Nadia Shira Cohen . Postcards from Tahrir Square by Nadia Shira Cohen February 2, 2011  Cairo, Egypt: Two anti-Mubarak protesters in Tahrir Square summon the government helicopter circling around overhead.  The two have been going around the square collecting trash that has accumulated during heavy days of protest and no government services available such as trash removal.  Egyptians began protesting en mass in late January for the removal of President Hosni Mubarak from office after reaching their limits with human rights violations, extremely high unemployment and high costs of living. Tahrir Square. February 2, 2011.  Cairo, Egypt: Waleed, a taxi driver who makes the equivalent of $4 a day stands in protest in Tahrir Square.  February 2, 2011.  Cairo, Egypt: Anti-Mubarak protesters in Tahrir Square. February 2, 2011.  Cairo, Egypt: An Egyptian soldier runs through the area being used for pro- Mubarak supporters to his tank. February 2, 2011.  Cairo, Egypt: A voodoo doll of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak hangs from a traffic light amid anti- Mubarak protesters. February 3, 2011.  Cairo, Egypt: Anti-Mubarak supporters rally other supporters for stone throwing at pro-Mubarak supporters on the road out from Tahrir Square. February 3, 2011.  Cairo, Egypt: A woman seeks medical treatment in a make shift hospital in Tahrir Square.  The woman had tried to protect a pro-Mubarak supporter who was being beaten up by anti- Mubarak activists.  She had lied and told the agressors that she was his mother in order to save his life. February 3, 2011.  Cairo, Egypt: A man prays next to the burnt out carcass of a police car in Tahrir Square. February 11, 2011.  Cairo, Egypt: Protesters in Tahrir Square on the night President Mubarak finally addressed the nation and announced that he would not step down as President but that he would give up all his power to govern the state. February 2, 2011.  Cairo, Egypt: Kalid Gada, a 21 year old journalist and an anti-Mubarak activist waves a flag in Tahrir Square where he has been protesting for a week. February 11, 2011 - Cairo, Egypt: Protesters in Tahrir Square on the night President Mubarak finally addressed the nation and announced that he would not step down as President but that he would give up all his power to govern the state. February 2, 2011.  Cairo, Egypt: A woman stands on a bridge over the Nile river looking at the ruins of the TV building that was burned down earlier in the week during political protests. Egyptians, not long ago, were dying for a piece of bread.  Now they sell their souls for a bullet in the head, because the reward is freedom for their fellow Egyptians and the beloved motherland. The bullet may take a life but it will allow change for those who remain. Change, the Egyptians believed, is only through the power they possess; what was taken by force will only be restored by force.  They lost their lives to send a message to tyrants, that the absence of justice will definitely lead to the fall of the most powerful. This is what the martyrs learnt from history books; books that are never taught under unjust systems. Mubarak's fall was followed by kneeling, tears streaming down faces, utter prostration, thanking the most merciful, and finally celebrations. My heart beat rapidly, I went out into the streets of my quiet neighborhood and found the light prevailing in the horizons. I wish with all my heart that this will be the last revolution in Egypt. Tyrants come to power because they are part of a tyranny, which exists already in the community. They will never prevail when the public is attentive and responsible. There will be no revolutions any longer if justice reigns. Positive change will only be achieved through a moral ground, aiming at the prosperity of humanity, exactly as the revolutionaries did in Tahrir Square.    Written to accompany Nadia Shira Cohen’s photographs by Karim Khashaba Al Andalusi MARCH 2012 BACK ISSUE Back to current issue