On January 25th, Egypt was supposed to celebrate as usual, Police Day. However, led by the country’s youth, the population had other plans and started protests demanding that president Hosni Mubarak step down, and the end of the military regime that has controlled the country for over thirty years. Involved in what seems to be a revolution in progress, although without behest and future plans, video maker El-Adawy has been intensely experiencing recent developments, as he had to take a step back in order to participate in the World Social Forum 2011, which takes place until February 11th in Dakar, Senegal. After reporting on the role of the media in the outbreak of protests that claimed the streets of Cairo and cities all over Egypt during the “Alternative information in service of social and political mobilization” seminar, in the morning of the 8th of February, he gave Ciranda an interview*.
What’s the current situation in Egypt?
Explaining the situation is difficult because we’re living it, but what can be said is that the mood prior to and after January 25th, when the revolution began, is very different. People were depressed and reticent that something could in fact change. Now you walk the streets of Cairo and you see people smiling.
How did the revolution take place?
First of all it wasn’t exactly a political revolution, but a cry for dignity and freedom. People realized they can have that, but only when the regime falls. Perhaps you can trace the start of it all the way back in 2005, when there was a movement against Mubarak running in the elections once again while refusing to accept that his son took his place in power. Back then, there were few protesting in the streets, but a large number began mobilizing through the internet, Facebook. There was a certain disconnection between these groups because one didn’t know what the other was planning on doing. Those that were physically in the streets thought that the ones protesting via the internet weren’t doing anything. The internet protesters believed the ones protesting in the streets had very personal reasons for being there. That situation lasted for the better part of two years and began shifting after the Mahalla march, which gathered almost half a million people. At that time, the ones on the streets joined the ones on Facebook and unity started to be forged. Even the older people, the ones not used to the internet started logging in because they could see what was going on. In 2008, the labour movement joined the mobilization, but the one who really led it were the young people. In 2009, Khaled Said was assassinated because he had filmed using his cell phone a scene of corruption taking place in the police station. After that, the pressure grew, coming especially from the youth.
From that point on, moment the movement was consolidated?
It was incurred that people from different regions of Egypt got out into the streets to make sure that there weren’t marches only in isolated parts of the country, but all over it. That was a great lesson because it was understood that it wasn’t enough being only in large places like Cairo and Alexandria, what was needed was to be in all areas. The last push prior to the revolution was what happened in Tunisia. When the revolution was taking place there, the Egyptians were out in the streets in solidarity. So we asked ourselves: “why is it that we can’t do the same?”. The youth decided on the 25th of January for the protests. The date is a bit strange due to it being Police Day, so it’s somewhat ironic. The decided to use it to take it back, but old political organizations did not feel the same. I myself didn’t think the date could be of any importance, however, when I went outside, everyone was in the street. It was later called the “Anger Day”. I ran into someone I knew in college, but hadn’t seen in a long time and started to cry, as I remembered my old revolution dream.
And the protests went on…
On the 28th of January, people headed to Tahir Square and the main slogan was “The people wants the regime out”, the same one as the one used in Tunisia. There are different entries to the square and the different groups decided to organize themselves so they could go though each one. From where I was, I could see everyone and also the smoke that was there. The police was doing everything to repress, using rubber bullets, lethal ammunition, everything imaginable. For almost three hours people were simply dying in the streets. Then, they changed strategy and everyone, about three million people, started to go towards the same entrance in order to confront the almost 400 thousand policemen. There were still guns and lots of smoke, but the people remained, like soccer fans. The protesters began to kick police cars; the police started to lose control of the situation and had to retreat. And the people simply took the square from the police. The weird part is that there was no organized leadership, it all was just happening. The ones in power realized, after that day, that things were starting to indeed change. On the 1st of February, the police came back started to shoot protesters. At that time, I thought there might be a mass murder. By then, even those who had no religious belief, even communists, began to pray. But in the following morning I saw that the youth had resisted. The violence did not stop, but was far less than before. Today, 250 thousand people sit in Tahir Square, with a big screen and a radio broadcast. There are supplies and blankets for the ones who are there. It’s like a city within a city. And people are feeling safer there.
What can be expected from now on?
It was very hard to predict what would happen up to this point when it all began, on the 25th of January. So it is impossible to know what lies ahead. What is very clear is that the people in the streets will not abandon the idea of taking down Mubarak. But what is also clear is that politicians and heads of state are learning from what happened with Bem Ali. Dictators that are in power for over 30 years will need more than one week of protest to leave. All the different actors, police, army, politicians and the people who were for Mubarak don’t know what to do. To them it is very hard to control this movement.
How many are still in favor o Mubarak?
The number is quite small. But, when he went on TV and said he wished to die on Egyptian soil, some sympathy was achieved. But even those cannot be completely in favor of Mubarak for they know how corrupt his government is. The issue is that Egyptians are very compassionate, it’s almost like they pity him, personally. Even my mother called me and said: “leave him be”.
When the regime falls, who will be in power?
People decided not to think of it until Mubarak is out. Now that this social movement is stabilizing, even prices are down; the cost of life is now cheaper, which is unprecedented. The power isn’t really in the government’s hands but in those of the people. There is a certain dichotomy, because the regime wants to control the revolution, but apparently has no problems in letting the people take over control of the streets.
For over 50 year the military has controlled the country. People are afraid to dream and then being disappointed, but now they realize that the regime can implode at any given time and turn into something ugly, so they are ready to go back to the streets whenever needed. In anyway, the youth currently in the Square isn’t just against Mubarak, but against the regime as a whole.
What is the likelihood of having an Islamic government established in Egypt?
Mubarak is using the Muslim Brotherhood in order to frighten people, but they are far less symbolic as one would think. All of this was born in the middle class, not from the Muslim Brotherhood. When there were legislatives elections, they got only two seats in Parliament. It is clear that they are not in power; the youth will be the ones making the decisions.
* Translated by Nelly Bassily