Dear Shaded Viewers,
I’m here in Cairo checking things out and this morning I went out in search of street art in Zamalek, an island in the middle of the Nile where my hotel, the Sofitel El Gezirah, is located. Of course this is a very politically volatile time in Egypt. I am staying not too far from Tahrir Square. Yesterday there were protests and attacks against the Presidential Palace, which is far from here, but I couldn’t tell if anything was happening in Tahrir last night. I’m sensing something is happening there now as I walked by the notorious Qasr al-Nil Bridge aka the Lion Bridge and the energy was a bit scary.
Here is some of the street art I found in Zamalek today. Most of it seems organic however I can’t help suspecting that some of it is planted by the CIA (“I heart chaos”? Really?). The fact that a lot of it is in English is just an indication of the middle-class liberal artists behind it as many people here speak English.
The entrance to the Lion Bridge where many of the battles between police and protestors have taken place. It leads to Tahrir Square. This point is not a good place to hang out as I quickly discovered when a group of teenagers started screaming at me in Arabic.
Peace,
Glenn Belverio
