Residents of the upscale Cairo suburb of Maadi are up-in-arms after the Egyptian Ministry of Transportation announced a new highway development that may result in the deforestation of some of Maadi’s most renowned areas. The Ministry of Transportation announced on 6 June 2021 the new project, named ‘Al Gazaer Axis’ (Algeria Axis), along with two other new projects to be implemented to tackle traffic congestion. Since the project was announced, a number of Maadi vendors in affected areas have received phone calls to make way for the project. Meanwhile, residents of Maadi have been posting on social media to call for action against this project, including actor Karim Kassem, television presenter Layla Farouk, and singer Shahira El-Khatira, using the hashtag of “المعادى_ترفض_المحور#” (Maadi Refuses the Axis). “It’s the quality of life we are campaigning for in line with the National presidential target as well in sustaining and creating a better quality of life to all Egyptians. We are defending our right for this life and preserving a beautiful garden suburb in Egypt which is considered an icon for sustainability and cultured heritage,” said Walaa Afifi, one resident of Maadi and…
‘We Can’t Lose More Trees’: Egypt’s Maadi Road Project Sparks Uproar
July 15, 2021
