Transparent Faces

I took these photographs last weekend. While the Wall remains on Mohamed Mahmoud Street, passer-bys are now able to walk up to the wall (or close to it at least, young revolutionaries still stand guard in huddles). Previously there had been a no-go zone complete with barbed-wire and looted Cairo police traffic-barriers and enforced by young revolutionaries. This was the first time I had walked the length of Mohamed Mahmoud Street since the outbreak of the recent clashes. I am quite familiar with the street-- it is the location of the AUC bus-stop-- and was pleasantly surprised to see that most of the street art remained untouched; I wasn't sure if I would find the walls blackened from ash.

The mural depicts those living martyrs who lost their eyes during the recent clashes. All of the faces in the mural were transparent-- their skin was the wall itself. Are the living martyrs a reflection of the street or the realization of it?

One living martyr's face was partially composed of a campaign poster.

Today concluded the second day of the run-off polls in the first round of voting for the Maglis Al Sha'ab (there are three rounds of polls for the lower house of parliament, there will be an additional three round of polls for the upper house early next year). Run-off polls were only in those districts in which an individual candidate (whether in the professional or worker/ farmer category) didn't achieve more than 50% of the vote in the initial poll- thus there were only either two or four candidates on the ballot. There were no run-off polls for the party/alliance-lists.

Voter turn-out is visibly remarkably lower than in last week's election- there is not as much excitement as there was a week ago- it appears the novelty has already worn off for some. There were hardly any lines and also hardly any Muslim Brotherhood volunteers- although the latter perhaps because they had been so helpful before.

http://www.thedailynewsegypt.com/egypt-elections-2011/lower-voter-turnout-in-second-day-of-elections-run-offs-dp3.html

I had one friend who went to the poll and "voted," but in reality scratched his ballot. Unlike his Aunt, he didn't vote because of the alleged 500 pound (100 US dollar) fine- He voted to be a part of the process, yet scratched because he didn't like his options (The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom & Justice Party or the Salafi Nour Party).

Whoever wins and whenever they actually take their seat (Parliament supposedly opens in March 2012), I sincerely hope they don't forget about these martyrs and their families. They are the veterans of a war fought too close to home.

Signs

In addition to street art, Cairo is filled with signs, posters, and stickers.

Posters of political candidates plastered to the wall.

Signs of political candidates hanging from a building or signs strung to the fence of the Maglis Al-Sha'ab demanding the downfall of military rule.

And bumper stickers, not placed on cars, but instead stuck to walls or articles of clothing during demonstrations.

I chose to cover only street art in this blog. I am fully aware that other forms of expression exist on the streets of Cairo, I walk past them every single day. I am, however, a student and do not have the time to thoroughly document everything that I see. While I am not vain enough to think that I can photograph every piece of street art while I am in Cairo, I want to at least give myself a chance.

In high school, I took pictures of the street art in Baltimore for my senior project. (I also kept a blog, here is the link: http://justanothersundaystroll.blogspot.com/). Street art knows no boundaries it is a universal language. Unlike signs, posters or stickers, you can't fold it into your pocket and take it home as a souvenir.

I am putting these photographs of signs on my blog now because the signs themselves have been spray-paint on. The word "القصاص" (retribution) has begun appearing on banners in and around Midan Tahrir.

Translation: "The people want the downfall of military rule immediately and not to raid the Interior Ministry."

This sign is located on the fence of the Maglis Al-Sha'ab. The word "القصاص" is spray-painted on the bottom right hand of the banner.

BLANK

The letters are gone.

Translation: "Retribution"

As I passed by the Maglis Al-Shura today, there were no longer any English letters on the gate. As I wrote in an earlier post, the majority of the English letters had been removed (taken down, stolen?). Last week someone spray-painted the gate with the words "down with military rule", and finally yesterday someone removed the last of the English letters and wrote "القصاص" (retribution)

The word "retribution" refers to the failure of the government to give justice to the families' of the Martyrs of the Revolution.

Interestingly enough, the building next to the gate had also been spray-painted last week, but was painted over.