“Ungrateful”, “irresponsible”, “greedy”, “lazy”… this is how older Egyptians view the young generation that I belong to. We fight back by calling them “narrow-minded”, “old-fashioned”, “hard-hearted” and “boring”. Quite often, this makes life in a family difficult, which is also reflected in our society as a whole.

What could make for a generational conflict in such a historically-new city as Amman? As I ask myself this question, I remember that this is a normal process in any city that is still in the process of developing an identity.

If young people without immigrant parents have fallen into disrepute for disengaging and emancipating themselves from and rebelling against old traditions and conventions, then even more so those with a hybrid identity. Those, whose parents originate from more distant regions of the world, but who were born and grew up in Europe. People like me. 

Criticised from all sides, Sudan′s younger generation has already faced all manner of crises, from the conflicts and struggles of a country in the process of breaking apart, economic crises, to problems in health and education. It′s a generation that anticipates the worst and has no concept of peace.

My mother wakes up before the rest of us every morning, makes coffee and very often bread too. I wake up late and I'm so happy when I awake to smells that only my mother knows how to make well. I sit at the table, my mind wandering, and drink my coffee slowly as if I want time to stop.

Something remarkable has begun in Beirut. Massive government mismanagement and the attendant garbage crisis two years ago inspired and galvanized Lebanese youth to demand more of their government and to hold their leaders accountable. It all began with the closure of the Naameh landfill, which was over-capacity.