Rock N' Girls

Human Rights Watch reports 91 cases of sexual harassment in Tahrir Square since the outbreak of 30 June protests that lead to the overthrow of former Egyptian president Morsi.

Why is that? Is it only Machismo or what? Women are victims of daily harassment in the streets, so why is that so extraordinary? 

Two and a half years ago, when Mabarak, the former dictator was ousted, there were a feeling of unity and equality. Christians & muslims, men & women, poor & rich were all together seeking the same goals, expressed in the Egyptian Revolution slogan: Freedom, Bread and Social Justice. 

However, as Operation Anti-Sexual Harassment Coordinator Aalam Wassef explains: "Harassers are targeting women with the intent of making the square feel threatening and unsafe". Reem Labib, another volunteer from the same organization adds: "Egyptian women are subjected to harassment on a daily basis, yet organized harassers in the square utilize violence to target not only women, but also the revolution. They use both physical and psychological violence against protesters in the square”. 

There are so much to say about all this issue, but I must start saying that as a Brazilian, the situation isn't much different in my home country. The shades might others, but it's very alive in my mind the feeling and the knowledge that being a woman in Brazil is not only very hard, but sometimes it was like a curse. 

I do celebrate being a woman and, therefore, here music for the party: Orianthi, an acomplished guitar player, vocalist and composer. 

Source for the quotations and info mentioned: Hands Off; At Least 91 Cases of Sexual Harassment in Tahrir; UN Women Class for Firmer Stance on Sexual Harassment. 

Pope & Football

Pope Francis won a t-shirt of Atlético Mineiro Football Club" from a Brazilian priest. In Brazil, it is said that politics, religion and football aren't topics for discussion, but I suppose that pope Francis don't agree much with that? 

Foodie 2: The Summer Colour Is Red

I have already told you, guys, how fresh, sweet and delicious is the produce here. One particular thing impressed me in my first Summer here, last year: how your place (or bow, or glass) can be covered by red food.

The most impressive part are the cherries. Real cherries. I never imagined I would ever find edible cherries to buy that weren't either canned (and extremely costly) or glacé cherries, which in Brazil are anything but cherries (they're know for being made of glacéed vegetables, coloured artificially and shaped in the form of a cherry - but not really, now that I know the real ones). Affordable natural cherries would come only in my wildest dreams - Yvanna, the god of Arda, bringing me a box of elvish wood and opening it to me solemnly.

Here are my cherries this Summer:

And here are what part of them became - the best preserve of all, with no cinnamon, but an Middle-Eastern flavour that is unbeatable.

These are plums. To be very honest, I ate better plums here, so I "de-seeded" them and froze. They will became part of muffins and cakes later.

These are grapes. To eat only. =P

And finally, this is hibiscus tea, that you can drink cold - and I drink cold with lemon. They say it lowers your blood pressure, which is a pity for me. The tea is delicious and all you need is to throw the dried flowers in the water.

There we go again

Lights on, decorations on the walls, colourful flags on the streets.

It's Ramadan again - starting today. No journal this year, tho. You may check last year in case you don't know what this month of feast is - and specially how it affects everyday life. =) 

  

Politics With Children

You feel confident about the future of Humanity when you teach TCKs. It's Social Studies class and a student voices his bewilderment:

"Ms. Luciana, my father told me that Syrians are fighting against Syrians. I can't understand it. How come?"

Five pairs of eyes stare at me. No one blinks.

"Well, you remember what happened here some years ago, how the people didn't like the president and went to the streets to ask him to leave?"

They all remember very well. They all lived through it - the hard times, the celebrations for living up a dream.

"People of Syria wanted the same there. They didn't like the president and wanted them to leave. But here the president left the presidency, while there the presidents refuses to give up his power. So people are fighting".

"My grandmother says this is not true!" replies the Syrian student."We can't believe in all the television says, because they are telling lies!"

"Maybe you can tell us what is happening there?"

"Well, it's true many people didn't like the president and many people want him to leave, but there are also people who like him." Her voices raises: My grandmother likes him. We love our president. We want him to stay!"

"Really?" I felt like hearing the the best historical gossip of the year. "So your family is supportive of president Assad?"

"Yes, we all love him!"

I try to connect the rapturous expression of affection of an 9 years old for a president she never lived under his rule with the broader subject of our course:

"You see now why Syrians are fighting with Syrians? There people who want the president out. There others who like him, like her family. So now they are fighting against each other."

"And now they have a war!"

"Yes, when people of a country fight against their fellow people, we call it Civil War." That has also happened in the United States when..."

I feel safe, back to the course content and to  the bookish History.

Poor Syrian student. Most relatives there and either side they support they face the truculence we know but little about. The teacher learnt two lessons:

- the punks are right: never trust in the press;      
- always listen first to the ones involved in the affairs you're talking about. 

Celebrating the Best Victory

If you follow the news, you might have read somewhere that demonstrations swept Brazil in the past two weeks. Less important was the fact that Brazil won the Confederations' Cup, which in the football's world is a championship considered as a preview of the World Cup. Now, we Brazilians know that it also serves to the purpose of FIFA checking if a country really has conditions of hosting the actual World Cup: infrastructure, security, beautiful and newly remodelled stadiums.

Some people have been curious why Brazilians are so angry. After all, specially here, my home country is one of the wealthiest nations, has a fast growing economy and our former president is even mentioned here as a model to be followed by the presidents to be in the future.

I guess these are the pics of the official celebration:

But we Brazilians (in the fatherland or afar, like me) are happier, because the country was shaken by indignation against corruption and bad services offered by the State. Specially the big circus showing manicured stadiums built with public money. Very impressive in a country where football is a national issue.

"When your child is sick, take him to a stadium". 

"I came to the streets, because the street is the biggest grandstand in Brazil". 

"We want FIFA standard schools and hospitals".  

"How many schools are worth a Maracanã"? 

Politicians afraid, a not so confident president, important bills that didn't passed in the Congress (which would protect our corrupt politicians) and even a decrease in the public buses' fare. Important to mention that the last time demonstrations swept in Brazil, the president was impeached - 20 years ago.   

In another part of the world, Egyptian people are celebrating the downfall of the (former) president Morsi - two years and a half after the Hosni Mubarak, dictator for decades, was ousted and one year after Morsi was elected. 

Seeing this historical picture, I wonder what is the real victory for the long-suffering Egyptian people? Here the Coptic patriarch Tawadros II and the Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh back together Morsi's overthrown by the Egyptian army. The Coptic Church is the biggest Christian denomination in Egypt. And Al-Azhar? Well, Al-Azhar is the Muslim academic and religious centre in the Muslim world. 

May I ask the permission of the great and brave Egyptian people to say that Brazilians & Egyptians have something in common?