This capstone paper for Jura Avizienis’s WR 150 course “1968/2011” gave me the opportunity to examine two smaller-scale events within the Egyptian Revolution, with the result that I came to see the Revolution itself entirely differently.
Having examined the Egyptian Revolution in class from different angles, I decided to take a different route: street art. I chose the murals of Mohammad Mahmoud Street because I felt that their messages needed to be heard but had not been in the West, and I began to see this neglect as part of a systemic issue in Western thinking about Egypt. The murals are the expression of an Egypt that perhaps for too long has been waiting to assert itself to the world. From this paper I hope that people can gain a better understanding and appreciation of these ongoing protests and the spirit that continues to drive them.
I have to thank Professor Avizienis for all her help, advice, and encouragement both on this paper and throughout last semester. I also have to thank the Egyptian people, who have revolutionized my life and captivated my heart since 2011. Without their inspiration I never would have written this paper.
LISA LAU is a rising junior at Boston University majoring in Linguistics and minoring in Arabic. A native of Pennsylvania, she enjoys sewing and playing with her dog. She has been following the Revolution ever since a school project (unsurprisingly involving Facebook) introduced her to some really incredible Egyptian people. Her dream was recently realized when she travelled to Egypt. She hopes to return soon. Although in writing this paper she wants to share with you some of what she has learned about Egypt and the Revolution, she encourages anyone who really wants to learn about Egypt to learn from the Egyptian people, who are really its only experts.