Cairo Trilogy, Pt. II: Through Children's Eyes

by Andrew Bast

(Also published, in a slightly different form, in Metro.)

CAIRO -- Perhaps the best way to look at a city is to stare into the eyes of its children. Two weeks ago, the day I arrived, I set off exploring and walked across the Nile river, which does indeed bear an emerald sheen. I stumbled on a government complex where patches of green grass provided refuge from the dry sands of the Sahara for couples to chat and kids to play soccer. I sat down to stare, and before I knew it, a crew of young boys—probably around 10 years old—surrounded me, smiling.

What does Egypt have in store for these soon-to-be-teenagers, for these young men? It's an important question in a mostly Muslim Middle Eastern country of 80 million, and in a city that's commonly known as the cultural capital of the Arab world. In fact, Egypt is a young country. One in three here are under the age of 15. And it was fitting that we were all together in front of large government buildings; the bloated, and often corrupt, bureaucracy here employs more than 6 million. This is certainly an option: a comfortable, yet not terribly prosperous profession in the civil service.

Schooling is free through university, yet the prospects don't seem all that good. I spoke to a very intelligent young man named Ahmed who explained that his two years of university education in business only got him a sales clerk job in the souvenir shop of a decent tourist hotel. He said that even if he finished his degree, finding employment worth his education would be very difficult, if not impossible.

Interestingly, the situation for young women is different. While society here is unquestionably male-dominated—outside of my own hotel, in six days I can't remember interacting with a single woman—the veil has actually become a kind of tool for women's empowerment. Over lunch, Max Rodenbeck, the Middle East bureau chief for The Economist magazine explained that in 1980, only one in twenty girls wore a headscarf, while today, 80% of women cover their hair. Only, rather than being a tool of oppression, the trend has actually invited women into society, so to speak. What's more, it has allowed them to take on a job; wearing a headscarf actually opens up doors to a career.

Cairo is a cacophonous city. Horns, hustlers, the call to prayer, screaming from the minarets five times a day all make the city a bustling and exciting place. The boys in front of the government building shouted at me, their faces lit with curiosity. "Assalam aleikum," I said, using the little bit of Arabic I know. "Wa-lakeum salaam!" They roared back.

The boys in the concrete lot, no more than a stones throw away, continued kicking the soccer ball, some wearing a single shoe, some barefoot entirely. And then one boy in a green t-shirt stepped directly to me and asked, with perfect English in a demanding tone, "What is your name?"

"Andy," I said.

He peered at me and said, "Pleased to meet you."

(Photo by Ana M. Bast. Click image for more.)

Comments

[PyramidView]

While it is true that education if free, families need to provide a school uniform and supplies. A uniform may cost 45LE. For a factory worker making 300LE, a school uniform may be unaffordable.

Egypt needs to stop producing university graduates, how many German Literature graduates does this country need?, and focus on Technical Schools.

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The boys in the concrete lot, no more than a stones throw away, continued kicking the soccer ball, some wearing a single shoe, some barefoot entirely. And then one boy in a green t-shirt stepped directly to me and asked, with perfect English in a demanding tone, "What is your name?"

[CAPlastic Surgeon]

Actually, government run schools require supplies and uniforms. The total cost is about 500LE for a good language school. A friend of mine's husband is Egyptian. He went to an ivy league college there and paid 50LE (about $7) for his priciest year of tuition. College is much cheaper in Cairo than the lower levels of school.
The women in Cairo have it made in a lot of ways too. They can choose to work or not, many times getting higher paid and more responsible positions than the men. However, if her husband asks her to quit or she has a baby she will usually leave her job and stay home with the baby. There is no daycare for most families there.

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