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Tahrir Square

Egypt's 'unfinished revolution,' reported from the ground in Cairo.

In Tahrir, the cacophony of creating Egypt's future

The concerns of the day compete with microphone feedback in the square, Cairo's cultural epicenter.

Ben BrodyFebruary 15, 2012 11:40

CAIRO — After Friday prayers in Tahrir Square Oct. 21, a small demonstration lurches into motion. As the scheduled speakers consult with their staffs, flags are hoisted, a P.A. system is rigged up, snack vendors and shoeshine men form a loose ring around the crowd, the mundane details of revolution attended to on a sunny afternoon in Cairo.

The lost euphoria of Tahrir

One year after Mubarak's resignation, Egypt's revolutionaries wonder what really happened.

Sara ElkamelFebruary 11, 2012 20:25

Revolutionary graffiti in Cairo's Zamalek district. (Sara Elkamel/GlobalPost)

Euphoria. Say it out loud. The word ends before it begins.

For 18 days last year, Tahrir Square was an idyllic scene where Egyptians chanted at the top of their lungs for freedom in 85 million different incarnations.

Rappers rip Egypt military with 'Kazeboon'

Revolution Records creates an unofficial soundtrack for the protest movement.

Kristin DeasyFebruary 7, 2012 10:39

A promotional photo for the Egyptian hip-hop group Revolution Records. (Revolution Records/Courtesy)

A new song called Kazeboon (“Liars”) by the popular Egyptian hip-hop group Revolution Records is making the rounds among Egyptian activists following the launch of a new opposition campaign also called Kazeboon.

Egypt's 'revolution of the mind'

At Harvard, mapping a more complete picture of post-Mubarak (but pre-civilian rule) era

Kevin Douglas GrantFebruary 3, 2012 16:05

The Daily Beast / Newsweek editor-in-chief Tina Brown moderates a panel titled “Egypt: From Tahrir Square to Today” at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government on Feb. 2, joined on stage (L to R) by Egyptian-American journalist and activist Mona Eltahawy, Harvard professor Tarek Masoud and GlobalPost executive editor and co-founder Charles Sennott. (Gary Knight/VII/GlobalPost)

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Her well-manicured hands gesturing passionately despite casts on both broken arms, Egyptian-American journalist and activist Mona Eltahawy defined a vital dimension of Egypt’s ongoing revolution Thursday evening.

“We’re also having a parallel revolution of the mind,” Eltahawy told a crowd at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. She was sexually assaulted and badly injured by riot police in an arrest last November, a high-profile example of widespread abuses against the civilian population.

Egypt's 'digital activism' hits its limit

One year later, most Egyptians remain dependent on traditional media for their information.

Sara ElkamelJanuary 25, 2012 09:53

An Egyptian anti-government demonstrator sleeps on the pavement under graffiti that reads 'Al-Jazeera' and 'Facebook' at Cairo's Tahrir square on February 7, 2011 on the 14th day of protests calling for the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. (Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images)

CAIRO — For decades, Arab dictators have monopolized information flow, employing state media to propagate the official line while censoring independent media. But in recent years new alternatives, including satellite TV and internet platforms have expanded the scope of media consumption in the Arab world, and with it the scope of political expression.

Carter still skeptical of Egypt military handover

The former US president praised the country's free elections but sees SCAF keeping some power.

Aaron RossJanuary 13, 2012 11:09

Former US President Jimmy Carter speaks about Egypt's recent parliamentary elections in Cairo on Jan. 13, 2012. (Kurtis Sensenig/GlobalPost)

CAIRO — Former US President Jimmy Carter grew exasperated at a press conference in Cairo Friday, asked repeatedly about his comments to the New York Times earlier this week that Egypt’s military was unlikely to hand control of the country to a civilian government.

“If I get another identical question, I’m not going to answer it,” he sighed.

Ultraconservative Al-Nour party denies radicalism amid success

Outperforming expectations in Egyptian elections, the Salafists defend push for Islamic law.

Troy CarterJanuary 3, 2012 16:47

Emad Abdel Ghaffour, president of the Salafist party Al Nour, speaks at a rally in Banha, Egypt in December 2011. (Troy Carter/GlobalPost)

It is not just the talking heads on orthodox Islamic television channels that scare liberal-minded Egyptians — Salafist candidates and their supporters voice similarly conservative views.

“This is the one time that Christians and women will ever be allowed to campaign for the presidency,” says Abu Amr Baheth from Shobra El Khayma. Once the Islamist-dominated parliament implements Islamic law, he believes, only Muslim men will be allowed to become president.

Samira victorious: Egyptian military to end 'virginity tests'

Samira Ibrahim wins lawsuit after enduring invasive procedure.

Kevin Douglas GrantDecember 27, 2011 13:02

Samira Ibrahim, a 25-year-old Egyptian suing the military for allegedly subjecting her to an invasive "virginity test" stands in front of graffiti celebrating her efforts in Cairo, November 2011. (Amina Ismail/GlobalPost)

Nine months after Egyptian soldiers forced her to strip down and undergo a "virginity test" that has been described as medieval, Samira Ibrahim has won her case against the military as an Egyptian court banned the practice Tuesday.

VIDEO: Covering Egypt's transformation

A short documentary about the GlobalPost-Open Hands Initiative "Covering a Revolution" Fellowship in October.

Kevin Douglas GrantDecember 21, 2011 10:46

CAIRO — As a tentative calm settled over Egypt in mid-October, 17 Egyptian and American journalists fanned out from the streets of Cairo to the Pyramids of Giza to report on the country’s “unfinished revolution” as part of a fellowship created by GlobalPost and the New York City-based Open Hands Initiative.

In Egypt, democratic advances belied by military violence

A woman beaten and stripped in the street becomes a symbol of "unfinished revolution."

Charles M. SennottDecember 20, 2011 10:51

Egyptian soldiers beat a protester during clashes near Cairo's Tahrir Square on December 16, 2011 after demonstrators threw petrol bombs and set fire to furniture in front of the nearby parliament. (Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images)

CAIRO – The photo of a young woman dragged through the streets by soldiers and then beaten, stripped to her bra and kicked in the chest has become a searing indictment of the Egyptian military.

ABOUT THIS BLOG

Seventeen top young Egyptian and American journalists have convened in Cairo from October 12-23, 2011 as part of the GlobalPost / Open Hands Initiative "Covering a Revolution" Fellowship. This team of reporters seeks to tell the story of Egypt's 'unfinished revolution,' searching for stories that will enlighten and inform GlobalPost's audience on the historic events still unfolding in Cairo. Embracing the mission of Open Hands Initiative "to support people-to-people understanding around the world," this fellowship brings together Egyptian and American reporters through a belief that working together they can produce stronger news coverage. Their work in the field will be chronicled in this blog and will culminate with a GlobalPost "Special Report" in the lead up to the parliamentary elections scheduled for November.