The Egyptian Revolution and Those it Left Behind – الثوره المصريه ,ومن خلفتهم ورائها

Khaled Gamal, 18, in Cairo, Egypt (via CNN.com)

The urban poor of Cairo are as much a part of the Egyptian Revolution as any other group, but are the ones feeling most hopeless and lacking agency as Egyptians watch the new political framework is established.  CNN.com recently ran an informative and thought provoking article entitled: “For Egypt’s Trapped and Teeming, revolution has barely begun“.  A quote from a young Egyptian best describes the content of the article:

“I’m proud of the life I live, but it’s the type of life that had us in Tahrir the first few days fighting for a better one,” he said, noting that he often couldn’t protest because he had to work instead. “I want a better sewage system, a good high school. The poor are constantly forgotten by the regime and even the revolutionaries.”

The article quotes urban planning experts such as David Sims (Understanding Cairo: the Logic of a City Out of Control), Dina Shehayeb (architect and planner, The American University in Cairo), and Mohamed Elshahed (Cairobserver).  It also touches upon issues such as the Cairo 2050 plan (read Cairo from Below’s analysis of Cairo 2050 here), informal settlements, and the increasingly large divide between rich and poor in Cairo.

While watching the dissolving of the Egyptian Parliament and through this article, I am reminded again of the importance of keeping Cairo’s poor at the forefront in my mind, as they are the largest and most vulnerable group at this key point in Egyptian history.

Translated by Hazem Adel, Ain Shams University, Faculty of Engineering, BSc Architecture 2011