I arrived in Cairo Sunday afternoon without any trouble. Right now, however, I’m just waiting. I’m currently sharing a room with a retired physicist from Munich since we had met up on the plane from Vienna. I’m only booking the room for one night at a time since I’m still waiting to hear whether or not Egypt will open the Rafah crossing so that I can enter Gaza. As of right now, it doesn’t look good. I hear rumors everyday about what days the border will be open but I can’t really rely on any of them. On top of that uncertainty is the threat of being detained by Egyptian police. Yesterday, Egyptian police detained 38 foreigners from the Gaza Freedom March after they checked into their hotels in Al-Arish, the last Egyptian town before the Rafah crossing.
So, right now, I’m waiting. Not unpacking or getting too comfortable in case I find a green light to head to Gaza. If that green light doesn’t come soon, I may be forced to scrap Gaza and simply head to the West Bank early. It’s not that I couldn’t stay really but I have a few definite projects waiting for me in the West Bank and, if I wait too long, I’ll be jeopardizing them as well.
So that’s where I stand… waiting in Cairo.
I’m hoping to know more by the end of the day today. Once things settle down and I have a better sense of where I’ll be from day to day, I hope to start uploading some images.
Shawn Duffy is a freelance commercial photographer and photojournalist based in the Washington, DC Metro area. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, he is a self-taught photographer who has decided to merge his passion for photography with his intense interest in the world around him. From the bustling streets of Bangalore, India, to the refugee camps of occupied Palestine, Shawn strives to create images and tell stories that compel others to act.
Design by Graph Paper Press
Subscribe to entries
Subscribe to comments
All content © 2012 by Shawn Duffy Photography
