It's business as usual in Cairo as demonstrations continue

LIFE GOES on in Cairo in spite of the occupation by tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters of the capital’s Tahrir Square.

Shops and kiosks open in neighbourhoods not affected by the struggle between largely peaceful Egyptians demanding the resignation of president Hosni Mubarak and his armed and violent supporters.

Although trade may be slow in shops along July 26th street in Zamalek, shutters are up and doors are open. My friend Iman observed: “Supermarkets are doing great business. They sold more in the past week than during the past two months.”

At hole-in-the-wall cafes, rumpled, unshaven men sip tea in glasses and chain smoke. Sandwich vendors carry on their trade. Men and women jog along the Nile corniche while taxi drivers cruise for a fare. Tennis addicts continue to play on the red clay courts at the exclusive Gezira sporting club while middle-aged men walk round the track. Golfers tee-off on the green at the mini-course and men drink chilled Stella beer in the sun at tables set out on the grubby grass.

Families lunch on pizza or steak at the restaurant outside the brown and gold palace, now part of a hotel, built at the end of the 19th century by Khedive Ismail, who modelled Tahrir Square on L’Etoile in Paris.

Undaunted by the whiff of tear gas, constant overflights of military helicopters and long curfews, James O’Donnell of the Irish Food Board has pursued his mission of selling Irish food and drink to Egypt, valued at present at €40 million. He did his best to stick to the programme arranged before the revolution by ambassador Isolde Moylan.

O’Donnell has met the chief veterinary officer of the ministry of agriculture to discuss expanding the trade in beef and livestock.

“Egypt has a big shortage of cattle,” he said. “There is also great potential in dairy products here . . . I met all the main players in the Egyptian food industry.”

His Egyptian contacts called “to make certain I am okay” or offered a car and driver. “Business in the Arab world is very personal . . . I never felt threatened,” said O’Donnell.