Veenu Sandhu goes through images chronicling Egypt’s tumultuous 18 days, put together by the Egyptian Embassy.
Today we are all Egyptians.” Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg’s statement hailing the new dawn the Arab nation witnessed earlier this year has been put up outside the exhibition hall at the Egyptian embassy in Delhi. Inside, 96 photographs tell the story of the 18 days that forced Hosni Mubarak to step down as the president of Egypt.
The pictures were taken by those in the thick of action — from January 25 when the uprising began to February 11 when Mubarak resigned. Titled “The 25th January Revolution: Egyptians Making History As Usual”, the exhibition covers the democratic movement which saw thousands of people — men, women, children, the elderly, the physically-challenged — converge at Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo. “For 18 days, Tahrir Square became their home,” says Khaled El Bakly, Ambassador of Egypt in India. It was as though a mini city had suddenly sprung up at the town square. “There were doctors, musicians, artists, barbers, pharmacy shops, food joints and much, much more. People even got married at the town square during the revolution,” says Bakly.
The cameras tried to capture every moment: men and women shouting slogans, challenging the security forces, the clashes between the protesters and Mubarak’s supporters, burning buildings, people sitting in charred vehicles, and a spirit of unity reflected by hands holding together the crucifix, the Qur'an and the flag of Egypt. In the midst of all the fire and smoke, there were also clear indications that the protests were largely peaceful in spirit. One photograph shows the protesters praying on their knees while security forces stand calmly atop their anti-riot truck looking on. “In our history, the army has always protected,” says the Ambassador. “The security forces were just doing their job. But in their hearts, they felt for the protesters.”
This is evident in the pictures. The moment Mubarak relinquished charge, the protesters and the security forces which had stood in confrontation moments ago, melted into each other. The photographs show the men in uniform and the protesters joyfully hugging one another, their faces lit up, and smiling solders holding babies on military vehicles. One post-revolution image has a protester holding a placard saying “The End”. And right after, there are photographs indicating a new beginning — a woman on a wheelchair painting the ground at Tahrir Square and a young girl helping her father clean the area, her face shining in the morning light. “These pictures were sent to us by friends and relatives who were there. Some of them are mobile uploads. We’ve collected them from different sources,” says Bakly. A few are also pictures of photographers at the epicenter of the revolution.
“The aim of this exhibition is to pay tribute to those who lost their lives, to document what Egypt went through in those 18 days and to tell you that we are returning to you,” says Bakly. Egypt has many challenges ahead, but the first big step has already been taken, he says. In the embassy’s exhibition hall, the photographs reflect that.
