Moulid An Nabi

It's the Prophet Mohameds birthday today, so there were slight celebrations in the streets. Not as much as I had expected, but the ferry was crowded with families crossing to the East side.
There, they would spend a few hours walking along the Corniche, sitting and eating a picnic, or go to the square of Abu El Hagag Mosque (Which is where I was) Lots of sweet and toy stalls were already set up and the usual toy cars for hire were already busy.

Earlier, at home, I had watched a video of a small group on FB, setting up their tent, in front of Abu El Hagag Mosque. They were all Luxor people, making their own quiet protest, marking tomorrow's 2 year anniversary of the revolution of January 25th 2011.
In the video, the protesters had received a bad response from a passing caleche driver. He was concerned that making such a protest in a public/tourist area, would frighten away the Tourists.

As I passed by the square, I noticed the very tent and approached it, there I met Hashim. He sat against a tree, drinking tea and happily shared his reasons for coming here.

He and his friends, wanted to show their concerns for the last 2 years, post Mubarak, post revolution.

Nothing had changed for the better in their lives, in fact things had gotten worse. Basics, such as bread, cigarettes and food had increased in price, while Benzine (Diesel) was scarce, meaning people had to queue for hours to fill their tanks. The poor had become poorer and no one was able to help them.

Egypt had elected a new President, but nothing he had done, since being in power, had made a direct impact on the people in their daily lives, it had indeed got harder to survive here.

Having spoken to people today, I feel this Moulid (Feast) has been overshadowed by the potential events of tomorrow, as everyone waits to see what will happen on January 25th....2 years on from the Revolution, in which Mubarak was overthrown.

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