2 sides of the story

by Camila Ribella Oliveira (Brazil)

A leap into the unknown Egypt

A leap into the unknown is perhaps the perfect way to translate, in only a few words, what it felt like to live in Egypt, even if it was just for 5 weeks. Unknown is that which has not been discovered, the unexperienced. And that is especially true for this country. If you never looked at the sphinxes, felt a sand-laden wind from the Sahara or stood mesmerized near huge pyramids that seem to touch the sun, then you can’t know Egypt in its beautiful depths. A country full of culture and adventure, with Temples that translate Egyptian’s beliefs about both the great pharaohs and the brave Greek warriors. The country where Alexander the Great outlined his war strategies and Cleopatra became one of the most remarkable female figures in history. A civilization so unimaginably great that, even hundreds of years from now, there will still be countless stories waiting to be told by those lucky enough to dig in the right place. Literally. I could spend infinite hours talking about all the adventures I lived, some beyond my wildest dreams, but not everything in Egypt looks like perfect stories of unbeatable warriors and magical monuments. There is another side to the story, and I need to tell it too. In a country where 90% of the population is Muslim, a dictatorship prevails, very well masqueraded as a democracy, hiding between religious dogmas and the law. For a Brazilian woman who grew up having access to all wonders of art and an endless amount of information, I feel obliged to point out today how grateful I am for this. I saw the almost non-existent access to information, I witnessed what a dictatorship is, and without taking sides or criticizing any form of political positioning, I saw a side of a coin that for me only existed in books. The freedom to speak, to think and - above all - to question everything, is a privilege that one does not always realize it has. I try not to judge as right or wrong, but it was hard to accept the non-existing line between politics and religion. Most often than not, it becomes so blurry that you can’t tell them apart. Even worse, the population doesn't have the freedom to question it. In Egypt, besides meeting the locals, I also had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world: Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Australia, Paris, Peru and so many other places. The exchange of cultural and political experiences, the debates in the middle of a camp in the desert about the things that we judged important to yourselves and all human beings, that was what reassured my belief that only by questioning and dialoguing with all kinds of people, from different social classes, and different upbringings, only then we can develop a better future for all. A jump into the unknown was exactly what opened my eyes to the future and, surprisingly, also what made more aware of my obligation to whenever possible, transform information into a positive tool, that will make the world a better place and its people more mindful and understanding. It is with a taste of nostalgia that Egypt says fair well to all that had the opportunity to experience it. One cannot measure in words the feeling that goes through those souls brave enough to climb Mount Sinai and see the sunrise that unites three great religions. But traveling is much more than a dazzling park, a dreamlike statue, an out-of-this-world culinary experience. To travel is to dive into a sea of new experiences, good, bad and simply strange to us, and be able to inquire why certain things are the way they are, and what is our responsibility in this world. It takes much more than putting your feet on the sand or diving into the Mediterranean Sea. It takes a lot of courage to explore places and lifestyles that are off-routine, that may go against everything we used to think certain and right, and happily discover that the things that are beyond our expectation are the ones that make a real difference.