think 'Thank God, I am living in UK, US, France etc' let me quote something a Czech friend said to me many years ago; 'You in the West have your anesthetics; that is all' - it is my belief that there is no country which is truly free; the TV, the credit card, the shopping mall - this is not freedom.  And wait.. do not say 'But at least we can demonstrate in UK,US,France etc' .. sure you can demonstrate but the police use all the same intimidation tactics if you are saying too much and having influence; and with the Terrorism Act they can detain you for as long as they like with no charge - and they are doing just that and have been doing just that for years.  But back to here, back to this beautiful, crazy city - Cairo.. I wish you well my love.  Be safe if you can.  Fly.