Obama in Cairo, Egypt

Obama’s long awaited visit to Egypt is a few days away.  I don’t know about Obama but it is the talk of the town here.  I work next to Cairo University and this area has transformed over night.  The bumpy streets leading to the University are now as smooth as silk.  Even buildings around the area have been given a fresh lawyer of paint, but not the whole building, just the side that faces to the street.

I don’t have a car so I end up taking cabs to get around the city.  Cab drivers are the best source of news you can get here.  That’s why I stopped buying newspapers.  So this is what I have found out so far about Obama’s itinerary:

- Arrive early Thursday morning, around 4 am.

- Visits Mubarak at Kobah presidential palace in the morning.

- Gives his speech to ‘the Islamic World’ from Cairo University by noon.

- Goes for a tour of the great pyramids of Giza

- Then Might visit the Citadel , specifically to see Muhammed Ali mosque.

- He might also go to Abdeen Palace.  Probably to take a nap after all these visits :-).

That all sounds great but do you know what that means for the citizens of Cairo?   No one is going anywhere on Thursday.  I’ve heard that schools are taking the day off and some businesses are closing.  Since Obama will be criss-crossing through Cairo in a car, police and presidential guard will be closing down streets and areas where he will be expected to be.

Why?  I will quote a cab driver I spoke to today:  Obama is “El-Mo3lem El-Kebir”.  The best/accurate translation of this slang Egyptian is that Obama is the Godfather.  If the Godfather comes to your house, you have to make sure that your house is in order.  Start running Mubarak!

UPDATE (7th June ‘09): This blog post has been featured in The Guardian, Jerusalem Post, Global Voices Online, KabobFest and Ibn Ibn Battuta.