Football Beyond Borders Middle East 2011 - Entry Five

By Dillon Chapman

Nearly eight months have passed since the Egyptian Revoultion brought down Hosni Mubarak's regime - the third such popular uprising in its modern history. It has been characterized by the massive campaign of largely non-violent civil resistance set in Cairo's Tahir Square. The Revolution began on the 25th of January - and still continues - and was precipitated by a combination of deep rooted socioeconomic issues including high levels of government corruption, stagnated wealth redistribution, food price inflation, high unemployment, and a sustained national state of emergency.

Now, more than ever, Egyptians are engaged in their national political discourse and, in particular, the youth of Egypt are becoming actively involved in the reshaping of their country's future. The effect the Revolution has had on young people has been profound. Political consciousness and activity is visible among young people in and around Tahir Square; in the evenings, students can be seen congregating in the streets engaged in debate and discussions. On campuses, students across Egypt have found their voices and are empowered by a sense of awakening. Omar El Far, a diplomacy and international studies student at the Ameircan University in Cairo, says that formation of political opinions among the youth has helped drive voter turnouts. He recalled of the constitutional referendum held on March 19th 2011 that it was 'the first time 18 million Egyptians turned up to vote'. He added, 'It was the first time I went with my whole family to vote'. Furthermore, students have been exercising more political freedoms with widespread student protests taking place across universities in Cairo. At the AUC, thousands of students marched against an increase in student fees to upwards of 80,000 Egyptian Pounds (roughly 8,000 British Pounds) per term. Students removed the American Flag that flies on their campus and delivered it to the Dean of Students, threatening that the protests would not stop until the ideals upon which the United States was founded, were enshrined in the AUC's constitution.

For students and citizens alike, the effects of the Egyptian Revolution are still unfolding and time will only tell what will come of it. The toppling of the regime has seemingly brought only a governmental reshuffling to kept military leaders secure in high positions. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), chaired by Mohamed Hussein Tartawi, has assumed de facto control of Egypt and protests by the citizenry against this aesthetic rejigging of government have been taking place since September 9th, and are scheduled to continue every Friday until demands are met.

Young people like Omar, and international NGO's like The Nebny Foundation have observed that it is important that protests continue until the progressive and democratic demands of the people are met. They have expressed a desire to build a society that supports active civil partcipation and freedom.

As history continues to unfold in the region, Egypt will be at the forefront of the Middle Eastern narrative - Cairo will be an acid test for citizens vying for a national democratic rebirth. The signs and cries from protestors in the streets of Cairo reveal a desire to restructure Egyptian society based upon progressive values. An active and continual mobilisation by society - especially amongst the young and future leaders of Egypt - is essential to ensure that the future of Egypt is in the hands of its people.