What It's Like To Walk Alone As A Woman In Cairo

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This video shows what it’s like for a girl to walk alone in Cairo, no matter what time of day. Though the video only includes stares, it gives an idea of just how intimidating it can be in the street. As a woman, Egyptian or foreign, comments and stares are the norm every time we step out the door, no matter what we’re wearing.

From our interview with Egyptian Streets:

COULD YOU TELL US HOW THE VIDEO WAS RECORDED?
Colette walked down the Kasr El-Nil bridge, secretly recording with an iPhone. She held it by her mouth with headphones plugged in and pretended to talk on the phone. She pretended to be deep in conversation, looking straight ahead of her. Whenever she felt eyes on her, she turned the phone slightly towards them. The clip was filmed in a single 5 minute walk around sunset, as people often gather on the bridge after the temperature cools down.

We made sure to record Colette beforehand in order to show her appearance. Because she is of Arab descent, she fits in with Egyptian society more easily. She wore a long skirt, a t-shirt, and a cardigan to prevent any dismissals of the footage, such as having worn something to provoke them.

As groups of men often stare together, we decided to slow down the video for viewers to view all their intimidating expressions at once.

We also recorded catcalls while filming, but because Colette was pretending to be on the phone, we couldn’t include them without hearing her speak in Arabic. Instead, we decided to pair the footage with the song “A3akes Ah At7rash La2″ by Sadat & Fifty, translating to “Flirting, Yes, Harassment, No.” We thought it was particularly fitting since most young men listen to popular Electro Sh3abi music.

Find out more at Egyptian Streets: http://egyptianstreets.com/2014/09/02...