Momentum started building in Egypt shortly after Ben ‘Ali stepped down in Tunisia. Both within and outside of the country -- the subheads in foreign newspapers commented on the potential for a similar movement in Egypt, students started organizing themselves on facebook and twitter.
The majority of Egyptians do not have a ‘weekend’ in the way that westerners are accustomed to. Most of them only have one day a week off -- Friday. Given the six day work week, any additional government or religious holiday is especially precious. So Police Day (Jan. 25) was a fitting day for the movement to begin in Egypt because everyone was available. It also allowed Egyptians to capitalize on the growing momentum on a Tuesday, rather than having to wait until the following Friday. The question was, would the protest actually happen? And would it actually make any difference?
In Ma’adi that day, things were quiet. It seemed like any other day. We heard rumors that things were going to get started, but by late morning we had yet to hear any reports of demonstrations. I had dinner that night with a woman at a boutique hotel in Ma’adi -- the Villa Belle Epoque. Stepping through the hotel’s gate is like entering a time warp -- two villas beautifully restored to the look and feel of the 1920s. They have a carefully manicured garden, and a decor intricately constructed to give the impression of another era in Egypt’s history.
Part of what fascinates me about Ma’adi’s history is that with all of its villas, gardens, and tree-lined streets -- it speaks of people in the early-twentieth century who imagined a very different future for Egypt than what unfolded in the latter half of the century. The Villa Belle Epoque captures that sentiment, sending guests back to a period where life was about going to the sporting club, playing golf in the desert, riding a bicycle around the neighborhood, and being largely removed from the events downtown.
While much of that initial charm is hard to find, on Jan. 25 in Maadi, one was still largely removed from the events downtown. I sat there with my friend, having dinner in an otherwise empty, but lavish dining room. Her father and uncle own the hotel, and while we discussed the family business and her plans for the future, things downtown were starting to heat up. When I mentioned rumors of the demonstrations, my friend was skeptical. She had gone through downtown that morning without seeing or hearing anything. If anything, things were especially quiet.
What did circulate throughout Ma’adi were the rumors. By about 5:30 p.m. word spread that 50,000 people were demonstrating downtown. You would not have known to walk through our streets. It seemed that as the action increased downtown, Maadi got proportionately quieter and quieter.
By Thursday afternoon, however, the traffic was unusually heavy. I had taken the bus to the American University in Cairo (AUC), where my archives are, and the trip home was unusually bumpy. One friend said she had tried to drive to Hedayeq al-Ma’adi, a neighborhood just north of Ma’adi, and had to turn back because she was simply sitting in traffic without moving. Maybe it was just an unusually bad rush hour, we thought. After all, it is a Thursday afternoon.
When Friday came around, the traffic subsided, and the quiet turned to something more eerie.
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