The Case for Cairo

Why you should come to Cairo. Now.

Perhaps more than most, I am known for openly criticizing Cairo. This is because I am way past the infatuation phase in my relationship with this city. I have said and continue to say that it is dirty, crowded, chaotic, draining, dysfunctional, and frustrating. But one thing I have never said about this place is that it is dangerous. If it were dangerous, I would not live here. Neither would thousands of other foreigners who live here alongside me. Okay, okay, the first week of the uprising was pretty scary. I’ll give you that. But things calmed down soon after. Sure, there is no real government right now, and there still isn’t as many police on the streets as there used to be, but I could think of much more dangerous countries that have functioning governments and plenty of police.

Despite what you hear from the media, Cairo is safe. The problem with the media is that it broadcasts from Tahrir Square to the near exclusion of the rest of the country. This results in a skewed version of reality. Tahrir is not Egypt. It is a tiny sliver of Cairo that serves as a rallying point for political agitators. Generally, what happens in Tahrir stays in Tahrir and does not affect the country at large. In fact, half of the time, Egyptians don’t even know what is happening there.

Certain personalities are also guilty of promoting the myth that Egypt is a danger zone. They are either prone to believing and spreading rumors, or are in the business of scaremongering. I remember one Egyptian in the US scaring me out of returning to Cairo. He told me people were being mugged and murdered in broad daylight, and that women were being raped in public. He also said I would have to hire an armed driver to escort me absolutely everywhere, including to the supermarket. While it is true that incidents such as these have happened, there isn’t an epidemic of violent crime sweeping the country. And while it is always a good idea to take the same precautions you would take in any city, hiring an armed driver for your protection is unnecessary. 

Knowingly spreading these types of rumors is unconscionable. So is blindly believing them. This myth that Cairo is dangerous has delivered a near death blow to the tourism sector, the main pillar of the Egyptian economy. Millions of Egyptians now find themselves un(der)employed because of the steep decline in tourism—tour guides, taxi drivers, wait staff, artists, vendors, etc. Life was hard enough before the ‘revolution.’ Now it is even more difficult.

Two things prompted me to write this post. The first was the very low attendance at both of Cairo’s belly dance festivals this summer. In the past, these festivals had attracted well over 500 students each summer. In 2006 alone, the number of students at one festival was more than one thousand! This summer, the number of attendees at both festivals was under 200. While I expected attendance to be lower this year, I did not think it would be this low. I mean, it’s not like Cairo is a war zone.

The second thing compelling me declare Cairo is safe is my (very) bleak prognosis for the future.  For reasons I will discuss in a future post, I am not too optimistic about the changes that Egypt is about to undergo. Though the country is still relatively safe and friendly towards foreigners, there is no guarantee this will be the case tomorrow. For this reason, I urge all of my readers not to take Egypt for granted. Yes, it will always exist on the map, but it may be a very different country than the one we all know and love. Do not put off your trip to Egypt until “things get better.”  They may very well get worse. Do not assume that Egypt will always welcome you with open arms. There are powerful forces in this country that want that to stop.

Just last week, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced it would ban individual foreign tourists from purchasing tourist visas at the airport. Only individuals who purchased a tour package from a recognized tourism company in Egypt would be allowed to enter the country. Upon realizing the damage this would inflict on the economy, the powers that be promptly rescinded that decision. But it demonstrates that cracking down on tourism (including the thousands of “permanent tourists” that reside in Egypt) is an idea that is gaining wider currency these days. For Heaven’s sake, we even have the Muslim Brotherhood declaring war on the “rotten culture” of the Pharaohs—you know, that same rotten culture that is the reason for tourism to Egypt!

(You can read more about the Brotherhood’s plan to cover the Sphinx’s face with wax here: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/90058045?Egypt%26%23146%3Bs%20Brotherhood%20declares%20war%20on%20the%20bikini. It’s a long article. Make sure you get to the bottom of it).

Egypt needs you now more than ever. Your presence and your dollars will help stimulate the economy, employ thousands of people, and serve as a powerful reminder that Egypt CANNOT survive without tourism. So, think about spending your next vacation in Egypt. Egypt is an enchanting land with much to offer. Whether it is the “rotten culture” of the Pharaohs, belly dance, Arabic language, or Islamic history, there is something here for everyone. Not to mention that Egyptians are some of the most hospitable and funniest people on the planet. They alone are worth a visit to the Land of prophets and Pharaohs.