By Adham Radwan

At AUC New Cairo, anyone hurrying to class near Alwaleed Hall or the School of Sciences and Engineering who wants to grab a snack from Quick 24 must pass by the University's "walk of fame" -- also known as "the steps."

For some, the steps are a place to relax during their gap periods. "I think students sit there to be close to their classes," says Marwa Hussien, an AUC student.

Others experience more anxiety while passing by. "I don't like to sit on the steps because I fear being judged for not wearing a Louis Vuitton bag or Gucci belt, as those who sit there do," says another student who wishes to remain anonymous.

The steps have been a campus staple for decades, dating back to 1964 when the University purchased the Greek Campus to accommodate a growing student body. For years, it housed the library, Social Science building, Social Research Center, Jameel Center and School of Continuing Education (previously known as the Center for Adult and Continuing Education and Division of Public Service). Back then on the Tahrir campus, the steps were known as "the platform" or "the plat," extending from the library to the garden areas at the center of the campus.

• Social Science stairs on AUC's Greek Campus, 1990s-2000s. Courtesy of the University Archives
• The Platform (Plat) on AUC's Greek Campus. Photo courtesy of the University Archives
• Social Science stairs on AUC's Greek Campus, 1980s. Courtesy of the University Archives
• The steps in front of the School of Sciences and Engineering at AUC New Cairo. Photo by Ahmad El-Nemr

 

Many AUCians remember the platform as the cool spot to sit due to its close proximity to the famed "Gucci Corner," where students wearing designer clothes often hung out.

Emad Elba '07, a political science major, mentions Gucci Corner as she recalls the social division of AUC's downtown campus during her undergraduate years in the AUC Memories project. "[If] you wanted a study-abroad student, you went to the Fountain Area, the presidential gate or the rare books library. ... But if you wanted [to find them] with their semi-Egyptian friends, you'll find the gang sitting on the platform by the library gate. ... [If you] wanted an activities dude, you took a trip to the Student Lounge or the Greek booths area. ... [If you were] wondering what's the latest fashion, pass by the Gucci Corner down the platform by the Social [Science] building. ... And of course, for any technical 'scientific' assistance, you go straight [ahead] to the Falaki labs."

Years passed, and the University leased the Greek campus and opened a 260-acre campus in New Cairo. Working with a space more than 30 times larger than AUC Tahrir Square, the Campus Development Committee planned similar spaces to emulate Tahrir Square's intimate atmosphere loved by students, faculty and staff alike.

"It's all about the good view, great location and socializing."

Along with the steps, some institutional narratives were carried from Tahrir Square to New Cairo. Gucci Corner, for example, is now synonymous with the SSE steps, as highlighted in the 2013 Caravan feature "Around AUC in Five Days" by Mona Saleh.

"Arrive to the university and go directly to your favorite place, the SSE steps or as everyone calls it 'The Gucci Corner'. This is where you're going to spend your whole day unless you really want to attend your classes to check out that cute guy. Otherwise, just chill and enjoy the company of your friends."

Yet many who choose to sit on the steps there don't think of themselves as any different than other students. "People think that we are going to bite them, but we won't," said AUC student Salma El-Shamshergy, a familiar face on the steps who chooses to sit there for the sunshine and convenient proximity to any building on campus. "It's all about the good view, great location and socializing."

In a nutshell, the steps are not just a spot where new campus students hang out -- they are an essential part of the AUC journey.

Adham Radwan is an integrated marketing communication senior at AUC

 

While most students begin their working careers after graduation, some pursue their passions alongside their degrees and find inspiring success. Here, we profile AUCians who have launched their own homegrown Egyptian businesses.

Dalila Hassanein

Dalila Hassanein is an undergraduate visual arts junior who has been working as a professional artist in Cairo for two years. She presents her paintings at exhibitions and creates new pieces on commission.

Her work currently focuses on the "creative informality" of Egyptian street art. Some of her distinctive paintings are based on the hand-painted real estate ads created in public spaces in central Cairo. Selling these paintings brings in the revenue needed to make new ones, typically done on costly 1.5m by 1.5m canvases.

Managing expenses is just one part of the art business Hassanein has learned to handle. "I love every part of my career, even though the beginning is always the toughest. As a young emerging artist I've faced many difficulties and had to realize that the Egyptian art market does not always treat artists fairly," she says.

Hassanein complains of working for low rates, not being paid in full, and sometimes struggling to navigate professional relationships with different art curators. "I've definitely been taken advantage of due to not having enough knowledge on how the art market in Egypt truly works," she says. "However, experiences like these drive in clients, exposure and more exhibition opportunities, so no matter how tough it might be, there are always lessons to be learned."

• 
• Hassanein at her New Cairo studio.
• 

 

Photos by Ahmad El-Nemr

Although balancing her time between studies and work has also proved challenging for Hassanein, there is a synergy between the two. "I've received a lot of support and input from my professors on my projects," she recalls. "Also, the courses in the visual arts program truly help me understand what it takes to be an artist and to create work that reaches its full potential."

Still, working in the art market as a student has taken a toll on her social life, sleep schedule and free time. It can be stressful, she says, "but I've found that as long as I am passionate about both, I will find a way to work everything out."

Hassanein's favorite part of her business is "the fact that not only what I'm doing is succeeding but that my work is making a change." She opines that the contemporary art scene in Egypt remains limited to incessant depictions of fellahin (farmers), pyramids and deserts. "While this is a part of our culture as Egyptians, constantly having this imagery just further orientalizes us, 'others' us and neglects Egypt's creative urban culture." In her artistic manifesto, she stresses the importance of "a new visual language" for Egyptian art -- something to which her own work directly contributes.

To her fellow students, Hassanein recommends getting into business even before graduation, provided they are ready for the workload. "Creating something you're passionate about is worth the struggle."

Dinah Harvey '22

Dinah Harvey '22 is a graduate of AUC's architecture program and founder of Clooper Studios, Egypt's first professional pet photography studio.

An animal lover, Harvey always wanted to take high-quality pictures of her dogs but was unable to find a local pet photographer in Cairo. "I realized this is lacking in Egypt and that no one has professional, if any, photos of their own pets," Harvey explains. She decided to change that.

After consulting with a pet photography studio in Canada, Floofy Studios, Harvey launched Clooper Studios -- named after her dogs, Cleo and Cooper. Although elevating her hobby into a professional enterprise has required some serious investments in a studio, equipment and a website, Harvey's project fills an underserved niche and provides a valued service for Egyptian animal lovers. "Our dogs don't remain with us forever, and this is just one special way of keeping their memory alive," she says.

• Harvey, Cleo and Cooper at Clooper Studios.
• Harvey and her sister pose with Cleo.
• Cleo smiles for the camera.

 

Photos courtesy of Dinah Harvey

Like any business owner, she has faced her share of difficulties. "My experience so far has been a rollercoaster," says Harvey. Learning to set terms and conditions with clients, managing payments and bookings, and working without a full-time assistant have been some of her main challenges. Dogs, of course, are also sometimes less than cooperative with a photographer. "My friends and family are always helping out; this wouldn't be possible without them," she says.

Balancing her business plans with studies at AUC forced Harvey to delay Clooper's full launch until after graduation. However, it was all for the best, as the photo editing skills she learned in the last year of her architecture program have proved invaluable to her work as a photographer. Although running any business is tough, Harvey's is a labor of love, spending time with animals and giving clients priceless memories. She recalls how one woman, after receiving edited photos of her pet, sent a voice note screaming with happiness. At the end of the day, says Harvey, "the dogs always make it worthwhile!"

 

How have AUCians celebrated Christmas throughout last 80 years? We dug through the archives to find out.

1940s-1980s

• 1940s
• 1960s
• 1960s
• 1980s
• 1960s
• 1980s

 

2000s-2022

Photos 1940s-1980s courtesy of the University archives.

 

By Em Mills and Devon Murray

Do you ever ask yourself, "Why do I keep attracting the same kind of partner?" or "Why do I find myself in the same types of relationships -- which always seem to end -- over and over again?"

Getting to know your attachment style may answer some of these questions and help you break free from a seemingly endless cycle. Attachment theory explores the relationship, or emotional bond, between a child and their primary caregiver. Such a bond plays an integral part in developing a child's sense of security, which later affects their adult relationships, according to Nour Zaki, visiting assistant professor in AUC's Department of Psychology.

The theory includes four attachment styles that are defined by our perceptions of ourselves and others: secure, anxious, avoidant and disorganized. "Knowing your style can help you understand your needs in relationships, and how to express them in a healthy way," says Zaki, whose research focuses on attachment theory.

'Cradle to Grave'

The theory was initially developed by researchers John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth in the mid-to-late 20th century. Before their work, the general consensus was that human and animal babies stayed close to their mothers because they associated them with nutrition.

"Bowlby started to think, 'There is something emotional here. It's not just about food; it's about seeking proximity,'" says Zaki. "Babies cannot survive on their own. They need to be close to an adult figure who is able to provide that sense of safety."

This adult is known as the "primary caregiver" in attachment theory. "Typically, this is a child's mother but not always," Zaki explains. "It can be the father, an adoptive mom, a grandparent or even an older sibling in some cultures."

At around six to nine months, a baby begins to differentiate between caregivers and strangers. "At this stage, we begin to see stranger anxiety and separation anxiety, displayed by a clear preference for certain caregivers. These are healthy signs of attachment," Zaki says.

Depending on the quality and consistency of care a child receives from their primary caregiver, their attachment will likely develop in line with one of the theory's four styles: "If a caregiver is attuned to their child's needs, the child learns that they are worthy of attention and that they can rely on others," Zaki says. "This usually leads to secure attachment -- the belief that we deserve love and can trust other people."

Bowlby has a famous saying: "Attachment stays with you from the cradle to the grave." Your relationship with your caregiver is a major player in developing your core beliefs, or "internal working models," which dictate how you see yourself and others, how comfortable you are setting boundaries as well as other aspects of relating to people.

The Four Styles of Adult Attachment

So, what are the characteristics of each attachment style? And what factors might lead to their development?

Secure

A secure attachment allows you to express vulnerability with your partner and engage in intimate relationships that feel safe and consistent.

"This person is able to express themself while maintaining a sense of reciprocity. They can support their partner but also ask for what they need. This includes setting healthy boundaries and having a grounded sense of who they are outside of the relationship."

Anxious

Anxious attachment (referred to as a "preoccupied attachment" in the context of adult relationships) often results when a primary caregiver is inconsistent in caring for their child; care is sometimes present and other times not. This unpredictability causes the child to question their own self-worth.

"Individuals with this attachment style need external reassurance and may have a fear of abandonment. They may need to hear 'I love you' very often or feel jealous easily if their partner is giving attention to other people."

Avoidant

Avoidant attachment (or "dismissive attachment" in adults) stems from a caretaker who is consistently absent, unavailable or unresponsive to their child. This dynamic pushes the child to develop a negative image of other people.

"Individuals with dismissive attachment have a sense of 'defensive independence.' They highly prioritize their space -- and actually feel very triggered -- if they feel that someone is too close."

Disorganized

The rarest type of attachment is referred to as disorganized attachment (or "fearful attachment" in adults). This most commonly occurs in cases of abuse, where the child experiences something called the "fear dilemma" -- the caregiver is the person they're supposed to go to when afraid, but is also the person they are afraid of.

Are We Doomed?

You may be wondering, "Will I always push people away then?" or "Am I stuck in this pattern forever?"

"No one's attachment style is fixed," Zaki affirms. While you may have a tendency to fall into a certain pattern, it can be different in each individual relationship depending on your dynamic with your partner.

"Understanding where your patterns come from can give you a sense of empowerment instead of feeling like you're on autopilot, because what we're used to in terms of relationship dynamics eventually becomes like autopilot, right?" says Zaki.

She is also quick to note that each attachment style has strengths and weaknesses. "It's not just about understanding our vulnerabilities, but also our strengths, because each attachment style has its own points of strength." For example, the independence that comes with avoidant behavior can be beneficial in the workplace, where one might be more inclined to push themselves and take the initiative before being asked to do something. It all depends on the ability to express your needs in a clear, healthy way.

"If you feel like you've had a challenging childhood experience or are facing relationship dynamics that aren't ideal or healthy, looking at these dynamics can help put you on the road to self-understanding from a developmental perspective." says Zaki.

Breaking the Cycle

Zaki's interest in attachment theory developed as she worked on her PhD dissertation at Universidad Catolica San Antonio de Murcia in Spain, where she explored the transition to motherhood and how a mother's attachment style relates to how she views herself as a future mom. She is interested in how attachment styles are passed across generations, and how such cycles are broken.

"We often hear people say that despite wanting to raise their children differently than their parents, they end up doing or echoing the very things they heard growing up," she says. "Identifying and understanding one's attachment style empowers us to work on our vulnerabilities and insecurities early on, so we can avoid becoming triggered while transitioning to parenthood. This developmental approach to parenting is very powerful."

Hoping to support the next generation, Zaki conducts workshops and lectures in Egypt and collaborates with a number of international organizations, including the Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health. She also teaches and conducts research related to developmental psychology and mother-infant attachment in her Attachment Lab at AUC, which recently received a research support grant from the University for her latest research project on the intergenerational transmission of attachment between mothers and their babies.

Her advice for readers? "It's never too late."

 

Professor, researcher, podcast queen -- these are a few of the many job titles you'll find in Kim Fox's email signature.

Since joining AUC in 2009, Fox has become a podcasting powerhouse, being named among Podcast Magazine's inaugural 40 Over 40 podcasters in 2022. Today, she is constantly on the move: flying to the United States to lead a meeting for the Broadcast Education Association, developing a new episode of her multi award-winning podcast Ehky ya Masr (Tell Your Story, Egypt) or delving into academic research across a number of current topics, from feminism in podcasting to teaching journalism online.

On the rare day that she isn't donning one of her professional hats, you can find her on the lush island of Zamalek, where she has lived since moving to Cairo.

I often spend weekends socializing and doing things in the city. Last semester, I went to the Art d'Egypte exhibit at the pyramids with a posse of friends, had a Thanksgiving potluck and took a Nile Taxi ride. Zamalek has been unraveling, you know. The cool places change.

I ride my bike around Zamalek on Friday and Saturday mornings. Living in Egypt, I often miss going to green spaces and just hanging out and walking around without the tension that one experiences while moving in Cairo. You have to seize the window when there isn't too much traffic or people out. On a tough morning, I get up before the rest of the city wakes up, get on my bike and am like, "Yeah. This is what I'm here for. More of this, please and thank you." Riding around warms my heart; it's a bit of freedom. There's nothing like it.

Cairo is a crazy place, so you definitely have to find your pocket of people who will help you out. The people I've met at AUC and in Cairo are amazing, and the list keeps growing. If we didn't have that kind of a support system, it would be really difficult to survive the antics of the city, work and life. Everyone's trying to look out in the best way. I try to encourage this in my classroom at AUC, building a community that cares about each other. I've also grown a global community, which is something I'm really proud of. Podcast scholars, creatives -- I've got pockets of people everywhere.

I've found that if you don't champion yourself, no one else will. As a creative scholar, I'm usually working in the realm of podcasts, but I also publish a lot of academic research in quality journals. My biggest achievement is being the first ever winner of two BEA Festival of Media Arts Awards in the same year for my podcast, which has no budget. My students have won more than 80 international awards. The length of my email signature is a testament to the work that I am doing. Let people know what you do.

Kim Fox is a professor of practice in AUC's Department of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Fox often rides her bicycle in Zamalek on weekend mornings. Photo by Rawan Ezzat. 

By Ian Greer

What does an Umm Kulthum song mean when sung at a protest? Or the music of Sheikh Imam in the middle of a 21st-century digital revolution? These are some of the questions that puzzled a young AUC student during the turbulent 2010s and which he has answered in a new, groundbreaking book that traces the unwritten popular history of modern Egypt.

Andrew Simon (CASA '10) is a senior lecturer in the faculty of Middle Eastern studies at Dartmouth College in the United States and a graduate of the Center for Arabic Study Abroad @AUC (CASA@AUC). He is also the author of Media of the Masses: Cassette Culture in Modern Egypt (Stanford University Press, 2022), a book that delves deep into the modern history of Egyptian popular culture, spread through new technological mediums.

Andrew Simon

The story of Simon's book, the product of 10 years of work, begins during his time as CASA@AUC student in 2010.

"I arrived the summer prior to the revolution," recalls Simon. "The CASA program at the time was based in the downtown campus, right next to the midan (Tahrir Square). So we had mass demonstrations right outside of our classroom. I was living with a few friends in an apartment in Munira just up the street a few blocks away, and we attended demonstrations almost every day. It's something that I remember quite vividly, that would shape not only me personally but my academic interests going forward."

Outside of the classroom, Simon was struck above all by the "acoustic culture" of the protests: instruments, slogans, chants and songs by Egyptian singers old and new, deployed for political action sometimes beyond their original contexts. Simon returned to the United States to write on Egypt's soundscape.

The acoustic culture of Egypt's revolution had its roots in new cultural mediums of the late 20th century, Simon found. "When it came time to write a dissertation, the thing that I realized connects all these topics is cassette tapes. They were present in all of these stories. That's when I set out to write a history of cassette technology that became a history of Egypt."

An Unofficial History

In Media of the Masses, Simon calls cassettes "the internet before the internet." Using cheap cassette tapes, anyone could create culture, even culture opposed to the ruling regime. Among the most prominent adopters of the technology was Sheikh Imam, a singer and social critic popular in late 20th-century Egypt who figures prominently in Simon's book. Imam's 'Nixon Baba,' a witty critique of Anwar Sadat's welcome of the American President Richard Nixon in 1974, is among Simon's favorite Egyptian songs.

Focused on the music, ideas and concerns of everyday Egyptians over the decades, Media of the Masses is an unofficial history of modern Egypt, far from sweeping national narratives. Without sources available in the Egyptian National Archives, Simon relied on oral history, Egyptian films, and decades of local newspapers and magazines to construct his own popular history of the country.

Explore Simon's work

The history of the 1970s and 1980s in Egypt is typically focused on the period's major wars, governance and Islamic revival movements, not pop culture, Simon explains. "In this book, I tried to shift all of those things. So rather than looking at momentous events, I focus on more mundane things like music. Rather than looking at religion, I tried to look at secular, profane things. Rather than looking at the consolidation of power, I look at people who challenged political authority. I tried to offer a very different story and focus on people who were, frankly, written out of history."

The singer Sheikh Imam is a prime example; popular in his own time but practically absent from the mainstream Egyptian historical record. "I think he's someone whose songs really resonated with people and meant something to them, but scholars and historians haven't written about him because they probably don't deem him as a worthy subject matter," observes Simon. "That's something I tried to change in this book."

Decidedly light on academic theories, Media of the Masses is meant to be engaging and accessible, something anyone can understand, just like the popular music it documents. "My primary audience are Egyptians; I wrote this book to be read here in Cairo," says Simon, adding that the independent Egyptian publishing house Dar El Shorouk will release an Arabic translation of the book later this year. "It was a dream of mine for a long time to have an Arabic translation," Simon says. "It will hopefully be available at a future Cairo Book Fair."

Cairo Connections

Now an academic and fluent in Arabic, Simon fondly remembers how the CASA program boosted his Arabic-language skills and drew him irresistibly into Arab popular culture. "CASA was the first time I felt like I wasn't studying Arabic as a language," remarks Simon. "We weren't studying grammar. Instead, we studied subjects in Arabic. We would learn Arabic literature while immersed in Egyptian culture."

Simon's book is a testament to his enduring connection to Egypt and its people, first formed during his time as a CASA student at AUC more than 10 years ago. He spent years living in the country after finishing his undergraduate degree and has been coming back ever since. Despite Egypt's many changes since 2010, Simon says that the most important part of the country's culture -- its people -- are still the same.

"The man who sells aseer asab [sugarcane juice], the people working at the grocery store and laundromat -- all of those individuals are still there. And they recognize me," he says. "When I come back to Cairo, they tell me 'You look a little older. You didn't have as much gray hair when we first met 15 years ago.' So some things have changed, and other things have remained the same."

Main image: Abu Hamza Cassette Shop in Cairo. Photos courtesy of Andrew Simon

 

I always perceived traveling as buying a plane ticket or train pass to somewhere far outside my borders -- until it was time for me to go to AUC. Suddenly in Fall 2021, my five-minute walk to school in Zamalek was abruptly replaced by a two-hour commute to college in New Cairo. Today, as I commute from the swarming hub of Zamalek to the more tranquil and calmer New Cairo, I am transported from one world to another -- from a world that knows no sleep, where sound and noise are always present, to a world with palm tree-lined streets and a serene atmosphere.

I have been commuting from Zamalek to New Cairo almost every day for three years now. Each ride exposes a new, unique difference between the two planets that exist in one city, from the paved roads and Western-inspired modern architecture in New Cairo to the crooked streets and iconic sights that carry vast historic cultural inheritance in Zamalek. The island is home to what upper-class Egyptians classify as the creme de la creme -- history-rich landmarks and buildings that have been there for ages, such as the Cairo Opera House, old mansions that belonged to Egypt's most famous actors as well as the countless number of embassies, museums and art galleries. These sharply contrast with the newly developed structures and skylines in New Cairo.

Rizkalla commutes from Zamalek to AUC New Cairo each week. Photo by Ahmad El-Nemr

While the latter reflects a fast-paced lifestyle that is evident in the growing number of drive-thrus and on-the-go services, Zamalek still preserves some of Cairo's well-known characteristics. For example, parking your car on the street in Zamalek could take you 10 minutes or more, while finding a spot in New Cairo often takes less than 60 seconds.

During my 10-minute walk to the bus stop in Zamalek each morning, I notice how different people start their days. I see kids, coffee in hand, climbing into their Mercedes van while the driver grabs their school backpacks to shove in the trunk. I see other children hop into taxis to get to school. One scene that I would not usually encounter in New Cairo is the considerable number of tourists who enjoy a morning jog along the Nile River. It is along the same waters that I occasionally glimpse a heartwarming moment as a couple enjoys a date. During my regular walks in Zamalek, I come across my friends, Lola the cat and Hanafy the dog, two stray animals that have always shared the same pavement.

On the Road

As the bus leaves the island and crawls towards New Cairo, the population seems to age backward. Zamalek is more concentrated with older people who are typically retired, nature-loving and have lived in these neighborhoods long before New Cairo was even imagined. On the other hand, younger generations tend to flock to more modern areas like the Fifth Settlement, which explains the reckless driving I encounter every morning in North Teseen Street -- the area's main road.

The friends you make on the bus can be the closest friendships you'll ever have, especially considering how often you are stuck in the same vehicle commuting with them from one side of the city to another. I often overhear heartbreaking stories, joyous news or tales of nerve-wracking situations. Whether sharing an embarrassing moment that happened during assembly hour or checking final grades, you can be united with a random stranger, perhaps for just one trip, by the bus experience.

I also often catch a few notes of the music my fellow commuters listen to. There is the character who sits in the back seat crying their eyes out listening to Birdy's sad songs and the sassy gals listening to hip-hop and dance-punk beats at 8 am with the volume so high that the bus driver can hear. Perhaps the most eclectic type of person is the one who shuffles genres every three seconds, from Amr Diab to Justin Bieber to Wegz.

Even if life in New Cairo seems straightforward and hassle-free in comparison to Zamalek, I'd still much rather deal with the everyday struggles that an islander like myself faces. Living in Zamalek will always feel unique, even with its traffic jams and noise pollution. It will always have a certain, special charm.

 

Elie Martin is a study-abroad student from Sciences Po in Reims, France studying politics and government with a minor in African studies. He is completing his third and final year of undergraduate studies at AUC, with one semester in its Arabic Language Intensive Program (ALIN). With courses in Modern Standard Arabic and Egyptian Colloquial Arabic, Martin feels he is making great progress in Arabic and becoming attached to the language and culture of Egypt.

---

To me, language is an essential dimension of a culture and society. This is why the ALIN program was my first choice: an intensive learning of Arabic that appreciates the link between language and society. What could be better? I have made a lot of progress because the courses complement each other well. I am taking Modern Standard Arabic, Egyptian Colloquial Arabic, media, reading and writing classes. I had never taken an Egyptian Colloquial Arabic course before coming here, and that's where I've made the most progress.

The ALIN program at AUC is stronger than any other Arabic course I have taken. First, the program is mainly oriented toward oral and written mastery of Arabic, allowing for maximal use of the language in writing and speaking. At the same time, grammar is introduced gradually to allow students to progress without having to wrap their minds around a multitude of rules. Secondly, the program encourages us to practice outside of class, and immersion is the real secret to successful language acquisition.

Being located in the heart of Cairo allows me to be immersed in Arabic all day long. I joined the Egyptian handball club at the Nadi Markaz Shabab (Youth Club) in Zamalek, where we train three times a week, and it was the best decision for my linguistic progress -- I can improve my Arabic while having fun and staying motivated. When I'm there, people stop assuming I'm a tourist. It's very simple, but it feels good to connect with Egyptians. I also go to ahwas (cafes) to play tawla (backgammon) or simply chat, and on the weekends, I have more time to do cultural visits. So far, I have visited the city's main mosques, all the museums and other tourist areas.

My philosophy is that tourism is not about discovering new places but understanding the social logic of the places I visit. I want to see how people live, not just landscapes. I try to achieve this by traveling like Egyptians do: taking public transportation and eating in popular restaurants so I can meet more locals and practice Arabic. So far, I've been to Alexandria, the Black and White Desert, Fayoum, Siwa and the Red Sea. And the most memorable experiences are those where my encounters with locals have shaped my trip, like when someone offers to take us to a lesser-known place.

As I go to New Cairo next semester to take classes that will complete my degree, I feel a mix of disappointment and excitement. I am very attached to downtown Cairo; however, I look forward to taking new classes (especially those on Middle Eastern issues), and getting to know my teachers and classmates. I will continue to live downtown, and practice with the handball team. Though my daily life will certainly change, I am sure that I will continue speaking Arabic as much as possible!

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Banner photo: Elie Martin at AUC Tahrir Square, photo by Ahmad El-Nemr

By Em Mills

Soon after Ramy Aly, assistant professor in AUC's Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Egyptology, came to Egypt in 2013, he had his hair loc'd. Locs, an African hair style that involves coiling, braiding, interlocking and palm-rolling hair to create larger strands that merge together over time, have a long history across Africa and particularly in Ancient Egypt. However, as a contemporary Egyptian, Aly's relationship with loc'd hair was not straightforward. His soon-to-be loctician in London Mellissa Blake wasn't sure what to make of him at first. "'You're quite Caucasian, but what's going on with your hair?' Her surprise brought my attention to the notion that hair care is raced, very explicitly."

What does it mean for hair to be "raced"? How can examining hair give insight into how race is conceptualized in Egypt, and how does this differ in a Western context? Unfortunately, there is a lack of scholarship on race that focuses on Egypt and Egyptians specifically in the present. "Race is very meaningful here, although it's not seen to be meaningful. When people study Egypt, they study gender, Islam and class, but they almost never study race outside the context of migration," he says.

A social anthropologist, Aly's current research project seeks to fill some of the gaps in understanding contemporary racial formations in Egypt. He explains that while examining formal settings like the legal system can show researchersreferences to racial discrimination, it doesn't capture the complicated ways in which race impacts life on a social level.

"You can't get an idea of how people sense race, how they live it, how it's entangled in their everyday dealings," he says. "In post-colonial settings, hair has historically served as a marker, or expression, of race. Through studying hair culture, I'm trying to uncover some of the ways race is perceived and experienced in an everyday context."

Hair, Harassment and the Historical Context

Aly experienced mistreatment firsthand on account of the way his hair was perceived in Egypt. But within two years, he started seeing more and more men with loc'd hair and women with naturally curly hair. "At the time, I wondered, why is it more acceptable now? What changed?"

Negative perceptions around loc'd hair are not a new phenomenon: In Egypt, the last 200 years have seen a strong emphasis on "whitening," linking stereotypically white attributes to beauty and respectability. Examples of this show up everywhere, from media to education and advertising. "While researching, I found a handbook from a technical college here in the 1970s giving tips on beauty and hair. As you flick through, the whole emphasis is on looking white," Aly says.

Aesthetically, things like bleaching skin and straightening hair have been encouraged, while physical attributes associated with being Black or
African such as curly or kinky hair are discriminated against and disparaged, impacting everything from family dynamics to the workplace. This brings us back to Aly's question: Why are youth choosing hair to express themselves in this way?

• The handbook's cover, which reads Beautification Technology in Arabic, photo by Ahmad El-Nemr
• The women's technical college handbook on beauty and hair, photo by Ahmad El-Nemr

 

The Effect of Pop Culture

"In the early 20th century, there were no associations with success or desirability and Blackness. Today, we see far more famous Sub-Saharan and West African footballers and Black celebrities," Aly says. One contributing factor for Aly lies in the success and popularity of Black celebrities and aesthetics in mainstream popular culture. This can be seen in increasing numbers of public figures, pop stars and athletes who are either Black or visually incorporate traditionally Black cultural elements into their image, such as the Kardashians. The commodification of Black aesthetics in pop culture is in itself problematic, but Aly notes that a secondary effect is leading people around the word who share features such as kinky or curly hair and dark skin tones to begin to embrace them as well.

In order to learn more, Aly conducted interviews both in person and online. Attempting to collect a broad range of input, he situated himself in various places in Maadi, talking with groups of young people, whom he found largely willing to participate. He also spoke with hair studio owners who braided or loc'd in a variety of neighborhoods to try and access people across socioeconomic backgrounds.

Another interesting thread that Aly found through his research was that many of the young people he spoke to were increasingly willing to identify as African. "It's fascinating because throughout the last 200 years, Egyptian elites have always rejected being African. They looked northward for a sense of identity, never south," he explains. "Young people are much more comfortable saying, 'Of course we're African; anybody who says that we're not is just deluding themselves.'"

The Cleopatra Question

As more and more people adopt locs and curly hair, and as some redefine their relationship with the idea of Africanness, there are also complex conversations to be held about heritage and authenticity. One question that comes up is the idea of appropriation, which refers to the usage of cultural elements by an individual outside that cultural group in a way that disrespects, exploits or oversimplifies the culture itself. This is most relevant when members of a dominant culture appropriate from a marginalized one.

"When discussing appropriation, the response immediately becomes, 'I'm Egyptian. I can't appropriate because I'm African, and besides, ancient Egyptians had braided and wooly hair,'" Aly says. "It's actually quite rare in an Egyptian context to see people borrowing from the ancient past, but when it comes to cultural appropriation, the pharaohs suddenly come out to play."

While Western scholarship tends to focus on a Black/white binary, that framework doesn't function well in a context like Egypt, where the majority of people are racially mixed. "Even in families or between siblings, you have people who look darker or lighter, with straight or curly hair. This is why it's important to rethink how race operates in Egypt," Aly says.

When people study Egypt, they study gender, Islam and class, but they almost never study race outside the context of migration.

Alongside appropriation, the idea of authenticity is also important, whether in being authentic to one's natural hair texture, cultural heritage or oneself by expressing resistance to societal expectations and pressures. It has also been a controversial topic in the context of representations of ancient Egypt in popular culture, with race being a persistent element of the conversation.

"Take the Cleopatra question, for example," Aly says, referencing the Netflix docuseries Queen Cleopatra that sparked debate over its casting of a Black, biracial actress in the titular role. "People didn't mind Cleopatra being played by Elizabeth Taylor, though historical accounts of Cleopatra don't fit into the frame of her version at all. But there was no outcry at the time because she's white," he continues. "There's real resistance to seeing Cleopatra portrayed as brown even in a dramatized work, which is part of what I'm interested in unpacking."

What Does Hair Mean to You?

Aly's interlocutors shared different reasons behind embracing Black
body aesthetics, these range from an expression of identity to an assertion of autonomy, resisting societal and familial expectations. There's no one big answer to any of these questions. Everything connects, and the complexity is what makes it necessary to discuss.

"It's important to think about culture in terms of global flow and these must be thought of in relation to history and power. You can't exclude ancient Egypt, the whitening of Egyptian history, the rise of African-American celebrity culture, or the commodification and industrialization of football. They're all important," Aly says.

At the end of the day, every individual has a different reason for expressing themselves through their hair, and they don't always align with a broader social question. As a social scientist, Aly emphasizes that it's important to resist the temptation to organize and theorize people into something neat. In reality, it's never that straightforward. "The challenge of anthropology is that you have to work with what people do and say, not what you want them to do and say," says Aly. "You have to be creative and really listen to what people are telling you."

Photos by Ahmad El-Nemr

 

By Claire Davenport

Are you interested in breaking into Egypt's growing market for entrepreneurship but not sure where to start? Want to know where the current market is headed?

According to knowledge platform Wamda, startups in the Middle East and North Africa attracted $3.94 billion in funding in 2022, with Egypt emerging as one of the top three markets for investment. Yet, there are many barriers to entry, from lack of capital to risk of failure, which can make a career as an entrepreneur seem like a daunting prospect to many.

To demystify the current startup ecosystem in Egypt and what it takes to break into it, we sat down with Ayman Ismail '95, '97, Abdul Latif Jameel chair in entrepreneurship, associate professor in the Department of Management and founding director of the AUC Venture Lab, Egypt's first university-based accelerator program.

Below are Ismail's insights into the current startup climate in Egypt and his tips for getting started, pitching your venture to potential investors and more!

What has the startup climate historically looked like in Egypt?

The tech-enabled startup movement in Egypt is around 15 to 20 years old. Linkdotnet -- one of the very first ventures to exit in 2011 -- was founded by a team of AUCians. It was a fantastic deal that created a lot of energy, and since then, there's been so much growth in terms of startups, investments and enablers.

Where is the Egyptian startup scene headed?

Five years ago, venture capital investments in Egypt were around 20 million to 50 million dollars. Starting 2020 and 2021, it jumped to 400-450 million each year. That's a huge growth in investments in that sector. In the next few years, I would expect a lot of growth in the quality of startups and number of investments.

Where does AUC and the Venture Lab fit into this picture?

In 2013, we launched the AUC Venture Lab, our startup accelerator. Now, it's the top university-run accelerator in the Middle East and Africa.

Our objective has always been to support the entrepreneurial ecosystem and put AUC in the heart of that space. We've supported more than 300 startups since the activation of our flagship accelerator program and more than 100 others through different programs under the lab.

What are these other programs?

AUC Angels, our investment network; a capacity-building program to transfer our knowledge to program managers running similar initiatives at other universities or companies in Egypt; and a launchpad that funds early-stage tech startups.

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What does the AUC Venture Lab look for when assessing startups?

We see if the problem is worth solving and if it's operating in a fast-growing, innovative space. We also evaluate whether the team can bring this kind of idea to life. Do they have the right mindset? Are they competent, visionary and ethical?

Do you have any advice on pitching a startup to a potential investor?

A lot of people think of pitching as a selling job. I think a better way to understand it is as a matching opportunity. If I'm just trying to convince someone to invest, I am only telling them what they want to hear so I can sell. But if my objective is to understand what the people on the other side have in mind -- what they've done before and whether our goals match -- then the conversation takes a very different tone.

Do you have any suggestions for fundraising outside of traditional capital?

If you can bootstrap with investments from your savings or family and friends, that's amazing because investments come with a lot of constraints. And there's a big movement for bootstrapping right now.

Are there any risks with sustaining a startup once it's gotten off the ground and been active for a few years?

There are several points where companies can fail. People usually think about the new idea stage, where the startup is not yet defined and you have very little money. But there is another high-risk stage, which is when you move from being a fast-growing startup to a mature company and are building sustainable revenue streams and looking for stability to grow the business organically at a rate that fits the market. This is one of the biggest failing points; people reach a ceiling and they don't know how to transition into a profitable business.

Is there any sector you see taking off in the next few years to look out for?

The most obvious is anything related to artificial intelligence, which is a global trend. The second is sustainability, green economy and climate resilience. That space is evolving quite rapidly, and I'm expecting it to grow gradually in Egypt. The third, which I think is very relevant to Egypt but more difficult to get into, is healthcare. It's a big opportunity with a very interesting market.

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