Maadi Reading Seeds Connects Children to Cairo’s Public Spaces

In every city, there is a special knowledge that can never be taught in class. This knowledge is carried in the scent of a local spice market at lunchtime, in the sound of a flock of pigeons dispersing from a minaret of centuries past, in the feeling of a familiar road becoming entirely different underfoot when walking slowly, purposefully, with children. Sherine Abdel Rassoul and Imaan Al Ali have created a whole community out of recreating these experiences.

Established five years ago, the Maadi Reading Seeds, known to its members as the MRS, is an expression of civic love for all of Cairo. Starting out informally as a weekly ritual in the neighbourhood garden, the MRS initiative has blossomed into a reading circle and a series of monthly excursions across the city for children aged five and up. Open to participants for free, the MRS community is a place where parents can instil values of civic participation in their kids.

The two mothers had been walking home from school with their children, and the idea of starting the MRS emerged organically. "One day," Imaan tells CairoScene, "I said suddenly to Sherine, 'You know, I really like this idea. Why don't we formalise it? Why don't we make it official, not just us dropping hints to other parents at school but making it a proper group and meeting once a week?'" And that's how it all started."

"We started out as a regular group without the formalisation before the pandemic hit us. Once the lockdown ended in early 2020, we formed a formal group that meets weekly for a reading session for the kids. We felt we needed to make sure that our kids know that public spaces are extensions of our private spaces, and that they need to feel comfortable in them,” Abdel Rassoul says.The connection to nature is embedded in the very name of the initiative. 'Seeds' stands for the children, for the garden, and for the process of growing roots in the city. 'Reading' stands for the beautifully illustrated books that Al Ali still collects, with what she calls an obsession that outlives her children's interest in picture books. "We bring the wonderful, or funny, or ridiculous, or absurd, or interesting children's books with the beautiful illustrations, and make reading a fun habit."

"It all comes down to reading, to trees, and to identity," Abdel Rassoul explains, summarising the key principles behind the MRS. "At the beginning of November, we started our city trips. Now we visit historic parts of Cairo every month, and that is our newest and most popular activity. We want to let the children see the city in its full glory,” Al Ali says.

Cairo is a hard city to know well. "Children only hear what the adults are talking about – pollution, ring road, traffic, dollars – but they haven't witnessed the grandeur of the city yet. That's why the idea of city trips came to our minds." Abdel Rassoul says.

Through visits to ancient sites such as Islamic Cairo, the City of the Dead, and the historic quarters where artisans carry out the trades passed down from generation to generation in workshops opening directly into the street, MRS parents want their kids to develop an affection for their native city.

Two aspects set MRS trips apart from many similar excursions. First, these are not paid guided tours, and the MRS mothers emphasise this point. "Usually when you go on a paid trip," says Imaan, "there's somebody leading the way for you. You just follow this guide, you don't worry about yourself, and you don't do anything. But the thing about us is that when we're either on the reading circle or on the trip, it's very participatory."

Second, it is the participants rather than the guides who are expected to ask questions, observe carefully, and explore the environment.

"We are not service providers," says Abdel Rassoul. "The community is about mutual benefit and appreciation. Sometimes we find people just signing up for our trips, asking when they eat, and then cancelling on the day of the trip." According to the MRS organisers, "community is all about giving and taking".

The atmosphere on MRS trips varies greatly depending on what stage the children are at. On their first trip, they usually cling tightly to their parents' hands if the neighbourhood around them looks unfamiliar. By their second or third visit, though, something changes: "They break the barrier and connect to the city." According to Abdel Rassoul, "In one of the trips to the historic cemetery, the kids were playing around the neighbourhood children very freely and naturally, exactly how they should do."The MRS is not about learning historical facts for kids. Some of them come back from a trip and only remember a cat that accompanied them throughout the day. Others recall their trip with the joy of playing football in front of an old mosque. "We make space for kids to take in what they want to take in, and I believe this is one of the most charming aspects of the MRS, every single one goes back with something."

A 90-year-old grandfather joined the MRS recently and went up a pigeon tower four or five stories high, climbing along with the rest. "I remember thinking," says Al-Ali half-laughing, "'Oh God, it's a very big responsibility. But at the same time I hope I get to do it too if I'm 90!'"

The backbone of the MRS is made up of five ladies: Sherine Abdel Rassoul Imaan Al Ali, Alba Collazos, Nadia Dasher and Rana Reda. Volunteers handle all of the logistics, the sign-up sheets, and the distribution of limited seats. Participants can get a MRS passport for free – a must-have for kids over three years old and a token of participation in the MRS community. Other items in the list of perks include the MRS tote bag and the MRS ice-breaker card game. "We didn't mean to have any of it – we unintentionally ended up with merchandise!" Abdel Rassoul says.

Replicability has always been the goal of the MRS. As Al Ali puts it, "With a little organisational skills, it's absolutely possible to do the same thing wherever in the world you happen to be. So far the families joining the MRS have come from Zamalek, Heliopolis, Tagamoa and Sheikh Zayed, and they often wonder if something like this exists closer to home."