Soldiers direct traffic as children celebrate on the back of a truck(Photos: © Chris Chorlton/CMS)Living and working in Cairo throughout the revolution were Angela and Chris Chorlton, CMS partners. Here's the Egyptian revolution through their eyes.
“Blessed be Egypt my people” (Isaiah 19:25)We are proud to have been here in Egypt to see what has taken place over the past three weeks. After living in Egypt for nearly seven years it has been refreshing to see the youth of the nation grasping at a future where they have more control of their destiny.
Here is how the Revolution looked from our angle:
The excitement of the first Friday of full protests was soured by a battle at the end of our road between groups trying to burn the police station and the army trying to maintain control. Eventually the army secured the area, but a lot of cars were torched and a number of people died. There was heavy shooting – we could see the tracer fire from our balcony – but we never felt in danger – we weren’t protesting, and there was no anti-foreigner sentiment.
Looting and curfew
The Chorlton family take in the jubilant atmosphere in Tahrir Square
The next day was all about the looters – we heard awful things about thousands of prisoners escaping and roaming Cairo. The whole street was blocked off after dark with groups of neighbours staying up all night to check on who was coming into our neighbourhood during a curfew. That was possibly the worst night for us.
A few days later it seemed calm enough for Chris to go to Tahrir square to see what all the fuss was about, where there were plenty of other foreigners being ‘tourists’.
That evening though was when pro-government protestors stormed the square with camels and horses and the violence seemed to go on for the rest of the day. Seeing that on the TV from here probably looked just as bad as it did from where you were, so we often needed to go out onto the balcony to see that actually all was well in this part of town.
As you know, that violence didn’t spread. But it was a clear reminder that there is a lot at stake here in Egypt, and not everyone wanted the regime changed. From that low point we have slowly felt the tension leaving us each day.
The first week was hard as friends began leaving regularly. It was especially hard when we heard our children being told by their friends that Cairo wasn’t safe for foreigners. (Fortunately we think our kids aren’t really aware they are foreigners!) The children have done well. Remarkably, their school closed for just a few days, despite many children and some staff leaving. We’ve seen it come into its own as a ‘community school’, with everyone pitching in to fill the gaps.
Egypt has changed
It all ended with the President finally resigning on 11 February – just when we were starting to wonder if he really could hold out to September as he wanted. People burst into the streets for a wild night of jubilation, we’ve really seen nothing like it! The following day the five of us went into Tahrir Square – definitely the highlight of our entire time here in Egypt.
Egypt has changed – Mubarak announced half way through the crisis that if he left, the country would descend into chaos. We loved it the next morning when people trying to get into Tahrir Square lined up in queues that took hours. Anyone who has been to Egypt will know that queuing is really not done around here! It felt like the nation was saying “Look what we can do if we want to!”
To quote a well-known author here, “People are actually articulating: 'They said we were divided, extreme, ignorant, fanatic – well here we are: diverse, inclusive, hospitable, generous, sophisticated, creative and witty.'"
Infectious joy
The writing on this girl's forehead says, "Horraya" meaning "freedom"
Empowerment is infectious; it has been amazing to see people walking a little taller, even if they haven’t been part of the protests. A friend of ours told us, “For the first time in my life, I feel proud to be Egyptian.” People are really beginning to feel that their contribution, their voice, can make a difference.
But this is just the beginning. Egypt is set to be paralysed by strikes in the next few months – people who have been ‘silenced’ for years are now desperate to have their voices heard. As stories of corruption under the old regime keep on coming to the surface, feelings of anger and injustice are bubbling under the surface. As the euphoria of the moment passes, we need to pray for healing and restitution for those who’ve been mistreated.
"Pray for our country"
Living through these last three weeks has given us a renewed sense of purpose and love for the people here.
We’ve been especially encouraged by the many scenes of Christians and Muslims standing together through all of this. You might have seen images of Christians ‘protecting’ Muslims as they prayed in Tahrir, and vice versa!
All over the city, there are posters of crosses and crescents, with the slogan, "We are all Egyptians". Amazing!
In addition, we’ve got to know our neighbours better! We live in an apartment building in a busy city. We didn’t know our neighbours that well. We certainly do now. There is nothing like a military curfew to bring people together! It has also been a great pleasure to see the surprise on people’s faces when they see we haven’t left. From colleagues to shopkeepers to street sweepers.
And it goes without saying that our prayer life, faith and trust in God’s goodness has been strengthened. We’ve prayed a lot more, and prayer is generally mentioned more – even between Muslims and Christians. “Pray for our Country” is a normal farewell.
So, we say to you too, please continue to pray for this country. We know that, unless people's hearts are changed by the Holy Spirit, all hope of a real "reformation of life-style", to which many Egyptians now aspire, will be impossible to achieve.
There has never been a time when God's voice is more needed.