Here are some of my favourite parts of the Times article – “Rage, Rap and Revolution: Inside the Arab Youth Quake”.
First thing, the photo. This man’s face surely belongs on a t-shirt. Tunisian rapper, El Général who helped kick off a revolution in several parts of the Islamic world with his song about government corruption and oppression of the masses looks like an Arab version of Che Guevara. And t-shirts are the highest level of respect one can pay to a revolutionary in hipster culture.
Speaking of the revolution, here’s a terrific quote from Wael Ghonim, who is also a noteworthy person of the revolution:
Because the only barrier to people uprising and revolution is the psychological barrier of fear. All these regimes rely on fear. They want everyone to be scared. If you manage to break the psychological barrier, you’re gonna definitely be able to do the revolution.
Youth, you get such a bad rap everywhere you go, but you and your Internet did good:
Even those who have watched this generation come of age in the Middle East struggle to explain its sudden empowerment. “These young people have done more in a few weeks than their parents did in 30 years,” says Hassan Nafaa, a political-science professor at Cairo University. “They are the Internet Generation … or the Facebook Generation … or just call them the Miracle Generation.”
And, what did you do last Tuesday? Am just asking, because this inspiring mother of three also manages to fit in being a revolutionary on Tuesdays:
In Yemen, activist Tawakul Karman was moved by the plight of 30 families expelled in early 2007 from their village when the land was given to a tribal leader close to President Saleh. The families are known collectively as Ja’ashin, after the name of their village, and Karman, 32, a mother of three, has made them her cause: every Tuesday since 2007, she and scores of others have protested in front of Sana’a University.
Taking the momentum and keeping it:
Many of the young men and women who helped make the revolutions happen are keen to hold on to the sense of blissful dawn they have experienced for the first time in their young lives. Ahmed Khalil, scion of a wealthy Egyptian business family and a veteran of Tahrir Square, hasn’t returned to work even though his plastics factory reopened several days ago: there are more important things now than making money, he says. Khalil, 29, is part of the “Revolution Friends” Facebook group that is exploring ways to channel the revolution’s momentum into a civic-awareness campaign. He has printed leaflets, now being distributed throughout Cairo, calling on his fellow Egyptians to work “for a better Egypt and to protect the victory that you and I achieved with our own hands.” (Sample suggestions: “Don’t litter, don’t blow your car horn for no reason, don’t pay bribes, don’t allow a police officer to humiliate someone in front of you, don’t harass girls on the street, know your rights, stay positive, respect other opinions.”)
(My use of bold in the quote above, and yay! to see sexist street harassment being targeted. I spent several years of my childhood in the Middle East and I have very fond memories of that time. It is fascinating and hopeful to see dynamics changing across that region. )
This is amazing. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.