"See Cairo on foot"

President Oden's parting words, as he got off the bus this afternoon, were "See Cairo on foot". And with this advise, along with a somewhat ill-conceived plan to find Tahrir Square, we left the AUC hostel at 7PM, looking for a genuine Egyptian Dinner. Within a block, upon asking for directions, we were told to take a taxi, but with memories of the 2 hour bus tour still fresh in our minds, we continued to stretch our legs. Oden's words almost immediately yielded an experience that was at least akin to what he had in mind. We came across a Palestinian rap concert that, at 4 US dollars a ticket, was irresistable. The well-equipped venue sat on the beach of the Nile, and its walls were adorned with Arabic political cartoons. Admittedly, some were almost insensitively critical of American society, while others focused their criticism on specific political figures. There were certainly enough depictions of Bush to appease any liberal American. Others still seemed uninterested in foreign affairs, illuminating issues of class within Egypt, and specifically the issues of water shortages and illiteracy among the working class. The cartoon here seems critical of the veil, implying that it is barbaric and uncivilized men who force such a lifestyle upon their wives.


As is typical of Rap concerts, the acoustics were such that it was nearly impossible to make out what the MCees were saying. It didn't help that they were speaking in slang-colloquial Egyptian Arabic. However, I surmised that one of the song titles was "Ana G", which I assume means "I'm a G". That's the best I could do. So it goes.

By chance, after the show, we ran into two of the MCees. They seemed enthusiastic about entertaining westerners, and were friendly enough to take this picture with us. I think now all of us are technically gang-affiliated.

We finished the night at a local restaurant, sipping cups of coffee with a consistency reminiscient of mud, but a flavor unlike anything you'll find at your local Starbucks.