Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Cairo

So I've been in Cairo since the 11th now. Got here on the day Egypt moved on from 30 years of stagnation. Been to Tahrir Square at least for a while every day, got some pictures and video of various events.

One of the things that really impressed me was seeing citizens, many of whom were protesters, putting great care into cleaning the square and even repainting the sidewalks. The sense of solidarity is amazing. People don't hesitate to ask others for help. I saw a long human chain of people holding hands to protect fresh paint on a sidewalk in the square. The atmosphere on those first few days was like living in a utopia.

I also saw police/security forces demonstrate yesterday. It was odd and a little surreal. These people shot citizens.

Now, much remains to be done, and things get a little more serious as the euphoria settles. One of the challenges I see is preserving the same energy level for change after things go back to "normal".

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