Green Grass
My mother used to tell me the grass is not greener on the other side; it is greener where you water it. It shines and grows when it’s loved, appreciated, and taken care of.
Rural women have always played a significant role in Egyptian agriculture and the root of everything green and fertile, but their contribution has remained invisible, or unknown. They continue to be perceived only in terms of their domestic roles as housewives; but their productive and pivotal role in the society and agricultural development is still undervalued and neglected.
Agricultural work is a crucial part of the lives of women living in rural areas and cities as they provide for their husbands and family. It is the way they were raised and the tradition they will pass on to their daughters despite the difficulties and poor wages.
Women working in the agricultural sector lack any legal, health and social protection; because Egyptian labor laws have not acknowledged these women, therefore, they are considered domestic workers. Due to this vulnerability and lack of fundamental rights, employers are able to get away with paying less than the minimum wage; and the women are also more susceptible to mistreatment.
A regular day for a rural working woman starts at sunrise, she waits for the pick-up truck that carries her and all the other girls & women to go to a field and collect the harvest; she usually finishes by sunset and then the truck takes them back to their homes. After a long day at work she goes back home, clean the house and make some food for her family; with nothing but strength & grace.
Without these women, there would be no agriculture in Egypt, and it is crucial to make their effort seen, felt, and appreciated again. These are the real warriors who represent the slowly fading green side of Egypt. The raw and poetic face of Egypt. The green grass that should not be forgotten.
