Riot Pit in #Egypt
Photo by Kim Badawi
Tahrir Square looks like a mosh pit.
At least from what I can see on the Al Jazeera live feed.
People chanting, fists in air.
The crowd moves, like the crowd in front of a stage.
Naturally, you hear Arabic, words of “Allah”, “Inshallah”, “Walahi”, “Yallah”. It is their language.
They say other things, things I can’t understand.
But it’s okay that I don’t understand their language – the expressions in their faces say it all.
It’s one of passion, energy, defiance and pride.
There is fire in their eyes.
There is blood in their tears.
There is tenacity in their fists.
It’s the dance of a revolutionary in motion.
Over 350 people have died.
Thousands more injured.
Plenty have disappeared at the hand of a cop.
Most of the people that have died are youth.
It’s always the youth, isn’t it? They ignite the fire, start the movement, risk their lives.
Initiate change.
Yet the President of Egypt refuses to step down, refuses to let go, refuses to see that his time has come to an end.
Mubarak is blinded by the power and blinded by the super powers that support him to be blinded.
Photo by Kim Badawi
I look closely on the screen, whenever Al-Jazeera shows the crowd. I know he’s there. I’m looking for Kim Badawi. He went to Cairo, soon after January 25th. He does things like that. He went with Imran to Haiti soon after the earthquake hit last year. According to Facebook, Kim was worried he wouldn’t make it into Cairo in time before they shut the airport. But he did. We weren’t sure if he was okay until the Anderson Cooper got attacked by the pro-Mubarak mobs on the street. It was Kim Badawi’s photos that were plastered all over CNN, documenting the experience. In terms of photojournalism in times of conflict, I know this was a big break for him.
Photo by Kim Badawi
I know he has a place in Cairo and is safe. I know he’s providing shelter and protection for protesters at his place. I know his family is from Egypt, so language isn’t an issue. I know this is what he does. So I shouldn’t worry. But I continue to look at the Al Jazeera live stream for a sign of his mop of frizzy hair in Tahrir pit, to make sure he is still there. I still worry.
What can I do? I want to do something. I want to show solidarity in something. I want to get on the next plane on head to Egypt, partake in what is sure to be big. But I know in my heart, it is their fight to fight. It is a peoples movement. My fight is here, to use my power here.
What we can do, is make art, the way that only punk rockers can do. Sunny Ali was inspired and wrote the song “Tahrir Square Dance” at the top of this post. Imran of The Kominas was inspired by his song, and created a video to go with it. Citizen Vex remixed the song “Never Again” and dedicated it to the people of Egypt. Marwan posted an eloquent essay on Al-Thawra’s blog talking about the build up to the revolutions in the Middle East. Our friends The Narcicyst, Omar Offendum and Amir Sulaiman wrote a song that is spreading across the internet like wildfire.
Every time I hear the man say “I will die today…” in that song, my eyes immediately well up. Every time.
Artist Samira Idroos set up a Tumblr site to collect all the forms of art inspired by the #Egypt #Jan25 at www.heart-of-the-revolution.tumblr.com
I’m sorry, youth of Egypt.
I’m sorry that the tear gas used on you was made in the U.S.A.
I’m sorry that the bullets that killed your people were probably funded by the U.S.A. as well.
I’m sorry that the pro-Mubarak supporters are being equipped with arms from Israel, arms that were likely given by the U.S.A.
I’m sorry that the president of the U.S.A. has empowered Mubarak so that in the light of millions of people on the streets of Egypt, Mubarak still doesn’t step down.
I’m sorry that my taxes went to hurting you.
The revolution may not be televised. But it is being Al-Jazeera-ed, Twittered, and Facebooked.
We are watching you.
We are standing and marching in solidarity.
We hear you.
We see you.
We feel you.
We have not forgotten you.
We believe in you.
You inspire us.
May you win.
May you succeed.
May the revolution complete.
Inshallah.
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Tanzila “Taz” Ahmed is an activist and writer living in Oakland. She is the founder of South Asian American Voting Youth (SAAVY), an aspiring novelist and a long-time blogger for the popular South Asian blog Sepia Mutiny.
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by QUEEN TAQX, Taz Ahmed. Taz Ahmed said: RT @TAQWACORE: New Post by @TazzyStar about Egypt at the Taqwacore Webzine http://taqwacore.wordpress.com/2011/02/10/riot-pit-in-egypt/ [...]
Dear Egypt,
Greetings.
Here is why I think waiting for 6 months may not be such a bad idea:
First of all let me say that our hearts go out to you as we read about you in our newspapers and watch you on our screens. The meaning of the sounds your voices, though articulated in a different language, comes across loud and clear–you have had enough, you have had more than enough of your share of injustice, oppression, and inequity…and after decades of dictatorship, the time has come for change.
We understand your struggle for a better life. We understand how you, your family and your friends have been mistreated–your basic human rights trampled on. But while you experience the emotional high of this moment of “people power,” and anticipate the approaching conclusion of this conflict with your government, I hope that you remember what is at stake here, and realize what the cost of this turmoil will be to your society as it moves forward.
Remember that the goal of your jihad is more than just an ouster of a dictator and his corrupt regime. This is not the end-point of your struggle. Remember that ultimately, the prize for your labor is a higher quality of existence, through a better system of government, measured by the presence of peace and happiness.
Achieving this goal, as you already realize, will not come without cost–and you have already begun to pay for it. What is the price tag for an immediate transition of power? The answer in one word: Instability. Think of these questions as you forge your future in the fires of this unrest. Can you afford the months, maybe years, of uncertainty in the governments ability to deliver even the most basic of services to your homes? Can you afford the insecurity of your cities, towns and borders? Can you afford living with an unsteady and fluctuating income? As you toss out Hosni Mubarak from political power, you need to be careful that the basic services of government do not get thrown out as well.
Furthermore, as you consider the fundamental aims of your revolution and the obstacles you will have to overcome on your journey towards your idea of eusociality, have you had a chance to inspect the possible candidates for replacing Hosni Mubarak? We know that anyone connected with the current regime is tainted with the past, so will the new president truly represent the ideals you are fighting for? Or will this person and their administration turn out to be a disappointment for your movement?
Egypt, I recognize the legitimacy of your struggle, concomitant with that, I want to urge you to be cognizant of what it is that you really want to see happen in your country, and the path you are willing to take to get there. Consider especially, extending the transition period for change. This will allow some time for the formation of a new and improved government system without the power-vacuum induced instability that an immediate exit will cause. Waiting for Mubarak to finish his term in six months this September does not seem like a bad idea when you consider the larger picture of the history of your civilization.
As you dictate your demands to your dictator today, and as you hear the cheers of encouragement from your neighbors around the world harmonizing with your own voice of discontent and dissent, I hope you realize how vital it is for the stability of your future that reason and patience prevail over passion and a sense of immediacy. It would be a real shame to see in the news six months from now of a nation in dire straits, its premature democracy floundering, and its society in critical need for some sort of external intervention by a more developed, more powerful, foreign-based democracy.
Best wishes.