Mandy:
The Tamarod protest movement took to the streets on 28th of June and there were peaceful protests after Friday Prayers. Following Sunday 30th June’s massive demonstrations, in which millions of people took to the streets in Cairo and other cities across Egypt, Tamarod gave the president an ultimatum to resign by 17:00 on Tuesday or face a campaign of “complete civil disobedience”. In turn, Egypt’s military had imposed a 48-hour deadline (that expired at 4.30pm today) for President Morsi to respond to the mass protests across the country asking for him to step down after a year in office.
So, 3rd July was here, we spent the day in the apartment wondering what would happen, what would be announced once the 4.30pm Military deadline came. We waited and waited, the deadline came and went, we checked the Internet but nothing. Later that night we walked down to our local Elqahwa coffee shop and almost forgot about the impending news. The streets, bars and coffee shops were unusually quiet, not many people were out even though it was about 8.45pm. Then we saw the staff in the bar suddenly crowding around the tv inside through the glass front. They were silent as they watched the Army address the Egyptian people. We did not know what he was saying but we watched as the crowds in Tahrir Square erupted in celebration. Fireworks exploded, green laser lights bounced off buildings that we had walked by during our visit to Cairo a few months ago.
The Egyptians around us cheered and clapped, listening quietly again and then finally cheered, applauded enthusiastically and jumped around hugging each other. ” Morsi is out” they told us “Morsi has gone” they held their wrists together to explain! Everyone shook hands, hugged, then picked up their mobile phones, some sat on their laptops emailing. They were so happy, Egyptian women on the next table (with headscarves) excitedly talking in Arabic, beaming smiles on their faces. We wished we knew what they were saying but we didn’t actually need to know, their faces, their happiness told us everything. The ‘Shisha boy’ gave us more information and as the minutes went by taxis and private cars filled the streets with horns blowing and flags waving. Children and adults spilling out of every window and boot in each car, bikes and cars, driving back and forwards the right and the wrong! way down the streets, happiness was all around us and fireworks were above us in the skies. The camel men came excitedly ‘running’ by on their camels and it was so exciting I could have cried at one point. I felt so happy for the Egyptians. They had hope for a better future at last. As the evening went by more and more people came on the streets, I assumed that the tvs were now switched off and celebrations now in order.
We walked across to Meshmesha and shook hands and laughed with a few friends and then walked on to Corina cafe, fire crackers going off all around. As we walked back home we saw fairy lights appear on balconies, women, men and children in the road in front of cars waving flags to passing cars who were doing the same. There was a group of excited women and children in the street opposite a little shop….. the young shop keeper smiled at us and by way of explanation, in a calm and mild voice, said “Morsi out” we smiled and said we knew. How could he think we did not know what was going on? Maybe he thought if we knew we too would have been skipping along excited……. The problem was I couldn’t help but think that the majority of Egypt may be celebrating tonight but surely there are people, if only a minority, that are going to be well annoyed (didn’t want to swear!!) at the news that an elected President has been removed. Even if he wasn’t doing his job and Egypt was getting worse instead of better under his rule, there are people who want him to stay in office.
I could not sleep straight away even though It was late, the noise from the beeping horns could be heard over the noise of our bedroom fan. I got up several times in the night, I looked out of our balcony window at one point and through the huge glass walls of the Atrium at the front of our complex. I could see solid traffic slowly moving as they continued to beep their horns and wave flags and then suddenly ‘speed plodding’ in and out of the cars went a camel. It was surreal! If only I had my video on at that moment. I assumed they were all making their way to town, Sekalla, or maybe on to Dahar to join in what must by then have been massive celebrations.
Our building is next to the Egyptian Hospital and later that night, well in the early hours of the morning I began to hear ambulance sirens replacing the happy beeping horns and hoped that there had not been any reprisals already, because sadly there surely will be.
Good luck Egypt lets hope it all works out for the best, whatever that is, and that you prosper at long last.