I am celebrating my 10-day anniversary in Cairo. There’s much to celebrate because till now I haven’t been run over by insane traffic (yet), did not succumb to traveller’s illnesses, heat stroke, or to inner city pollution (yet), and have managed to remain (moderately) sane. Cairo, the City Victorious perhaps because she stubbornly refuses to become completely defeated, is a multiple assault on the senses. Noise, smells (not all that good), flashy colours, crowds, dust, dirt, traffic…it is at times a bit too overwhelming, especially if you live in the midst of it all: Downtown. Downtown (or Wust el Balad) is full of beautiful late 19th Century architecture if you can look past the grime and decay. It used to be a bourgeois Parisian-modelled neighbourhood, but now is haunted by tourists visiting the Egyptian Museum, frequenting the many travel agencies, and the area is plagued by far too many cars, and brightly lit shops. Yet as is the case with many things in Cairo, there are pockets of beauty to be found, if you can muster the patience. I have to admit though, that if only the pace of pedestrians would be as rapid as that of the cars roaring at you (except when you’re actually sitting in one, and seem to be stuck in traffic all the time), it would be easier to navigate the sidewalks, and get to your destination. Nevertheless, generosity will be awarded with generosity – at least, that is what I am telling myself.

So my blog reports will slightly shift geography a bit, covering adventures in arts and culture around the Middle East, as I will be curator-in-residence for a full year at the Townhouse Gallery in Cairo and travelling around the region. This being said, nothing is as good a familiarisation of place, as being dropped smack in the middle of a country’s incomprehensible bureaucracy. I always thought The Netherlands were pretty bad, but I might have to revisit that idea after spending half a day at Egypt’s monstrous and malfunctioning bureaucratic heart: the Mugamma. Constructed in the 1950’s, on what’s now Midan Tahrir (ironically Freedom square – though any demonstration is Egypt is violently short-lived), “the complex” was supposed to be the epitome of efficient centralized bureaucracy. 70 years later, the over 1300 offices in its labyrinthine space are impossible to navigate for Egyptians (and definitely foreigners). Actually, many an Egyptian just basically hires someone who knows the way in the maze, and how to pull strings, push bribes or baqsheesh (tips) where necessary in order to speed up things. With over 130.000 (!) people on the meager pay roll, it is hardly as surprise that clerks are completely demotivated and that tips are badly needed in order to top up their low salaries.

In true Kafkaesque style, I wandered through its hallways, and lo and behold, did not detect one single computer. Everything is still handwritten (!) into piles of dusty logs. True paper horror! It is as if the notion of the paperless office much pushed in the early ‘90’s never reached Egypt. It was as if experiencing a time warp: endless rows of numbered counters with bored-looking clerks eating snacks, gossiping with their colleagues, and trying very hard to ignore the people queuing up. The striking thing about the clerks is that many of them are women and seem to share a fondness for layers of make-up, whilst their hair is neatly tucked under their hijab of course. They seem to have become experts in practicing a totally disinterested look and looking right through you, as if you had no body mass whatsoever.

And so it befell me to get a one-year temporary residence, and a multiple entry visa: 2 separate things, but of course you do not know that when you start your adventure; plenty of different counters too visit too, and of course always more fees. This being said: I was double lucky, because on the one hand I had an Egyptian friend with me, who kept telling me numerous times: “ok, Nat, wait here.” And he would scoot off to return with yet another application form, yet another few stamps, or photocopies. My other streak of luck was that I did not hear the much-dreaded “come back tomorrow” mantra. Actually, the whole process only took an exhausting half-day. This being said, my multiple entry visa is only 6 months valid, so in half a year the whole story can recommence again.

In the meantime, I also took a train to Alexandria. Being used to the Dutch NS, which has managed to trigger much of my scorn, I have to say that this first experience of Egyptian railroads was an excellent one. My train even left 2’ early! See, there are surprises everywhere…