Tahrir Square Voices were written as the events of theArabSpring unfolded in Egypt during the winter of 2011. Theyarecurious historical artifacts that are fun to read;offeringenlightened insights into the dynamics of theEgyptianRevolution.

The 18 pieces were created to capture the fluidity of eventsandthe contradictory impulses of the revolution as they playedoutover the course of 33 days culminating in the ouster ofEgyptianPresident Hosni Mubarak. This allowed Egypt to hold anopendemocratic election that brought Mohamed Morsi and theMuslimBrotherhood's agenda into office. The events in Tahrir Squarealsosparked the flames that led to the expansion of the ArabSpringmovement throughout the region. Inspiring the overthrow ofMuammarQaddafi in Libya, the Shia uprisings in Bahrain and theSyrianCivil War. All of these events as well as the continuedunrest inEgypt are yet to be fully played out.

The pieces in Tahrir Square Voices are raw structurednarrativesthat seeks to capture the chaos and uncertainty of theebbs andflows of the political situation as it unfolded on thestreets ofCairo. It is tempting to go back and edit the pieces buttheexigencies of the moment produced the response recorded inthepieces. A prolog and an epilog were also added. The prolog isonepiece entitled Call Me Ishmael. The epilog is three pieces,thefirst Morsi’s Feet written on the day he was ousted in acoupd'etat.

The author intended to publish these pieces as alargercollection entitled Call Me Ishmael with an expandedepilogentitled Homage to Homs. The Homage to Homs section comprisesabody of work at least as large as the 120 plus pages comprisingtheTahrir Square Voices. The key piece missing from the epilog isadialog concerning the incompatibilities and contradictionsofSharia Law and secular democracy. I hope to complete theentiresection soon.

The decision to publish the Tahrir Square Voices wasinstigatedby Morsi’s ouster from office. This event has returnedEgypt backto the rule of the military oligarchs and the policeapparatus thatenforced Mubarak’s decades long reign. In a senseEgypt is back tosquare one if in fact any real fundamental changeever occurred asa result of Tahrir Square demonstrations. Theauthor’s sympathiesclearly lie with the secular democratic impulsesof the revolution.As a westerner, my perceptions are colored withan allegiance todemocratic republicanism. That said I tried toincorporate andarticulate some of the historical and culturalimpulses thatpropelled the events in Tahrir Square.

The pieces include:

Prolog

Call Me Ishmael

Tahrir Square

Police Day 1/25/11
The Dancing Jinn of Cairo (1/31/11)
Revolution and Repression in Cairo (2/2/11)
Blow Back (2/3/11)
Overheard in Tahrir Square (2/4/11)
Day of Departure (2/4/11)
On This Day of Allegiance (2/4/11)
Tahrir Square (2/4/11)
Revolution Slumbers in Liberation Square (2/6/11)
The Colossus Awakens (2/10/11)
The Tents of Tahrir Square (2/11/11)
Day of Expectation (2/12/11)
Mubarak Speaks (2/14/11)
Mubarak's Dream (2/15/11)
The Fifth Fleet (2/17/11)
Abdication Day
Cleaning Up The Square (2/23/11)
At The Tip Of A Bayonet (2/28/11)

Epilog

Morsi's Feet
Gaza
The Birds of the Nile

Tahrir Square Voices includes links to Youtube Music Videosthatthe author selected as appropriate for the subject ofeachpoem.

The poems are all original pieces written and copyrighted bytheauthor. Images and music used in this collection are nottheproperty of the author whose use in this publication isinconformance with generally accepted fair use practices.

I hope you enjoy reading Tahrir Square Voices.

Risk Rapper
7/7/13