The revolution has touched the lives of Egyptians working in various industries. Al-Ahram Weekly listens to some personal accounts While most businesses have been severely harmed by the thin presence of police since the revolution, street vendors have been the biggest beneficiaries. Amm Hussein used to drive his cart every day to central Cairo in an attempt to sell his goods quickly, fearing the police might track him down at any moment. Along with many other street vendors located in front of a central Cairo metro station, he was regularly chased by police, and his goods confiscated. That is why most street vendors displayed their goods on a huge piece of cloth so they could easily pick them up and whisk them away in case of police crackdowns. This was the case before 25 January 2011. Today, Amm Hussein has a chief spot in front of the metro station along with many other vendors who spread their goods of all types on the ground, hindering the movement of blocking the station entrance. Some vendors go as far as getting into the station. For Amm Hussein, this is an ideal situation. "Now I can spend the whole day selling fruits. As a result, my income has increased by 40 per cent," Amm Hussein told Al-Ahram weekly. Street vendors have taken advantage of post-revolution weak police presence, doing brisk business in the country's main cities. In Cairo, no square is free of vendors who turn its traffic into a nightmare. Although Amm Hussein admits that battles between vendors in many areas had become unbearable, he believes they should not be blamed. "We just want to earn our living," he said. He explained to the Weekly that the fruit he sells is the only source of income for his family of five. He refuses allegations that the majority of street vendors are drug- selling thugs. "People say we have become a burden after the revolution, but who is responsible for this?" Amm Hussein asked. "All of us resorted to street vending because we had no better option." He added that if the government wants to remove vendors from streets, it has to provide alternatives. "The government should think of helping us instead of eliminating us," he argues. Amm Hussein stated that the government should provide new spaces for markets where street and cart vendors can sell their goods. In fact, he said, the government had previously provided such spaces, but they were too distant from residential areas. Slow business forced vendors to leave these markets and head back again to central Cairo. Street vending is not a new phenomenon in Egypt. Before the revolution, it was limited to holiday seasons and the start of the school year. After the revolution, vendors are seen daily in every street. Nesma Nowar By Nesma Nowar
