Ole Abroad (Dan): Tahrir Square and the Libyan Embassy Party

This was quite the week in Cairo – especially on Friday. Friday has to be one of the funnest times that I have had in Cairo. First, I went out with my friend Heba and we had lunch and chilled at a small café called the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, drinking lattes and eating cake. Then we decided to walk to Tahrir Square.

Tahrir Square was the major flash point during the Egyptian Revolution, and it was amazing. On Fridays it can be somewhat tense because it is usually the day when Egyptians and other Arabs go out and protest against the government. This is a phenomenon common to most Arab countries, especially the commencement of the so-called “Arab Spring.”

So, we still decided to go on an adventure and see what Tahrir was all about. While walking there both of us spotted a stand selling Libyan flags. It is especially important for Heba, since she is Libyan and anti-Gaddafi, and this was the day after the death of Muamar Gaddafi. So we decided to buy two flags, one smaller one huge one. As we came closer to Tahrir we started noticing that people were honking from their cars and shouting “Mabrouk” (“Congratulations”) to us. I went along with it and just said “Shukran “(“Thank You”). Once we entered Tahrir we saw that there was a Syrian protest going on. They were protesting against the government and all of the atrocities that have been committed in recent times during the Syrian Rebellion. We watched and people continued to say “Mabrouk” to us. It was quite fun to be a part of this epic time during Arab history. But it only got better.

Later that night, Heba mentioned the fact that there would be a party at the Libyan embassy and I thought it would be really fun to join. So we went along with another friend, Aaisha. It was amazing! I danced and had a ball alongside Libyan ex-patriots and I even met some Libyan Rebels that fought on the front lines during the revolution.

At one point a rebel grabbed me and we danced in a circle. I noticed that there were TV cameras at the embassy and one pointed towards me as I was in the circle. I later found out the this was the Libya TV, that was created once the revolution began to combat Gaddafi’s propaganda machine. So, I most likely appeared on Libyan television, which I find to be awesome!

 

The night was capped off with a birthday party for my friend Bawa, who is Nigerian. It was an amazing party on an enormous boat that took us across the Nile for about four hours. I had a great time and really enjoyed myself. This was one of the greatest days of my life and I am truly blessed that I could experience all of it. 

Ma’asalama