If you would look at the landscape of Egypt from a bird’s eye view, you would see something akin to chaos; scattered clusters of houses, uneven distribution of open spaces intertwined with small neighborhoods, and communities sprinkled here and there over the country’s territory. However, Egypt’s immense space that houses about 94 million people is in the midst of this seemingly chaotic reality where endless stories of people, culture, tradition, history and heritage live. A number of initiatives have been growing across the country’s governorates calling for beautifying cities and neighborhoods. Looking closer at these initiatives, their purpose stretches far beyond making cities more beautiful; they also aim to strengthen social cohesion among Egypt’s numerous and diverse communities. Project of Happiness in Heissa Island, Nubia A group of students at Misr International University (MIU) came up with a project idea in 2013 called ‘Project of Happiness’ aimed at making cities look brighter by using colours. They started painting walls of unprivileged areas in Cairo in an attempt to create a healthy environment for students to enjoy their time at school, or at least making their commutes between their homes and schools more enjoyable….
Splashes of Colour Turn Egyptian Neighborhoods into Living Pieces of Art
January 24, 2018
