20111016 interview

######, a 28 year old public relations executive developing a political career, describes her experience of Egypt’s 2011 revolution. She discusses the first days of the revolution, such as the role of the “We are all Khaled Said” Facebook page in announcing the protests, and the clashes between protesters and security forces on the Kasr El Nil bridge on January 28 witnessed by her friends (including one who was shot and detained). ###### tells of attending demonstrations after January 28, describing the solidarity that existed despite socioeconomic, age, religion, and educational differences among protesters (“we were all the same in Tahrir Square”), comparing her own comfortable background to that of many of the other demonstrators. She describes the scene at Tahrir Square during the protests, including memorable signs (such as “Imshy Ba’a, Ayza Ahlaa” – “Please leave, I need to shave”), and recalls the incident when poet and activist Abdel Rahman Youssef got on stage and called on the families of protesters to join the protests against President Mubarak. She addresses the rumors that spread during the 18 days, the coverage by Egyptian state media, the role of social media, and the impact of the internet and mobile telephone outages. Her continued participation in demonstrations after February is also covered, and she offers her opinion that had the protesters remained in Tahrir Square after Mubarak’s departure, their presence would have served as a check on the role of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. ###### speaks of her contacts with activists and organizers for several political parties (including that of Mohamed El Baradei), and her own work with the “El-Adl” (Justice) party during the period leading up to parliamentary elections. This interview was conducted as part of the interviewer’s coursework in Professor Nancy Gallagher’s Fall 2011 History 412 “Methods of Oral History and the Egyptian Revolution” course.The University on the Square: Documenting Egypt's 21st Century Revolution project was made possible by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation