One year on from the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak Egypt is still facing a fragile transition to democracy. While all eyes are on Tahrir Square the struggles of the common Egyptian person remain largely inconspicuous. Still, tackling their economic woes remains critical in order to secure a truetransition to democracy.

It has been a year since the people of Egypt rose up and put an end to the 29-year rule of “their” president, Hosni Mubarak, following weeks of determined popular protest. To many, the ouster of Mubarak came to represent the vindication of the rights of the people and their desire for “bread, freedom, and dignity”.

Over the past year the media has rallied around the prolific events commanding the trajectory of Egypt’s transition – most notably the first free parliamentary elections and the continued protests against the military rule. While covering the ensuing power struggles between liberals and Islamists, and the military and the protesters, the struggles of the common Egyptian person have remained largely inconspicuous. This begs the question: what are the lives of ordinary Egyptians like a year after the uprising? I spoke to two of these “ordinary” Egyptians to find out.  Read More