Egyptians embark on a journey of peace

Peace may not be the first word that comes to mind when thinking of Cairo these days. The Egyptian political landscape now appears more polarized than ever, and renewed clashes have again highlighted divisiveness between supporters and opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood.

But Cairo is a city where anything can happen.

This year’s International Day of Peace on 21 September showed another side of Cairo, and was a step towards a more inclusive Egypt based on fairness and mutual respect.

Beyond the tensions stemming from the transition to democracy, many Egyptians have embarked on a path to peace, from tech-savvy young activists networking through social media to men and women of older generations discussing politics or joining grassroots campaigns for the first time.

On 21 September, for the third consecutive year, MasterPeace, an international grassroots peace-building initiative involving people in over 40 different countries, celebrated the International Day of Peace in Cairo with an event called the Street Art Festival. Almost four thousand people participated and enjoyed a full day of graffiti art, music and workshops. Egyptians of all different backgrounds and age groups joined in.

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Egyptians embark on a journey of peace