Egypt’s Activists: Democracy Is a Practical Process

Egypt’s Activists: Democracy Is a Practical Process

Egypt’s Activists: Democracy Is a Practical Process

Social media may not play as pivotal a role in Egypt’s electoral process as it did in the initial phases of the revolution; rather, grassroots, in-person campaigning will sustain the revolutionary momentum moving forward.

Facebook
Twitter
Email
Flipboard
Pocket

After thirty years under President Hosni Mubarak’s iron grip on power, Cairo is alive with activism. In a roundtable earlier this month organized by PolicyMic.com and The Nation and moderated by author Stephen Glain, young Egyptian activists debated some of Egypt’s most pressing issues, including the role and strength of the Muslim Brotherhood, the power of social media in sparking reform and the military’s stranglehold over politics.

Participants agreed that social media may not play as pivotal a role in the electoral process as it did in the initial phases of the revolution; rather, grassroots, in-person campaigning will sustain the revolutionary momentum moving forward. As noted by prominent blogger Gigi Ibrahim, who rose to fame by tweeting during the revolution, change will come from support for popular committees, labor unions, student unions and all the institutions that "truly represent those that took part in this revolution." 

Be sure to also check out the other videos in this series on Egypt’s activists:
I Wouldn’t Vote for the Islamists
Where Will the Money Come From?
Now I Tweet in Arabic

We cannot back down

We now confront a second Trump presidency.

There’s not a moment to lose. We must harness our fears, our grief, and yes, our anger, to resist the dangerous policies Donald Trump will unleash on our country. We rededicate ourselves to our role as journalists and writers of principle and conscience.

Today, we also steel ourselves for the fight ahead. It will demand a fearless spirit, an informed mind, wise analysis, and humane resistance. We face the enactment of Project 2025, a far-right supreme court, political authoritarianism, increasing inequality and record homelessness, a looming climate crisis, and conflicts abroad. The Nation will expose and propose, nurture investigative reporting, and stand together as a community to keep hope and possibility alive. The Nation’s work will continue—as it has in good and not-so-good times—to develop alternative ideas and visions, to deepen our mission of truth-telling and deep reporting, and to further solidarity in a nation divided.

Armed with a remarkable 160 years of bold, independent journalism, our mandate today remains the same as when abolitionists first founded The Nation—to uphold the principles of democracy and freedom, serve as a beacon through the darkest days of resistance, and to envision and struggle for a brighter future.

The day is dark, the forces arrayed are tenacious, but as the late Nation editorial board member Toni Morrison wrote “No! This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”

I urge you to stand with The Nation and donate today.

Onwards,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

Ad Policy
x