Julian Röder’s photo essay about modernity in Egypt is the result of a cultural exchange project between the Goethe Institute and the Institute Français in Alexandria, Egypt.
The central goal of this essay is to show signs of globalization in the urban spaces of Alexandria and in parts of Cairo, and therewith the related changes in society. Röder combines portraits of workers, employees, and businessmen with city-landscapes to emphasis links between them and Egypt’s economic developments today. The images show men in suits standing in front of the entrance to the major freight harbor. Others are looking at documents standing in front of freight containers ready to go around the world. These containers, which are considered to be the symbolic hardware of globalization, are packed with cotton and textiles, ready to be shipped around the world in order to come back full with different commodities. These commodities are then used to fill the omnipresent shopping malls, which are rising high everywhere. Yet, one can also find traditional department stores in Alexandria, which are state property. While customers will find commodities produced by global companies at the malls, they have to go to the traditional state owned department stores to buy regional textiles and carpets.
Looking at the development of the Egyptian economy and trade, there seems to be little resistance in adapting global capitalism in the land of the Nile. Fast food chains such as McDonald’s have already included the scarf as a part of their workers dress and restaurants like Pizza Hut managed to set up a store with a view towards the great pyramids of Gizah.