Maybe you’re not planning a trip to Egypt anytime soon. Maybe you don’t have friends there. Maybe seeing screaming men waving signs in Arabic freaks you out a little.
Egypt still matters to you. Not because their freedom or oppression will change whether you get to vote. Not because their women’s modesty (forced or chosen) will influence whether you can buy a miniskirt. And not because their employment or lack-there-of will touch your job.
Egypt matters because its demographics make it one of the seats of the future. In The Economist‘s Shoe-Thrower’s Index, 35% of a country’s rank is determined by the percentage of the country’s population which is under 25. Millenials, those in the streets of Cairo and those following them on Twitter, are my generation. They may be the generation of your children, or grandchildren. Egypt is not the only place Millenials are driving change, but it is a good place to start.
Here are my 10 wishes for Egypt in the coming months:
- Free, fair, and fast elections.
- A diverse ecosystem of NGOs.
- A plurality of political parties.
- Equal representation of women.
- An influx of educated, former ex-patriate Egyptians to help with the remodeling of the country.
- Preservation of humanity’s history in the country’s pyramids, mosques, and coptic churches.
- A new vision for the economy, relying less on tourism and perhaps more on internal manufacturing, agriculture, and knowledge production.
- A strong reform of the educational system, educating citizens for employment at all levels of society.
- A citizen-lead volunteer force to clean up Cairo and other major cities.
- More internships.
Got your own wishes? Please share them in the comments.
Inspirational Quote:
“No place is boring, if you’ve had a good night’s sleep and have a pocket full of unexposed film.”–Robert Adams, Darkroom & Creative Camera Techniques, May 1995
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