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DISPATCH
Party
on the Nile
The Revolution's
50th birthday was a very public affair
Text and photos
by Tarek Atia
(cairolive.com,
July 24, 2002)
CLICK
HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THE 2002 JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS OF THE JULY 23
REVOLUTION
Thousands of
spectators lined the Kasr El-Nil and 6 October Bridges downtown, as well
as the corniche on both sides of the Nile on Tuesday late afternoon to
watch the celebrations organized by the armed forces
in honor of the 50th anniversary of the 1952 July Revolution.
The show began at 6pm and continued into the evening, culminating with a
fireworks display after sunset. The crowds watched as troops performed
military
 pageantry exercises, jumping from helicopters and parachuting
down into the Nile. There were also troops on different kinds of naval
vessels in the river itself. One large ship had been decorated in stars,
and featured colourful hot air balloons decorated with paintings of
Egypt's
presidents from Mohamed Naguib to Hosni Mubarak. This ship also had
an
army special forces unit on it, performing combat exercises to the joy
of the crowd.
"Look at them doing karate," said Hassan Abu-ali, a
waiter at the famous Casino du Nil Nile side cafe, to one of his
colleagues. At that exact moment, large waves caused by the power boats'
rapid movements in the river drenched the lower terrace of the cafe in
water, sending patrons racing from their seats to higher ground,
screaming with joy.
"It's a water revolution," joked Abu-ali.
As the sky darkened the crowd got thicker, with people lined up several
rows deep on the bridge. The promise of a stunning fireworks display and
musical extravaganza, featuring the country's top performers, was the
draw. The Information Ministry was the sponsor
of that part of the celebration, which promised to be all the more
pleasant now that the night breeze had set in.
CLICK
HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THE 2002 JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS OF THE JULY 23
REVOLUTION
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