Fecha: 04/09/2007
Lugar: Egipto
A las afueras del Cairo, sobre un promontorio, se extiende un gran basurero. Uno de los más limpios que he visitado. Familias enteras se dedican a la organización de la basura: papeles, plásticos, latas, chapas de automóviles...Desde la abuela hasta el niño más pequeño (ellos creen que es un juego) van juntando lo que otros desechan, otorgándoles por la selección un valor que los resucita de ser basura y los incorpora de nuevo al mercado. La basura que se salva de la quema se aglutina en enormes bolsas de arpillera de más de dos metros de alto que son transportadas en coches hasta el lugar de la compra. Las calles de la Ciudad de la Basura, Zeinab, son particularmente limpias pues aquí los residuos son pan para hoy. Las familias que la habitan son coptas en su mayoría, ya que los musulmanes por tradición no consideraron esta labor muy honrosa. Así, infinidad de imágenes de Vírgenes y muchas cruces se elevan entre los montones de mierda.
La pasada semana también visité una organización local que trabaja en un barrio muy humilde, para tratar de hacer allí mi espectáculo. Todo va despacio en el Cairo, como el tráfico, y aguardo respuesta para poder desempolvar el clown. Desde Etiopía no he vuelto a actuar y temo que se oxide dentro de las alforjas. También confío que mi propuesta de dar Talleres de Clown en un par de Estudios de Teatro prospere, o que el Instituto Cervantes tenga a bien programar la proyección de la película Kilómetros de Sonrisas. Termina agosto y parece que los peces gordos se reincorporan a los sillones.
Para preparar mi libro y documentarme me he apuntado a la Universidad Americana del Cairo, que cuenta con una magnífica biblioteca a dos pasos de mi casa, y además con Internet. Las medidas de seguridad para acceder al edificio son de nivel paranoico, y me recuerdan que ser norteamericano no es la mejor nacionalidad para recorrer el mundo. He aprovechado para releer mi libro Kilómetros de Sonrisas. Bueno, realmente para leerlo, porque confieso que nunca lo había hecho. Y tengo que reconocer que me lo he leído de dos sentadas. ¡Ojala el libro que debo parir de África salga tan ameno y tan sincero!
En las arenas del desierto que rodea Cairo crecen las pirámides con la facilidad con la que los dátiles adornan estos días las palmeras. El primer monumento en piedra de la historia es la pirámide de Sakata, a unos 23 kms al Sur de Giza. No es tan visitada como las pirámides de Giza, pero sus proporciones resultan asimismo descomunales. Es sorprendente que Egipto fuera hace 4.000 años un gran imperio, y que aún hoy, viva de la gloria de aquéllos días, sin haber hecho más logros que tratar de conservar esos monumentos. Si un día las pirámides de Egipto se vienen abajo, su economía lo hará segundos más tarde, pues el turismo es lo único que evita la bancarrota de este país.
Faltan pocos días para que comience el Ramadán, que aumentará los niveles de stress de este pueblo a niveles inaguantables. Desde que salga el sol hasta que se oculte Mahomma no les dejará comer, ni beber, ni fumar. Eso crispará los nervios de tal manera que las peleas en la calle serán cosa habitual. Los comercios funcionarán a medio gas pues nadie tendrá la energía suficiente ni para abrir los ojos. Antes del Ramadam se celebran algunos santos mahometanos, en unas festividades conocidas como Mawled, mitad religiosa mitad pagana. A la última que asistí, la peculiaridad era que los hombres podían vestirse de mujeres. Como siempre, los más pequeños se divierten en atracciones de feria muy caseras. Los coches de las atracciones, como la noria por ejemplo, son confeccionados con antiguos toneles de aceite, partidos por la mitad y pintados.
Los puentes que salvan el Nilo tienen una actividad desbordante al atardecer. Los conductores se paran en el arcén, sacan las sillas y el té, algunos hasta la caña de pescar, y contemplan la vida en el río. Infinidad de embarcaciones con luces de colores y la música a tope, cumplen la función de discotecas móviles, donde los jóvenes bailan durante los veinte minutos que dura el paseo. Parece como si en el río la religión islámica se hubiese ahogado y tuviera lugar la relajación de algunas limitaciones. De vuelta a tierra, los chicos se suben los pantalones que dejaban asomar sus calzoncillos, y las mujeres vuelven a ajustarse el pañuelo a la cabeza para ocultar sus pelos libidinosos.
Desde Downton, Cairo, Egipto, día 1019, Paz y Bien, álvaro el biciclown
Locating external
To the outskirts of Cairo, on a promontory, a great trash can extends. One of the cleanest that I have visited. Families find out they dedicate to the organization of the garbage: papers, plastics, cans, foils of cars. Since the grandmother until the small kid (they believe that it is a game) goes joining what others discard, giving because of it a value that saves it of being garbage and incorporates them again to the market. The garbage that survives to be burn agglutinates in enormous bags of sackcloth of two meters of high that are transported in cars until the place of the purchase. The streets of the City of the Garbage, Zeinab, are particularly clean because the residuals are bread for today. The families that inhabit here are majority Coptic, since the Muslims traditionally didn't consider this very honorable work. So, infinity of images of Virgenes and many crosses they rise among the shit heaps.
Last week I visited a local organization that works in a very humble neighborhood, to be about making my show. Everything goes slowly in Cairo, as the traffic, and I wait answer to be able to reopen my clown. From Etiopa I have not acted again and I fear him to be oxidized inside my luggage. I am also waiting that my proposal of giving Workshop of Clown in a couple of Studies of Theater prospers, or that the Institute Cervantes consider my purpose of my movie Miles of Smiles. It finishes August and it seems that the fat fish are reinstated to the armchairs.
To prepare my book and to document me I have aimed myself to the American University of Cairo that has a great library to two steps of my house, besides Internet. The measures of security to consent to the building are of paranoiac level, and they remind me that to be North American is not the best nationality to travel the world. I have taken advantage to reread my book Kilmetros of Smiles. Good, really to read it, because I admit that never I did it. And I have to recognize that is very easy to do it. God willing the book that I should give birth to of Africa comes out so interesting and so sincere!
In the sands of the desert that Cairo surrounds the pyramids they grow with the easiness with which the dates adorns these you give the palms. The first monument in stone of the history is the pyramid of Sakata, to about 23 kms to the South of Giza. Not it is so visited as the pyramids of Giza, but their proportions are also enormous. It is surprising that Egypt was 4,000 years ago a great empire, and that today, survive thanks to tha glory, without having made other achievements that to be about conserving those monuments. If the pyramid of Egypt one day comes down, their finances will do it lsa, because the tourism is the only reason that avoids the bankruptcy of this country.
They lack few you give so that Ramadn begins that to increase the stress levels from this town to unbearable levels. Since the sun comes out until it goes for sleeping, Mahomma not allow them to eat, neither to drink, neither to smoke. That to twitch the nerves in such a way that the fights in the street seem to be habitual. The activity is so slow that nobody has energy even to open their eyes. Before Ramadam some Mohammedan saints take place, in some well-known festivities as Mawled, half pagan religious half. To the last I assisted, the peculiarity was that the men could be dressed of women. As always, they have a good time in very homemade fair attractions. The cars of the attractions, as the treadmill for example, they are made with old barrels of oil, left by the half and colored.
The bridges that save Nile have an overflowing activity at dusk. The drivers stop in the shoulder, and take out some chairs, even fisherman equipments, and they contemplate the life in the riverInfinity of crafts with lights of colors and loud music, they complete the funcion of discos, where the young dances during the twenty minutes that the walk lasts. It seems as if in the river the Islamic religion has drowned and took place the relax of some limitations. Of turn to earth, the boys are gone up the pants that allowed to appear their underpants, and the women are adjusted the hand chief to the head to hide their libidinous hair again.
From Downton, Cairo, Egypt, day 1019, Peace and Well, Alvaro the biciclown
Locating external
To the outskirts of Cairo, on a promontory, a great trash can extends. One of the cleanest that I have visited. Families find out they dedicate to the organization of the garbage: papers, plastics, cans, foils of cars. Since the grandmother until the small kid (they believe that it is a game) goes joining what others discard, giving because of it a value that saves it of being garbage and incorporates them again to the market. The garbage that survives to be burn agglutinates in enormous bags of sackcloth of two meters of high that are transported in cars until the place of the purchase. The streets of the City of the Garbage, Zeinab, are particularly clean because the residuals are bread for today. The families that inhabit here are majority Coptic, since the Muslims traditionally didn't consider this very honorable work. So, infinity of images of Virgenes and many crosses they rise among the shit heaps.
Last week I visited a local organization that works in a very humble neighborhood, to be about making my show. Everything goes slowly in Cairo, as the traffic, and I wait answer to be able to reopen my clown. From Etiopa I have not acted again and I fear him to be oxidized inside my luggage. I am also waiting that my proposal of giving Workshop of Clown in a couple of Studies of Theater prospers, or that the Institute Cervantes consider my purpose of my movie Miles of Smiles. It finishes August and it seems that the fat fish are reinstated to the armchairs.
To prepare my book and to document me I have aimed myself to the American University of Cairo that has a great library to two steps of my house, besides Internet. The measures of security to consent to the building are of paranoiac level, and they remind me that to be North American is not the best nationality to travel the world. I have taken advantage to reread my book Kilmetros of Smiles. Good, really to read it, because I admit that never I did it. And I have to recognize that is very easy to do it. God willing the book that I should give birth to of Africa comes out so interesting and so sincere!
In the sands of the desert that Cairo surrounds the pyramids they grow with the easiness with which the dates adorns these you give the palms. The first monument in stone of the history is the pyramid of Sakata, to about 23 kms to the South of Giza. Not it is so visited as the pyramids of Giza, but their proportions are also enormous. It is surprising that Egypt was 4,000 years ago a great empire, and that today, survive thanks to tha glory, without having made other achievements that to be about conserving those monuments. If the pyramid of Egypt one day comes down, their finances will do it lsa, because the tourism is the only reason that avoids the bankruptcy of this country.
They lack few you give so that Ramadn begins that to increase the stress levels from this town to unbearable levels. Since the sun comes out until it goes for sleeping, Mahomma not allow them to eat, neither to drink, neither to smoke. That to twitch the nerves in such a way that the fights in the street seem to be habitual. The activity is so slow that nobody has energy even to open their eyes. Before Ramadam some Mohammedan saints take place, in some well-known festivities as Mawled, half pagan religious half. To the last I assisted, the peculiarity was that the men could be dressed of women. As always, they have a good time in very homemade fair attractions. The cars of the attractions, as the treadmill for example, they are made with old barrels of oil, left by the half and colored.
The bridges that save Nile have an overflowing activity at dusk. The drivers stop in the shoulder, and take out some chairs, even fisherman equipments, and they contemplate the life in the riverInfinity of crafts with lights of colors and loud music, they complete the funcion of discos, where the young dances during the twenty minutes that the walk lasts. It seems as if in the river the Islamic religion has drowned and took place the relax of some limitations. Of turn to earth, the boys are gone up the pants that allowed to appear their underpants, and the women are adjusted the hand chief to the head to hide their libidinous hair again.
From Downton, Cairo, Egypt, day 1019, Peace and Well, Alvaro the biciclown
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