Sweeping the Streets of Cairo and Becoming Responsible Actors in History

Having traveled a fair amount in the Middle East the past few years, one of the things that’s always troubled me is the garbage. Inadequate trash collection services, a symptom of unresponsive and unaccountable governments, are a part of the answer, but I’ve also seen too many people carelessly drop their litter in the street and been frustrated by the way in which these individual acts have led to a collective scar on communities and the landscape. 

And now comes this story from my morning newspaper: "In Tahrir, Cleanup Crews Herald New Day."   Having swept away their president for life, and with fresh hopes that their land has been cleansed of the repression and corruption which were a part of his long reign, the protestors and their sympathizers have now turned out in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to celebrate their achievement by cleaning up.  From the Reuters wire story we hear this: “For the first time in my life, I feel like the street is mine,” a 30 year old female engineer says as she worked to clean up litter left behind after nearly three weeks of protests.  People of all ages reportedly wore vests emblazoned with “Proudly Cleaning Egypt” on the back. Other accounts indicated that thousands came out armed with "brooms, shovels, and trash bags." Well, it really is a new day in Cairo.  

Contained in these individual and communal acts are the political seeds of responsibility and democratic self-governance.  As the Czech playwright, revolutionary, and statesman Vaclav Havel has said  “Genuine politics -- even politics worthy of the name -- the only politics I am willing to devote myself to -- is simply a matter of serving those around us: serving the community and serving those who will come after us. Its deepest roots are moral because it is a responsibility expressed through action, to and for the whole.”  The dissident philosopher who led his country's Velvet Revolution against Communism is one of the world's most insightful voices on the power of a group of people who assume responsibility for themselves and their collective story.     

With history as a guide, we all have reason to worry about whether or not the legitimate grievances of the Egyptian protestors will be met, whether their genuine hopes to live in a more fair, just and flourishing society will be fulfilled.  But it is important to note that the rising of a people which has captivated the world in recent days is entirely an Egyptian production, free from outside instigation or influence, and one of the best hints that things may turn out all right in the end lies in the newly clean streets of Cairo.