Aug 6, 2008
Sounds of Cairo.
I'm still not always comfortable taking pictures or video of strangers, but following people around with a voice recorder? That's stealth and unobtrusive. (I wouldn't record private conversations; only public 'street' noise.)
Today I followed two guys pushing an empty wagon. I have no idea what they're saying. Usually when someone is, for example, riding a donkey cart full of mangoes they will shout "maaaaaaan-goes! maaaaaaan-goes!" …. but since these guys weren't peddling anything in particular, I don't know. I do know that folks will sometimes go through the street asking for donations of used clothing and other objects, which would explain the empty wagon, but I really can't say. Maybe someone can enlighten me.
What I think is interesting is the stylized nature of these public calls, almost like chanting. There are actually two men here, going back and forth, though in the recording they sound like the same person.
The most beautiful time I heard something like this was during Ramadan in 1992, in Imbaba. A woman was walking through the alleys, begging, with her young son, who couldn't have been more than four. The boy would call out a sentence or two from the Qur'an and she would respond to each line, almost as a lament, with "God is generous." I can still hear it, and it still leaves a lump in my throat.
