Ten million Egyptians work abroad – half of that number work in the Gulf, bringing their home country more than EGP 460 billion (USD 20 billion) in remittances each year. Yet the Egypt-to-Gulf migration experience is far more than a statistic. Behind every Egyptian migrant in the Gulf is an affected family, and a story with a societal impact that is often overlooked and understated. Kharag W Al Mafrood Yaood (Being Borrowed), a creative, collaborative, self-funded exhibition by Anthropology Bel 3araby, an educational initiative founded by Egyptian anthropologist Farah Hallaba, documents the Egyptian experience migrating to the Gulf – from financial prosperity to discrimination and disassociation. In addition to the exhibition, the initiative also offered public discussions and an anthological publication. SHOWING HOW THE GULF REALLY IS A “GULF” “The project started with a collaborative three-month workshop earlier this year,” explains Farah Hallaba. “Some of the themes that were encountered included aspiration, social class, temporality, family dynamics, memories, home, death, and belonging – all seen through both collective and personal narratives.” Egyptian Streets had the opportunity to enjoy the exhibition’s installations, which highlighted the distortion of time and space felt…
Being Borrowed: The Exhibition Spotlighting Egyptians’ Gulf Migration Experiences
October 29, 2022
