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| Egyptian actress Bushra in a scene from Cairo 678 |
By Jasmine Kirby
Cairo 678 is an award winning Egyptian film that tells the story of three women from different parts of Egyptian society and their struggles against sexual harassment. Although the film “678” is not directly about the Egyptian Revolution it discusses many issues in Egyptian society through the framework of different women’s experiences with sexual harassment.
Cairo 678 is an award winning Egyptian film that tells the story of three women from different parts of Egyptian society and their struggles against sexual harassment. Although the film “678” is not directly about the Egyptian Revolution it discusses many issues in Egyptian society through the framework of different women’s experiences with sexual harassment.
The biggest issue dealt with by the film is
obviously the mistreatment of women in Egypt; specifically the pervasiveness of
sexual harassment in daily life. Despite the fact that the three main
characters came from different socioeconomic backgrounds all three experienced
sexual harassment. This demonstrates that this is a problem that can be faced
by any woman in Egypt. Similarly, this harassment occurred without much fanfare
in locations pivotal to daily life in Egypt such as public transportation and
sporting events. It is clear that sexual harassment is not taken as seriously
as other crimes in Egypt. Moreover, the commonness of sexual harassment
illustrates that change to improving the daily lives of women has always been
slow. This demonstrates the Egyptian government's slow response to the
injustices felt by its citizens.
Adding to this, another important issue dealt with by the film is the idea of the poor suffering for the transgressions of the rich. This is specifically addressed in the poorer character's complaint that she suffers sexual harassment because men believe she is as “promiscuous” as the richer more Westernized characters. The woman is clearly upset by the rich women's wealth, Westernization and most importantly pushing the limits of traditional gender roles. The divide between the lives of Egypt's richest and poorest played an important role in the cause of the revolution. Moreover, this scene highlights the conservatism of the poor and foreshadows the rise of political Islam in Egypt after the fall of Mubarak.
Overall, through examining sexual harassment in Egypt this film deals with one of the most important causes of the revolution, dignity. After facing harassment, women especially felt the loss of dignity experienced to some extent by all living under a dictatorship. And much like the revolutionaries, the women felt that they had to resort to extreme actions in order to regain their dignity.
Adding to this, another important issue dealt with by the film is the idea of the poor suffering for the transgressions of the rich. This is specifically addressed in the poorer character's complaint that she suffers sexual harassment because men believe she is as “promiscuous” as the richer more Westernized characters. The woman is clearly upset by the rich women's wealth, Westernization and most importantly pushing the limits of traditional gender roles. The divide between the lives of Egypt's richest and poorest played an important role in the cause of the revolution. Moreover, this scene highlights the conservatism of the poor and foreshadows the rise of political Islam in Egypt after the fall of Mubarak.
Overall, through examining sexual harassment in Egypt this film deals with one of the most important causes of the revolution, dignity. After facing harassment, women especially felt the loss of dignity experienced to some extent by all living under a dictatorship. And much like the revolutionaries, the women felt that they had to resort to extreme actions in order to regain their dignity.
Jasmine Kirby is a first year student majoring in History.
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