On Being
American
Last year, I bought some red, white, and
blue fabric to make myself an American flag belly dance costume. Well, to have
Eman Zaki make it for me. I never thought I would do such a thing, but I couldn’t
resist those glitter stars and stripes set against a background of stretch
lycra. Politics aside, it is a
beautiful flag. And I’m crazy like that.**
The costume was absolutely stunning, but I
wasn’t brave enough to wear it. At least not initially. I was well aware of Egyptians’
generally unfavorable views towards the United States, and I didn’t want to
risk being offensive (or being pelted). Then one day, I decided to risk it. I
figured the worst that could happen was being booed off the stage. I was
willing to take that chance. To my surprise, nothing like that happened. In
fact, my audience started clapping and cheering the moment I entered the room.
Many of them begged to take pictures with me after my show.
