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On a Free Trip to Egypt: Americans, Egyptians Battle Stereotypes

May 15, 2019
Photo courtesy of Kindness Films/ Free Trip to Egypt

In a world rife with political discontentment and seemingly more discord than tolerance, it is easy to lose sight of elements that bring people together. Inspired by a purposeful , yet experimental, idea to inspire people to find their humanity, an Egyptian- Canadian filmmaker invited seven Americans to travel to Egypt on an all-expenses paid vacation for 10 days. In a collision of East meets West, the seven Americans were paired up with five Egyptians with vastly differing backgrounds and identities to engage in conversation and face their stereotypes. Starting simple: planting the project seed Tarek Mounib’s idea came to him after weeks of monitoring pro-Trump and racist rhetoric in the United States. Appalled and concerned with where politics and citizen ideology was heading, the idea came to him on a tram in Zurich. A simple idea that definitely needed execution became the basis for how the project would take form: wouldn’t it be kind of great, instead of running away from Islamophobes and racists, to actually engage with them and offer them something kind? “The idea was to give them some sort of treat, like a vacation and talk…


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