[Foundation-l] (Flashback) A short (and revised) FAQ about Wikimania in Alexandria

[Brian]

What do you expect, a security detail for all attendees?

On Fri, Apr 18, 2008 at 6:07 PM, Dan Rosenthal <swatjester at gmail.com> wrote:

> So this is mostly based on the assurances of the local team? Frankly
> that's weak. Very weak, especially given the local team's reports
> don't jive with certain reports from the international news media.
>
> -Dan
> On Apr 18, 2008, at 7:34 PM, Mike Godwin wrote:
>
> > (Note from Mike this is a resent, slightly revised version of the FAQ
> > that I circulated a few weeks ago. It's also posted at the Wikimania
> > website.)
> >
> > --
> >
> > Dear folks,
> >
> > With the valuable assistance of Delphine and the local Wikimania team
> > in Alexandria, I have attempted to assemble a security FAQ for
> > Wikimania attendees at Wikimania 2008 at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina,.
> > In particular, what follows is an attempt to give general answers to
> > most of the security questions that were asked on foundation-l
> > regarding security issues at the site.
> >
> > 1) Will all Wikimania events take place inside the Library of
> > Alexandria?
> >
> > The short answer to this question is no. There will be at least two
> > other events -- parties -- that will take place elsewhere. One party
> > will be held for regular attendees to gather the community and that
> > most probably will be in a private club in open air beside the
> > Alexandria airport on the highway. The other party will be for "VIP"
> > people and sponsors, and will be in one of two places -- one downtown
> > and one on the seaside. Both places are known to be safe for tourists
> > and receive such visitors all over the year. Note from Mike: The
> > message we consistently got from the Egyptian consulate is that
> > Alexandria is very tourist-friendly and that many local citizens will
> > seize the opportunity to come up and speak with Wikimanians to try out
> > their English (or other languages).
> >
> > 2) What percentage of events will take place elsewhere?
> >
> > The local team estimates 20 to 30 percent of events will take place
> > elsewhere.
> >
> > 3) Where will attendees be staying?
> >
> > Either in 3 hotels [Windsor, Metropol, Delta] in downtown Alexandria,
> > 15 minutes walk from the Library, or in in Saint Marc dormitories, 5
> > minutes walking from BA (in the other direction). There useful map
> > available at <
> http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/meta/c/c3/Hotels-Alex.jpg
> >> . Attendees who do not wish to stay at one of the three conference
> > hotels or in the dorms will be able to book alternatives online.
> >
> > 4) Will there be transportation between housing and events?
> >
> > No, walking around this area is pretty safe (walked every day by lots
> > of tourists) and they can shop, watch some attractions of Alexandria,
> > like Raml station, mosques, beautiful old buildings on the way.
> >
> > 5) How will security needs be addressed?
> >
> > Our advice from the consulate was that, so long as an event has a
> > local sponsor (as we have with the Library), the sponsor and local
> > police will coordinate security needs. So it remains important to work
> > closely with the Library to inform them if special arrangements need
> > to be made (if, for example, there's an event with a large number of
> > VIPs attending).
> >
> > 6) What kind of security arrangements will be made with regard to
> > transportation to and from Wikimania events?
> >
> > In cases where transportation is required, the local partner will
> > normally arrange with local police to have a police car accompanying
> > moving shuttles with tourists. If told in advance, police will provide
> > this for any buses at any time.
> >
> > 7) Are there kinds of public behavior, otherwise acceptable in many
> > other cultures, that ought to be avoided in Alexandria?
> >
> >  The short answer from the local team is this: "Kissing in public,
> > regardless of sex, is the only taboo around here."
> >
> > 8) Is there any need for attendees to travel in groups?
> >
> > No, says the local team.
> >
> > 9) Are there religious issues or expressions that should be avoided?
> >
> > One report from the local team: "wearing [a yarmulke] or a large [Star
> > of David], considering the current circumstances, will make Jews stand
> > out, which may not be very good. This said, Jews have been moving
> > safely and freely around Egypt. However, considering the current
> > escalation of the situation in Israel/Palestine, flaunting such
> > religious symbols may result (at worst) in harassment, I don't know if
> > this situation will continue till the conference or not."
> >
> > 10) Are there any issues with how members of religious minorities,
> > sexual-orientation minorities (e.g., lesbians, gays, bisexuals), or
> > racial minorities present themselves? Should female attendees be alert
> > to any issues of self-presentation that might disturb Egyptians?
> >
> >  From the local team: "For Females, Just to not be overly liberal in
> > dress code, shorts are ok, bikinis are not." Note from Mike: We got
> > essentially the same advice from the consulate. Typical Western
> > clothing is understood to be acceptable for women, just so long as it
> > is not overly revealing or provocative. The INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
> > HANDBOOK has lots of photos of students, men and women, in western
> > dress. There is also advice about what to pack (travel light or you'll
> > be spending time in the customs office). 11) Has there been contact
> > with the Egyptian government regarding security issues for an
> > international conference?
> >
> > (There definitely has now! ;) The folks at the consulate in SF are big
> > Wikipedia fans, it turns out.
> >
> > 12) Apart from notifying one's own country's embassy about travel in
> > the region, what notifications should be made (in advance or
> > otherwise) to the Egyptian government regarding one's travel to the
> > conference?
> >
> > Get a tourist visa. You can get one by mail, but it takes weeks -- you
> > should think about getting one now. If there is a Egyptian consulate
> > where you are, however, you may be able to get a tourist visa in as
> > little as a day. . 13) What am forgetting?
> >
> > Lots of stuff, but it's mainly well-detailed in the INTERNATIONAL
> > STUDENTS HANDBOOK (see link below). Read carefully the section on
> > getting health insurance for your travel -- that's pretty much a
> > standard requirement. I hope this short FAQ goes a long way in
> > answering basic security questions about upcoming Wikimania. Please
> > feel free to recirculate, repost, wikify, or whatever.
> >
> > Final note from Mike:  In the course of my research about Wikimania
> > 2008 security concerns, I've found an excellent resource that I want
> > to share with all of you. When Kul Wadhwa and I met with the Egyptian
> > consulate in San Francisco, the consul recommended to us the American
> > University in Cairo website as an introduction for foreign travelers,
> > and it is in fact a great website <
> http://www.aucegypt.edu/intstudents/Pages/default.aspx
> >> . But of particular interest to Wikimanians (who presumably won't
> > be taking courses and worried about the class schedule) is a PDF
> > publication, INTERNATIONAL STUDENT HANDBOOK, which can be found and
> > downloaded here: <
> http://www.aucegypt.edu/StudentLife/StudentServices/isso/Pages/InternationalStudent
> >  Handbook.aspx
> >> .
> > Of course, Alexandria is a different city from Cairo, but the issues
> > for a foreign national trying to get a quick understanding of urban
> > Egyptian culture are the essentially the same. The handbook covers
> > most issues in detail, from what kind of clothing to bring to the
> > obtaining of health insurance and tourist visas. Even if you think you
> > know all you need to know about traveling in Egypt, a pass through
> > this relatively short handbook will likely answer some questions you
> > haven't thought to ask yet. I highly recommend it.
> >
> >
> >
> >
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>
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