Anniversary of the Revolution

We are coming on the anniversary of the revolution and it seems to have every one on edge in some way or another.   I was told by a colleague that as the revolution approaches, it might be a good time to avoid the major protest points of Cairo and Alexandria.  As I mentioned an interest in visiting Luxor or Aswan, I was told this week might be a good time to visit other areas in Egypt.   I have every intention of visiting Luxor before I leave Egypt, I just haven’t considered traveling down there until I get settled in Alex.  Luxor, for those of you keeping score, is in Upper Egypt, or the south of the country. Depending on who I ask, I may get a couple of different answers about whether I should leave Alex for a few days, or stick around.  This is mostly because no one really knows what will happen on January 25.  Everyone seems to think there will be major interruptions, while others think it is overblown, and I have nothing to worry about.  Quite frankly, I subscribe to the latter camp; I seem to think there is nothing to worry about.  Most businesses, including the library, will be closed on January 25.  Some have suggested that I not leave my flat, as others plan on staying inside to await the passing storm.

Everyone in the Arts and Multimedia library has been more than gracious and forthright in communicating details of developing events, what I will be doing here at the library, and articulating a timetable for getting things done. Most recently they have been explaining details about the bustling protests taking place at the library.  Ever since January 25, 2011, many people feel that every day should be a revolution.  Their place and stature within the library is a platform for turning everything upside down.  Many recent protests have communicated to administrators a desire for a pay raise, while others are solidarity protests, with the protesters in Tahrir Square and the spirit of the revolution itself.  Today, for example, marks the first meeting of the newly elected Egyptian Parliament, comprised entirely of the Muslim Brotherhood.  This is reason for protest for some at the library.  As a consequence, there is never a dull moment while living in Alexandria.  And while I keep thinking that I will have down time to catch up on some reading and generally enjoy acting as a tourist (I do from  time-to-time), there is always so much going on between the library, events with the Fulbright office and the US Embassy, and the schedule of the city that I am too pooped at night to want to do anything else.  Mind you, I am happy about this.

 

One example of the energy around the city comes from my ride in this morning when the tram I was on suddenly went out of service (ok, Sounds like the T in Boston, right?) was followed by a taxi driver crashing into the back of an SUV.  The newly working tram was stopped because of the accident.  And while I have never seen anyone come to blows (they have come close), the man who was in the accident with the taxi was screaming and began breaking the taxi’s headlights while his wife was trying to restrain him.  Three (3) men hopped off the tram to a) either exacerbate the situation, or b) help the situation.  I believe it was the former, since the crowd on the tram was shouting at the crowd that was assembled around the accident.  And as my colleagues remind me, “Egyptians are loud people to begin with.  When they are really loud, they are REALLY loud.”  Evidence of this was clear when I entered the library and heard demonstrators chanting in the stairwell as they marched around the library.  The Bibliotheca is a huge facility, so you can imagine how loud the crowds are when, chanting near the entrance of the library, I can hear the noise from three floors below and one thousand (1000) yards away from the window.

 

Among recent developments in the library, I have begun working on a a series of lectures.  I was asked to communicate the differences between librarians in the United States and Egypt, including a discussion about ethical standards, perceptions, roles, and professional development initiatives that would be helpful for staff at the BA.  This will be part of a series of workshops and lectures. I am also working on a film program and a series of art talks, which include a series of lectures on American landscape and genre painting, and American art in the early twentieth century.  I will also be giving workshops on a type of meta information literacy, exploring literacy beyond typical library resources.  There are guests invited from all over for these programs, among which is special invitation to the University of Alexandria and the museum and library staff.

 

I received an invitation from the Fulbright Office in conjunction with the US Embassy to meet in Cairo next week with the US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Academic Programs.  I just hope there is food at the reception!  As much of a pain as it can be going back and forth to Cairo, I am still eager to make the trip as often as possible, and I will most certainly accept the invitation.

 

I should mention as a final note that with my employee ID card I get a 25% discount at the library/museum store.  They not only have some great nick-nacks, but also a nice selection of historical books on the region that I could never find back home.  I took about twenty books with me for research and teaching while here with the intention that I was going to donate them to the library so I don’t have to lug them back with me.  Now I am thinking about purchasing just as many for the return journey.  It is difficult finding the full selection of Naguib Mahfouz books, for example.  In any case, I need to partake of the culture, and the art, the books and the music are a great way to do it.  Right now I am tapping into the rich collection of films to brush up on my Egyptian history and culture.  Who would have thought that much of the literature considers Egypt to be part of the Mediterranean, not the Middle East or Africa/North Africa to which it is otherwise commonly referred.