Comments on: Walking around Cairo Streets.. Sweet Dream mixed with a Nightmare

By: Mohamed

Mohamed — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 08:45:11 +0000

Moussa’s small effort – it would take thousands of workers to clean the soiled streets of Giza, she said – made headlines in Egyptian newspapers as a demonstration of how ordinary individuals can help fill a vacuum of responsibility left by those in charge.

But for Moussa, 23, the one-day clean-up also illuminated why so few Egyptians are able to organise a grassroots community action.

“It makes a difference when you’ve lived somewhere else outside Egypt and you see the way that the average citizen is responsible,”

By: Mohamed

Mohamed — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 08:41:04 +0000

The streets of Egypt’s capital have never been particularly clean, said Dana Moussa. But since rubbish men in Giza, a suburb of Cairo, went on strike three weeks ago, the rubbish that was once just part of the scenery quickly turned into towering monuments of civic neglect.

“I knew that the garbage men weren’t coming because they were on strike, but the store owners could go down and clean around their stores,” said Ms Moussa, a Giza resident who works for a non-profit development organisation. “Every time I asked them, the answer would be: ‘Oh it’s not my responsibility. It’s the garbage men’s responsibility.’

“The typical Egyptian answer is that my job on Earth is not to pick up trash. That’s someone else’s job.”

So Ms Moussa decided to make it her job.

As city officials bickered among each other and maggots and dead cats joined the rubbish accumulating on her street, she rallied a group of about 100 of her Facebook friends and friends-of-friends to clean up the Giza neighbourhood of Mohandiseen last Saturday.

By: Hisham

Hisham — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 11:06:36 +0000

@Ana
Yes Ana, we can not change everyhing, thanks for the advice :)

@LBJirelNo
For sure it is, thanks for the comment!

By: LBJirel

LBJirel — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 11:00:33 +0000

After reading your post, it seem Cairo is very interesting place.

Your pictures are also nice.

By: Ana

Ana — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:58:17 +0000

Sounds like a wonderful experience, the city being reflected in the spatial planning. You can’t change everything, not on a whole scale anyway, but you can always start working your way up on little things if you like. :)

By: Hisham

Hisham — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:54:33 +0000

Thank you “H” for your comment, I agree with you that Cairo is much better at nights, specially if everybody is at home and you can enjoy it alone :)

By: Hesham Hamza

Hesham Hamza — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:11:50 +0000

I like the article so much
Yeah true, Cairo is a mix for many beautiful and poor things

the best thing in Cairo, to walk in Kornish after all people sleep

Try to walk in Garden City, Maadi Kornish, Downtown after 3 am and you will feel what i mean

The same in Alexandria, specially in winter after 2am

but if you go during the day, so you will feel the other side of the coin “the nightmare”

Enjoy walking after 3 am :)

By: R*

R* — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:34:36 +0000

Do you realize that this article could apply on many countries?
Whether around the middle east, Europe or USA.
no money= no maintenance = no care = chaos