Monday, January 31, 2011

From a city divided to a city united


Soon after taking the U-ban into East Berlin, we found ourselves walking on Weichsel Strasse heading towards our hostel. We went through the usual motions of checking in, finding a bed, unpacking and of course grabbing a map of the city. On the back of the map was an ad for daily tours of Berlin offered in all languages. The tours promised a trip through the rich history of Berlin with a focus on WWII and the Soviet era. How could someone say no to that?

The tour, given by a 20-something year old Scot, took us over Hitler’s bunker and through the

streets of East Berlin, often walking with one foot on the former East Berlin, and the other over West Berlin. The footprint of the infamous wall is still marked on the street with cobble stone, a reminder to all of the dark days of division. We heard stories of dangerous escapes, about victims who hoped to get on the other side, and the daily struggle in a city divided. The suffering may have lasted a long time, but the will of the people prevailed at the end. All we’re left with now is powerful images of the wall coming down, and a few cobblestones in Berlin as a reminder.

As the events unfold in Egypt I can’t help but dream about the day where the protests will be shown to kids in history classes, the same way that the fall of the Berlin wall is shown nowadays. The video would show images of men and women chanting in the street, brave protesters challenging heavily armoured vehicles in Cairo, and a dictator fleeing the country. I reflected on the time I spent in Berlin on that tour, and daydreamt about what the Egyptian equivalent would be like. Perhaps the tour would start in Tahrir Square, the symbol of the revolution. The tourists would then be guided through the streets of Cairo, where they will see burned down police stations, kept untouched as memory of the oppressive regime. They would make their way to the ministry of interior, where protestors were shot at with live ammunition, and where the police state was directing its last attempt at survival. Egyptian state televisions and radio stations are next on the tour. The tour guide would tell the tourists about the last pieces of propaganda uttered by state media. The tourists chuckle, much as I did in Berlin. Next stop is the presidential palace, which has now been turned into a museum to commemorate the revolution, and which includes relics from Mubarak’s Egypt. His heavily armoured car is on display, as well his solid gold cutlery, ancient Egyptian artefacts he used for decoration, among many, many other items. The tour would conclude back at Tahrir Square, although now the tourists are brought to the centre, where a statue stands tall and proud. The statue includes 15 people representative of the Egyptian population, with some holding up their hands in protests, a mother carrying her child in one arm and a poster in the other, and an old man with a faint hope in his eyes.

I hope it won’t be long before the day dream becomes reality, and we can all go to a free Egypt and take the tour. Egyptians have all it takes to deliver: determination, bravery, hope, and vision. It’s only a matter of time...

9 Comments:

  • At 1/31/2011 11:17 AM, Blogger Abufares said…

    an Inspiring post Omar.
    May your daydream come true in Egypt and wherever else people aspire for liberty.

     
  • At 1/31/2011 10:53 PM, Anonymous Isobel said…

    Omar, I didn't know until today that you were writing again. I'm so happy to see that you are. What a fantastic post and a beautiful dream. I too, hope that it is a dream that will be realized.

     
  • At 2/11/2011 7:36 PM, Blogger x said…

    Thank you Abufares and Isobel.
    When I wrote this I had no idea how long it would take till the dream came true. Now it feels almost surreal.

    I would love to see a statue in the middle of Tahrir commemorating this momentous event, not only in Egyptian history but in human history. Dr. Azmi Bishara often repeated over the past few days that what Egyptians are doing is teaching the world about a new way of bringing democratic change. The reminded all of us of the power that we have. Long live Egypt, democratic and free!

     
  • At 3/24/2011 7:38 AM, Blogger MJB said…

    Hey, Omar, it's Mary from Espanol. This isn't a comment on your posting. I just wanted to say that I've been looking through your blog, reading posts, and you are an amazing writer. You are very talented. I look forward to reading your future posts and learning from you vast base of knowledge and experiences.

     
  • At 11/22/2011 10:43 AM, Blogger david santos said…

    Really great work, Omar! Congratulations! have a excellent week!

     
  • At 1/19/2016 2:09 AM, Blogger Unknown said…

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  • At 5/11/2016 8:25 AM, Blogger Unknown said…

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    البرنامج التدريبي : تنمية المهارات المحاسبية للعاملين بأقسام المدفوعات والمصروفات في الفتره من 31 يوليو الى 4 اغسطس ((القاهرة-لبنان))

     
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  • At 8/02/2016 1:33 AM, Anonymous Máy đóng đai thùng said…

    The tour guide would tell the tourists about the last pieces of propaganda uttered by state media. The tourists chuckle, much as I did in Berlin.

     

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