Egyptians - Intro

This blog is about hearing what Egyptians have to say. I will be writing my findings here, aiming to get a complete overview of real Egyptian life, which should eventually be all collected in a book.

Over the centuries, Egypt has been ruled by governments, which, in my opinion, never actually addressed the real needs and wants of Egyptians.

Egypt, to me, is not only the main cities and known villages. At one million square kilometres, the country has some populations that have never been heard, and have never even been known to those “more fortunate” ones in the Nile Valley.

Over the next few years, I am hoping to reach some of those unreachable Egyptians, just to hear what they have to say; who they are, what they do, how they live, what they’re happy with, what they’re lacking, and, most importantly, what they need!

During my quest to know more about the Egyptians and Egypt, I am hoping that, eventually, those unheard voices will come out and, at least, reach some of those who like to call themselves the “elite” or the “educated.” Maybe, just maybe, someone, somewhere, will be able to reach out to his/her fellow Egyptians who have been forgotten for thousands of years.

Moreover, I’ll try to shed some light on the good, the bad, and the downright horrible aspects of Egyptian societies and cultures, trying to understand mentalities. I believe that understanding someone else’s mentality, which by no means means agreeing with it, is a first step towards a more harmonious, peaceful, happy and civilised society, where everyone can get almost everything they need, and live relatively comfortably.

I am planning my first real encounter to be during the event of “Characters of Egypt” (www.charactersofegypt.com) starting tomorrow, which will be taking place at Fustat Wadi El Gemal (www.wadielgemal.com). The event brings together 11 desert tribes from around Egypt; most people haven’t even heard about the existence of these people. Their way of life is still mostly very similar to the way they lived during the times of the Pharaohs. During the event, I will try to get to know as many people as I can from as many tribes as possible, at least to establish contact with them for future communication, and hopefully visits.

Any and all feedback is appreciated.