Closing Scene
December 15th 2019 , the Egyptian autocrat Abdel Fattah Al Sissi gave a speech in one of the many youth conferences that the regime likes to use for internal propaganda. In this speech, he laid the blame on the rise of political violence in the region squarely on the shoulders of the mass protests that erupted in 2010, onwards.
I was asked to comment on his speech by Al Araby TV. I highlighted the fallacy of his logic that ignores the role of state violence and dictatorships in igniting the civil wars that have wracked the region, and the possible explosive situation in Egypt, due to the complete closure of public space.
As I laid my head on my pillow, I could not help but think how surreal my life had become. A sense of estrangement and guilt washed over me. For even though I was in exile, at least I was safe from being thrown in an overcrowded dark cell, where poor sanitation, medical negligence and the cold of winter would have wreaked havoc on both my health and sanity. However, like many exiles, I suffered from marginalization, social isolation, and the never-ending nostalgia of home. I closed my eyes, and as is my habit in nights likes these, I dreamed of it.
