The Freedom perks: fresh air (out of Cairo).

 These next 3 months will be a breath of fresh air in so many ways: out of Cairo for my european tour (workshops and performances), for my BOOK editing final phase, to catch up with long time friends and close family and simply to BREATH...

After President Morsy (from Muslim Brotherhood) took over the country and its people turned into a species that I don´t recognize anymore. Like it or not, muslim religious extremism is growing and THAT affects everything (women´s rights, daily life, work, personal relationships, etc).

In seven years of daily living and performing in Egypt I never saw such a negative change happening with this kind of speed and gravity. Some deny it, of course, but many others are opening their eyes and speaking up (specially egyptian women) and THAT is something to hold on to as far as FAITH is concerned.

• Meanwhile...these are the daily perks of this absence from a city that became something I don´t recognize as "my Egypt":

1. Walking in public spaces without being sexually harassed every 15 seconds (great feeling!);

2. Being able to dress like a normal human being (no NINJA cloths or SACK of POTATOES required);

3. Feeling that women and MEN - as well - see me and treat me like a HUMAN BEING and not like a piece of meat for sale;

4. Less noise, pollution, chaos, procrastination in the name of Ala ("Inshah Allah, bokra" means "Tomorrow, if God wants" - a common expression that is randomly used to avoid responsability and accountability);

5. Having the chance to run freely in public without having cars following me and freaks trying to push me inside of those same cars;

6.Receiving the RESPECT for my profession that no dancer can have in Egypt - specially nowadays. In Egypt, admitting (like it´s a crime!) that you´re a dancer is the same as saying you´re a prostitute so I ended up finding ways to avoid troubles with strangers simply by omitting the profession I´m so proud of;

7. Having normal relationships with MEN who can actually be my friends and do not put my name in their egyptian/arab macho agenda where they write down the next victims they wish to sleep with. It´s refreshing to deal with men who are not so sexually frustrated and thirsty that they can actually SEE me and TREAT me for what I am: A PERSON.

8. Being allowed to speak my mind without receiving offenses, threats and nasty comments from people who  refuse to use their brain and, therefore, refuse that you use your own brain.

9. Living my life without neighbors and strangers poking their nose into it (in Cairo, the time you go out and return, the people you see and what you do is  EVERYBODY´S business);

10. Recovering - a bit - from the shock and frustration of seeing Egypt moving backwards and its Revolution completely stolen. 
The egyptians who actually MADE this REVOLUTION HAPPEN are not the ones who took over the power and I´m afraid the old garbage is still in power with extra spices of religious extremism and ignorance added to the plate. NOT GOOD.


*What I DO MISS in CAIRO?!

Well:

A handful for TRUE (egyptian) friends that are there and make up for the whole lot of freaks I constantly meet;

My orchestra (always miss my men);

Egyptian audiences (still* the best in the world);

My favorite "caramel machiatto" made by some sweet guys at "Beano´s" café;

Night life!;

Daily surprises (the good ones!); 

Molokheya and mahshy (traditional egyptian food goodies); 

The Nile and the fellucas that go about lazy on them (yes, it´s a cliché but it´s also the truth);

Om Kolthoum´s songs coming from any corner (more and more replaced by the Holy Quran - no comments on this one).