Cleanup in Cairo, the conclusion

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February 12th Madin Tahrir Cairo, a tale quite literally of love and trash -
Read the beginning: Cleanup in Cairo part 1 and part 2

As a foreigner arriving in Tahrir armed with my playa restoration t-shirt from Burning Man, a broom and several rolls of trash bags, I was trepidant as to how I would be received. Not 14 hours beforehand, state TV had declared that they were “sorry they’d claimed that foreigners and journalists were Israeli spies, Agents of Destability and potential enemies of Egypt… that they too had been misinformed.”

Egypt has long been a country which defines hospitality and welcoming. Yet the past 3 weeks had virtually killed their tourist economy, and saw many of the usually resident expats leave the country in a quick flee. Those who lived in Cairo and depended on the tourists industry were now out of work. What would they think of me?

I was unprepared for the level of welcome, appreciation and joy I encountered.

Throughout the day various Egyptians asked me to stop cleaning or said that it was embarrassing to have a guest clean their mess. I could do nothing but reply that we, as the rest of the world, were so proud of their strength, integrity, and determination over the past few weeks that I wanted to help to clean. That the fight was theirs and the victory was theirs but I as a guest wanted to show my solidarity with their monumental achievement.

Hugs, kisses, hi fives, and tears were shared all round. I could barely go 5 minutes without stopping for a picture, being handed a baby to hold or engaging in garbled Arabanglish conversations.

The country had been completely shaken by three dramatic weeks. The residents of Cairo told me that seeing foreigners and hearing how much the plight of the Egyptians had been followed by the world made their victory seem sweeter and more solid.

I would be lying if I said I had cleared as much of the trash as I expected to. The sheer number of people on the street repairing and cleaning meant that the place was more spotless than it had ever been.

However, with rocks and rubble to be moved and a never-ending stream of thousands and thousands of people joining the masses in the streets, there was still work to be done. And as I worked, magically, a steady supply of mythical food made its way to me. I still do not quite know from where it came, nor the tea, nor the endless stream of new friends.

Of course, as in that other desert city, cleaning and work was only a small portion of the day. It was a day of love, jubilation and pride, and with several sound systems, live bands and hundreds of thousands of brothers and sisters to share it with. Some things are universal whatever your location.

As to what comes next, no one is quite sure and there still is a degree of anxiety here. However, if the actions of the masses are anything to go by, the future is bright.

When the army of citizens’ weapons of choice are love, determination and brooms, anything is possible.